In alphabetical order, and with their professional partners, the 12 stars making their dancing debut on the new season of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars are:
Last season, Lisa Kudrow made an appearance, and ABC has announced today that Jennifer Aniston will now guest-star on former Friends co-star Courteney Cox’s ABC series Cougar Town. Aniston appears in the Season 2 premiere, airing Sept. 22 at 9:30pm ET. No word yet on her character.
This marks the first time the two actresses have worked together since Cox’s former FX series Dirt. Aniston can currently be seen in theaters in the film The Switch.
By Lori Acken
When ABC began promoting its new sitcom Modern Family this time last year, critics and viewers alike weren’t sure quite what to make of it.
On paper it seemed awfully gutsy — or maybe even lazy — replete with that guy who played Al Bundy (in a red velour tracksuit!) as its biggest star and what, in any but the deftest of hands, would be a barrelful of touchy stereotypes and TV clichés. Rich older gent with hotsy-ditzy trophy wife. Bumbling suburban dad and know-it-all mom. Homosexual couple with adopted Asian baby. And here’s the kicker — they’re one big happy family!
But critics who got the first peek battled for the glossiest superlatives … and as for everyone else, well, those commercials sure were a hoot. So when viewers began tuning in — and they did in droves — they found a show so organic, kindhearted and (still!) gut-bustingly funny that an instant hit was born, even as Family found itself pitted against its critical-darling feel-good equal, the FOX phenom Glee.
“I totally, completely agree with you that when I first heard the idea, I thought in my silly little mind this is either a formula for something genius — or something really generic,” says Ty Burrell, who frequently steals the show as overly exuberant Dunphy dad, Phil. “And I think you’re right that, in lesser hands, it would be nothing but stereotypes. But, in my opinion, the show has an infinite upside because there are so many combinations and so many storylines that can be told in the family. While that would be such a challenge to a writer who wasn’t as skilled as they are, for them it’s just a huge open playing field.”
By Ryan Berenz
Held every August since 1947, the Little League World Series brings baseball players ages 11-12 from around the world to South Williamsport, Pa., to compete for the world championship. Pared down from a field of 16 teams (eight from the U.S. and eight international), the U.S. finalists take on the international finalists at Howard J. Lamade Stadium today for the title game. ABC airs the game live in front of a national audience, which might seem like a lot of pressure for some youngsters to handle. Last year saw the team from Chula Vista, Calif., beat the team from Taoyuan County, Chinese Taipei, 6-3. ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC combine to televise the games. Here’s the release and schedule from ESPN:
ABC, ESPN & ESPN2 Combine to Deliver Every Little League World Series Game
U.S., International and World Series Championships on ABC
ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 will combine to present every game (up to 34) of the Little League World Series Presented by Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes Reduced Sugar from Williamsport, Pa., Aug. 20-29. ABC – entering the network’s 48th consecutive year of Little League World Series coverage – will broadcast the International Championship on Saturday, Aug. 28, at 1 p.m., the United States Championship on Aug. 28 at 4 p.m., and the Little League World Series Championship on Sunday, Aug. 29, at 3 p.m. Every World Series game on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 will be available in high definition for the sixth straight year. All ESPN and ESPN2 telecasts will be simulcast via ESPN3.com, with nearly all games available on ESPN Mobile TV.
By Ryan Berenz
The World Cup is down to its final match, and I am a little sad to see the tournament coming to an end. This is the most fun I’ve ever had watching soccer (which doesn’t say much, because I almost never watch it otherwise), and I want to especially thank Univision for streaming all the games for free (without the pesky ESPN3.com requirements). The Univision announcers have an infectious enthusiasm for the game, and even though I only understand about every fifth word they say, “Gooooooolaaaaaaaaaasssssooooooo!” needs no translation.
ABC will air the final match between the Netherlands and Spain on Sunday, July 11, beginning at 1:30pm ET (match starts at 2:30pm ET). Before the tournament started, I picked Netherlands over Portugal in the final match. Since Portugal is essentially Spain, I’m saying I was correct in picking the finals.
You can see ESPN analysts’ predictions for the final match after the jump.
