LATER, MARIO Mario, who seemed pretty good the one time I watched him on Dancing with the Stars, has been eliminated from the cheesy competition show. America just didn't love him enough. It's all good. Now he can focus more of his effort on stealing his partner, Karina Smirnoff, from her boyfriend Mario Lopez. According to the rumors, he's close to victory on that front.

There must be something so intimate and sexy about those celebrity/expert teams on Dancing with the Stars, and Failing at Ice Skating with Semi-Famous People, etc., because so many of the couples (the younger, attractive ones) turn out to be actual couples, and I believe that the ones that don't start dating at least have sex a few times. Mario Lopez became hot and heavy with his partner, Karina Smirnoff, when he was on Dancing with the Stars, and they're still together. Wait. Well, it looks like Smirnoff is partners with another Mario (the singer, of course) this season. And Mario Lopez might have to find a new ballroom dancer girlfriend. Here's why:

The shapely brunette has stepped out publicly with her former dance partner, Mario Lopez, but was also recently spotted kissing her current one, R&B singer Mario, at the Four Seasons in Los Angeles. "They were making out by the valet with their hands all over each other, and he was whispering in her ear," said our source. "It was around midnight, so there weren't many people around." The two then got in the same car and drove off together with Mario at the wheel. Reps for the show and Lopez did not return calls. Karina's rep denied the kiss, saying she and Mario have a "professional working relationship."

It must be the power of the dance. Check out the duo's cha cha after the jump.

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The new cast of Dancing with the "Stars was announced today, and, although, nothing about the list of "celebs" is inspiring me to actually watch, you might be moved by a little…Mario action? No? How about the Miami Dolphin's Jason Taylor? No, again? Also joining the lineup of people selling their dignity for another chance at stardom are Marlee Matlin, Priscilla Presley, Steve Guttenburg, Monica Seles, Penn Jillette, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Kristi Yamaguchi, Cristián de la Fuente, and Adam Carolla. Now you're excited! [EW]

Last year, Bow Wow's solo album opened at No. 6 with 262,000 sold, and Omarion's solo venture opened at No. 1 with 119,000 sold. This year, the friends collaborated to make Face Off, which sold only 107,000 in it's first week and didn't even make it into the top 10 of the Billboard 200. This kind of reminds me of Ne-Yo's song "Make Me Better," but in reverse.

Check out who else had a less-than-stellar debut on the charts after the jump.

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Maybe I don't like Mario's song "Do Right," but, you know, his mom is a heroin addict and all. So I have nothing bad to say. And it delivers a nice message.

Yesterday was apparently black music day on TRL with Keyshia Cole (in an intricate cream number), Mario, and Lupe Fiasco, who has apparently recovered from "Fiasco-Gate," in attendance. It was kind of Keyshia to take time out of her dysfunctional, weird, dramatic R. Kelly tour to say hi to the fans in Times Square.

Quote of the Week

Mario on feeling like he's enabling his heroin-addicted mom, Shawn:

"By doing this type of thing, I feel like I'm saying to her, 'It's OK, what you're doing is OK,' " the Baltimore native explains in a scene in which he takes Shawn shopping. "In the back of my mind, it would feel better if I knew I was doing this for my mother [when she were] well. I felt like after I left [the store], maybe I should have said, 'No. Until you get better, I'm not doing anything for you.' But sometimes it's hard to face reality."

Beyonce, Chris Brown, Bow Wow, Hillary Clinton, Mary J. Blige, Frankie Beverly and Maze, Lionel Richie, and Kelly Rowland (to name a few) took the stage Friday and Saturday at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans. Check out plenty of pictures from the final two days of the famous festival after the jump.

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Look how happy Amerie is to be posing with her very own leather BET bag! Yesterday, more stars in town for the BET Awards filed into the "Backstage Creations Talent Retreat" to pick up some free electronics and bags embossed with the network logo. The only one not posing with some merchandise is Flavor Flav, but probably got the publicists didn't think an image of him touching one of their products would make any of us plebes consider going out and buying them. Check out the rest of the pics after the jump.

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