Dancing With the Stars 2017: Season 24 celebrity cast and partners revealed on 'GMA’

‘Dancing With the Stars’ 2017: Season 24 celebrity cast and partners revealed on 'GMA’

 The cast of season 24 of the hit reality TV show "Dancing with the Stars" was announced live on "Good Morning America" today.

This year's lineup of stars features decorated Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, legendary figure skater Nancy Kerrigan, and the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Erika Jayne, among other celebrities from music, television and sports, who will all be hitting the dance floor to battle each other for the mirrorball trophy this season.

Biles, who will be dancing with partner Sasha Farber, joins the cast the season after her Olympic teammate, Laurie Hernandez, took home the trophy last season. Hernandez said winning the Mirrorball brought her the "same joy" as winning her Olympic medals. Val Chmerkovskiy, Hernandez's champion partner last season, is back this year, teaming up with "Fifth Harmony" singer Normani Kordei.

The season 24 premiere is the 400th episode of the hit show, and many fan-favorite dancing partners will also be returning to the show, including Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd, who welcomed their first child together just this year. Veteran dancer Kym Herjavec is also back this season, after she took a hiatus following her marriage to her former "DWTS" partner Robert Herjavec.

The celebrities and their partners appeared live on "GMA" today.

The new season of “Dancing With the Stars” premieres on Mon. March 20, 2017 at at 8 p.m. ET.

'Dancing With the Stars' 2017: Fun facts about the new celebrity cast

'Dancing' stars Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd to return to next season of the show

'DWTS' winner Laurie Hernandez had 'same joy' winning mirror ball as she did Olympic medals

Simone Biles with Sasha Farber
The four-time gold medalist will be dancing with partner Sasha Farber.

Simone Biles will compete with pro Sasha Farber on the new season of Dancing With the Stars.Craig Sjodin/ABC
Simone Biles will compete with pro Sasha Farber on the new season of "Dancing With the Stars."

Bonner Bolton with Sharna Burgess
The professional bull rider and model will be dancing with partner Sharna Burgess.


Bonner Bolton will compete with pro Sharna Burgess, left, on the new season of Dancing With the Stars.Craig Sjodin/ABC
Bonner Bolton will compete with pro Sharna Burgess, left, on the new season of "Dancing With the Stars."

Charo with Keo Motsepe
The "Chuchi-Chuchi" girl will be dancing with partner Keo Motsepe.


Charo will compete with pro Keo Motsepe on the new season of "Dancing With the Stars."

Chris Kattan with Witney Carson
The "Saturday Night Live" veteran will be dancing with partner Witney Carson.


 Chris Kattan, right, will compete with pro Witney Carson on the new season of Dancing With the Stars.Craig Sjodin/ABC
Chris Kattan, right, will compete with pro Witney Carson on the new season of "Dancing With the Stars."

David Ross with Lindsay Arnold
The two-time World Series champion, and the show's first baseball star, will be dancing with partner Lindsay Arnold.


David Ross, right, will compete with pro Lindsay Arnold on the new season of Dancing With the Stars.Craig Sjodin/ABC
David Ross, right, will compete with pro Lindsay Arnold on the new season of "Dancing With the Stars."

Erika Jayne with Gleb Savchenko
The dance club musician and "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star will be dancing with partner Gleb Savchenko.


Erika Jayne will compete with pro Gleb Savchenko on the new season of Dancing With the Stars.Craig Sjodin/ABC
Erika Jayne will compete with pro Gleb Savchenko on the new season of "Dancing With the Stars."

Heather Morris with Maksim Chmerkovskiy
The "Glee" actress will be dancing with partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy.


 Heather Morris will compete with pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy on the new season of Dancing With the Stars.Craig Sjodin/ABC
Heather Morris will compete with pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy on the new season of "Dancing With the Stars."

Mr. T with Kym Herjavec
The former professional wrestler and actor will be dancing with partner Kym Herjavec.


 Mr. T, right, will compete with pro Kym Herjavec on the new season of Dancing With the Stars.Craig Sjodin/ABC
Mr. T, right, will compete with pro Kym Herjavec on the new season of "Dancing With the Stars."

Nancy Kerrigan with Artem Chigvintsev
The former Olympic figure skater will be dancing with partner Artem Chigvintsev.


 Nancy Kerrigan will compete with pro Artem Chigvintsev on the new season of Dancing With the Stars.Craig Sjodin/ABC
Nancy Kerrigan will compete with pro Artem Chigvintsev on the new season of "Dancing With the Stars."

Normani Kordei with Valentin Chmerkovskiy
The "Fifth Harmony" singer will be dancing with partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy.


