Lori Acken, Author at StayTuned Magazine

“Dance Moms” recap reunion Part 2: All The Last Words

September 27, 2012 Lori Acken

Forgive me for being late to our last date of the season. If you got your extra-curricular Dance Moms email for this week, you know that I’ve been a little, er, otherwise occupied. In dazzlingly uncomfortable fashion. But I couldn’t ditch out on my DM responsibilities, so let’s look back on the last 44 minutes of Dance Moms Season 2. Somewhere between this half and last half, Abby ditched the skull bracelet, which makes me sad. I’m a big fan of visual metaphor. And matchy accessories. The discussion begins with the long-ago Mom Dance, which Abby laughs at heartily, but […]

Abby Lee Miller fights back: Christi Lukasiak exploits daughter Chloe

September 24, 2012 Lori Acken

Dance Moms’ Abby Lee Miller has a few choice words for her most outspoken client and costar, Christi Lukasiak — and they came through my inbox this afternoon. • Related: Channel Guide’s exclusive interview with Abby Lee Miller In a tersely worded e-mail that my Dance Moms-watching partner in crime Hubby Rik officially decreed “the most awesome email in the history of email” — Abby, when I spoke with you recently and told you he would happily leave me to be your manservant, I meant it — Miller presents her side of the ongoing battle with which DM fans are all […]

“Liz & Dick” EP Larry Thompson: story was in screenwriter Christopher Monger’s DNA

September 21, 2012 Lori Acken

When I spoke with Larry Thompson, executive producer of Lifetime’s upcoming Elizabeth Taylor/Richard Burton biopic Liz & Dick, this afternoon for our November cover story on the opulent and much-debated film, he revealed just how deeply connected his screenwriter Christopher Monger is to the project. Seated next to Monger at the 2010 Humanitis Prize awards ceremony, where the Monger-penned HBO film Temple Grandin and Thompson’s Lifetime-produced Amish Grace were both nominated in the 90-minute category, Thompson told him that he was about to embark on a project about Taylor and Burton and asked if Monger would like to be involved. “He looked at me […]

First Look: “Liz & Dick” trailer

September 21, 2012 Lori Acken

It’s the movie they said would never get made thanks to the off-screen antics of its controversial star, Lindsay Lohan — but the newly-released trailer for Lifetime’s upcoming Elizabeth Taylor/Richard Burton biopic Liz & Dick suggests the project could be irresistible for much more than a just a peek to see if she can really pull it off. With sumptuous sets and costumes, and enough drama crammed into just this 30-second peek to make your cheeks flush, the film — directed by veteran telefilm maker Larry Thompson and penned by Temple Grandin screenerwriter Christopher Monger — delves into the violet-eyed […]

“Don’t Divorce Me!” premieres tonight on HBO

September 20, 2012 Lori Acken

I am not a child of divorce. My birth child is. My three step-kids are, obviously, too. This has given me a broad, but common, perspective on marriage and parenting. My own mother and father have been wed 51 years and have lived in exactly two houses in the same town for the entirety of their union — the one I lived in until I left for college and the one they moved into after. My daughter has lived in multiple apartments and houses in multiple cities and states in her 24 years, dividing her time — only some of […]

Sondra Celli tells us about her new TLC series “Bling It On”

September 20, 2012 Lori Acken

My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding fans, if you’re finding the stretch between seasons agonizing, TLC has good news — the Romany’s go-to designer, Boston-based Sondra Celli, is back with a special three-episode series called Bling It On, premiering Thursday night at 10/9CT. The series features Celli and her crack team of rhinestone cowgirls (affectionately known as the “blingettes”) and seamstresses creating outfits and accessories for a lively mix of non-gypsy clients who email her and frequent her shop — from a drag queen to a pet shop owner looking for a tasteful “mommy and me” ensemble for her and her […]

“Dance Moms” Reunion Show Part 1 recap: Here’s What We’ve Learned Thus Far

September 19, 2012 Lori Acken

Even though Hubby Rik and I agreed that, as serious students of the Dance Momian arts since Season 1 Episode 1, we didn’t especially learn as much as we were hoping, we still learned plenty from Part 1 of last night’s Dance Moms reunion show. Here are the highlights. 1) How Badass is Abby? This Badass! — No word on whether the necklace/bracelet/ring ensemble was crafted from the skulls of lippy dance moms of yore, but my cash is on it. 2) Having A TV Show = The Best Makeover Program Ever — Also, blonder is better. […]

Jon Stewart, Bill O’Reilly debate live online Oct. 6

September 18, 2012 Lori Acken

At last! A political debate that’s sure to entertain even folks who don’t love themselves a good political debate! In what promises to be an unparalleled evening of political discourse — and razor-wit humor — The Daily Show‘s Jon Stewart and Fox News Channel stalwart Bill O’Reilly will square off in a live debate that will be streamed live online on Saturday, October 6 at 8pm ET from Lisner Auditorium at The George Washington University. Billed as “The Rumble in the Air-Conditioned Auditorium” ( and also “Why Al Gore Invented the Internet”) and priced at a surprisingly low $4.95, the event will […]

“Iceberg Hunters” premiere Tuesday on The Weather Channel

September 14, 2012 Lori Acken

On Tuesday, Weather Channel will premiere Iceberg Hunters, the latest installation in its “Braving the Elements” series, and one that could give you a whole new level of respect for that bottle of water you’re never without — or the shot of vodka in your favorite libation. The series follows the adventures of the Richards family — sporters of the world’s most endearingly curious dialect — who make their living in “Iceberg Alley,” the stretch of the northern Atlantic off the coast of Newfoundland where enormous bergs of the ultra-pure ice coveted by water bottlers and vodka distilleries drift down […]

Iyanla Vanzant hosts Evelyn Lozada in series premiere of “Iyanla: Fix My Life”

September 14, 2012 Lori Acken

Life coach — and Oprah Winfrey favorite — Iyanla Vanzant will launch her new OWN series Iyanla: Fix My Life this weekend with a frank and insightful conversation with Evelyn Lozada, the former Basketball Wives star whose July 4 marriage to Miami Dolphin and Dancing with the Stars favorite Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson collapsed barely one month later when he was arrested for physically assaulting her. In the revealing two-part discussion, Iyanla delves into Lozada’s difficult past to uncover the source of her lifelong pain and wavering confidence — then provides her tools to recognize what true love looks like and move on with […]