Dancing with the Stars

[Brian in Mesa]

Dancing with the Stars

Premieres Wednesday, June 1, 9/8c

Six celebrities - heavyweight champ Evander Holyfield, Bachelorette Trista Sutter, model Rachel Hunter, actor John O'Hurley, singer Joey McIntyre and General Hospital's Kelly Monaco - are teamed up with six international dance masters for six grueling weeks of training and six weeks of intense dance competition. It all happens live and your vote will help determine who becomes the top dancing couple.

ABC synopsis:

Dancing with the Stars is a totally unique and original series that pairs a celebrity with a professional dance partner as they train and then compete in front of a studio audience in a televised dance competition. The pairs will be judged by a panel of experts and also by viewers at home, with one couple being eliminated each week.

In the first round of competition, each couple will demonstrate how well their training and rehearsing has paid off, by performing a choreographed cha cha cha routine or a waltz. This Latin style of dance (cha cha cha) allows the female professional dancers, Edyta, Charlotte and Ashly, to lead their celebrity dance partners, Evander, John and Joey. In the ballroom style (waltz), the male professional dancers, Louis, Jonathan and Alec, lead their partners, Trista, Rachel and Kelly.

At the end of each performance, judges will give each couple a score. At the end of the broadcast, viewers will be instructed on how to call in and cast their vote for their favorite couple. The highest scores (from the judges and the audience) will be combined. At the conclusion of next week's episode, one couple will be eliminated.

Dancing with the Stars has broad appeal, offering viewers dazzling costumes, dancing, celebrity gossip, behind-the-scenes training and contemporary music performed by a live 15-piece band. The format has already been an international hit in several countries.

In addition to learning precise movements and maneuvering in extravagant costumes, the pairs must maintain their focus, grace and composure during extremely high-pressured competition. Will they remain compatible during the process? The couples have already embarked on intense training in preparation for the first live show. During the live shows, judges will give a score based on several factors, including technical execution. But the judges' scores alone do not decide a couple's fate. Viewers at home can call in and vote for their favorites. The scores from viewers are combined with the judges' for an ultimate score that determines each couple's ranking. At the end of the evening, the couple with the lowest score is eliminated (although no couple will be eliminated in the first show). When the final two couples remain, the ultimate dance-off will determine who wins the trophy.

Dancing with the Stars is the U.S. version of the international smash hit series, Strictly Come Dancing. This version is produced in America by BBC Worldwide. Richard Hopkins (UK) and Conrad Green (USA) are executive producers. Izzie Pick is supervising producer. Alex Rudzinski directs. This program carries a TV-PG parental guideline.

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Nice synopsis -

Begins: Dancing with the Stars is a totally unique and original series...

Ends with: Dancing with the Stars is the U.S. version of the international smash hit series, Strictly Come Dancing...



Go HERE for pics of all the teams...

 

[bankybruce]

I guess the fact that this is the dumbest idea ever will be my reason for not watching. If the "New Kid' starts busting out some "Right Stuff" dance material I might watch though.

 

[Mr.Dibbs]

Shows like this make me hate TV, and it also shows how stupid Hollywood thinks the average American is. If this is a success, I fear for the future...

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Shows like this make me hate TV, and it also shows how stupid Hollywood thinks the average American is. If this is a success, I fear for the future...

Dancing with the Stars to Return
Source: ABC
July 21, 2005

Dancing with the Stars will return to the ABC Television Network in 2006 as a midseason series with all new episodes, it was announced today by Stephen McPherson, president, ABC Entertainment. The series will continue to be produced by BBC Worldwide Productions, creators of the British hit show, Strictly Come Dancing, on which the ABC show was based. Richard Hopkins and Conrad Green are executive producers.

"'Dancing' has played a pivotal role in a great summer season for ABC," said McPherson. "The show is tremendous fun, perfect for our brand and a wonderful boost for our schedule. Having 'Dancing' and 'Brat Camp' both emerge this summer as assets for the future gives us great upside down the line."

The series pairs celebrities with professional ballroom dancers. The couples train in such dances as the Viennese Waltz, the Rumba, the Cha-Cha-Cha and the Tango, and then compete in front of a studio audience – and a live national television audience. They are judged by a panel of experts, as well as by viewers at home, with one couple being eliminated each week.

