Names and faces

In this Oct. 3, 2013 file photo, filmmaker Steven Spielberg poses at the Museum of Natural History before the Ambassadors For Humanity Gala in New York.
In this Oct. 3, 2013 file photo, filmmaker Steven Spielberg poses at the Museum of Natural History before the Ambassadors For Humanity Gala in New York.

Alek Skarlatos, the National Guard specialist who made headlines for being one of three friends who overpowered a gunman on a train from Amsterdam to Paris, will be partnered with Lindsay Arnold for the 21st season of Dancing with the Stars. ABC released its latest list of cast members Wednesday. This will also be the first season without Len Goodman, the show's strictest judge, who previously announced that he won't be returning to the ballroom with fellow judges Bruno Tonioli, Carrie Ann Inaba and Julianne Hough. Erin Andrews and Tom Bergeron will be returning as hosts. The most contentious contestant this time around is likely chef Paula Deen. When Good Morning America host George Stephanopoulos asked Deen what she hoped to get from the experience, she said, "a bunch of new friends and maybe lose some weight." The cast includes actress Alexa PenaVega (partnered with Mark Ballas); singer Andy Grammer (partnered with Allison Holker); animal conservationist Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late Steve Irwin (partnered with Derek Hough); singer/actor Carlos PenaVega (partnered with Witney Carson); singer Chaka Khan (partnered with Keo Motsepe); actor Gary Busey (partnered with Anna Trebunskaya); Vine star Hayes Grier (partnered with Emma Slater); reality star Kim Zolciak Biermann (partnered with Tony Dovolani); singer Nick Carter (partnered with Sharna Burgess); singer/reality star Tamar Braxton (partnered with Val Chmerkovskiy); and jockey Victor Espinoza (partnered with Karina Smirnoff).

photo

AP

In this Aug. 24, 2015 file photo, Alek Skarlatos arrives at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France. Skarlatos, who was one of three Americans who took down a heavily armed man on a passenger train speeding through Belgium, will participate in the dancing competition series "Dancing With the Stars," premiering on Sept. 14.

• Walt Disney Co. isn't planning to renew its film distribution agreement with Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks Studios when the deal expires in August 2016, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Spielberg, 68, known for blockbusters such as Jaws and E.T., is in talks with Comcast Corp.'s Universal Pictures and other studios for a new distribution agreement, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. After the acquisitions of Marvel Entertainment and Lucasfilm, Disney has been focusing on big-budget action pictures that appeal to young viewers and can be coupled with merchandise sales and theme-park attractions. The studio ranks second this year in U.S. box-office receipts, thanks to films including Avengers: Age of Ultron, which has taken in $1.4 billion worldwide, according to the researcher Box Office Mojo. Disney, based in Burbank, Calif., signed the deal to distribute DreamWorks Studios' pictures in 2009. Spielberg's company has two more films to be released with its current partner, the Cold War thriller Bridge of Spies and The BFG, based on a Roald Dahl children's book. The Hollywood Reporter said Wednesday that Spielberg was in talks with Universal to handle distribution after the Disney deal expires.

A Section on 09/03/2015

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