 Normani Kordei will compete with pro Valentin Chmerkovskiy on the new season of Dancing With the Stars.Craig Sjodin/ABC
Normani Kordei will compete with pro Valentin Chmerkovskiy on the new season of "Dancing With the Stars."

Rashad Jennings with Emma Slater
The NFL player will be dancing with partner Emma Slater.


 Rashad Jennings will compete with pro Emma Slater on the new season of Dancing With the Stars.Craig Sjodin/ABC
Rashad Jennings will compete with pro Emma Slater on the new season of "Dancing With the Stars."

Nick Viall with Peta Murgatroyd
The Bachelor will be dancing with pro Peta Murgatroyd.


Nick Viall will compete with pro Peta Murgatroyd on the new season of Dancing With the Stars.Craig Sjodin/ABC
Nick Viall will compete with pro Peta Murgatroyd on the new season of "Dancing With the Stars."

The new season of “Dancing With the Stars” premieres on Mon. March 20, 2017 at at 8 p.m. ET.

Charo will compete with pro Keo Motsepe on the new season of Dancing With the Stars.Craig Sjodin/ABC

Source:  http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/dancing-stars-2017-season-24-celebrity-cast-partners/story?id=45767534

6 things you probably didn’t know about Birthday boy Justin Bieber

After being discovered by a talent manager through his YouTube videos covering songs in 2008, Justin Bieber has gone on to become one of the most notorious and successful musicians of our times. The baby-faced teenager who sprung on to the scene with his debut single 'Baby', has delivered four multi-platinum albums over the course of his career. Much is known about his eccentric habits, relationships and breakups, but here are 6 things that you probably didn't know about the artist who turns 23 today.

1. Birthday boy Justin Bieber loves to watch the re-runs of his favourite sitcom 'Friends':
Even though the show ended its ten year run on TV screens in 2004, Beebs is a big fan of the 62-time Primetime Emmy Awards nominated show. The popstar apparently likes to catch up on re-runs of his favourite show whenever he can.

2. Bieber, who spends $750 on a haircut, once auctioned his cut hair online for $40,668:
A lock of his freshly-chopped locks, which Justin gifted to chat show host Ellen DeGeneres in a signed box after his much talked about buzz cut was put to auction in 2011. The bidding went up all the way to $40,668 and the proceeds were donated to charity.

3. Justin Bieber was born in Canada, today he boasts of more Twitter followers than the population of Canada:
J-Beebs has a current follower count of over 92 million on Twitter, while the population of his home country Canada is 35.15 million according to their 2016 census.

4. Justin can solve the Rubik's cube in less than two minutes!:
In a TV show appearance, JB went on to solve the Rubik's cube in under two minutes. He flaunted his skills again in a recent episode of 'The Late, Late Show with James Corden.'
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5. Birthday boy Justin Bieber is counselled by Will Smith on a weekly basis:

However unlikely it may seem, but his mentor is one of Hollywood's greatest (and most famous) actors. We don't know how the two got connected, but clearly they have a lot in common. On a red-carpet appearance, Will said that he'll be available for the young musician whenever he calls on him for help.


6. The music sensation feels that denim shorts and a tank top is the sexiest thing a woman can wear:

Justin told a popular magazine that he thinks "attitude" is the hottest thing about a girl. The singer also said that he likes when girls wear "booty shorts" and tank tops.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/english/music/news/6-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-birthday-boy-justin-bieber/articleshow/57412313.cms

Kellyanne Conway explains 'disrespectful' Oval Office sofa picture

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Kellyanne Conway has explained she "meant no disrespect" after she was widely criticised for kneeling on a sofa in the Oval Office.
Ms Conway, the senior advisor to President Donald Trump, spoke on Fox News about the backlash she faced for her "disrespectful" stance.

She told Fox:  "These are the presidents and other leaders within the historically black college and universities and they came to visit the White House.

"Of course, just today, the President signed the executive order on HCBU’s and I had an occasion to speak at length to many of those leaders before that picture and after that picture and again today.

 

"And I really want to thank so many of them for coming to my defense because they were in the room and they know I was being asked to take a picture in a crowded room with the press behind us. I was asked to take a certain angle and was doing exactly that. I certainly meant no disrespect, I didn’t mean to have my feet on the couch."
Some questioned why she felt she had to take the picture on her phone instead of asking an official photographer to document the moment.
Ms Conway, who has courted controversy in recent weeks for referring to a fictional "Bowling Green Massacre" to justify the president's travel ban and for promoting Ivanka Trump's brand, was widely lambasted for the way she sat.

