The New “Dancing With The Stars” Cast Announced!

This morning ABC has unveiled the cast of the newest season of Dancing with the Stars which will be going into it’s ninth season this fall. The cast will include a politician for the first time, as well as the typical string of actors, athletes, and other random celebrities, and more of them. The cast this season has been boosted to 16, double that of the first season.

Starting things off we have the season 9 men of Dancing with the Stars, which will include:

Tom DeLay – 62, former Politician. DeLay represents the first politician, current or former, that DWTS has managed to land. Delay served as House Majority leader until he was forced to step down following a 2005 Texas grand jury indictment on money laundering charges. He’s a hard core Republican whose known as “The hammer” for his dealings with other politicians, and if he can bring that same kind of fire and energy to the dance-floor he may have a chance. But after his scandalous past and current legal woes whether he has enough constituency to stand behind him remains to be seen. His age, making him the oldest on the show this season, doesn’t help either.

Donnie Osmond – 51, talk show host and brother of Marie Osmond. Donnie’s sister Marie made it to the finals during season 6 of the show, fainting spell and all, and the way these two have stuck together over the years its no surprise seeing him taking a stab at Dancing. His fanbase alone could help him stick around long enough to get his magic legs working.

Michael Irvin – 43, former Dallas Cowboys receiver and sports show host. Regarded as one of the best wide receivers the NFL has ever seen and voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007, Irvin definitely knows how to compete. He’s also a very vocal and sometimes funny, sometimes obnoxious celebrity who could be a lot of fun to watch this season.

Chuck Liddell – 39, mixed martial arts star. Liddell has an extensive background in kick-boxing and collegiate wrestling, and is a former UFC light heavyweight champion. A hardcore competitor Liddell has also made a few television and movie appearances in recent years.

Louie Vito – 21, Pro snowboarder. By far the youngest of the group, and obviously brought in to help fill a different demographic to the show. Athletes always perform well on this show, but whether a pro snowboarder has the skills, let alone the fan base, to pull in enough votes each week will remain to be seen.

Mark DaCascos – 45, a martial arts expert and film star. You’re probably most familiar with Mark as the host of Iron Chef America: The Series, on the Food Network, but you might not have realized that he’s starred in a lot of movies and been on several television series episodes, the most notable being Stargate Atlantis and CSI.

Aaron Carter– 21, singer, actor, and reality show star. To many he’ll always be the younger brother of ex-Backstreet Boys fame, Nick Carter, but Aaron has established himself as a singer and actor in the nineties, most notable among teen and preteen fans. He’s made guest appearances on several television series, including Lizzie McGuire, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, and 7th Heaven. He also appeared on Broadway in Seussical the Musical where he played JoJo the Who. He’ll most likely be a strong competitor.

Ashley Hamilton – 34, son of George Hamilton and actor. Its doubtful most of you have seen anything Ashley has been in. He’s also a singer and songwriter and most recently has been performing stand up comedy in Los Angeles. However, his father, George Hamilton is well known and competed in the second season of Dancing with the Stars where he charmed viewers with silly dance routines and props, to make up for his lack of agility. Ashley won’t have the luxury of his father’s charm and will need to rely more heavily on actual dance skills to get very far.

And as for the ladies of seaons 9, they also include a diverse and very competitive group that includes:

Natalie Coughlin – 26, Olympic multi-gold metal winner, swimmer. Coughlin is appeared in both the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and is a hard core competitor who should do very well. At the 2008 Olympics, she became the first American female athlete in modern Olympic history to win six medals in one Olympics and the first woman ever to win a 100 m backstroke gold in two consecutive Olympics.

Joanna Krupa – 30, model. Krupa has most recently been seen on Superstar, where she was partnered with football loud-mouth Terrell Owens. They were voted off after the first episode, and Krupa was seen cursing Owens out will the football star said little. They ended up getting let back on the show due to some unforeseen circumstances and performed well after that. If this hot chick can hold her own with Owens, she might fair well in this competition after all, or at the very least, be a load of fun to watch!

Kathy Ireland – 46, business entrepreneur, former model. I loved Ireland so much as a teenaged boy, with so many sport illustrated photos of her in the nineties I lost count. But in recent years she has become known for her business prowess, as the head of Kathy Ireland Worldwide, a brand product marketing company in which she takes home a reported $10 million a year. She was seen on Larry King Live this year discussing her weight gain and woman’s health. She had gained a pound a year for 25 years and the culmination effect had become obvious to her in a candid photograph her son had taken. Ireland said in the interview; “Weight is a symptom of something that needs to change in your life.” About appearing on Dancing With The Stars Ireland says, “”You gotta face your fears. When you’re afraid of a challenge, you just have to go for it. For me, this is the ultimate challenge. Walking in high heels is an extreme sport.”