"I love everything about this show," said Andrea Wong, executive vice president, Alternative Programming, Specials and Late-Night, ABC Entertainment. "It was an odd left turn, so it's especially gratifying to see it embraced by so many people."

"We love it that the American public has gone crazy for 'Dancing with the Stars,'" said Wayne Garvie, head of BBC Entertainment Group. "For the second season, we guarantee even more tears, tantrums and tangos than ever before."

During its premiere season, Dancing with the Stars emerged as the biggest summer hit of 2005. The broad-appealing unscripted series ranked No. 1 in its Wednesday 9 o'clock time period among Total Viewers, across each of the key adult demos (Adults 18-34, Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54), as well as among Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11. On average it towered over its closest competition in its hour (NBC) by 9.2 million viewers (16.8 million vs. 7.6 million) and by 143% in Adults 18-49 (5.1/15 vs. 2.1/6), and ranked as the No. 1 TV show on Wednesday night among viewers and young adults on all 6 of its telecasts.

The No. 1 TV series this summer, Dancing with the Stars also qualified as the most-watched summer series on any network in the last 5 years – since the inaugural season of Survivor in Summer 2000.

 

[jf-08]

I hope they don't try to bring back Battle of the Network Stars.

Even though my brother thought it was better than the Super Bowl in 1978.

 

[marathon_mom]

I know the show was cheesy, however, there aren't a lot of shows on TV these days that I can sit & watch with my kids and have a clear conscience. However...this was one of them. My daughter LOVES the outfits & pretty girls dancing (So do most of you, I'm sure) And my son just enjoys ,usic in general so he watched it too. Call me old-fashioned, but it worked for my family.

 

[Renz]

Yeah, it's kid of goofy, but man, Kelly Monaco is HOT!!!

 

[marathon_mom]

Yeah, it's kid of goofy, but man, Kelly Monaco is HOT!!!

No doubt. And her body just kept getting more svelt as the show went on. b*tch!

 

[Brian in Mesa]

A "Dancing" Rematch?

Wednesday July 27, 2005

By Sarah Hall

Kelly Monaco is confident in her moves.

The General Hospital star says she's aware of the controversy surrounding her underdog victory over fan favorite John O'Hurley on ABC's Dancing with the Stars, but she's not fazed by it.

"I do not hold anything personally. I'm not going to go home and cry because someone did not like my dancing," Monaco told the Television Critics Association on Tuesday.

"If you don't like it, you don't like it. I wouldn't be sitting here if the whole world hated what I did."

Meanwhile, O'Hurley fans who are convinced that the Seinfeld star was robbed in the Dancing finale may get another chance to watch the actor shake his hips.

After 22 million viewers tuned in to watch Monaco and O'Hurley go head to head on the dance floor, ABC is considering reuniting the finalists for a rematch when Dancing returns to the airwaves, most likely in January.

"We are serious about it," ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson told reporters Tuesday at the Television Critics Association summer press tour in Beverly Hills. "I think it's a great idea."

As for Monaco, she's apparently prepared to accept the challenge.

"Bring it on," she told one reporter who asked her about the potential rematch. "You want a dance-off, come on up here. I'll give you a dance-off."

The actress and network representatives fielded a range of questions from reporters about how the voting system for the show operated and whether Monaco received any favoritism because of the fact that General Hospital also airs on the Alphabet net.

Some Dancing viewers complained that the show's voting system was confusing because it relied on input from both the viewers and the judges. Fan voting counted towards the following week's elimination, while the judges' votes counted towards the live episode's performance.

McPherson said that the network is considering creating a results show for Dancing's second season, similar to the format used by American Idol. However, he denied that votes were stacked unfairly in Monaco's favor.

"With Dancing, there is a valid concern without a results show, but I think we are going to consider whether a results show makes sense," he said. "To me, there is not much to say, the voting was not fixed whatsoever. What else is there to discuss?"

Controversial or no, Monaco's Dancing victory may have even twirled her into a role on another ABC ratings monster--namely, Desperate Housewives.

During an interview on Access Hollywood, the series' creator, Marc Cherry, hinted strongly that he was trying to work the soap star into the show.

"I think she's great," Cherry said. "I haven't started to think of how to fit her into Wisteria Lane, but she's awfully talented."

Monaco did not deny the suggestion that she might make a Desperate move.