Moments after taking a photo herself, she was seen checking her phone, with her legs tucked beneath her on the sofa.

"What are you doing on that couch Kellyanne Conway? Does not look respectful in the Oval Office," one Twitter user said. 
Another said: "To be fair we shouldn't expect people born in barn to know any better. No respect for the highest office."
Kellyanne Conway blamed the media for the furore and spoke about the coverage she receives.

Source:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/01/kellyanne-conway-explains-disrespectful-oval-office-sofa-picture/

BPI (Basketball Power Index)- who are the winners and losers?

Teams that have hurt themselves: Kansas State, Gonzaga, Maryland
Teams that have helped themselves: Providence, SMU, Arkansas
With just less than two weeks to Selection Sunday, every men’s college basketball team is trying to either earn its way into the tournament or prove that it deserves a top seed. Games over the past week provided teams with the opportunities to do just that. Some teams took advantage of those opportunities, and some did not. The Basketball Power Index (BPI), which measures how good a team is looking forward, and strength of record (SOR), which measures how impressive a team’s win-loss record is, can be used to not only provide those pieces of information but also to simulate the rest of the season, tournament seeding and the tournament itself. The results of this week’s games, along with the window into the past and future provided by the metrics, allow us to see some of the biggest winners and losers of the week.
Winner: Southern Methodist University (BPI – 19, SOR – 18)
After upsetting the University of Houston on the road last week, SMU took its 20th BPI ranking into its only game of the week: a road game against 84th-ranked University of Connecticut. BPI gave SMU a 72 percent chance to win that game on the road and projected it would win by five to six points. SMU won, boosted its SOR to 18th and increased its odds of winning the American Conference tournament to 37 percent.
Winner: Providence (BPI – 53, SOR – 44)
Providence followed an impressive week in which it beat higher-ranked teams Butler and Xavier with two more good wins against Creighton on the road and Marquette at home. These wins have boosted Providence’s tournament prospects significantly. Its current SOR of 44 suggests that it has 62 percent chance to make the tournament -- up from just 50 percent before its win over Marquette.
Winner: Arkansas (BPI – 46, SOR – 31)
Much like Providence, Arkansas has had a good two-week stretch. It was ranked 55th in BPI two weeks ago, and since then it has beaten South Carolina, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Auburn. With that stretch of wins, it has moved up to 46th in BPI and, as two of those wins were on the road, now has the 31st most impressive schedule in the country. The win on Saturday at Auburn in fact boosted its odds to make the tournament to 95 percent from 85 percent. Arkansas had only a 6 percent chance of winning its past four games, and those wins have been key to solidifying a spot in the tournament.

Loser: Kansas State (BPI – 42, SOR – 51)
A rough week for Kansas State began with a loss at home to Oklahoma State in which BPI favored Kansas State to win by three. The team followed that with a loss on the road to 77th-ranked Oklahoma in which it was favored to win by 2. Kansas State was 33rd in BPI going into the week and has now slid to 42; worse, its odds to make the tournament have fallen to 14 percent from 39 percent before the Oklahoma game.
Loser: Gonzaga (BPI – 3, SOR – 3)
Gonzaga spoiled its perfect season by dropping a home game to 73rd-ranked BYU at home -- when the Zags were favored to win by nearly 26 points. While the loss certainly does not affect their odds of making the tournament, and while a perfect season is a great story, dropping one game -- even an eminently winnable one to BYU -- is understandable. But it will cost them in their chance to grab a top seed in the tournament. Going into the game against BYU, BPI had Gonzaga in the top spot with a 91 percent chance at landing a No. 1 seed. The loss dropped it to third in BPI and third in SOR, and Gonzaga now has only a 46 percent chance to grab a top seed.
Loser: Maryland (BPI – 49, SOR – 29)
Maryland’s record has exceeded the expectations of its BPI ranking all season, but that seems to be slipping recently. Maryland was 40th in BPI going into a week in which it had two home games. BPI gave it a 70 percent chance to beat Minnesota and an 84 percent chance to beat Iowa. Maryland lost both games, however, by a combined 28 points, pushing it down to 49th overall in BPI and behind such teams as Minnesota and Miami in SOR. Maryland was 40th in BPI and 17th in SOR going into the week and now sits at 49th and 29th, meaning that it might have cost itself significantly in seeding for the tournament. For example, if the tournament were seeded by SOR alone, Maryland would have gone from a 4- or 5-seed a week ago to a 7- or 8-seed this week.

Source: http://www.espn.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/129946/who-were-this-weeks-bpi-winners-and-losers