When those “Dancing with the Stars” folks complain about injuries, believe them. Mark Ballas, last year’s winner (with Kristi Yamaguchi), says he has seen celebs perform while in excruciating pain.

Karina Smirnoff says she watched former partner Mario Lopez endure some pretty nasty muscle aches and pulls. Lopez suffered a groin pull before one show and Smirnoff gave him a salve (not unlike Icy Hot) that she said would make it better. “After he put it on he came out and said, ‘My —-s are on fire!’ He didn’t put it on the right place,” she said with a laugh.

For more “Stars” secrets — and what the professional say makes a winner — look at the A&E section Friday. I talked with Smirnoff, Ballas, Kym Johnson and Derek and Julianne Hough and I learned plenty about the work that goes into “DWTS.” Here’s my interview with Julianne Hough earlier this year.

By their standards, though, look for the non-athletes to leave first.  It takes that kind of dedication to make it on the dance floor.

Paul Newman was such a classy guy. Unlike some actors today, he didn’t use charity work to bolster his career or keep his name in the news. He just did what he thought was right.

He was a tough guy to interview, too, because he rarely wanted to divulge much about his life behind the curtain. I talked to him a couple of times (most notably for the release of “The Verdict”) and got snippets about wife Joanne Woodward, his aversion to the trappings of acting (he didn’t like signing autographs after someone asked him for one at a urinal) and his belief that greater good could come from a career wearing makeup.

In person, Newman was incredibly skinny. Bone skinny. And those eyes — those liquid blue eyes — were even bluer than you could imagine. (Ellen DeGeneres, by the way, has the same strikingly blue eyes.)

During one of our interviews, he took a notepad and doodled for what seemed like 20 minutes. The result? A football helmet. He never explained why that was on his mind (the questions weren’t about football) but the image is clear. I asked if I could have the drawing and he said, “Sure…but don’t try to figure it out.”

In a way, that was Paul Newman — an enigmatic artist who left his work behind for the rest of us to appreciate.

Watch “The Verdict” (or “Butch Cassidy” or “The Sting” or “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” or “Color of Money” or “Hud” or…you name it) and you’ll see just how good he was. Then, go to the grocery store and look at all the products that bear his name. The profits all go to charity.

They say even more about the man he aspired to be.

Life is great for the vocal group Little Big Town. But it has taken the quartet 10 years to reach the top. Hear Bruce Miller’s interview with Kimberly Roads Schlapman and what she and her partners have learned.

 

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Bruce Miller reviews Eagle Eye, Miracle At St. Anna and Nights In Rodanthe.

Jeffrey Ross got the boot. Warren Sapp improved and Kim Kardashian showed a big booty does not equal big moves.

Cloris Leachman continued to steal the show (even though she’s bad) and Samantha Harris continued to decline as the backstage hostess.

Julianne Hough and her brother Derek stand a good chance of making the finals (they’ve got the kid from “Hannah Montana” and Brooke Burke, respectively) and Lance Bass has enough experience to ensure a Top 4 finish.

That said, I loved watching Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson. Kym, you may remember, taught me how to cha-cha last summer (or at least tried to) and she’s such an encouraging, uplifting person it’s easy to see why Sapp is doing well.

For the record, she also smells great and she’s got incredible legs. Put it all together and you’ve got a winning package. Go Kym! (But vote for Cloris. We need the laughs.)

Listen closely to the next John McCain ad. The narration sounds like it was done by Martin Sheen, the die-hard Democrat and star of “The West Wing.” It’s probably not Sheen, but is the sound-alike designed to make people think he’s supporting McCain?

Just asking.

I wasn’t ready for the new “Dancing with the Stars” season until Cloris Leachman got on stage. Then, after a halting dance, she proceeded to swear, berate the judges and try to win votes. I loved it. When she called Samantha Harris and the backstage crew “stupid” I almost reached for the phone.

Thus far? It looks like Lance Bass and Brooke Burke have the best shot.

Jeffrey Ross will probably be the first to go. And, even though he’s kinda big, Warren Sapp has some moves.

The show was a bit long for its own good (two hours?) and didn’t have anything new to offer. But when Cloris let loose with a few bleeped moments, “Stars” started shining.

I hope she’s in for a while longer.

BTW: She’s from Iowa. Now get to the phone.

Cable cleaned house at the Emmys Sunday night; “Mad Men” became the first basic cable series to win the Best Drama trophy.

Three-fourths of the acting awards went to performers whose shows were on cable. Were it not for Tina Fey, the networks might have been shut out.

Fey, in fact, was such a big winner NBC should turn the network over to her. In addition to Best Comedy Series (for “30 Rock”), she won Best Actress and Best Writing.

That said, the Emmy broadcast was pretty boring. Having the five reality show host nominees lead this thing was a big mistake. They were bad and boring. The remembrances of shows past were good, initially, then the director ran out of time and started cutting them. Stupid.

The best bit: Josh Grobin singing theme songs (he should do this in concert).

The best winner: Don Rickles, whose co-presenter, Kathy Griffin, looked like she was trying for an Ann-Margret look.

Other observations:

1. Glenn Close and Jean Smart looked like they had the same dress.

2. Those nerd glasses Tom Hanks wore are really big in Hollywood. Every other actor has a pair.

3. Mary Tyler Moore is too skinny. No wonder those girls on “90210″ wear size Double Zero.

4. Did Christian Slater stop at the Botox tent once too often?

5. George Carlin got two nods in the “Dead People” tribute. Is that to make sure he’s really dead? Or to atone for ignoring him so many times?

6. Do you think the folks in Hollywood are interested in the upcoming election?

7. The “Laugh-In” folks looked tough…and the bit laid a big egg. Where was Goldie?

8. Who thinks Heidi Klum is talented? Really. She couldn’t read simple cue cards. She has that strident approach to everything and she comes off like a robot. Best host? Yeah. And Paula Abdul just drinks Coke.

9. Bad directing decision: Until the last couple categories, they didn’t show closeups of the acting nominees. Isn’t that half the fun? Seeing the losers smile?

10. Many of the right people won Bryan Cranston? Brilliant. Glenn Close? Ditto. Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin? Of course. Now, let’s work on getting Hugh Laurie a prize. His “House” is full of everything that’s good about television.

Amy Grant calls herself a “milkweed in the wind.” Which means? She’s
willing to go and do just about anything. Rather than stick with a
rigid schedule, she’ll veer off and try new experiences. Learn more
about her philosophy of life in the interview she did with Bruce
Miller just days before her concert at the Orpheum Theatre.

The concert? It’s Friday night. Tickets are still available.

To hear the interview, click the play button below:

 

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Bruce Miller reviews My Best Friend’s Girl, Lakeview Terrace, Ghost Town and Igor.