Lori Acken, Author at StayTuned Magazine

TLC invites you to get to know Our Little Family (video)!

January 23, 2015 Lori Acken

If you’re a fan of the weekly dose of inspiration and sweet family fun that is TLC’s The Little Couple, the network is about to deal you a big dose of happy. On Feb. 17, TLC will introduce America to Dan and Michelle Hamill and their three adorable blond kids, 6-year-old Jack and toddler twins Cate and CeCe, all of whom live with achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism. Throughout the series, Dan and Michelle tap into their own experiences to help their kids adapt to the world around them, while celebrating the milestones and celebrations that make being a family so special. Among them — […]

The hosts of TLC’s All About Sex talk online dating!

January 22, 2015 Lori Acken

A few weeks ago, I sat down with the hosts of TLC’s new late-night talker All About Sex to chat about the show and what the ladies — actresses Margaret Cho (who recently made a splash at the Golden Globes) and Marissa Jaret Winokur, sex therapist Dr. Tiffanie Davis Henry and Chelsea Lately’s Heather McDonald — might be learning from each other. Soon enough, the discussion turned to online dating and how women of our certain age feel about the ever-evolving age of digital matchmaking. “I love hearing my niece’s stories about Tinder and all this other kind of stuff that I can’t even comprehend,” said McDonald, who […]

Lifetime premieres Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances hosted by Clive Davis

January 16, 2015 Lori Acken

Saturday night is all about Whitney Houston on Lifetime. Immediately following the world premiere of the all-new biopic Whitney — directed by Angela Bassett and starring Yaya DaCosta in the title role — the network will air a pair of specials delving into the life, loves and career highlights of the late pop superstar. • RELATED: Lifetime’s ‘Whitney’: Angela Bassett on telling Houston’s love story in her directorial debut Bobby Brown: Remembering Whitney will feature an exclusive, no-holds-barred interview with Houston’s ex-husband Bobby Brown by Access Hollywood‘s Shaun Robinson that covers his and Houston’s marriage, their highs and lows, and the ultimate downfall of their romance. […]

Arlen Escarpeta on being Bobby Brown to Lifetime’s ‘Whitney’

January 15, 2015 Lori Acken

When Arlen Escarpeta arrived for his first audition to play R&B star Bobby Brown in Lifetime’s Whitney Houston biopic Whitney, he was surprised to discover his scene partner was none other than the film’s director, celebrated actress Angela Bassett. RELATED: Lifetime’s ‘Whitney’: Angela Bassett on telling Houston’s love story in her directorial debut “My first audition was a blessing,” smiles Escarpeta, 33, during a chat at a press breakfast for the film during the Television Critics Association press tour. “I’m reading opposite Angela Bassett — she’s in the room! That in itself was an accomplishment for me.” He made an impression. The Oscar-nominated Bassett, who makes her […]

TCA: ABC’s Paul Lee on diversity, TGIT and building nightly ratings domination

January 14, 2015 Lori Acken

ABC Entertainment Group president Paul Lee fielded questions about ABC’s new and returning programming at the Television Critics Association press tour today. Lee’s sit-down was preceded by a few housekeeping announcements. Repeat After Me, the new half-hour reality series inspired by a wildly popular shtick on The Ellen DeGeneres Show will premiere Feb. 17 at 8:30pm. The series will feature The Goldbergs star Wendi McLendon-Covey using a remote earpiece to instruct other famous faces in interactions with everyday folks. Each episodes best moment will be crowned at the end of each episode in front of a live studio audience. Ellen Pompeo, Taye […]

TCA: ABC’s Secrets and Lies — Ryan Phillippe and Juliette Lewis talk their intense murder mystery

January 14, 2015 Lori Acken

Secrets and Lies executive producers Barbie Kligman, Timothy Busfield and Aaron Kaplan took the stage at the Television Critics Association press tour today along with their cast members Ryan Phillippe, Juliette Lewis, KaDee Strickland, Natalie Martinez and Dan Fogler to talk about the atmospheric hourlong drama which premieres March 8 at 9pm ET/PT on ABC. In the character-driven murder mystery, based on an Australian series of the same name, Phillippe stars as suburban family man Ben Crawford, whose life begins to unravel when he finds the body of his neighbor’s young son and is promptly accused of the child’s murder. Tailed by tough-as-nails Detective Andrea […]

TCA: Ben Stiller brings Another Period, Big Time to Comedy Central

January 13, 2015 Lori Acken

Ben Stiller was on hand at the Television Critics Association press tour on Saturday to present two upcoming Comedy Central series executive produced by his Red Hour production company. Another Period, which debuts this summer, is a sort of Downton Abbey for for people who loathe Downton Abbey — messy, ribald and hilarious, but also surprisingly well researched. Series stars Natasha Leggero and Riki Lindhome, who created the series from a short film with the same premise, spent time in the show’s Newport, R.I., to get a feel for the era and setting in which their turn-of-the-century socialite sisters Lillian and Beatrice Bellacourt lived. The series also stars Paget Brewster […]

TCA: Showtime’s Nevins talks new and returning series

January 12, 2015 Lori Acken

Showtime Networks President David Nevins took questions at the Television Critics Association’s (TCA) winter press tour today, discussing the network’s new and returning series and ongoing awards season success, including wins for freshman drama series The Affair and it’s mesmerizing star Ruth Wilson at last night’s Golden Globes awards. Nevins said that Showtime’s strength in a competitive premium-television landscape is the breadth and depth of its series, noting that the network’s nine tent pole shows are all awards-season contenders. “I want all of our shows to feel different in tone and different in feel — we stay way from what other people […]

TCA: The Dovekeepers — here’s a first look at the CBS miniseries event! (video)

January 12, 2015 Lori Acken

The CBS miniseries adaptation of Alice Hoffman’s 2011 bestseller The Dovekeepers will premiere over two nights March 31 and April 1. Appearing with some of her cast at today’s Television Critics Association press tour, Roma Downey (who coproduced the project with husband Mark Burnett under their Lightkeepers Media umbrella) said the mini’s debut immediately following NCIS was chosen in part to capitalize on The Dovekeepers star — and former NCIS favorite — Coté de Pablo’s fan base. […]

TCA: Larry Wilmore on his upcoming The Nightly Show

January 10, 2015 Lori Acken

Daily Show vet Larry Wilmore took to the stage at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour yesterday to talk about his new gig hosting The Nightly Show, which takes overs The Colbert Report’s 11:30 p.m. time slot on Comedy Central beginning Jan. 19. “It’s kind of a hybrid, if you will, of, let’s say, The Daily Show and maybe Politically Incorrect,” Wilmore said, adding that the show was the brainchild of Daily’s Jon Stewart, who produces. “The first part of the show is the scripted part where I’m weighing in, giving my take on the events or event of the day that we’re going to be talking […]