"We'll see," she told Access Hollywood. "I can't say anything. I'm sworn to secrecy." (Desperate Housewives returns to the ABC schedule on Sept. 25.)

The second season of Dancing with the Stars is just one of the celebrity-themed reality competitions currently in the works.

Much to ABC's discontent, Fox is churning out Skating with Celebrities, a series that aims to put stars through their paces on ice.

"I was certainly disappointed to see Ice Skating with the Stars," McPherson said Tuesday, after expressing his hope that Fox would scale back on programming similar to what ABC is already producing. "But what can you do? It's pretty sad."

Fox is also at work on Celebrity Idol, in which famous folk will compete for a $1 million prize to be donated to their charity of choice.

A similar project from NBC--I'm a Celebrity, But I Want To Be a Pop Star--was abruptly scrapped this week, after network execs reportedly couldn't come to terms with the cost of the series.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Monaco, O'Hurley: "Dancing" Rematch
Thursday August 18, 2005

By Joal Ryan

Not only can controversy be good for business, sometimes it can inspire a two-part special.

Kelly Monaco and John O'Hurley will return to the Dancing with the Stars ballroom for a so-called "dance-off" on Sept. 20, ABC announced Thursday. The results, based solely on viewer voting, will be announced in a Sept. 22 telecast.

Monaco, the daytime soap star, took the first round against O'Hurley, the former Seinfeld player, back on July 6 when she and professional dance partner Alec Mazo were named champs of the six-week made-for-TV contest.

Coming in the wake of early shaky efforts, Monaco's win was greeted with suspicion by O'Hurley die-hards who thought the show's elder statesman had samba-d circles around the competition with the help of partner Charlotte Jorgensen. One conspiracy theory had ABC plotting to put Monaco on top in the name of corporate synergy--the actress' day job is on the network's General Hospital.

At the Television Critics Association press tour last month, ABC Entertainment president Steve McPherson told reporters the network was considering a Monaco-O'Hurley rematch. To the exec, a show returning the two rivals to the dance floor was a "great idea," not an admission that funny business had marred the initial results.

"The voting was not fixed whatsoever," McPherson said.

The newly sure-footed Monaco, meanwhile, refused to be tripped up by talk that she didn't earn her victory, and welcomed a rematch.

"Bring it on," the actress said at the ABC press conference last month. "You want a dance-off, come on up here. I'll give you a dance-off."

And so the dance-off: The Monaco and O'Hurley teams will compete in Latin, ballroom and freestyle. The 90-minute special will be filled out with "dance demonstrations" by: Ashly Delgrosso, Joey McIntyre's former partner; Jonathan Roberts, Rachel Hunter's ringer; Edyta Sliwinska, survivor of Evander Holyfield's moves; and, Louis van Amstel, Trista Sutter's harsh taskmaster.

The results show, airing two nights later, will be kept to a relatively spare 30 minutes.

No decision has been made as to whether a separate results show will be part of Dancing with the Stars' second season. And, no, no decision has been made as to when Dancing with the Stars' second season will launch.

In its inaugural run, summer's biggest TV hit aired once a week, for six consecutive weeks, starting June 1. One dance team was eliminated at the end of each episode, except the first episode, on account of no team got eliminated until a lousy performance was at least one week old. (The logistics and math made a bit, but not a lot, more sense as the series played out.)

While Dancing's trio of judges will be on hand for next month's dance-off, they'll only serve as sideline observers, a la the Simon-Paula-Randy troika on American Idol. The Monaco-O'Hurley winner be determined by audience-generated online and phone voting.

Results will be final. Presumably until the next dance-off.

------------------------------------------------

Gotta love that last line...

 

[Brian in Mesa]

John O'Hurley Wins TV Dance Rematch
Thu Sep 22, 2005

The votes are in — and John O'Hurley has bested Kelly Monaco to win the "Dancing with the Stars" title many thought he deserved in the first place.

"I'm very rarely beyond words, and I am right now," O'Hurley said after the results were announced Thursday on the ABC show.

In a rematch, O'Hurley and his professional dancing partner, Charlotte Jorgensen, bested Monaco and hers, Alec Mazo. Monaco beat O'Hurley in the July 6 season finale of the show, but the win over the popular O'Hurley prompted skepticism over the voting process.

The victor of the rematch was chosen purely by viewers — and co-host Tom Bergeron said the winner and loser were separated by just 1 percent of the votes.

