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ABC's fall lineup cuts 'Dancing with the Stars' to one night
Photo credit: AP
"Dancing With the Stars" will be cut back to one night next season, with the Tuesday results show condensed into a two-hour Monday edition, ABC's chief of entertainment, Paul Lee announced yesterday.
Lee said the contraction -- the first in the show's eight years -- was made from a position of strength because the network needed Tuesdays to launch four promising newcomers.
"Dancing" is also aging -- which he acknowledged -- and viewership is down this season, but a single edition would allow producers to better "focus" the show and "really drive viewership," he said.
Here's the new schedule:
MONDAY: "Dancing With the Stars" (8 p.m.); "Castle" (10 p.m.).
TUESDAY: "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D," the Joss Whedon ("The Avengers")- produced thriller based on the comic series; "The Goldbergs" (9 p.m.), about a family in the '80s, with Wendi McClendon-Covey ("Bridesmaids") and Jeff Garlin; "Trophy Wife" (9:30 p.m.), about Pete (Bradley Whitford), his two exes and and his latest wife; "Lucky 7" (10 p.m.), about seven gas station employees in Queens who chip into a lottery pool.
WEDNESDAY: "The Middle" (8 p.m.); "Back in the Game" (8:30 p.m.), with James Caan, as an ex-athlete, whose adult daughter moves back in with him; "Modern Family" (9 p.m.); "Super Fun Night" (9:30 p.m.), with Rebel Wilson, about three women who go out every Friday night; "Nashville"(10 p.m.).
THURSDAY: "Once Upon a Time in Wonderland" (8 p.m.), from the creative team of the Sunday night show "Once Upon a Time"; "Grey's Anatomy" (9 p.m.); "Scandal" (10 p.m.).
FRIDAY: "Last Man Standing" (8 p.m.); "The Neighbors" (8:30 p.m.); "Shark Tank" (9 p.m.); "20/20" (10 p.m.).
SATURDAY: College football
SUNDAY: "America's Funniest Home Videos" (7 p.m.); "Once Upon a Time" (8 p.m.); "Revenge" (9 p.m.); "Betrayal" (10 p.m.), about a couple having an affair, who with their spouses become embroiled in a high-profile murder investigation.
'Bachelor' Sean Lowe eliminated on 'Dancing with the Stars'
Photo credit: ABC
So: Did Sean Lowe exit "Dancing with the Stars" last night because:
a.) Len has been particularly grumpy this season but particularly grumpy with the Blond Bomber, who knows how to pitch -- both baseballs and lines to bachelorettes -- but does not really know how to move his feet?
b.) Because fans were kind of getting fed up with Peta Murgatroyd, who seemed to be grumpy with Sean, too, but who -- if you read all the tabs -- was maybe having a little "DWTS" romance with him going on the side which would pretty much screw up the results of the 17th season of "The Bachelor?"
c.) Speaking of which, Catherine (Giudici), the "winner" of the 17th season, was getting kind of fed up with those reports, too, and told Sean to dance as badly as he could or else.
d.) That Sean really isn't a particularly good hoofer, is he?
e.) That there's some other reason I haven't entirely figured out -- although, darn it, he was this season's ace-in-the-hole -- a surefire way to get viewers to tune in here rather than to "The Voice," and now he's gone. Is there no justice left in prime-time television?
f.) All of the above.
Me? I'm going with f.) Here's the last tango from Tuesday. It says a lot.
TV reacts to the Boston marathon bombing
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Entertainment television, or at least some of the live-to-tape portion that took place after 3 p.m. Monday, took a brief hiatus from entertaining, or brief enough to acknowledge what had just taken place in Boston. Jimmy Kimmel called the attacks "disgusting" (Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon, and David Letterman were in repeats) while Tom Bergeron opened a live "Dancing with the Stars" with a cold open, saying: "Before we begin the show, we just want to take a moment: Our thoughts are with everyone in Boston, I have family members and many friends there. Our hearts are with you . . ." He later told "Extra" this: “It was the hardest show I have ever done,” he said of going to work on Monday. His daughter and wife were both in the city when the blasts went off near the Boston Marathon finish line. “[My wife] was the one that texted me first to let me know what was going on,” he said. “She was in lockdown in a hotel… I worked in Boston for years, I know how valuable that marathon is, that last mile was dedicated to the families if Newtown. I'm feeling a mixture of grief, relief that my family's fine.” And Craig Ferguson had this, followed by Ellen DeGeneres' brief acknowledgment: Conan O'Brien - a Boston native - of course addressed this last night: "Like eveyrbody here, my thoughts and prayers are with the people of Boston...
