'Dancing With the Stars' recap: Stripped Down - Entertainment Weekly

Image credit: Bob D'Amico/ABC

SIMMERING TENSIONS Carrie Ann said she couldn't feel the passion "steaming out" of Rick Fox (even though partner Cheryl Burke had just been to Argentina).

Welcome back to the ballroom! Week 4 was 'Acoustic Night,' which apparently called for a raised circular platform that I excitedly assumed would make Dancing With the Stars seem like even more of a circus than it already was. Instead, Monday's rumbas and Argentine tangos severely underwhelmed, and I found the small dance floor too stifling. I get that they were going for an intimate setting -- it obviously worked for the demos from Our Pros and might even work for one round during the semifinals. But for the still-shaky contestants on Week 4, it was all just a bit too serious, bordering on terrifying. WHAT IF THE SITUATION DROPPED KARINA?

For me, DWTS is at its best when it's ridiculous and over-top-cheesy or when the dancing is spectacular. I found only one dance truly impressive last night, and perked up for the first time when suddenly Florence Henderson was sauntering down a catwalk in a giant-sequined shift. This was more than an hour into the show! (Update: My notes suggest I may have simply blacked out during Corky's nude scene moments prior!)

I try my best to take a "whatever" approach to this silly series, DNCMSTRs, but sometimes even I need a boost. You know it's an off week when Enthusiastic Chimes Lady is barely in sight and our new fave, Thoroughly Professional Violinist, is repeatedly overtaken by Flamboyant Second Violinist and Accordion Man. But hey, no big deal. Water under the bridge. Puddle of spray tan under the circus platform, right? It was worth a shot. Let's get to the JUDGES' LEADERBOARD for the week 4 performances. Remember it was a DOUBLE SCORE SHOWDOWN, so each couple received a score out of 30 for both the Technical and Performance aspects of their dances.

Will the judges please reveal their scores? Carrie Ann In-ahhh-ber!

Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough: Technical score of 27/30 plus Performance score of 29/30 = 56 out of possible 60 Jennifer and Derek's Argentine tango was so far beyond any other performance tonight. I think it was the piano-playing. And you thought last week was prop week! Just kidding; it was the choreography and Jennifer's ability to keep up. What I liked most about this dance was that it didn't seem lopsided in favor of the pro (ahem, Mark and Bristol) but instead they seemed like a real couple dancing in Len's favorite locale, a seedy club in Buenos Aires. (Complete with totally distracting flying football-game cameras!) It helped that their music was a traditional tune and didn't sound as if it had been whipped to a pulp in the dreaded Where Popular Music Goes to Die Blender (exclusive to DWTS -- until Idol starts back up in January!). I think Derek's white spats may have also helped -- they accentuated just how sharp and in sync their steps were. Tom's doppelganger Jamie Lee Curtis loved it, too.

Brandy and Maksim Chmerkovskiy: 22 + 26 = 48/60 This was hard for Brandy, y'all. She doesn't feel sexy unless she's in love, and she hasn't been with anybody in six years. Dear Mirrorballus in ballroom heaven! This revelation struck me as the stunner of the show. But their rumba was pretty good, too, if you could get past Brandy's white sparkly boyshorts/poncho combo long enough to realize that Maks' shirt was wide open and flowing almost as hard. (You could.)

NEXT: Warning: Argentine tango may cause wrinkles, mustaches.

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Lions Gate Proposes MGM Combination; Icahn Supports - BusinessWeek

October 12, 2010, 8:22 AM EDT By Katie Hoffmann

(Adds Icahn’s hostile bids in third paragraph.)

Oct. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Carl Icahn, the billionaire investor who’s been trying to buy Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., said he supports the film studio’s proposed combination with Metro- Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.

Lions Gate sent a proposal of the combination to MGM yesterday, the Santa Monica, California-based studio said in a regulatory filing. A merger “would enhance value for all constituencies,” Icahn said today in a separate statement.

Icahn has been trying to take control of the studio with hostile bids since March, after Lions Gate rejected his efforts to increase his stake to as much as 30 percent. His current bid of $7.50 a share expires Oct. 22.

