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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 [...]

My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding Season 2 finale preview

May 3, 2013 | By Lori Acken
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It’s time for a two-hour, two-episode Season 2 finale, My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding fans, and it all begins Sunday night, May 5, at 8/7CT. In the first, “All Bets Are Off,” we have the dual tales of Romanichal bachelors Rodell Stanley, 20, and Teddy Lee, age and last name unknown. Rodell isn’t going to be a bachelor much longer, though, because he’s planning to marry 16-year-old Dorothy Martin, baby sister of the birthday-king twins Tommy and Teddy from the “Double Wedding, Double Trouble” episode a few weeks back. Even though Rodell professes to have lascivious thoughts about every [...]

Drop Dead Diva Season 5 premieres June 23 on Lifetime

May 3, 2013 | By Lori Acken
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Faithful fans battled for and won a fifth season of Drop Dead Diva, Lifetime’s unique and charming dramedy about a shallow model who dies suddenly and is resurrected in the body of a plus-sized attorney. The 13-episode Season 5 premieres Sunday, June 23 at 9pm ET/PT, followed by the series premiere of Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry’s eagerly awaited new nighttime soap Devious Maids. The Season 5 premiere — aptly titled “Back From the Dead” — picks up where Season 4 left off, with Jane (Brooke Elliott) searching for her fiancé Owen (Lex Medlin, Southland) after he saw her share [...]

Dance Moms Season 3 Episode 18 recap: Apple Sass

April 30, 2013 | By Lori Acken
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So we’ve reached the midterm of Dance Moms Season 3, Dance Moms nation. Everybody ready for a couple of reunion shows and a dab of a spring break before we have back at it come summer? But first we have two hours of midseason finale to get our tanks on “full” and get us through, so let’s get to it. While Abby’s taking stock of what numbers we have to get crackin’ on now that The View is behind us, Kelly actually asks her permission to take the solo-less Brooke to see a music manager. Abby says she’ll think about [...]

Dear Mom Love Cher: Cher honors her roots in a charming Lifetime special

April 25, 2013 | By Lori Acken
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When I was a kid, I wanted to be Cher. Well into adulthood, I have yet to change my mind. From her early days as the exotic half of Sonny & Cher to her stunning reinvention as an award-winning movie star — and her poster-child status for women with independent hearts, lively love lives and bold fashion choices throughout — Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPiere Bono Allman has always been my kind of dame. Turns out, she comes from a long line of them. I talked with the entertainment icon for her can’t-miss Lifetime special Dear Mom, Love Cher and discovered a [...]

CGM interviews Megan Massacre of TLC’s NY Ink and America’s Worst Tattoos

April 18, 2013 | By Lori Acken
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Despite her ferocious adopted last name, TLC’s top tattoo maven Megan Massacre has the face (and hair color) of a rock ‘n’ roll Disney Princess and the sweetly lilting voice to match. But the star of the network’s back-to-back Thursday night hits America’s Worst Tattoos and NY Ink — born Megan Woznicki in Douglasville, PA — says she actually picked “Massacre” not in homage to her edgy profession, but long before, when she and some bowling buddies decided to mock the earnestness of heavy-metal obsessed MySpace scenesters. Taken with all forms of art since she was a toddler, Massacre, 27, [...]

Dance Moms Season 3 Episode 16 recap: Queens For A Day

April 16, 2013 | By Lori Acken
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Abby’s got her cranky pants on again as we launch this week’s Dance Moms — in large part because the Dance About Democracy finished No. this in last week’s competition: And that don’t mean peace, boys and girls. Plus, not only are we getting beat by Cathy’s scab-a-rific imported Apples, we’re getting beat by, like, nobodies now. And this has got to change. Pyramid time. Mackie is bottom of the bottom because she didn’t dance. Then Paige. Abby — with a completely straight face — says Paige did a disservice to her country by holding the flag upside down in [...]

Dance Moms Season 3 Episode 15 recap: Schlock the Vote

April 9, 2013 | By Lori Acken
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After last week’s Dance Moms debacle against Cathy and the Lad Apples, the only thing Abby is impressed with this week is how Asia and Kristie were the first to show up for practice. After that, she wants to know how four strangers, taught by some dude they never met, still managed to tell a story via dance better than her own yahoos who have performed together since forever. Let’s take our rage to the pyramid. Bottom of the bottom is Mackie, by virtue of her injury. Then Brooke, who never works hard enough. Then Chloe, who shoulders the most [...]

My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding Season 2, Episode 3 recap: Elvis has left the marriage

April 8, 2013 | By Lori Acken
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Last night’s My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding was all about coming back home. Eden is planning to remarry her bad-boy husband Elvis, and teenage Savannah must choose whether to make her home in Hawaii with her free-spirit mother or return to Chicago to her minister dad. Eden is a 20-year-old gorger and former cheerleader/pageant girl who gave up her All-American, good-girl life to marry Elvis Boswell, a 23-year-old, alarmingly tattooed Romanichal gypsy. Eden says she was drawn to Elvis’ dark and dangerous charms and the gypsy penchant for living in the moment. The pair had a daughter, Arial, and [...]

Dance Moms Season 3 Episode 14 recap: Cathy Major, Asia Minor

April 2, 2013 | By Lori Acken
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Quick prayer to launch this week’s recap, Dance Moms nation, because I feel it is required. At least for me. Dear sweet Jesus and the gods of dance, please let this Asia thing I know is coming be a one-or-two-episode Asia thing I know is coming, because I cannot handle any more than that of Kristie Ray. I just cannot. Otherwise, grant unto me some Asia/Kristie fans who can nicely explain why I should become one. And the part where the kid is 7 doesn’t count. The part where Yvette Walts is not here to turn Kristie into Pokey McChestbump [...]