Wynonna Judd's run on 'Dancing with the Stars' mercifully ended
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Wynonna Judd, probably the single biggest name out of the not-really-any-big-names 16th edition of "Dancing with the Stars," got an early surprise exit Tuesday night. This proves:
a.) Voters are not voting this year, or at least not overriding their sense of aesthetics to keep a favored dancer in the hunt;
b.) Wynonna a terrible dancer - she's not alone in this crowd - and voters wanted to put her - and themselves - out of misery.
c.) No one's voting at all - leaving it entirely up to the judges - because "hey, what's the difference!"
d.) Andy Dick will end up winning this season after all, proving once and for all that the gods of dancing really do have a wicked and vindictive sense of humor.
But back to the "Why;" check out this clip. I'm thinking the answer lies behind door b.):
Dorothy Hamill withdraws from 'Dancing With the Stars'
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Dorothy Hamill, who looked like an early favorite to go far in the 16th season of "Dancing with the Stars," withdrew Tuesday -- and in the process explained her more or less poor showing to date.
Not only had she been bedevilled by a bad ankle, but a bad back, as she said last night. Withdrawals are not unheard of here, of course. Misty May-Treanor withdrew back in '08, for example...
Read more »'Dancing with the Stars:' What happened to Dorothy Hamill?
Photo credit: AP
Well, here we are for the first results show on "Dancing with the Stars'" 16th season? Isn't that exciting...?! Depends upon one's definition of the word, but "DWTS" remains very much a work in progress if last night's scores are any indication and they are.
(Although the Derek Hough/Kellie Pickler jazz routine -- good -- did indicate an intriguing new use of lightsabers. See below).
Dorothy Hamill? Almost certainly impossible for her to win now, or even place, to my surprise. I saw her as a top three or four contender, but last night was such a dramatic reversal -- 15 points out of a possible 30 -- that she now has found herself in a very deep hole. Meanwhile, check out Zendaya in this clip below -- at about three minutes in: She doesn't even clap after Hamill concludes her woeful jive. That breaks a long-standing protocol in which competitors always clap for each other here, no matter how lousy. I guess Zen thinks she won, but it's helpful for her to remember that viewer votes count, too.
Who goes tonight? Almost certainly D.L. Hughley who has a two-week total of 28, which means viewers would have had to cover an eight point spread between his score and the next lowest one.
Too bad about Dorothy. At 56, she would have been the oldest "DWTS" winner. But there's still time to reverse last night and she'll most likely get that chance next week:
'Dancing with the Stars' opens soft; D.L. Hughley gone (already)
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Confirming what many fans already knew -- and "Dancing with the Stars" almost certainly did as well -- ABC's biggest hit opened soft with one of the weakest opening nights in terms of scores in a number of seasons. But who saw the rout of D.L. Hughley coming this soon? He's all but gone tonight after the judges slammed him and partner Cheryl Burke (Cheryl?!) with a total score of...
Read more »'The Bachelor's' Sean Lowe to join 'Dancing with the Stars'
You could see this coming from a thousand miles away -- if you were wearing glasses, that is: Sean Lowe will join the new season of "Dancing with the Stars." Announced Tuesday on "Good Morning America."
But ... but ... but (you say) -- what about the forthcoming nuptials with Catherine Giudici and that Neil Lane rock on her finger and all the love that was professed last night?
This is reality TV, friends, and love has to wait. He'll partner on "DWTS" with Peta Murgatroyd.
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Sure, this is a clever move by ABC. Lowe has become something of a professional reality TV show contestant (he was on "The Bachelorette;" got dumped just before the altar, millions of tears flowed, remember?) while "Bachelor's" ratings have also been strong this season -- very strong. The likelihood of ABC shelving its big new reality star for something like marriage/honeymoon was just about nil.