On the live "dance-off" Tuesday night, Bergeron introduced the pairs with high drama and tongue at least partly in cheek.

"In the tradition of the great rematches — Ali vs. Frazier, McEnroe vs. Borg, the Rolling Stones and father time — neither could resist the challenge of proving once and for all they are the best," Bergeron said.

The competitors did some big talking of their own before the contest began.

"I won this challenge fair and square," Monaco said. "That is our win, that is our trophy and that's the way it's going to stay."

"Nobody, nobody wants to win as much as I do," O'Hurley said, later adding, "I think we should have won."

The rematch followed audience complaints that the show's voting process, which relied on both viewers and judges, was confusing. Questions also were raised about possible network favoritism for Monaco, who stars in the ABC soap opera "General Hospital."

O'Hurley is best known for playing catalogue king J. Peterman on NBC's "Seinfeld."

Quizzed by reporters in July, judge Len Goodman said the results weren't influenced by the network. "I never knew she was on ABC," he said of Monaco.

Monaco and Mazo performed the cha-cha and the quick step. The dances for O'Hurley and Jorgensen were the rhumba and the waltz. Each pair ended with a freestyle performance.

Although viewers alone determined the winner this time, judges Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli returned with evaluations and scores. O'Hurley and Jorgensen earned a total of 77 points, edging Monaco and Mazo's 74 points.

The judges were kind in their comments, with a few exceptions, and even more so in their scoring — no performance earned less than a seven.

"A really first-class opening routine," judge Len Goodman said of Monaco and Mazo's cha-cha, although choreographer Inaba said Monaco stumbled at the start and lacked focus.

Toniolo was impressed with the pair's next two dances, but Goodman and Inaba begged to differ.

"I didn't like it at all," Goodman said of the quick-step number. "It was like a balloon that you blew up and let go (and) it flew around the room."

After the freestyle, Inaba suggested Monaco's hold on the championship could be in doubt.

"It seems to me that you lost a bit of your technique over the weeks that have passed. ... I don't think you did it tonight," Inaba said.

At least Monaco's outfits were consistent — extremely tight, revealing and dripping with glitter and jewels.

O'Hurley was criticized by Tonioli for stumbling on his rumba footwork but Goodman pronounced the performance "beautiful." O'Hurley and Jorgensen excelled on the waltz, winning a perfect "10" from each of the three judges.

Their freestyle, a comic routine in which they acted out partners fighting for the spotlight, earned praise for O'Hurley's ambitious lifts of his partner, which Tonioli noted were "so difficult for a non-professional."

"Dancing with the Stars" proved the surprise hit of the summer schedule and was part of a small burst of dance popularity on TV that included the Fox series "So You Think You Can Dance," which ends Oct. 5.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

New Semi-Stars Shine on "Dancing"
Friday December 9, 2005

By Joal Ryan

Dancing with the Stars is going to be bigger. But can it possibly produce better ratings?

ABC's surprise summer hit will answer its own question mark starting Jan. 5. The second-season premiere will boast 10 ostensible stars vying to be crowned an ostensive dance star, up from the gang of six who started stepping on toes last June.

As announced Thursday, the all-new Love Boat will set sail with the following passengers: Wayne's World shwing-er Tia Carrere, 38; original Access Hollywood host Giselle Fernandez, 44; WWE star Stacy Keibler, 26; 98 Degrees pop singer Drew (Not Nick) Lachey, 29; ESPN veteran Kenny Mayne, 46; trivia question answer Tatum O'Neal, 42 (the youngest-ever Oscar winner); future NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, 43; soap star Lisa Rinna, 42; rapper-actor Romeo, 24; and, in a nod to the inevitable, George Hamilton, 66, player of self in film, commercials and, now, Dancing with the Stars.

Keibler is such an obscure name, at least to ABC, it misspelled her last name in its press release ("Kiebler").

"At least you can't say they've lost their [knack] of going after the really big stars," cracked pop-culture pundit Robert J. Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University.

Minneapolis Star Tribune TV critic Neal Justin admitted to being intrigued by the "pretty interesting lineup," and especially by Mayne, Rice and a certain famously troubled ex-Bad News Bears curveballer.

"I wanna see Tatum O'Neal dance--sober," Justin said.

