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Sat, Nov 07, 2009 - 10:07 PM EST — AAPL: 194.34 (+0.3099, +0.16%) | NASDAQ: 2112.44 (+7.12, +0.34%)

Woz recants, says ‘Dancing With The Stars’ not liars, not rigging votes; apologizes to producers

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 - 10:40 AM EST

"I wonder if Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and the producers of ABC's 'Dancing with the Stars' will meet for coffee and a slice of cake before next week's show," Chris Matyszczyk writes for CNET.

"Earlier on Tuesday, Woz had declared that he was being set up by those cynical Hollywood producer types," Matyszczyk reports. "He said that if he was in the bottom two, it would be "an outright lie." And he was convinced that the fix was in for him and his partner, Karina Smirnoff, to be in the dance-off (and win it) in order to boost ratings."

Matyszczyk reports, "Now here's the truly weird thing. When you've set up a conspiracy theory that appears to come true, perhaps the last thing you might be expected to do is apologize to the alleged conspirators. Yet that is precisely what Woz did."

Matyszczyk reports, "In his latest letter to his dancing Facebook diocese, he said,'Yesterday, I wrote my suspicions of the secret 'Dancing With The Stars' audience vote tabulations. I wrote that the producers were liars, simply because I truly believed in that possibility, not because I had a shred of evidence. I hurt a lot of honest people. The top people of this show, (the) ones responsible for counting audience votes and keeping them honest, told me all the specific details of where their numbers came from.'"

Matyszczyk writes, "Aha. Those wily coyotes of the production world appealed to his sense of numeracy. And then they knew the way to his heart. They showed him their machines." Woz wrote, "'I was offered an opportunity to see the equipment they use also. You can tell when things are extremely on the level. You can also see why the exact totals cannot be released. That would make it harder to detect fraud.'"

"Fraud? Did someone mention fraud? Oh, yes, Woz did," Matyszczyk writes. "'One main way that they detect fraud is, when the phone-in votes and text votes and Internet votes don't follow each other, percentage-wise. There are other things they look for as well that IT experts would detect as signals of something wrong,' [Woz] explained."

Matyszczyk reports, "The appeal to his IT experts' chops seems to have done the trick. 'Conrad (Green) and the other producers are not liars,' Woz said. 'They are extremely honest people, in my mind...In this case, they are certainly more honorable and honest than myself.'"

There's more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Woz is a filterless one-man publicity machine. Dancing machine, not so much. Regardless, for such a mindless escapist enterprise, any publicity is good publicity; ABC has got to be loving this roly-poly multi-billionaire.

MacDailyNews Note: One thing, as Matyszczyk mentions: the geek vote for Woz has obviously not materialized in significant numbers, so for those who wish to vote for Woz:

Steve Wozniak & Karina Smirnoff's vote-in phone number is: 800-86834-10 (800-VOTE4-10) and their text-in code is: 3410. To vote online, visit the official site (voting page activated when the show goes live) here.

Phone lines, text votes (AT&T customers only, iPhone users rejoice!) and online polls will open at the top of each performance show. Phone and text lines stay open for 30 minutes after the end of the show. You can vote up to as many times as there are active contestants with your cell phone. Online voting will remain open until noon (Eastern) the next day.

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Mar 18, 09 - 09:51 am Comment from: Preston

Woz is an ego maniac. What do you expect from a fat former great? Just read his "I, I, me, me" book iWoz. It's a hoot.

Mar 18, 09 - 09:53 am Comment from: Your Mom BluRay

I could look at the left half of that picture all day....

Mar 18, 09 - 09:59 am Comment from: Cro

Your Mom BluRay: From which perspective? Your left or the dancer's left?

Mar 18, 09 - 10:25 am Comment from: twilightmoon

Woz shot his mouth off, not terribly shocking. But come on, ABC can't be that upset given that controversy is one of the greatest marketing tools in the known universe.

Perhaps he "offended" the IT individuals at ABC, but ratings is what it's all about, driving eyeballs to their network so they can charge confiscatory rates to their advertisers.

@YMBR,

Agreed. Yum.