Here's ABC's release. (Oh, and "DWTS" begins Monday):
Having found new love, Sean is engaged to Catherine Giudici. His “rosy” journey to “The Bachelor” was not without its, well … thorns. Originally a contestant on the eighth edition of “The Bachelorette,” Sean was eliminated right before the show’s finale. But heartbreak didn’t derail his pursuit of love and happiness, as he soon signed on as ABC’s next “Bachelor.” A successful Dallas businessman and entrepreneur, Sean prides himself on his close-knit family. He went to Kansas State University on a full football scholarship and, as a linebacker, was part of the 2003 Big 12 Conference Championship team. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in social science. Sean began his career in finance, following in his father’s footsteps in the insurance industry, before committing to his new enterprise, owning and running an upscale, custom furniture business.
'Dancing with the Stars' season 16 cast announced
Photo credit: AP
We have our cast of the new season of "Dancing with the Stars" -- returning March 18 -- and while a few names here may beggar the definition of what a "star" is -- hey, this is "Dancing with the 'Stars'" after all -- this looks like a reasonably good cast. (Needs to be: Ratings dropped bigtime during the "All Star," and the bloom is very much off this rose...)
Your list, with brief ABC descriptors...Plus my two cents, in italics:
INGO RADEMACHER -- Soap Opera star... VG: Ingo who? Sure, reasonably big soap star on reasonably big ABC soap, "General Hospital.' Ingo's the requisite soap/eye candy fixture, and could go far, but probably not too far.
ALEXANDRA RAISMAN -- Just 18 years old, Alexandra Raisman captained the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Team to its first team Gold medal since the 1996 Olympic Games.VG: The oldest rule in the "DWTS" book is "athletes rule!" Impossible to imagine Raisman doesn't go the distance or most of the distance, unless she's personality deficient which she's not. Got Mark Ballas as her pro - a good matchup.
LISA VANDERPUMP -- Hailing from London, restaurateur, designer, author, philanthropist, producer and television personality Lisa Vanderpump moved to the United States eight years ago. Vanderpump is best known for “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” VG: A "Real Housewife" cannot and will not and more to the point should not win "DWTS." It just seems - I dunno - wrong.
ZENDAYA COLEMAN -- Multi-talented actress and singer. VG: 'Nother ABC in-house pick - she's from TDC's "Shake it Up!" But don't discount these inside plants. They're invariably good, so I'm assuming sight unseen she is too.
ANDY DICK -- Andy Dick is an American comedian, actor, writer, director. VG: Oh for God's sakes. At least this will keep him out of the clubs and courts.
DOROTHY HAMILL -- Dorothy Hamill captured the Gold medal at the 1976 Winter Games in Innsbruck. VG: By name alone, the prohibitive favorite. This remains very much a magic name, and once a pro always a pro. She'll do well here or I'll eat my "DWTS" press release.
D.L. HUGHLEY -- D.L Hughley, one of the most popular and highly recognized standup comedians on the road today. VG: Lucky D.L. He's got Cheryl Burke by his side; along with Hough and Maks (Chmerkovskiy, who has left the show) she's one of the dancing stars who's bigger than most of the invitees.
JACOBY JONES -- Jacoby Jones is a professional football player for the Baltimore Ravens, the 2013 Super Bowl Champions. VG: "DWTS" would probably have rather had a household name like Ray Lewis, but JJ should do well (again, see "rule one/athletes") but also has Karina Smirnoff who tends to upstage her partners.
WYNONNA JUDD -- Five-time Grammy winner and New York Times bestselling author. VG: Sure of course great. Big star. Big get. Big backstory. But I don't see this going long and deep. Could be wrong. I reserve the right to be.
VICTOR ORTIZ -- Former Welterweight boxing champion Ortiz finally found his life’s calling as a world class athlete. VG: A Garden City native! Umm, Garden City, Kansas. Don't know much about him, but here's the obvious problem..."former boxer." Boxers tend not to do well here because they tend not to get the vox populi votes.
KELLIE PICKLER -- As a contestant on the fifth season of “American Idol."VG: Kellie! Or should I say, Kellie? Hey, she's had a career since "AI," just can't put my finger on what sort of career. But here's the thing - she's got Derek Hough. That means Kellie will be here for a long long time. She will go far or I'll eat my "DWTS" press release, or another one...
