Quick Takes: Bolshoi cast defends dancer

A leading Bolshoi dancer suspected of involvement in an acid attack on the theater’s ballet chief would keep his job if acquitted by a court, the Bolshoi director said Tuesday.

Anatoly Iksanov made the statement after 300 Bolshoi employees issued an open letter defending 29-year-old leading soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko, who was arrested last week on suspicion of organizing the Jan. 17 attack on artistic director Sergei Filin that severely burned his eyes and face.

Dmitrichenko told a Moscow court last week that he gave his blessing to the attack, but never expected that the assailant would go as far as to throw acid in Filin’s face. He said he was angry at Filin for what he described as corruption and favoritism at the theater.

Bolshoi dancers said in the open letter that they believe that Dmitrichenko slandered himself under “brutal pressure” by police.

Reacting to the letter, Iksanov called a news conference to say that Dmitrichenko, who has recently starred in the title part of Ivan the Terrible, won’t be fired unless found guilty.

—Associated Press

‘The Bible’ loses a few followers

“The Bible,” History’s 10-part miniseries produced by Mark Burnett and his wife, Roma Downey, drew 10.8 million viewers for Chapters 3 and 4 on Sunday night, covering the stories of King David, Samson and other characters.

That was down 17% from last week’s record-shattering premiere, but it was still an impressive number for a scripted miniseries on basic cable. “The Bible” easily outdrew NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice,” the reality competition overseen by Donald Trump, which scored 5 million from 9 to 11 p.m. Sunday.

In fact, “The Bible” was more watched than anything on broadcast TV that night except for CBS’ “60 Minutes,” which featured an interview with Facebook executive and author Sheryl Sandberg.

—Scott Collins

Dylan joins elite group of artists

Bob Dylan has become the first rock musician admitted to the New York-based American Academy of Arts & Letters, an elite group of composers, artists, authors and architects that the group describes as “the highest formal recognition of artistic merit in the United States.”

“The board of directors considered the diversity of his work and acknowledged his iconic place in the American culture,” academy executive director Virginia Dajani told the Associated Press.

The 115-year-old academy, whose inaugural class of honorees included Mark Twain, has selected Dylan as an honorary member both for his musical and lyrical achievements. He joins other honorary members including Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese and Meryl Streep among popular entertainers.

The core membership is fixed at 250 members who are elected for life, and pay no dues. Current members include writers Robert Bly and E.L. Doctorow, artists Christo and John Baldessari, and composers Philip Glass and Stephen Sondheim.

—Randy Lewis

Actress helps clean fan’s home

Martha Plimpton, who plays a house cleaner on the TV comedy “Raising Hope,” got her hands dirty at a Tampa, Fla., home Tuesday, doing laundry and scrubbing the family’s tub.

Plimpton and co-star Garret Dillahunt helped clean the family’s home as part of a promotion for the Fox series in which viewers were asked to write an essay about how their families were like the multi-generational one on the show.

It was won by Ben Waberman, who is 26 and lives with his mom, dad, sister and nephew.

Plimpton arrived in the pink housekeeper’s uniform that she wears on the show, and after greeting and laughing with the family, stripped Waberman’s bedsheets and took them to the washer. As she fiddled with the washer settings, she told local reporters about her laundry secrets.

“Everyone in the world uses too much detergent,” she said.

Although Plimpton did don some gloves and use some elbow grease on the family’s tub, the network hired actual housekeepers and landscapers to give the Waberman home a deep scrubbing.

—Associated Press

‘Bachelor’ will go ‘Dancing’

Sean Lowe walked away with a fiancée on the season finale of “The Bachelor” on Monday night, but he’s not stopping there. The beefy Texan wants his shot at the mirror ball trophy too.

Mere hours after Sean placed a shiny diamond ring on Catherine Giudici’s finger on national television, ABC announced that their golden boy would be a last-minute addition to the coming season of “Dancing With the Stars.”

Lowe, a former Kansas State University linebacker, will join the already-announced cast that includes “American Idol” veteran and country singer Kellie Pickler, “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Lisa Vanderpump, professional boxer Victor Ortiz and comedian Andy Dick.

He won’t have much time to prepare: The new season begins Monday.

—Amy Kaufman

Finally

On the mend: Kelly Osbourne is resting at home after being hospitalized for five days following a seizure on the set of E!’s “Fashion Police” last week.