SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Dancing with the Stars is waltzing its way into its upcoming season, and the new celebrity cast is adding some glitzy bling to their wardrobe, breaking in their dancing shoes and readying themselves for their first dance on the ballroom floor, as the season kicks off Monday, Sept. 24 from 8:00-10:00 p.m. EDT, on The ABC Television Network, streaming and on demand. This season's lineup of celebrity dancers includes an American Idol mentor, the first-ever blind contestant to take part in the show, an alumnus from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a Duke of Hazzard, an Olympic Gold medal-winning gymnast, sitcom stars of The Facts of Life & Fuller House and a Bachelor Nation favorite, among others.

As announced yesterday morning on ABC's Good Morning America, the celebrities with their professional dance partners heading to the ballroom this season (in alphabetical order) are the following:

• Alexis Ren (model) with Alan Bersten
• Bobby Bones (country radio) with Sharna Burgess
• Danelle Umstead (paralympian) with Artem Chigvintsev
• DeMarcus Ware (NFL legend) with Lindsay Arnold
• Evanna Lynch (Harry Potter films) with Keo Motsepe
• Joe "Grocery Store Joe" Amabile (Bachelor in Paradise) with Jenna Johnson
• John Schneider (The Duke of Hazzard) with Emma Slater
• Juan Pablo Di Pace (Fuller House) with Cheryl Burke
• Mary Lou Retton (Olympic gymnast) with Sasha Farber
• Milo Manheim (Disney star) with Witney Carson
• Nancy McKeon (The Facts of Life) with Val Chmerkovskiy
• Nikki Glaser (comedian) with Gleb Savchenko
• Tinashe (singer) with Brandon Armstrong

Continuing its commitment to fund innovative efforts in STEM education, The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation (TCLFF) announced the creation of a new grant program - The Young Sheldon STEM Initiative - inspired by the hit comedy series Young Sheldon. The program was created to foster excitement for learning in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), specifically in support of our nation's public schools, teachers and students. Young Sheldon executive producer/TCLFF founder Chuck Lorre enrolled fellow Young Sheldon executive producers Steven Molaro and Jim Parsons, Warner Bros. Television Group and CBS to co-fund two-year educational grants totaling more than $600,000.00 which will be awarded to 19 select elementary, middle and high schools in Southern California, where Young Sheldon is primarily produced, and East Texas, where the show is set.

Young Sheldon executive producer/The Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons attended three of the selected East Texas schools. And, Young Sheldon co-star Montana Jordan, who plays Sheldon's brother Georgie, attended one of the Texas schools, where his mother also taught first grade. Each of the 19 public school grant recipients will be acknowledged as a Young Sheldon STEM Initiative Grant Recipient and will receive a two-year grant from TCLFF which is specifically to support each school's STEM teachers and STEM educational programs within their existing in-class curriculum and/or after-school programs. In addition to the direct grant funding to each school, the Young Sheldon STEM Initiative will also fully fund all costs for an annual experiential opportunity for students and teachers in and outside the classroom. Each school will be eligible to submit for continuation grants at the end of the two-year period.