"LET'S DANCE," NEW COMEDIC DANCE SERIES FEATURING STARS COMPETING FOR CHARITABLE GRAND PRIZES, PREMIERES MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23
Two-Time Emmy Winner Kathy Griffin Is Host
Two-time Emmy Award winner and NY Times best-selling author Kathy Griffin ("My Life on the D-List") will host "Let's Dance," a new, comedic dance series from "American Idol" producers FremantleMedia North America that features stars competing for charity as they pay homage to some of the most famous movie, musical and pop video dance routines of all time. "Let's Dance" will kick off its five-episode run with a live 90-minute premiere episode on MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23 (9:30-11:00 p.m., ET) following the Season 9 finale broadcast of "Dancing with the Stars" on the ABC Television Network. Additional episodes will air on Monday, Nov. 30, Mon., Dec. 7 and Mon., Dec. 14 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET) with the finale on Tues., Dec. 15 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET).
The first three episodes of "Let's Dance" will feature stars from all walks of life competing in single, group and duo performances as they train, rehearse and take to the stage to reveal their comedic dance routine in front of a studio audience. After each performance, a celebrity panel will give their comments before viewers across America have the chance to vote for their favorite performance. The celebrity panel and star participants will be announced shortly.
From each of the episodes, two performances will be chosen � one by the viewers and one by the celebrity panel. These two acts will then return again to dance in the finale and the chance to win the hearts of the viewing audience. In the spectacular finale results show, the one act with the most viewer votes will be crowned America's favorite and be awarded the coveted grand prize for their personal charity.
Double Emmy winner, NY Times best-selling author, Grammy-nominee and 2009's GLAAD Vanguard Award recipient Kathy Griffin is a multi-faceted performer with a rapid fire wit who has been making audiences laugh for years discussing Hollywood gossip and celebrity blunders.
After moving from her native Chicago and joining the famed Los Angeles Groundlings comedy improvisational troupe, Griffin began building her resume with guest starring roles on such series as "ER" and "Seinfeld" � where she created recurring character Sally Weaver. In 1996 her dream of playing a sidekick on a sitcom came true when she landed the role of Vickie Groener, Brook Shields' acerbic colleague, on the NBC show "Suddenly Susan." In 1998 HBO gave Griffin her own one-hour special, "A Hot Cup of Talk."
In August 2005, "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List" debuted on Bravo to rave reviews. So far, the show has garnered two Emmy Awards and four Emmy nominations for Outstanding Reality Program.
In addition to her series, Griffin has performed many successful stand-up specials for Bravo including, "Kathy Griffin� Is Not Nicole Kidman" in 2005 and "Strong Black Woman" in 2006. "Kathy Griffin - Straight to Hell" in 2008 and "Kathy Griffin; She'll Cut a Bitch" in 2009 were both nominated for an Emmy in the category Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special. Her most recent special, "Kathy Griffin: Balls of Steel," recently aired on Bravo to great reviews, and her stand-up special "Allegedly" is available on DVD.
In 2008 Griffin released her first comedy album, "For Your Consideration," featuring tracks such as "Straight Guys Wake Up!" and "Hi Barbara Walters." The album received a Grammy nomination for "Best Comedy Album." Her first Christmas album, entitled "Suckin' It for the Holiday's," was released on November 3.
On September 8, 2009, Griffin added best-selling author to her list of achievements with her tell-all autobiography entitled Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin.
"Let's Dance" is produced by Fremantle North America ("American Idol," "America's Got Talent") in association with UK production company Whizz Kid Entertainment. James Sunderland and Antonia Hurford-Jones are executive producers. Tracy Verna Soiseth is co-executive producer. "Let's Dance" first premiered in the UK earlier this year, becoming the #1 new entertainment series launch on the BBC since 2002, and the UK's #1 new entertainment series launch overall since 2006.
About FremantleMedia North America
FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) is the U.S. production division of global media giant FremantleMedia. Based in Burbank, California, FMNA produces entertaining and innovative programs for network, cable, syndicated and online platforms, including the Emmy-nominated musical/reality phenomenon "American Idol" (FOX), "America's Got Talent" (NBC), "Let's Dance" (ABC), "Can You Duet" (CMT), "The Chilli Project" (MTV), "Secret Girlfriend" (Comedy Central), "Let's Make a Deal" (CBS), "Family Feud" (syndicated), "Million Dollar Password" (CBS), and the longest-running game show in television history, "The Price Is Right" (CBS).
About Whizz Kid Entertainment
Whizz Kid Entertainment is owned jointly by Ingenious Media Active Capital Limited (IMAC) and former Initial CEO Malcolm Gerrie. The company was created to produce top quality programs across a wide-range of genres, including Entertainment. In a short time Whizz Kid Entertainment has secured a raft of commissions including "Let's Dance for Comic Relief" (BBC1), "Elton's New Year's Eve Party � Live From the O2 Arena" (ITV1 & ITV3), "Countdown to Midnight: Take That & Guests Live at the O2" (ITV1 & ITV2), "Happy Birthday Elton!" (ITV1), "The Orange British Academy Film Awards" (BBC1), "The BAFTA Television Awards" (BBC1), "George Michael: The Road to Wembley" (Channel 4), "The Nokia Green Room" (Channel 4), "Beauty and the Best" (LivingTV), "Help! I've Got a High Maintenance �." (five) plus a major on-line production � "The Moonlight Signing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" for Bloomsbury Publishing. In 2006 Whizz Kid Entertainment acquired digital content specialists Tough Cookie to produce content and live events for brands, labels and cross-media broadcasters, providing live music and interviews for syndication.
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