Lions Gate, which produces the “Mad Men” series on the AMC cable-TV network, rose 2 cents to $7.48 yesterday in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The shares have climbed 29 percent this year before today.

The offer also is better for MGM investors than its proposal with Spyglass Entertainment, Icahn said. Last week, MGM began soliciting votes from lenders for a bankruptcy plan that would turn over management of the film studio to Spyglass. In the plan, creditors would exchange more than $4 billion in debt for about 95 percent of equity when MGM emerges from bankruptcy. Spyglass, based in Burbank, California, would get about 5 percent of equity.

--Editors: Chris Staiti, Cecile Daurat

To contact the reporter on this story: Katie Hoffmann in New York at khoffmann4@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Peter Elstrom at pelstrom@bloomberg.net.

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'Celeb Apprentice': 3 in cast ID'd

'Celebrity Apprentice' exclusive: La Toya Jackson, Mark McGrath, and Star Jones in next cast | EW.com /* */ Entertainment WeeklyHomeTVMoviesMusicBooksTV RecapsDancing With the StarsFall TVFirst LookMust ListBlogs The Ausiello FilesPopWatchHollywood InsiderKen Tucker's TVThe Music MixShelf LifeThe Movie CriticsNews BriefsOscarWatch EW Home // News // PopWatch BlogPopWatch Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch BlogSee CategoriesSee ArchiveRSSFollow on TwitterOct 12201007:00 AM ETSharePermalinkComments (14) 'Celebrity Apprentice' exclusive: La Toya Jackson, Mark McGrath, and Star Jones in next cast by Dalton RossCategories: News, Reality TV, Television, The Apprentice, The Celebrity Apprentice

 

Image Credit: Marco Prosch/Getty Images

 

While the current (non-celebrity) edition of The Apprentice plays out to record low ratings, fans of absurdity and stars being forced into awesomely ridiculous scenarios can rejoice in the fact that filming on the next Celebrity Apprentice is set to begin in New York City early next week. Not only that, but a source close to production has confirmed to EW.com exclusively three of the famous faces vying for Donald Trump’s love (and money): La Toya Jackson, Mark McGrath, and Star Jones.

Michael Jackson’s sister La Toya certainly has experience on reality TV. In 2007, she — along with people like Erik Estrada and Jack Osbourne — trained to become a Muncie, Indiana reserve police officer on CBS’ Armed & Famous. Then, in 2009, she followed in her brother Jermaine’s footsteps by appearing in the UK on Celebrity Big Brother, where she shared a house with the likes of Verne Troyer and Coolio.

Mark McGrath, best known as the lead singer of rock band Sugar Ray and a former co-host of Extra, also has a background in reality, serving as a guest judge on American Idol, and as host of not one, but two Pussycat Dolls-related reality shows: The Search for the Next Doll and Girlicious. He also currently hosts the syndicated version of Don’t Forget the Lyrics.

And then there is Star Jones. Outside of an appearance last year on a celebrity version of Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? (which, like The Apprentice, is a Mark Burnett production), Jones has been out of the spotlight since her nine-year run as a co-host on The View ended in 2006. (She did also manage to host a season 2 reunion episode of The Bad Girls Club.) Jones, Jackson, and McGrath will be three of the contestants on the fourth installment of Celebrity Apprentice, which will air in the first quarter of 2011. Expect more names to leak soon once the cast arrives in New York City in the next few days. Who else would you like to see in the Boardroom? And what do you think of these first three contestants? Hit the message boards and let us know.

For more Celebrity Apprentice news and various other reality ramblings, follow me on Twitter @EWDaltonRoss. And before you go, make sure to check out the latest edition of our TV Insiders podcast, where we weigh in on Survivor, Dancing With the Stars, and Glee. Just click on the play button below to sit in on our round table discussion, or click here to download the mp3 and take us with you on the go.

