Lori Acken | Channel Guide Magazine

Dog and Beth On The Hunt “fan edition” marathon airs May 26 on CMT

May 22, 2013 | By Lori Acken
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CMT has announced that it will air a five-hour marathon of interactive, “fan-edition” episodes of Dog and Beth On the Hunt May 26 from 5-10pm ET/PT. Enhanced with facts about the show, viewer comments culled from social media outlets and commentary from series stars Dog, Beth and Leland Chapman, the specially created episodes are designed to reward viewers who have made Dog and Beth On The Hunt the network’s top-rated series, with an average weekly audience of over 1 million total viewers, more than 260,000 Facebook “likes” and a faithful Twitter fan base. The network also offers a companion Facebook app called “The Dog Pack,” [...]

Lyssa Chapman on her new book, her new show and life beyond Dog the Bounty Hunter

May 21, 2013 | By Lori Acken
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Dog the Bounty Hunter fans know Lyssa Chapman as “Baby Lyssa,” the petite and beautiful blond daughter of Duane Dog Chapman, stepdaughter of Beth Chapman and half sister to the show’s other stars, Leland and Duane Lee Chapman — though the family famously refuses to use terms like “step” and “half” to describe their bonds. Arriving on Dog and Beth’s doorstep — and thus, on A&E cameras — as a troubled teen with her toddler daughter Abbie in tow, Lyssa eventually evolved into a key member of the bounty-hunting team and developed a broad fan base of smitten men and [...]

Jo Frost talks ‘Family SOS with Jo Frost’ on TLC

May 20, 2013 | By Lori Acken
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As TV’s beloved Supernanny, Jo Frost spent seven seasons coming to the rescue of parents whose tots were creating havoc — but she says she did much of her bestcounseling when the cameras were off. So Frost pulled the plug on the long-running ABC hit and began contemplating a new show in which she could assist all kinds of clans, not just those in need of the “naughty step.” “I wanted to focus on a format that would allow my expertise to be shown on every level, and I wanted to be able to create a format that allows me to [...]

Behind the Candelabra: Michael Douglas and Matt Damon on how the clothes helped make them the men

May 15, 2013 | By Lori Acken
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For the first time in his 25-year film career, Matt Damon says that — courtesy of Behind the Candelabra’s over-the-top nature — he finally embraced wardrobe fittings. Fittings that had him donning everything from a bespangled, bare-cheeked thong to a periwinkle chauffeur getup with matching silver boots to a white-and-turquoise lounge set that would look equally at home on a grandma at the grocery. “I loved it,” Damon says proudly of his country-bumpkin-goes-Hollywood progression. “More than any other movie I’ve been on, actually, the wardrobe and the hair and the makeup really made a difference — and the props, all [...]

ABC primetime schedule 2013-2014

May 15, 2013 | By Lori Acken
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ABC announced its 2013-2014 prime time schedule on Tuesday, adding fourteen new shows and a Disney/Pixar special to its programming roster. “We are taking some big swings with groundbreaking shows this season, and staying close to our roots with smart and sophisticated storytelling ,” said Paul Lee, President, ABC Entertainment Group. “ABC is known for its combination of innovation and stability, and our new schedule reflects that. We’re bringing back the shows that viewers have embraced and enhancing the lineup with a slate of exciting new series.” New dramas for the 2013-14 season are Betrayal (pictured), Killer Women, Lucky 7, [...]

Dance Moms Season 3 Tell All Reunion Part 2 recap: For Crying Out Loud!

May 14, 2013 | By Lori Acken
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Welcome back, Dance Moms nation. Did everyone have a nice Mothers Day, even if you didn’t get your own TV special to commemorate it? Are you ready for — or dreading — our two-week sabbatical until Dance Moms starts up again June 4 with what’s looking like a doozy of a summer season? But right now we’ve got one more hour of Dance Moms Season 3 Tell All Reunion (and dance moms in jewel-toned dresses) to get through, so let’s have at it. We begin with a solo Abby once again, and this time JC Superstar Executive Producer wants to talk [...]

Breaking Amish Brave New World preview

May 10, 2013 | By Lori Acken
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The producers of TLC’s Breaking Amish appear to have learned something from the uproar that ensued when the real backstories of their five young cast members threatened to derail the tale they were hoping to tell, even before the series debuted. That is: These men and women are interesting enough without having to return or reduce them to a sort of “what is this food-cooker thing?” bumpkinhood that no one was buying anyway. As its second season — called Breaking Amish: Brave New World — premieres Sunday night at 10/9 CT, the series takes on a more somber, documentary-style feel [...]

Toddlers and Tiaras Season 6 premieres June 5 on TLC

May 9, 2013 | By Lori Acken
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Toddlers and Tiaras, TLC’s jaw-dropping reality hit that introduced America to Eden Wood and Honey Boo Boo returns for a sixth season of spray-tanned pageant tots, overbearing parents, Pixy Stix and tantrums June 5 at 9pm ET/PT. And Boo Boo Mama June, you and your Go-Go juice are about to enjoy a little vindication. T&T fans, get ready for the phenomenon of “Tinker Tea” — Mountain Dew, bottled sweet tea and Pixy Stix powder, all mixed together and served up in a nice pink sippy cup. To a two-year-old. A two-year-old who has been starting her day with another sippy [...]

Rock My RV with Bret Michaels on Travel Channel: Bret gives us the details

May 8, 2013 | By Lori Acken
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Poison frontman Bret Michaels says he’s logged over 3 million miles in a host of rolling homes — from the cozy Winnebagos of his Butler, Pa., youth to the most luxurious Prevost tour buses when he grew up to be a rock star. In fact, the open-road lifestyle is so much a part of Michaels’ DNA that if you hope to get an offstage glimpse at him when he tours your town, don’t look in the lobbies of luxury inns. “When all my other bandmates stay at hotels on our days off, I actually stay [on the bus] at the [...]

Dance Moms Season 3 Tell All recap: Children and Violence

May 7, 2013 | By Lori Acken
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Did everyone enjoy “The Mother of All Specials” that preceded tonight’s Dance Moms: Tell-All Reunion Part One, Dance Moms fans? Did it give you a better understanding of why Abby Lee is the way Abby Lee is — or make you more confused, since Mother Miller is calm and kind and often appears as puzzled by her daughter as we are? Did it make you nostalgic for when Dance Moms was more funny and fun, and less cutthroat and stressful —and we got to have Dance Moms fashion moments? Did it make you want to pop Abby’s dad in the [...]