It’s just the second episode of the season, and Covid strikes again! On tonight’s all-new Dancing with the Stars (8 pm ET, ABC), The Bachelorette‘s Charity Lawson will team with substitute dance troupe partner, Ezra Sousa.

Lawson’s full-time dance pro, Artem Chigvintsev, is out this week due to Covid. Coming into tonight’s competition, Charity and Artem were at the top of the leaderboard after night one of the competition, scoring 22 out of 30.

On the show’s official Instagram account, they shared: “Artem will not be dancing tonight due to COVID. Wishing him a quick recovery! ❤️ Charity will perform with Ezra for #LatinNight. #DWTS”

Since the outbreaks of Covid-19, Dancing with the Stars had been hard hit with cases revealed both during the 2021 and 2022 season.

Former Dancing with the Stars pro standout, Cheryl Burke, and her then celebrity partner Cody Rigsby, had both tested positive and even had to perform one of their numbers via zoom and from separate locations to remain in the competition.

Artem is married to former WWE wrestler and diva, Nikki Bella. However, both Nikki and her sister Brie, are know going under the last name of Garcia.

Courtesy/ABC

The dance pro and Garcia first met when they were paired together during season 25 and the 2017 season of Dancing with the Stars.  They later went on to marry in 2022.

So, what do you think of Charity’s chances to remain atop of the leaderboard on tonight’s Dancing with the Stars with Artem out and Ezra standing in for him? Comment below.

Wowza! Now here’s a line-up of soap opera and primetime favorites all in one movie! Coming up for the holidays, Lifetime has revealed they have an 80s and soap-themed film starring: Donna Mills (ex-Knots Landing, General Hospital), Linda Gray (ex-Dallas), Nicollette Sheridan (ex-Knots Landing and Dynasty), Morgan Fairchild (ex-Falcon Crest, SFT, DAYS et al) and Loni Anderson (ex-WKRP in Cincinnati).

Filmed earlier in 2023, Ladies of the 80’s is said to follow five soap opera divas (how fun and perfect!), as they reunite to shoot the final Christmas episode of their long-running soap opera!

In story, the producer, Alex (Travis Burns) and director Nell (Taylor Ann Thompson), who happen to be old college friends, do their best to keep things on the rails but as the ladies come together, old rivalries resurface that threaten to tear the production apart. With the show nearly canceled before it even begins due to the ladies’ famous diva behavior, they reluctantly agree to set aside their differences and past secrets to “act” as if they all still love each other.  When old sparks reignite between Alex and Nell, the ladies become eager to play cupid and conspire to bring the couple together.  

But wait, there’s more! In addition to the five leading ladies, the cast also includes: Days of our Lives favorite Patrika Darbo (ex-Nancy), Alec Mapa, and Donna Mills’ real-life daughter, Chloe Mills, plus 80s heartthrob, Christopher Atkins.

Photo: TiffanyX

There is even a Ladies of the 80’s theme song, performed by none other than 80’s pop star, Tiffany!

In a statement on the project, the movie’s EP Larry A. Thompson shared: “The opportunity to bring together Donna, Morgan, Loni, Linda and Nicollette, five powerhouse women into one holiday movie, has been like finding the perfect gift under the Christmas tree.”

The official airdate of the holiday movie will be revealed shortly in the networks’s A Wonderful Lifetime Holiday movie schedule. Deadline first shared the news.

What do you think of this upcoming soap opera-themed movie featuring Donna, Linda, Nicollette, Morgan and Loni? Comment below.

Zach Tinker, who soap fans love as Sonny Kiriakis on Days of our Lives and Fen Baldwin on The Young and the Restless, is currently in production on his latest film role.

In the horror flick, Beneath The Light, which is currently shooting in Lorain, Ohio, stars Zach as a troubled young man who takes a job at an abandoned lighthouse hoping to reconnect with an old friend – daughter of the lighthouse’s current owner (John Pyper Ferguson).

Isolated, with no way to return to shore, he falls headlong into a series of mysterious and frightening experiences that make him question his sense of reality and confront his long-standing anxiety and memory gaps. A budding romance provides comfort, but the key to his redemption lies with the lighthouse owner and the unexpected bond they share.

The film is being shot under a SAG-Interim agreement during the actors strike and recently locked in Tinker, Ferguson and Anna Nicole Chavez as its leads.

Photo: JPI

The indie feature film project includes a novelization and online mystery game tie-in at BeneathTheLight.net.

The creatives behind the camera include: Los Angeles-based producer/director John Baumgartner who hails from Lorain, and his producer/co-writer, Cindy Seng, from neighboring Amherst, Ohio.

So, looking forward to seeing the ever-popular Tinker in ‘Beneath The Light’ when it drops? Miss him as Days Sonny or Y&R’s Fen? Comment below.