The "Dancing With the Stars" cast for season nine was announced today live on "Good Morning America."
The stage is set for new "DWTS" contestants to showcase their fancy footwork when "Dancing With the Stars" returns for its ninth season Monday, Sept. 21.
The celebrity cast, which includes an Osmond, a cowboy and a former
House majority leader, will team with professional dancers and face off
on television's hit ballroom competition.
Gymnast Shawn Johnson was the winner on the last season of the show.
Host Tom Bergeron was in Times Square today to announce the cast.
Macy Gray
Macy Gray first burst onto the music scene with her debut album "On How
Life Is" and the hit single "I Try," both of which went to No. 1. She
has gone on to sell more than 20,000,000 albums worldwide and has won
and has been nominated for five Grammy Awards and six MTV Video Music
Awards. She has collaborated on stage and in the recording studio with
some of music's greatest artists, including Justin Timberlake, Carlos
Santana, Erykah Badu, Fergie, will.i.am (Black Eyed Peas), John
Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers) Nas and Natalie Cole. Macy has also
appeared in numerous films including "Spider Man," "Training Day,"
"Idlewild" (with Outkast) and the award-winning HBO Film "Lackawanna
Blues."
Melissa Joan Hart
Known for her starring roles in the television series "Clarissa
Explains It All" and "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," Hart began her career
at the early age of 4 with television commercials and various
television appearances. She starred in the film "Drive Me Crazy"
alongside "Entourage's" Adrian Grenier, as well as in the ABC Family
Original Movie "Holiday in Handcuffs" opposite "Dancing With the Stars"
alumni Mario Lopez, which was the highest-rated program in the history
of the network. In 2009, Hart starred in another ABC Family Original
Movie, "My Fake Fiance" that garnered huge ratings as well. In 1993,
Hart started her own production company, Hartbreak Films, and is set to
release her first thriller film, "Nine Dead," to DVD in January 2010.
Hart and husband Mark Wilkerson are the proud parents of two sons,
Mason, age 3 and Braydon, 17 months.
Kathy Ireland
Kathy Ireland, the supermodel, is now, wife, mother of three, author,
Sunday school teacher and fashion CEO, of kathy ireland Worldwide.
Forbes, Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal celebrate KIWW as a $1.4
billion design empire. Kathy powerfully supports many nonprofits,
including the Elizabeth Taylor HIV/AIDS Foundation, Feed the Children
and the Alliance for Christian Education. UCLA names Kathy as one of
the Top 10 Women's Health Advocates in America.
Mya
Grammy Award-winning multi-platinum artist Mya became a star at the age
of 18 with her eponymous debut album, which yielded three top 10
singles. In addition to releasing five full-length albums, one of which
went platinum and another, gold, she starred in the acclaimed film
"Chicago." Since "Chicago," Mya has appeared in several movies and
signed onto a modeling contract. Her fourth and fifth studio albums,
"Liberation" and "Sugar & Spice," respectively, have been released
in Japan and her sixth studio album is scheduled for release on her
independent label. A long-time advocate for young women, she founded
the Mya Arts & Tech Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated
to providing disadvantaged youth growth and opportunity through arts
and technology education, where she serves as both executive director
and teacher.
Mark Dacascos
Famously known as the Chairman and host of Food Network's "Iron Chef
America," Dacascos is also a trained martial artist as well as an
actor. Born in Honolulu, Mark's passion for martial arts began at an
early age under the tutelage of his parents, who are both former
national champions and teachers. After getting discovered in San
Francisco's Chinatown, Mark began to establish a film and television
career playing not only martial artists but a wide range of characters
before joining "Iron Chef America" in 2005. He has appeared in several
feature films including the internationally acclaimed French epic ,
"Brotherhood of the Wolf," the cult classic "Only the Strong," "Cradle
to the Grave," opposite Jet Li, "Only the Brave," "Nomad" and "The Lost
Medallion," which is scheduled for release later this year.
Ashley Hamilton
Actor, songwriter, comedian and son of former "Dancing With the Stars"
contestant George Hamilton, Ashley is a multi-talented, multi-hyphenate
with experience in film, comedy and television. An accomplished singer,
Ashley had a 2003 top 20 single released by Sony, and as a songwriter
co-wrote the top 10 Robbie Williams hit "Come Undone" and has writing
credits for Hillary Duff, among other top acts. Ashley has made various
television and film appearances in his career, including a starring
role in "Sunset Beach." Since 2007 he has been performing stand-up
comedy at the Laugh Factory, the Hollywood Improv, the Comedy Store and
Room 5 in Los Angeles.
Michael Irvin
One of the most successful wide receivers in the history of the NFL,
former Dallas Cowboy Michael Irvin is a three-time Super Bowl champion
and former broadcaster for ESPN's "NFL Countdown." Known as the
Playmake and one of the Triplets alongside fellow Cowboys Troy Aikman
and Emmitt Smith, Irvin was a recipient of the Dallas Cowboys' Ring of
Honor in 2005. In 2007, Irvin was inducted into the Professional
Football Hall of Fame and has appeared in various television shows, as
well as co-starring in "The Longest Yard" with Adam Sandler and Chris
Rock. Last fall, Irvin executive produced/hosted the reality TV series
"4th and Long" for Spike TV in which one football hopeful was given a
shot at making the Dallas Cowboys roster. Most recently, he appeared on
the Hall of Fame inductions on the NFL Network and hosts his own radio
show in Dallas for ESPN Radio.
Donny Osmond
Osmond won the hearts of millions as both a member of the Osmonds and,
with his sister (and "Dancing With the Stars" alumna) Marie, as the
youngest co-hosts in prime time history on the iconic ABC variety
series "The Donny & Marie Show." Donny and Marie are currently
performing at the Las Vegas Flamingo Hotel through 2012. For nearly
five decades, Donny Osmond has been a singer, musician, Broadway and
film actor, talk show and game show host, best-selling author, and even
a champion race car driver.
