Dance Moms recaps from Channel Guide Magazine

“Dance Moms” breast cancer PSA [video]

October 16, 2012 Lori Acken

In support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Lifetime — long a leader in the fight against breast cancer with its Stop Breast Cancer for Life initiative — has released a public service announcement featuring the stars of its popular series Dance Moms. The 30-second spot, which features past and current footage of Nia, Chloe, Maddie, Mackenzie and Kendall and their mothers, Holly Frazier, Christi Lukasiak, Melissa Gisoni and Jill Vertes, encourages viewers to do their part in helping to find the causes and cure for the disease, with which more than 200,000 women a year are diagnosed. • RELATED: Say Yes […]

Lifetime Renews “Dance Moms” for Season 3

October 10, 2012 Channel Guide Contributor

Press release regarding Dance Moms season 3 issued today by Lifetime: LOS ANGELES, CA (October 10, 2012) – Lifetime has renewed its hit docu-series Dance Moms, featuring renowned dance instructor Abby Lee Miller, for a third season, it was announced today by Rob Sharenow, Executive Vice President, Programming, of Lifetime Networks. Lifetime has ordered 26 all-new hour-long episodes of the series, which will return next year. Dance Moms’ second season, which wrapped last month, was the number one unscripted cable series in its Tuesday 9:00pm time period among Women 18-49 and Women 2+. Additionally, season two over-delivered season one by […]

“Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition” recap: You Gotta Risk It For The Biscuit

October 10, 2012 Lori Acken

Yes, I swore I wasn’t going to do this. I swore it. I suh-wore I was done with Dance Moms and all things related to it. And yet I sat down and watched the premiere of Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition. Since I did that, here is what I saw on “Let the Dancing Begin.” First we meet Kelly, an exuberant blond from Studio City, CA, who could be Christi Lukasiak’s more salt-of-the-earth sister. Kelly says Abby Lee is her God. Which is how you know she and Christi are not the least bit related. Her equally blond daughter Jordyn is […]

“Dance Moms” casting announcement: Lifetime, producers seeking studio for spin-off

October 9, 2012 Lori Acken

Bryan Stinson, executive producer of Dance Moms, announced today via Twitter that he, his co-producers at Collins Avenue and Lifetime are seeking a brand new dance studio to add to the Dance Moms franchise. According to the announcement, the chosen studio — which will get its own series — must be accomplished in the national competition world and have a dynamic, well-respected dance instructor. • RELATED: Channel Guide’s exclusive interview with Abby Lee Miller Interested parties can nominate a studio by e-mailing Lindsay Liles at LindsayLilesCasting@gmail.com with the following information in the body of the e-mail: • Studio name • City and […]

Abby Lee Miller interview: Abby talks “Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition” “Dance Moms” and more

October 4, 2012 Lori Acken

She’s the oft-authoritarian, second generation dance teacher who a handful of Pittsburgh mothers and millions of happily scandalized viewers love and loathe — and sometimes both at once — on Lifetime’s reality smash Dance Moms. But this summer Abby Lee Miller decamped to Los Angeles to join Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin and star choreographer Richard Jackson at the judging table of Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition, the new Lifetime reality contest that she executive produces with her pal, Dance Moms co-creator John Corella. “We had the idea of a competition show way before Dance Moms was ever created,” Miller explains. “This […]

“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 […]

“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. […]

Dance Moms finale recap: Drivin’ and Cryin’

September 12, 2012 Lori Acken

And here we are, the Dance Moms Season 2 finale. Everybody OK? Extra thermoses of Mommy Juice, just in case? Just remember, we still have each other. We’ll be all right. The mommies need time off, too, to see their therapists and shop for dresses and junk like that. We’ll all be fine. But first we have 90 minutes of cliff-hangin’, nationals-goin’, everybody’s-cryin’ mayhem to get through. So let’s. After hollering at everyone for being a big bucket of meh at In10sity, Abby informs the Pitt Crew that, nonetheless, we are staying in California. In fact, we are heading for […]

“Dance Moms” episode 25 recap: National Measure

September 5, 2012 Lori Acken

Dance Moms Episode 25: Last ep till the season finale, kids. Are we all prepped for the long, cold months ahead with no Dance Moms? I mean, we’ll have Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition to tide us over — and I’ve talked to her about it, so watch for that coming soon — but if the moms and their girls are the draw for you, that’s probably only some consolation. I’ve heard reliable rumblings of reunion shows to shorten the gap, but nothing official just yet. I’ll keep you posted. And I wonder if they can borrow Andy Cohen to host if […]