That said, Justin doesn't see Dancing with the Stars returning to the heights scaled by the cha-cha-ing Kelly Monaco and John O'Hurley, who despite their own lack of A-list-ness, helped the show average 16.8 million viewers last season.

"This has all the makings of being a summer fling," Justin said. "The risk is, are they burning off a nice summer franchise? If this bombs in January, they can't bring it back in summer."

The tap shoes already looked scuffed in September when Monaco and O'Hurley, the last two semi-stars standing from season one, returned for a so-called "dance off." Whereas Monaco's season-ending victory in July was watched by 22.4 million, O'Hurley's revenge-is-sweet comeback in the fall was watched by fewer than half that many, 10.5 million.

As it is, even 10.5 million would be an improvement for ABC in the 8 p.m. Thursday hour that Dancing with the Stars' competition episodes will occupy. (The 30-minute results episodes will air at 8 p.m., Fridays, starting Jan. 6.) Alias, which is being benched for two months to make way for Dancing, was attracting only 7 million on Thursdays for ABC.

The 8 p.m. Thursday wars, long intense, have become even more heated of late with UPN making noise with Everybody Hates Chris, and NBC yanking Joey (as of January) and hoping a tired Will & Grace will lead in big to the all-new Four Kings, which it hopes will lead in big to the night's would-be savior My Name Is Earl. Looming above all these shows and moves: CBS' Survivor.

To Thompson, Dancing with the Stars will never compete with Survivor for drama. "There is so little at stake...I think Dancing with the Stars depends more on the personality [of its contestants] than just about any other reality show out there," the professor said.

If it's easy to imagine ABC casting Hamilton to fill the older gentleman role played by O'Hurley last summer, then it's harder to imagine the gambit will work. "You can't script that kind of thing," Thompson said of O'Hurley's emergence as a fan favorite.

While Dancing can't be scripted, it can be formatted. As such, the new season, like last, will pair amateur dancers with professional dancers. Four of the pros are vets of the show: Jonathan Roberts (previously teamed with Rachel Hunter), Edyta Sliwinska (survivor of Evander Holyfield), Ashly Delgrosso (late of Joey McIntyre) and the ponytailed Louis Van Amstel (harsh taskmaster of Trista Sutter).

Alec Mazo, who made a dancing queen of Monaco, and Charlotte Jorgensen, who made an Astaire of O'Hurley, are not noted as returning. ABC didn't return a call Friday seeking comment on their MIA statuses. Likewise, there was no word on first-season cohost Lisa Canning. Only Tom Bergeron, with whom Canning was paired during the summer, was announced as a host for the new season.

O'Hurley diehards, meanwhile, are advised that their hero will be back in spats come January: As a star of Broadway's Chicago.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Stacey Keibler...drool


She says Merry Christmas!

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Dancing With the Stars 2

'Dancing with Stars' steps on toes of 'Survivor'
February 10, 2006

ABC gained some noteworthy traction in Thursday's prime-time ratings race as "Dancing with the Stars" became the first show since "Friends" to draw more viewers than "Survivor" in head-to-head competition.

The 90-minute broadcast of ABC's sizzling celebrity dance contest averaged a season-high 20 million viewers, with 19.2 million tuning in to the first hour directly opposite "Survivor: Panama -- Exile Island" on CBS, Nielsen Media Research reported on Friday.

"Survivor" ran a close second in its time period with 18.8 million viewers overall but reigned supreme in the 8 o'clock hour among viewers aged 18 to 49, the audience most coveted by advertisers.

The show, an outdoor game of elimination featuring contestants roughing it in picturesque but physically challenging locations, is in its 12th edition.

CBS continued to dominate the night as a whole, posting the top three shows in 18-49 ratings -- "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Survivor" and "Without a Trace" -- and the two most-watched shows overall -- "CSI" and "Trace" (27.4 million viewers, and 20.3 million viewers, respectively).

"Dancing with the Stars," which debuted as a summertime hit last year and returned to the ABC lineup in January, ranked No. 3 for the night in total viewers.

While trailing the latest edition of "Survivor" in the 18-49 race, "Dancing" stomped three NBC comedies that air during the same hour and a half -- "Will & Grace," "Four Kings" and "My Name is Earl."

The struggle for Thursday night supremacy has long been a key battleground in the U.S. prime-time ratings war -- a highly lucrative TV night in which advertisers spend lavishly to reach a young, affluent audience.

