‘Cooking’ celebs named

Fri., March 31, 2006

From Wire Reports The Spokesman-Review

NBC has finalized the kitchen crew for its weeklong “Celebrity Cooking Showdown,” and the cast has a distinct “Dancing with the Stars” vibe.

The group includes an all-pro football player, a hip-hop star, a self-effacing veteran actor, a statuesque athlete/actress, a soap-opera star and a former boy-band singer – job descriptions straight from the “Dancing” playbook.

In this case, those roles are filled by Kansas City Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez, Ja Rule, Tom Arnold, Gabrielle Reece, Allison Sweeney (“Days of Our Lives”) and Ashley Parker Angel (O-Town/”There and Back”).

Rounding out the group are famously temperamental supermodel Naomi Campbell, reigning Miss USA Chelsea Cooley and country singer Big Kenny, half of Big and Rich.

“Celebrity Cooking” will air over five consecutive nights, beginning April 17. Three celebrities will compete in a cook-off on each of the first three episodes, after getting a culinary crash course from one of a trio of famous chefs: Wolfgang Puck, Cat Cora and Govind Armstrong.

The winner from each night will compete in the final kitchen battle on April 20, with the winner revealed April 21.

‘World’ turns back clock

It’s golden anniversary time for “As the World Turns.”

The CBS soap celebrates its April 2, 1956, birth with two special episodes. The first, on Friday (1 p.m., KREM-2 in Spokane) has characters taking over other vintage TV roles, paying homage to “I Love Lucy,” “The Beverly Hillbillies,” “The Munsters” and more. The following Monday, the seven grande dames of Oakdale reminisce.

Catch up with videos, podcasts, blogs and favorite-moment polls at www.cbs.com/daytime/atwt.

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