Tom DeLay
The former House majority leader is a prominent Republican and
conservative firebrand. He was first elected to Congress in 1984, and
when Republicans took control of the House, his colleagues elected him
majority whip, and later majority leader. His leadership was
characterized by his aggressive "grow the vote" method of party
discipline in which he never lost a vote, leading the Washington Post
to nickname him "The Hammer." He and his wife, Christine, also served
as foster parents and founded a community in Texas that serves as a
safe, permanent home for abused and neglected children. DeLay is
currently president of First Principles LLC, a strategic political
consulting firm based in Washington, D.C., and Houston.
Natalie Coughlin
Olympic swimming gold medalist Natalie Coughlin is the most decorated
female athlete of both the 2008 Beijing and 2004 Athens Games. Coughlin
has won a medal in every single Olympic event that she has ever entered
for a total of 11 Olympic medals. In 2008, she became the first
American female athlete to win six medals in one Olympiad in addition
to becoming the first woman to win consecutive individual Olympic gold
medals in the 100m backstroke. Coughlin is also the most decorated
female swimmer in World Championship history with 16 medals. Born and
raised in Northern California, Coughlin attended the University of
California, Berkeley where she earned a B.A. in psychology in 2005.
Joanna Krupa
Polish-born Joanna Krupa was born in Warsaw and raised in Chicago.
After high school, she moved to L.A. to pursue a career in modeling and
acting. Her hard work and positive spirit led her to become one of the
most requested models/covergirls in the world. PETA's "I'd Rather Go
Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign featuring Joanna became a phenomenon.
She's been featured in E!'s "The Sexiest" as one of the sexiest women
in the world. In 2009, she was selected as the cover model for Ocean
Drive magazine, and Maxim voted her among their "Top 100" women in the
world. Film and TV credits include "Six Days in Paradise," due in the
fall, "Ripple Effect," "Las Vegas" and "CSI: Crime Scene
Investigation." Most recently she competed in ABC's "The Superstars"
teaming with Buffalo Bills NFL star Terrell Owens.
Debi Mazar
Mazar's feature film debut in Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas" set the
stage for an extensive career in both television and film. She has
consistently worked with notable directors -- including Oliver Stone,
Spike Lee, Woody Allen, Michael Mann and Joel Schumacher -- often
portraying the sharp-tongued New Yorker in both dramas and comedy.
Mazar's television credits include "Friends," "Ugly Betty" and her own
sitcom, CBS' "Temporarily Yours." She presently stars as publicist
Shauna on HBO's hit series "Entourage." Mazar also co-hosts "Under the
Tuscan Gun," a successful internet show focused on Tuscan cuisine, with
her husband. The couple have two young daughters and presently reside
in both Los Angeles and Tuscany, Italy.
Kelly Osbourne
Singer, actress and media personality, Kelly's father is rock icon,
Ozzy Osbourne, and her mother is well-known TV personality Sharon
Osbourne. Kelly got her start at the age of 16 in the first-ever
"celebrity reality" TV show, "The Osbournes," with her famous family,
which garnered them an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Reality Program" in
2002. That same year, Osbourne released her debut music album, "Shut
Up!," which included a cover of Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach." Her
second album, "Sleeping in Nothing" was released in 2005 with its first
single, "One Word," hitting No. 1 on all three Billboard Dance charts
simultaneously. Kelly made her dramatic acting debut in a starring role
on the ABC series "Life As We Know It." In recent years she's worked
primarily in the U.K. where she's done theater (including a successful
run in "Chicago" in London's West End in 2007), hosted her own weekly
radio show on BBC Radio and has presented numerous U.K. TV projects,
including "Project Catwalk," the UK's version of "Project Runway."
Aaron Carter
Triple platinum-selling music artist/songwriter, producer, actor and
younger brother of Backstreet Boys Nick Carter, Aaron Carter has
established himself worldwide as a pop and teen sensation. Beginning
his career at the age of 8, he is currently the youngest solo artist to
have four top 40 singles. He has released four studio albums since
1997, two of which have been certified platinum, and he has appeared on
several television series including "Lizzie McGuire" and "7th Heaven,"
as well as making his Broadway debut playing JoJo the Who in "Seussical
the Musical" in 2001. He sang vocals on soundtracks for "Disneymania
(The Lion King) Ella Enchanted," "Pokeman" and "Rugrats the Movie." In
2006, Carter starred in the E! reality show, "House of Carters," which
featured all five of the Carter siblings living in the same house.
Chuck Liddell
Chuck Liddell is the face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and
the icon of Mixed Martial Arts -- the fastest growing sport in America.
In 1998, he won his first UFC Mixed Martial Arts fight. Soon after,
Liddell rose through the ranks to become the light-heavyweight champion
of the world. In July of 2009, Liddell was inducted into the UFC Hall
of Fame. He is tied for the most wins by a UFC fighter with 16, and
also holds the most knockout wins with 10. In 2008, Chuck penned his
autobiography, "Iceman: My Fighting Life," which quickly became a New
York Times best-seller. Chuck earned a bachelor's degree in
business/accounting from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he also
wrestled.
Louie Vito
Professional snowboarder, Louie Vito, is among the U.S.'s elite
snowboarders favored to make the 2010 Olympic team. Competing in both
the Pipe and Slopestyle disciplines, Vito continues to train for the
Grand Prix qualifying. The 21 year-old native of Bellefontaine, Ohio,
turned pro in 2006 and has competed in multiple Winter X-Games
competitions. He is also a two-time winner of the USSA Grand Prix
Halfpipe Series.
(Source: ABC News)