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Tag: billy dee williams

  • Amy Purdy Hospitalized After Sustaining DWTS Injury

    Amy Purdy joined the Dancing With The Stars injured list Monday after sustaining a shoulder injury while dancing with partner Derek Hough.

    At the start of Monday’s show, Purdy and pro partner Hough were happy to learn they were safe from elimination.

    Their first routine was a 36-out-of-40-point rumba which – not surprisingly – earned high praise from the judges for their rendition of Light My Fire by The Doors.

    “Right after judging, I turned my head and my back cracked and it just seized up,” Purdy, 34, told Erin Andrews in a backstage interview. “Everything’s really painful right now. It’s hard to breathe.”

    The pair were unable to perform in the group dance routine with their team once everyone realized the 34-year-old snowboarder needed further medical attention at the hospital.

    The judges decided to use Purdy and Hough’s dress rehearsal dance to judge the final routine.

    “We just hope the best for her and hope she’s back soon,” teammate Meryl Davis said on the show.

    Purdy tweeted about having to leave early:

    She also sent NeNe Leakes some encouragement after he was eliminated during Monday’s competition.

    And the paralympian gave a final update to fans:

    Purdy is the third dancer to be injured this season. Danica McKellar returned to DWTS Monday after sustaining a broken rib last week, and Billie Dee Williams had to withdraw from the competition with a chronic back issue.

    No word yet when – and if – Purdy will return to the dance floor.

    Here’s the dance routine that led to her injury.

    Image via YouTube

  • Billy Dee Williams Hits Dancing With the Stars

    Don’t call it a comeback. Billy Dee Williams never went away.

    The man born William December Williams (who was born in … April), was already a star by the time he put on the cape of Cloud City proprietor Lando Calrissian in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. His roles in Mahogany and Lady Sings the Blues ensured that. He became known as the “black Clark Gable.”

    Since two turns as Lando – one in Empire and the second in Return of the Jedi – Billy Dee has been in over 30 movies, working steadily on at least one film every year or two, including a racial cross-casting spot as a pre-acid Harvey Dent in Tim Burton’s Batman. And he has become a popular television guest star, as well, though he often portrays himself.

    And who can forget the Colt 45 malt liquor commercial campaigns?

    Eventually, Billy Dee became known as he face of all things smooth and cool.

    And recently we learned that Billy Dee Williams is heading back into the role that made him a household name. He is coming back as Lando Calrissian in Star Wars: Episode VII.

    As a ramp-up to the new film, the L.A. Times reports that Billy Dee has now been tapped to be a contestant on the upcoming 18th season of Dancing With the Stars. He will face off against such competitors as actor and game show host Drew Carey, former pro hockey player Sean Avery, real housewife Nene Leakes, paralympian Amy Purdy, and ice dancing partners-turned-competitors Meryl Davis and Charlie White.

    This season of Dancing With the Stars brings a bold change. According to ABC, a new game changing twist called “The Switch Up” will be added.

    This season, America will be given the power to vote and change celebrities and professional dance pairings. This new rule will affect all couples as they will be required to switch partners at a point in the season. Never before have dance partnerships been split up during the course of competition.

    Also, long-time co-host Brooke Burke is gone, replaced by former DWTS contestant and sports reporter Erin Andrews.

    Billy Dee Williams is now 76 years old. Time will tell how long he lasts in the competition, especially against ice dancers and legless Olympians. But regardless, people will come away knowing that Lando is back, even if Billy Dee never went away.