NBC, a unit of General Electric Co., once dominated Thursdays with its "Must-See-TV" lineup but fell on hard times after mega-hit comedy "Friends" ended its 10-year run in May 2004.

Since then, CBS has lorded over Thursday nights, but "Dancing with the Stars" on Walt Disney Co.-owned ABC is the first series opposite "Survivor" to score a bigger audience than the CBS reality hit in the post-"Friends" era.

The series features B-list celebrities, including veteran actor George Hamilton, retired football player Jerry Rice and professional female wrestler Stacy Keibler, paired with professional dance partners in ballroom competition.

 

[Town Drunk]

Gotta say, I got hooked on this show.

Drew and Cheryl won, and they deserved it. Best throughout the whole competition.

Although, this dance below probably sealed it for them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnQ6xoEmX_4&search=Dancing with the Stars

 

[jenna2891]

I hope they don't try to bring back Battle of the Network Stars.

Even though my brother thought it was better than the Super Bowl in 1978.

http://imdb.com/title/tt0475185/

 

[Ryanwb]

http://imdb.com/title/tt0475185/

this show was Christopher Lowell gay.... I really liked battle of the network stars, that was good TV

 

[Chris_Sanders]

The fact that Jerry Rice, one of the 3 worst dancers on the show, made it to #2 shows what a complete waste of time the entire thing was.

 

[LoyaltyisaCurse]

WWF Lady should have won. She was By far the best dancer...

 

[thirty-two]

Did Drew Lachey win?

Help a sista out

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Did Drew Lachey win?

Help a sista out

Yes he won. I actually think it is fine he won. Drew and Stacey were neck and neck in the standings. Drew's background in 98 degrees really paid off in the free style dance, since he knows how to dance to the crowd.

It's a sham though that Stacey finished third to the woeful Jerry Rice. I think she set the record for the most straight perfect scores. It got to the point at the end that a 26 out of 30 looked like a monster disappointment for her, while that would be Jerry's best score to date.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Dancing with the Stars III

Vivica does the fox trot
10-Jun-2006
Written by: Carli Thorkelson

People magazine has learned that actress Vivica A. Fox will be one of the participants in the third installment of the hit TV show “Dancing with the Stars.”

The actress is already preparing for the dance competition.

“I’m so excited. I start training for that in July,” Fox told People. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for me to get paid, get in shape, work some outfits and represent for the sistas. Drop it like it’s hot!”

Actor Mario Lopez from “Saved by the Bell” fame is also rumored to be a contestant.

The competition’s first year winner was soap opera actress Kelly Monaco, while Nick Lachey’s younger brother Drew won the second season beating out NFL great Jerry Rice.

 

[thirty-two]

Actor Mario Lopez from “Saved by the Bell” fame is also rumored to be a contestant.

GO SLATER!!!

Too bad Screech isn't doing it

:doesthespraindance:

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Vincent Pastore Won't be Dancing
Source: ABC
February 28, 2007

Actor Vincent Pastore, sixty years of age, has withdrawn from ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" after one week of training. Pastore came to the decision that the physical demands of a ten-week season would be too difficult for him to undertake.

"When I initially committed to joining 'Dancing with the Stars,' I didnt realize just how physically demanding it would be for me. Unable to put forth my best effort, I felt it appropriate to step aside and give someone else the opportunity," said Pastore. "I'd like to thank ABC and the show's producers for inviting me to participate. I wish my partner, Edyta, and the other dancers the best of luck."

Executive producer Conrad Green added: "We're sad that Vincent felt he was unable to continue in the competition, as he would have been great on the show -- but we appreciate him standing aside now rather than having to withdraw later. 'Dancing with the Stars' is physically demanding and it pays to know your limits. We respect his decision."

"Dancing with the Stars" is the U.S. version of the international smash hit series, "Strictly Come Dancing." This version is produced in America by BBC Worldwide. Conrad Green and Richard Hopkins are executive producers and Izzie Pick is co-executive producer. Rob Wade and Matilda Zoltowski are supervising producers. Alex Rudzinski directs.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

In a Dancing with the Stars first, three athletes will dance to the finish in the fourth season of the hugely popular series, returning MONDAY, MARCH 19 (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on ABC. Among the athletes are a current Olympic Gold Medalist, a member of the 1992 Men's U.S. Olympic Basketball Dream Team, and an undefeated female boxer - the first female athlete to compete on the series. Celebrities joining them include a singer/actor who stars alongside his daughter in one of the Disney Channel's most popular programs, a former member of one of the biggest selling music groups of all-time, and a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador and activist for Adopt-A-Minefield.