Previous Post 'Dancing With the Stars': Week 4 is liiiiiiiiiiiiiive!Next Post Is abortion no longer too taboo for TV?EW.com HomePopWatch MainComments (14 total)Add your comment Page: Preston Tue 10/12/10 7:27 AM

I really think that broadcast networks’ interest in reality shows are wearing out; Apprentice, Biggest Loser and even Extreme Makeover Home Edition have lost viewers with huge drops of 20,30 or 50 percent in ratings the past few new shows. I like Donald’s Apprentice, but his overusage of celebrities on the spring shows have ruined the overall show when they had ordinary people competing. It was fresh the first few years, but it’s not as exciting now.

Reply FromChicago Tue 10/12/10 8:04 AM

Not so fast. As long as it costs 1/2 to make a reality show they will continue. If Celeb Apprentice fails, Trump will turn around and create another reality show. I agree, they’re getting old and actually they’re running out of celebrities….do you notice? It’s like recycling the same ones over and over.

Reply Elizabeth Tue 10/12/10 8:18 AM

I think the audiences’ interest is waining as well, but the networks will continue to pump these out due to lost costs.

It would be nice to see a reality show get the ax after one episode or two due to low ratings. Seems to be fine for scripted television…

Reply Les Tue 10/12/10 9:30 AM

That has happened quite a bit

caryn Tue 10/12/10 7:36 AM

I think I might have to pass with Star Jones in the cast. There will have to be someone else that is really intriguing to get me to tune in this time.

Reply Joe Tue 10/12/10 7:58 AM

Please, please, please….let Kathy Griffin be in the cast. A Star Jones vs Kathy Griffin catfight is just too delicious to pass up!!

Reply pinky Tue 10/12/10 9:08 AM

Kathy would be a great addition! I would tune in for that show.

Reply wizard62 Tue 10/12/10 8:00 AM

Ugh! Star Jones and Latoya Jackson? Sounds like they are really scraping the bottom of the barrel for this one.

Reply Elizabeth Tue 10/12/10 8:19 AM

Welcome to reality television… someone with a viable career isn’t going to participate.

Reply JoshP Tue 10/12/10 8:29 AM

Latoya Jackson?! Wow that’s diggin some one out the grave.

Reply Julia Tue 10/12/10 8:48 AM

Star Jones really has become desperate!

Reply ugly nikki Tue 10/12/10 8:59 AM

Star is a smart lady with a law degree. I’d put her bottom of the barrel credentials against most of yours any day.

Reply waya Tue 10/12/10 9:03 AM

They need some bigger names than Star Jones and Latoya! I still like The Apprentice, but this season it is on at an odd time for me and I always miss it.

Reply drayche Tue 10/12/10 9:33 AM

I think the perfect person for Celebrity apprentice would be Andre Agassi…

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TV recap: '90210' and more

Image credit: Michael Desmond/The CW

LABOR INTENSIVE Teddy and Ian were forced to clean gutters together, which led to a heated exchange.

The Full House theme song once pondered, "Whatever happened to predictability?" Turns out, it took up residence on last night's episode of 90210. Jen had her baby; now she's nice! Dixon can't tell the truth; Ivy's mad! Oof. Thank goodness Silver's plan to catch Cannon backfired. That, and Teddy's struggle to come to terms with his sexual orientation, were the two things that kept me going last night. Let's break down the action...

Silver, Naomi and Adrianna
For a show set in the iPhone-, Facebook-, Twitter-, FourSpace-fueled world, what was with Silver's ancient instant-message program? Was this a nod to the 90210 of the past? The girls used said technology to chat with Mr. Cannon because I guess it's totally normal to IM teachers outside of school. With some help from a "juicy" ellipsis, Silver invited Cannon to a hotel room to discuss her senior project, saying her house was being fumigated, even though fumigation is so not sexy. They set up a camera, Naomi and Aid watched from the next room, and the hope was that Cannon would fall right into their trap. The problem? The girls forgot that people as crazy as Cannon are sometimes crazy like a fox. He turned the tables, bringing the school principal and therapist in tow, and explaining that Silver lured him there inappropriately. Why didn't Silver just tell them about Cannon raping Naomi? Did she think they wouldn't believe her and instead think it was her bipolar disorder acting up? Did she still want to enact sweet revenge? Either way, she'll have another opportunity to gain the upper hand, because her illness precluded her from any punishment, and thank goodness, because I love a good Naomi-maniacal laugh.