@Cro,

Look at the picture again if you are unsure. Perhaps that will help? (I hope)

Mar 18, 09 - 10:31 am Comment from: Ampar

"I could look at the left half of that picture all day...."

She looks a tasty Hostess Sno Ball with her own special cream filling and a chewy nougat surprise.

Mar 18, 09 - 10:32 am Comment from: MizuInOz

@YMBR & twilightmoon

Can you please explain to me what is so exciting about a vertical line of gradient coloured balls that you would want to stare at them all day long?

As for the iWoz - he knows he can't dance. And he still has the cojones to play at it. I bet he would do really well on a Segway!

Think about it!

Mar 18, 09 - 10:32 am Comment from: Ampar

Oops. Sorry.

Wrong link.

s/b:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/65/211436914_9f82b3e8a9.jpg

Mar 18, 09 - 10:35 am Comment from: twilightmoon

@MizuInOz,

You live a sad, sad life.

Mar 18, 09 - 11:36 am Comment from: TRRosen

Translation he read his contract and found out they can sue him.

Come on people do we really believe David Allan Greir got more votes than Woz. Not for a minute.

Oh and that comment about fraud proves it (if they (the producers) decide the votes don't add up they ignore them without informing the audience). Where's Price Waterhouse when you need them.

Note Woz is not the first call a fix, former production staff have also stated that the producers alone decide the winners.

Mar 18, 09 - 11:44 am Comment from: Noodles Noodlemann

Well, the Woz may be a tech wizard, but he is one pretty weird dude. Anyone that would go out with that skank Kathy Griffin doesn't have much taste or common sense.

Mar 18, 09 - 12:08 pm Comment from: Roy

Face it, Woz can't dance. Don't vote for him just because he's Woz. Please vote for Melissa Rycroft. Yum-mmy.

Mar 18, 09 - 12:23 pm Comment from: Bored

Woz Fuzz Bullshit

Mar 18, 09 - 02:39 pm Comment from: ken1w

> One main way that they detect fraud is, when the phone-in votes and text votes and Internet votes don't follow each other, percentage-wise.

I'm not sure that would be a good indicator in this case. Woz is sure to get more Internet-based votes than phone-based votes, percentage wise. And what do the producers do, if they detect such a so-called "discrepancy"? Do they throw out the results and make up their own?

It's a TV show. It's entertainment. It should be assumed that there are some "adjustments" going on in the background to make it more exciting and boost the ratings.

For example, it is very possible that Steve-O was one of the bottom two. However, since he was injured the previous day, he would not have been able to do the "dance-off" the next day. What do you do if the dance-off results show has no dance-off? Bad for ratings...

Mar 18, 09 - 08:16 pm Comment from: twilightmoon

"Face it, Woz can't dance."

Woz certainly can dance, he's just not amazingly adept at it. He's fun to watch doing so, because he clearly is having fun doing it. Belinda Carlisle is beautiful and charming but she did NOT look like she was truly having fun, it meant too much to her. Thus fun won out over pride.

Not hard to see that coming.

Mar 18, 09 - 08:16 pm Comment from: Thinker

"You can also see why the exact totals cannot be released. That would make it harder to detect fraud." Maybe I'm too old fashioned, but wouldn't releasing the totals make it easier to detect fraud? Yet another reason why I avoid watching "reality" television at all costs.

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Sat, Nov 07, 2009 - 10:07 PM EST — AAPL: 194.34 (+0.3099, +0.16%) | NASDAQ: 2112.44 (+7.12, +0.34%)

Woz recants, says ‘Dancing With The Stars’ not liars, not rigging votes; apologizes to producers

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Current Headlines

Sat, Nov 07, 2009 - 10:07 PM EST — AAPL: 194.34 (+0.3099, +0.16%) | NASDAQ: 2112.44 (+7.12, +0.34%)

Woz recants, says ‘Dancing With The Stars’ not liars, not rigging votes; apologizes to producers

Reader Feedback: = registered.Unregistered users: Feedback from multiple usernames are subject to deletion. Off-topic and posts from suspected astroturfers will be removed.

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