By Ryan Berenz
So, finally there’s something actually worth watching on ABC’s ESPN Sports Saturday. The ESPN Films documentary I Scored a Goal premieres on ABC Saturday, July 3 at 5pm ET, following the Paraguay vs. Spain quarterfinal match. Here are the details from ESPN:
The ESPN Films documentary I Scored a Goal will premiere Saturday, July 3, at 5 p.m. ET on ABC during the ESPN Sports Saturday programming block. The one-hour program represents one of ESPN’s most ambitious initiatives surrounding the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. The documentary features interviews with most of the 34 living men who have scored a goal in the title match of the FIFA World Cup, dating back to the first tournament in 1930. Among those interviewed are Uruguay’s Alcides Ghiggia (1950), Brazil’s Pele (1958 and 1970) and Ronaldo (2002), Germany’s Gerd Müller (1974) and Rudi Völler (1986), Holland’s Dick Nanninga (1978), and Argentina’s Mario Kempes (1978, now an analyst for ESPN Deportes and ESPN International), all of whom represent countries still competing in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
By Ryan Berenz
The World Cup has come down to the final eight teams, as quarterfinal matchups begin Friday, July 2, on ESPN. It’s unfortunate that Netherlands vs. Brazil has to take place in the quarterfinals — both of these teams are capable of winning it all, but one of them will be eliminated Friday. Same story with Argentina vs. Germany. Those matches should be awesome. Uruguay vs. Ghana — though neither is really an elite soccer powerhouse — should be a decent match, though the winner is shaping up to be a sacrificial lamb for the winner of Netherlands-Brazil. And we figure Spain should cruise past Paraguay, though personally I’m hoping for Paraguay to upset, simply because I have them in the office pool and I want to see more of Larissa Riquelme. Here is the match schedule for the quarterfinals:
Friday, July 2
Netherlands vs. Brazil, 10am ET, ESPN
Uruguay vs. Ghana, 2:30pm ET, ESPN
Saturday, July 3
Argentina vs. Germany, 10am ET, ABC
Paraguay vs. Spain, 2:30pm ET, ABC
By Ryan Berenz
The World Cup enters the round of 16 on Saturday, June 26, with two games: Uruguay vs. South Korea at 9:30am ET on ESPN and USA vs. Ghana at 2pm ET on ABC. From ESPN:
2010 FIFA World Cup: Round of 16
The 2010 FIFA World Cup continues in South Africa with the Round of 16 matches starting Saturday, June 26, on ESPN and ABC with the top two finishers from each of the eight groups advancing to the next stage of competition. Following the completion of play in Groups A and B, a pair of matchups have already been determined – Uruguay vs. South Korea (Saturday at 9:30 a.m. ET on ESPN) and Argentina vs. Mexico (Sunday at 2 p.m. ABC). The U.S. and England, the top two finishers in Group C, will play the second- and first-place finishers from Group D, respectively. The U.S. match will be televised Saturday at 2 p.m. on ABC, while England will play Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on ESPN. Round of 16 matches will also be available on ESPN3.com, ESPN Radio, ESPN 3D, ESPN Mobile TV and ESPN Deportes. Commentator assignments will be announced later this week.
Giant soccer balls, a trampoline sweeper and the fling set are among the obstacles on a new episode of ABC’s hit competition series
Wipeout, airing June 29 at 8pm ET and tying in with the network’s monthlong coverage of World Cup soccer.
During the episode, Wipeout‘s signature obstacle — Big Balls — transforms into Big Soccer Balls that go head-to-head against contestants, along with the Trampoline Sweeper and the Fling Set, two new obstacles.
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Credit: Jeff Samaripa/ABC
By Ryan Berenz
Forgive us if we lack excitement about this year’s Belmont Stakes. Not only is there no Triple Crown winner this year, but Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver and Preakness winner Lookin At Lucky are skipping the race. So who’s left? How about Dave in Dixie (20-1) jockeyed by Calvin Borel? Or how about trainer Nick Zito’s Ice Box (3-1) or Fly Down (9-2)? Sure. Makes no nevermind to me. ABC sort of takes a gamble every year they broadcast this race, hoping the Triple Crown will be at stake. They’ve been lucky at lot the past few years. This year, not so much. Here’s the full release and broadcast details from ESPN/ABC:
Belmont Stakes on ABC Saturday
ESPN and ABC will offer seven hours of coverage of the Belmont Stakes presented by Chase Saturday, June 5 starting at noon ET — including ABC’s two-hour race broadcast at 5 p.m. All Belmont programming on ABC and ESPN will be aired in high definition on ABC HD and ESPN HD, respectively.