Annie
Annie wasn't in on the capture-the-rapist game. Instead, she was getting lessons on hormone injections for her impending egg sale. She came home with a mystery bag of drugs, telling her mom it was a leftover sandwich. My issue 1) I know some people have trouble lying, but aren't high schoolers experts at the game? This chick could lie about a hit-and-run but not a brown paper bag? And 2) Did Annie not think to hide the bag in a drawer, underneath a diary or notebook she never uses? Anyway, Mama Wilson found the bag, and Annie's explanation that they were good drugs, not bad, wasn't convincing, so Deb forbade Annie from going through with the sell. It's a good thing Jen had her baby when she did, because Annie might not have ever known the gravity of child-bearing, whether her womb was involved or not. But I have a feeling her creepy boss won't be too thrilled about Annie's decision.

Jen
Speaking of Jen, it turns out that the devil can have a cute child! Jen gave birth to a boy, not a girl like the ultrasound had told her, named him Jacques (groan) and will probably send some poor staffer to return that itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny kind-of-inappropriate baby bikini. Like I said, Jen's baby opened up a predictable plot line that I don't quite care for: Her icy exterior is melting to reveal a warm interior. Bo-ring. Were these the last glimpses of bitchy Jen? Well, with Deb taking on the role of her executive assistant—for double the pay and overtime, go Deb!—hopefully not. I'm counting on her for gems like these: "I wanted to make sure a desperate housewife had that can-do spirit."

NEXT: Teddy recoils from a completely asexual touch.

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Is abortion no longer too taboo for TV?

Image Credit: AMC; Bill Records/NBCYoung mothers are all the rage on TV these days, whether their real lives are being wrenchingly chronicled on Teen Mom, their struggles are being melodramatized on The Secret Life of the American Teenager, or they’re dancing with stars (hello, Bristol Palin). But addressing ­unwanted pregnancy on the small screen inevitably raises a much trickier issue: abortion. And, well, it’s about time.

Sure, Maude featured its title character ending her unwanted pregnancy during its very first season on the air in 1972. But controversy-wary networks fell mostly silent on the issue in the ’80s and ’90s. In fact, even five years ago, the mere word abortion on TV — much less the act — would ignite uproar. Lately, though, the medium has been depicting the taboo topic in several story arcs. What’s even more surprising? The lack of public outcry (aside from Fox, which preemptively pulled a Family Guy episode addressing the ­issue last year). A few weeks ago on Mad Men, Joan (Christina Hendricks) went to a clinic alone to seemingly end her unplanned extramarital pregnancy. And earlier this summer, NBC aired an episode of Friday Night Lights in which high school freshman Becky (Madison Burge) went through with the procedure after receiving oblique counsel from principal Tami Taylor (Connie Britton). FNL’s exec producer Jason Katims says the story line provoked minimal network drama: “I honestly felt surprised that there wasn’t more of a conversation about it.”

Becky was, in fact, the first major TV character to go through with terminating a pregnancy since 14-year-old Manny (Cassie Steele) on Degrassi: The Next Generation in 2004. (The N, which aired the series in the U.S., ­refused to broadcast the episode until 2006.) And other networks are broaching the topic as well: This year, ABC Family’s The Secret Life of the American Teenager saw its second pregnant character, Adrian (Francia Raisa), seriously consider abortion before changing her mind. A thorough discussion about the pros and cons of choice was involved, again with no interference from the network, says exec producer Brenda Hampton. “The important thing, to me,” Hampton says, “was that she gave it thought.”

And that’s the real message here: A TV series can present abortion with emotional honesty and nuance, rather than ignoring a politically contentious fact of life altogether. That there was so little uproar around the episodes proves we may be ready for a real discussion that television can lead — if it so chooses.

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