As announced on Good Morning America, the stars making their ballroom dancing debut and their professional dance partners are:

LAILA ALI - Ali, an undefeated world champion female boxer and youngest daughter of sports legend, Muhammad Ali, takes her footwork to the ballroom dance floor on Dancing with the Stars. Outside the ring, Ali has graced countless international magazine covers, such as Glamour and Italian Vogue, and authored the inspirational autobiography, Reach! She joins MAKSIM CHMERKOVSKIY who returns for his third season.

BILLY RAY CYRUS - Singer/songwriter/actor and star of Disney Channel's hit series, Hannah Montana, Cyrus will partner with season three's finalist, KARINA SMIRNOFF, who returns for her second season. Cyrus first entered the public spotlight with his hit song Achy Breaky Heart. His other acting credits include the feature film, Mulholland Drive, and the starring role in the series, Doc.

CLYDE DREXLER - Named One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, Clyde the Glide was a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic Dream Team. He began his career in 1983 with the Portland Trailblazers and retired in 1998 with the Houston Rockets, a team he led to the 1995 NBA Championship. ELENA GRINENKO, who returns for her second season, will be his partner.

JOEY FATONE - The musician/actor/star of Broadway was a member of one of the most popular singing groups of all-time, *NSYNC, which holds the records for the most albums sold in a single day and week. He has since starred in movies My Big Fat Greek Wedding and The Cooler, and the Broadway musicals, Rent and Little Shop of Horrors. Fatone joins partner KYM JOHNSON who returns for her second season.

SHANDI FINNESSEY - During the most watched Miss USA® competition in six years, Shandi Finnessey was crowned Miss USA® in 2004. She is the host of two game shows on the Game Show Network - Lingo with Chuck Woolery and Playmania. Newcomer BRIAN FORTUNA will be her professional dance partner.

LEEZA GIBBONS - Former host of Entertainment Tonight, Extra and her self-titled daytime talk-show, Leeza, the TV/radio personality currently hosts the nationally syndicated radio program, Hollywood Confidential. Leeza is also the founder of the Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation, a nonprofit organization offering empowerment and education to caregivers and their loved ones diagnosed with any memory disorder. She teams up with TONY DOVOLANI who returns for his third season.

HEATHER MILLS - United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, activist for Adopt-A-Minefield and advocate for animal rights, Heather Mills will be the first contestant to compete with an artificial limb. She will be partnered with JONATHAN ROBERTS who returns for his third season.

APOLO ANTON OHNO - Two-time Olympic gold medal winner Apolo Anton Ohno sets his sights on another trophy to add to his collection, the Dancing with the Stars Mirror Ball. As a short-track speed skater, Ohno has a total of five Olympic medals, tying him with Eric Heiden for the most medals of any U.S. Male Winter Olympian. JULIANNE HOUGH teams with Ohno in her first appearance.

PAULINA PORIZKOVA - As the former face of Estee Lauder, Porizkova was once the highest paid supermodel in the world of fashion. She was featured on the cover of several magazines including the Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Issue for two consecutive years. This Spring, Porizkova releases her first work of fiction, A Model Summer. Season one champ ALEC MAZO returns for his second appearance.

IAN ZIERING - One of the stars of the hit TV series, Beverly Hills 90210, actor Ian Ziering also played a supporting role in the movie Domino, and wrote, produced, directed and starred in the short film Man vs. Monday. He teams with two-time defending champion, CHERYL BURKE, who returns for her third season.

Dancing with the Stars' fourth season will premiere Monday, March 19 with a two-hour premiere (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET). To offer viewers two weeks to see the performers in action before the first elimination, the first results show will air on Week Two. The second performance show, airing Monday, March 26, will also be two hours in length (8:00-10:00 p.m.), and the first results show will air Tuesday, March 27 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET).

Hosted by Tom Bergeron (America's Funniest Home Videos) and Samantha Harris (E! Entertainment), the celebrities will perform choreographed dance routines which will be judged by renowned Ballroom Judge Len Goodman, and dancer/choreographers Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba.