Lifetime

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Competition

Dance Moms Season 5 Episode 6 recap: You’re Not Psycho Enough

February 10, 2015 Lori Acken

Or maybe I should’ve called this one “Carrie On.” Decisions, decisions. Anyway, welcome back, Dance Moms nation. Everyone got their Big Gulp and their Sour Patch Kids ready for another hour of nothing to do with dancing? Good. Because we start out a mere three days to the next competition and in search of our newest new home till the mythical ALDC LA comes to fruition. Which, today, would be 3rd Street Dance. Once again, Jojo’s in tow, even though she’s not supposed to be a part of the team. Jessalyn is Team Abby, so there’s that. Speaking of Abby, […]

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Competition

Dance Moms Season 5 episode 5 recap: Putting the “abby” in “crabby”

February 3, 2015 Lori Acken

Well, Dance Moms nation, after more than a year of yammering about it to varying degrees, we are finally in L.A. You know, where people go to become stars. After revisiting why Holly and Jill might be leery of making this move, we head for a strip mall containing a studio that, it turns out, is not Abby Lee’s. ALDC-LA is, it seems, still a work in progress. Turns out the rent-a-studio is also home to The Rage Dance Company, whose bubbly, bottle-blond coach, Tiffany, sounds a lot like Yvette “You gotta risk it for the biscuit!” Walts. Lots and […]

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Competition

Dance Moms recap Season 5 Episode 4: What’s My Age Again?

January 27, 2015 Lori Acken

Déjà vu all over again, Dance Moms faithful. Jojo’s back. Kalani’s back. I’m back. We’re going back to Woodbridge, VA. Anybody else besides me starting to tick off how fast the years are going by not by our own birthdays but by how quickly we return to Virginia? And New Jersey. And Ohio. Oh please let us return to Ohio. If I have to come back to this, so do you, Cathy Nesbitt-Stein. We start out with Abby sporting some serious Something About Mary bangs … …and then with some pretty tough news. Nia’s Grandpa Frazier is on borrowed time […]

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Movies

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. […]

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Interview

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 […]

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Reality TV

Little Women: LA “Mama Drama” Recap, Season 2, Episode 2

January 8, 2015 Kellie Freeze

Now that we know that Terra’s pregnant, how will her enemy Kristi and her new BFF Traci take it? Will they be more excited for this than Joe (who wasn’t too thrilled, at first.)? I know that his life is already about to get exciting since his band is goi g on tour, but he needs to remember that there’s never a “perfect” moment to start a family, you just have to do it! So, instead of going back and forth between storylines, I’m going to chunk them together. First, Briana and her “being a Mama” drama. She’s a single-mom […]

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Reality TV

Dance Moms Season 5 premiere recap: The (freak) show must go on …

January 7, 2015 Lori Acken

Yeeeeesssss, Dance Moms faithful, I’m back, lured by the prospect of Christi and Kelly’s revenge … and the fact that your new Dance Moms recap mommy Katy LaFond will take over next week. We begin Season 5 on a hyper perky note with the girls super squealy about returning to the ALDC and a super squealy Abby Lee. Who, it appears, is down a good 40 pounds. Maybe more. I’m bad at that sort of thing. How ever many pounds it is, Jill says it’s too many and we have to fatten our fearsome leader back up. Nobody likes a skinny Santa … er, […]

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Commentary

Child Genius Episode 1: “I am not a Tiger Mommy”

January 7, 2015 Kellie Freeze

I am feeling dumb. I checked out Lifetime’s new reality competition series, Child Genius interested in checking out the intriguing partnership between American Mensa (A society for people with high IQs) and Lifetime, (the home of True Tori and Bad Girls Club, so take from that what you will.) In the interest of full disclosure, I was once a member of American Mensa, but the brilliant kids in this competition are the crème-de-la-creme with IQs measured in the top .1% in the nation instead of Mensa’s normal top 2% criterion. So again, I am feeling dumb. The competition spans over […]

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Competition

Dance Moms Season 5 preview: Check out these seek peek videos from Tuesday’s premiere!

January 5, 2015 Lori Acken

So many questions, Dance Moms nation, as Season 5 premieres tomorrow night at 9/8CT. Is Abby moving to L.A.? Is everyone moving to L.A.? Is the Select team still part of the picture in any incarnation? Are Chloe and Christi really gone from the ALDC this time? I mean really really? Contracts-be-damned really? And what is the current headcount on the folks who are suing Abby? You could wait for the premiere for answers — or you could check out these clips from Dance Moms Season 5 episode 1, “99 Problems But a Mom Ain’t One.” If you’re still wondering if Abby truly […]