Harper headlines new ‘Dancing’ stars
Busy cancer patient Valerie Harper leads a class of 12 amateur hoofers in the upcoming 17th season of “Dancing With the Stars.”
The cast was revealed Wednesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” For a show that has reached an increasingly older audience, ABC added an injection of youth with reality stars Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi of “Jersey Shore” and Ozzy’s kid Jack Osbourne.
Harper has defied odds with her survival since being diagnosed earlier this year with brain cancer. She recently filmed a movie role and joined a Nick at Nite reunion of “The Mary Tyler Moore” cast.
Other contestants are Bill Nye, the “Science Guy”; “Pretty Little Liars” actor Brant Daugherty; former NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson; singer and actress Christina Milian; actress Elizabeth Berkley; “High School Musical” actor Corbin Bleu; “Glee” actress Amber Riley; comedian Bill Engvall; and “King of Queens” actress Leah Remini.
Rumsfeld interviews confuse director
Director Errol Morris spent 33 hours interviewing Donald Rumsfeld for his new documentary “The Unknown Known.” But Morris says the former U.S. defense secretary proved hard to fathom.
The director said Wednesday at the Venice Film Festival that he cannot tell if Rumsfeld, who narrates the film, was putting on a “performance” or being himself.
“The Unknown Known” is competing for the top Golden Lion award. The film analyzes the U.S. decision to go to war in Afghanistan and Iraq. It includes clips from Pentagon news conferences as it offers an unflinching look at Rumsfeld’s career through his own words.
Tyler sings in surprise performance
Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler made a surprise appearance in Nashville, Tenn., and performed two songs before the audience was ushered out for the next show.
Tyler was in the audience Tuesday night at the Bluebird Cafe watching four Nashville songwriters perform in the round, including Mallary Hope, Phil Barton, Lindsey Lee and Marti Frederiksen. The small, 90-seat venue is where many country singers first got their break and where many established artists often stop by to play a few songs or listen.
Frederiksen invited Tyler to sing “Jaded,” which Frederiksen co-wrote, and Tyler then jumped on Lee’s piano to belt out the band’s power ballad “Dream On.”
The birthday bunch
Comedian-actor Bob Newhart is 84. Actress-singer Carol Lawrence is 81. Actor William Devane is 74. Actor George Lazenby is 74. Actress Raquel Welch is 73. Singer Al Stewart is 68. Singer Loudon Wainwright III is 67. Actor Michael Keaton is 62. TV personality Dweezil Zappa is 44. Actress Rose McGowan is 40. Actor Skandar Keynes is 22.