Mario to rally the city's vote

By David Zurawik | Sun television critic

May 5, 2008

While details have not yet been set, Mario says he's planning a return to Baltimore this week to rally votes for himself on Dancing with the Stars.

"This is my hometown, man, and I feel like your paper and my fans have been keeping me in the competition," the 21-year-old singer said in his weekly conversation with The Sun. "So, we'll be coming to Baltimore this week, if all goes according to plan, to rattle up some votes. We'll be hitting the radio stations, and we're going to try and set up some local events to show that the voters are coming out for me."

The big news of TV's second highest-rated show last Tuesday (seen by 18 million viewers) was actor Cristian de la Fuente's injured arm. Since none of the celebrities is a professional dancer, Mario says the threat of injury is always there.

"Every time before I go out to dance, I pray and I stretch," he says. "Stretching is a big part of my regimen. I work up a sweat - I get my muscles warm. When you go out there, and your body's not prepared and you attack the moves, sometimes it can shock your body."

Mario, who suffered a groin injury early in the season, says that often a dancer won't feel the injury until after the performance because his or her "adrenaline is rushing" so intensely.

"But I'm sure what happened to Cristian is probably a little worse than just shocking the muscles," he says. "He probably really damaged something."

Because it's a live show, Mario says such an unexpected event can throw everyone off: "It's surprising, and it puts everybody in a crazy position."

Dances this week for the Baltimore-born artist: The Viennese waltz and the jive.

david.zurawik@baltsun.com