Idol adds 4th wheel; Dancing names 13 new celebs
08/25/08 09:23 AM
By ED BARK
Beach volleyball gold medalist Misty May-Treanor and Lewisville-bred heartthrob Cody Linley are dipping their toes into Dancing with the Stars while songwriter Kara Dioguardi is a surprise new fourth judge on American Idol.
Dioguardi, who has written for the likes of Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Faith Hill, Celine Dion and Gwen Stefani, will add "a lot more girl power" to Fox's still fatted cash cow, says president of alternative programming Mike Darnell.
"For the past seven seasons, Paula (Abdul) has had to endure the experience of being the only woman at the judges' table," Darnell says in a Fox press release. "She's been an island of consideration and gentle criticism between Randy (Jackson) and Simon (Cowell), offering her invaluable expertise as a performer and No. 1 artist to the thousands who have competed on American Idol. With Kara by her side, Paula has some back-up."
Abdul also may have to watch her back, but that's fodder for another day. Idol's eighth season will launch in January.
Meanwhile, ABC's hottest reality competition show will premiere its seventh edition on Monday, Sept. 22nd with a record 13 celebrity entrants. Most prominent is May-Treanor, the bare-footin' volleyball ace who presumably will be in heels when she takes the floor with ego-centric pro partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
Linley, who plays Jake Ryan on Disney's Channel's Hannah Montana, will be the youngest contestant ever at 18. His partner is Julianne Hough.
The show also will have by far its oldest hoofer in actress Cloris Leachman, whose odometer reads 82. She'll be dancing with Corky Ballas, father of Dancing veteran Mark Ballos. (Hmm, shouldn't the kid be the one named Corky?)
Here are the 10 other celebrity entrants:
***Soap star Susan Lucci with Tony Dovolani
***Newly retired NFL defensive tackle Warren Sapp with Kym Johnson.
***Singer Toni Braxton with Alec Mazo
***Ex-NSYNC-er Lance Bass with Lacey Schwimmer, making her series debut. She's the cousin of former Friends star David Schwimmer.
***Former Wild On! host Brooke Burke with Derek Hough
***Chef Rocco Dispirito with Karina Smirnoff
***2000 sprinting gold medalist Maurice Greene with Cheryl Burke
***Reality TV denizen Kim Kardashian with Mark Ballas
***Actor Ted McGinley (Married . . . with Children, The Love Boat) with newcomer Inna Brayer
***Funnyman Jeffrey Ross with Edyta Sliwinska
|