Competing youngsters ask relatives to ‘Come Dance With Me’
Boston Herald
Two action heroes of “NCIS: Los Angeles” might not be expected to produce a dance competition.
Nevertheless, that’s the additional job Chris O’Donnell and LL Cool J are assuming for CBS. They’re among the makers of “Come Dance With Me,” premiering Friday, and pairing young dance enthusiasts (ages 9 to 15) with older members of their respective families who aren’t particularly skilled at busting a move. Choreographers help them in their quests to win the approval of the judges: Jenna Dewan, dancer Dexter Mayfield and choreographer Tricia Miranda. Songwriter Philip Lawrence, a former associate of Bruno Mars, is the series’ host.
“The idea was brought by a friend of mine,” the pleasant O’Donnell said. “A parent at my kids’ grade school had experience doing reality shows in the Netherlands, and he brought this to me. It wasn’t my area of expertise, but I showed it to LL and he said, ‘Man, this is hot. We should look into this.’ So I told my friend, ‘Good news! Not only will I get involved, but LL wants to be involved.’ And that was a big bonus for (the series’ other producers), since they sort of got to jump the line at CBS in pitching the show because of the access we were able to afford them.”
