FILE - In this May 2, 2014 file photo, actress Lea Thompson arrives at the 21st Annual Race to Erase MS Gala in Los Angeles. Thompson is one of 13 contestants on the new season of "Dancing With the Stars," premiering Sept. 15, on ABCDan Steinberg
DANCE FEVER!
Fire up the disco ball: Dancing with the Stars has unveiled the celebrity participants for its upcoming 19th season.
Announced on this morning's edition of Good Morning America, the star lineup features the standard assortment of former TV stars, retired athletes and reality-TV personalities.
The more notable names include mixed-martial arts slugger Randy Couture, actress Lea Thompson, former Fresh Prince of Bel Air star Alfonso Ribeiro, U.S. Olympian Lolo Jones, fashion designer Betsey Johnson and celebrity stoner Tommy Chong.
In an interview with USA Today to promote the new season, Chong said he had no plans of using marijuana during the shooting.
"I've smoked it so much," said Chong, also the oldest contestant at 76. "I'm like a camel. I can go a long time without getting high."
Also slated to trip the light fantastic: NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip, YouTube celebrity Bethany Mota, actress Janel Parrish, Duck Dynasty star Sadie Robertson, actors Antonio Sabato Jr. and Jonathan Bennett and veteran PBS commentator Tavis Smiley.
Smiley was also interviewed by USA Today and said he has every intention of taking the dance competition seriously.
"I'm not going to lie, I like to win," said Smiley, who turns 50 the day before the show's return. "But I also understand it's about the journey. I've always believed that success is oftentimes not what we receive for our effort, but who we become by our effort."
As for his own dance experience, Smiley admitted, "I was raised in a very strict religious family. We were forbidden to dance."
Dancing with the Stars returns September 15 on ABC and CTV.
THE BOSS ACTS
Bruce Springsteen will make his professional acting debut on Lilyhammer. The Boss will join his E Street bandmate Steven Van Zandt on the Netflix series when it returns for its third season in early 2015. Launched in 2012, Lilyhammer stars Van Zandt as a New York mobster who takes refuge from his former life in Norway. According to Deadline, Springsteen will play the role of a mortuary owner in one of the early-season episodes. Springsteen previously essayed a cameo performance in the 2000 film High Fidelity, but played himself.
Source: Deadline
NEW HIRES
It's official: Rosie Perez has joined the crew on The View. The Brooklyn-born actress will join MSNBC commentator Nicolle Wallace as the newest co-hosts on the daytime talker when it returns on September 15. Perez and Wallace will fill the chairs vacated by departed hosts Jenny MCarthy and Sherri Shepherd. "I am beyond thrilled, honoured and completely surprised that I've been asked to join The View," said Perez.
Source: People
MEA CULPA
Pawn Stars fixture Corey Harrison has issued a public apology. Last month, Harrison, the son of Pawn Stars patriarch Rick Harrison, was sighted in Jefferson City, Miss., where he reportedly urinated inside a bar and threw a barstool. Harrison wasn't arrested but was escorted out of the bar by bouncers. Earlier this week, Harrison fessed up to the incident in People magazine. "Not my finest moment, obviously," said Harrison. "I sincerely apologize to everyone for my behaviour. I am truly sorry."
Source: People
BAD MOVE
A contestant from the upcoming Fox reality series Utopia has been kicked off the show for smuggling in a smartphone. Based on a Dutch TV concept, Utopia follows a cast of 15 men and women surviving in a controlled technology-free environment for a yearlong period. Among the contestants was fitness model Andrea Cox, who reportedly snuck in the phone in order to look up information on her fellow competitors, and has since been replaced on the series. "It was clearly crossing the boundary of what was in her contract and what we thought was creatively important for the show," said Fox executive Simon Andreae.
Source: The Wrap
FLY GIRL
NBC has released the first image of Girls star Alison Williams in character as Peter Pan. Williams, the daughter of news anchor Brian Williams, will play the impish character in NBC's live musical production set for broadcast on December 4. In the photo, the 26-year-old actress sports a short-cropped hairstyle and poses on a ship yardarm in Peter's trademark green garb. NBC also put the picture on Instagram along with Williams' comment, "I was all ready to cut my hair, then was told by the folks who actually know what they're doing that a wig works better for everybody."
Source: Gawker