Mya – 30, singer, actress, and dancer. Actually, she is an R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, actress, dancer, and choreographer. However, dancers haven’t always stuck around to the end in this show and how long she can last will remain to be seen.

Macy Gray – 42, Grammy-winning singer, and actress. Besides her well known singing career, Gray has appeared in a number of films, the most popular of which includes Training Day, Spider-Man, and Idlewild.

Melissa Joan Hart – 33, actress and star of the former Sabrina the Teenage Witch series. She may be most known for her teen and tween loving roles in Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Clarissa Explains it All, but don’t let Hart fool you. She’s also appeared on the cover of Maxim magazine in 1999 and she’s still quite the looker.

Debi Mazar – 45, actress on HBO’s Entourage. Mazar is best known for her edgy and sharp-tongued characters, however she’s starred mostly in independent films until her recurring role on the HBO series Entourage as Shauna Roberts, the mouthy publicity agent. We’ll see if she can put her dancing where her mouth has been.

Kelly Osbourne – 24, actress and reality show star. Yes, that Kelly Osbourne with the famous daddy. But she won’t win the judges hearts by biting off any bat-heads. It’ll be really interesting to see how seriously she takes this competition, and how well she does.

It should be an entertaining and competitive season 9 on Dancing with the Stars, which premieres on September 21 at 8/7 central on ABC.

Updated: Below is the official press release from ABC about the 9th season of Dancing with the Stars, complete with bios of the contestants.

ABC ANNOUNCES “DANCING WITH THE STARS” SEASON NINE CAST

THE STAGE IS SET FOR 16 NEW STARS TO SHOWCASE THEIR FANCY FOOTWORK AS “DANCING WITH THE STARS” RETURNS FOR ITS NINTH SEASON, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 ON ABC

Three-Night Premiere Event Begins Monday, September 21

Two Celebrities Eliminated on Wednesday, September 23

“Dancing with the Stars the Results Show” Premieres in Regular Timeslot on Tuesday, September 29

Macy’s Stars of Dance Returns

Pro Dancer Competition Returns

An all new cast of celebrities hits the dance floor on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” with the highly anticipated two-hour season premiere, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on ABC. With its biggest season yet, “Dancing with the Stars” Season Nine introduces us to 16 new stars, including an Osmond and an Osbourne, two Grammy Award winning artists, a Cowboy, a model CEO and a former House Majority Leader.

Eight teams will strut their stuff on Monday night, while the other eight teams will show off their moves on TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET). On a special night and time, two couples will learn their fate and be sent home on WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET).

Following is the schedule for Season Nine (dates and times subject to change):

“Dancing with the Stars,” two-hour performance show, MONDAYS beginning, SEPTEMBER 21 (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET) through NOVEMBER 16

“Dancing with the Stars the Results Show,” one-hour, TUESDAYS beginning, SEPTEMBER 29 (9:00 -10:00 p.m., ET) through NOVEMBER 25

“Dancing with the Stars,” 90-minute performance show, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24 (8:30-10:00 p.m., ET)

Season Finale, two-hours, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25 (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET)

“Dancing with the Stars” returns with new surprises and all the elements viewers have come to know and love, including the Pro Dancer Competition, where world class professional dancers have the opportunity to compete live on the “Results Show” for a guaranteed spot on next season’s show. “Macy’s Stars of Dance,” which features some of the most renowned dancers and choreographers of our time, will also be back on “Dancing with the Stars the Results Show.” One of the Macy’s Stars of Dance performances will be the hugely popular “Design-a-Dance,” where fans have the chance to select their favorite professional dancers, dance styles and wardrobe at www.abc.com. In addition, couples will once again take part in a team formation dance, and a variety of new elements will be incorporated into routines involving all couples. Four new dance styles — the Bolero, the Charleston, the Two Step and the Lambada — are also going to be introduced. The middle stages of the competition feature the return of the “Dance Off,” where contestants will perform a dance style of their choosing to fight for their spot in the competition, and three consecutive double eliminations promise the most dramatic period of “Dancing with the Stars.”

As announced this morning on “Good Morning America,” the 16 stars making their ballroom dancing debut are:

AARON CARTER — Triple platinum selling music artist/songwriter, producer, actor and younger brother of Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter, Aaron Carter has established himself worldwide as a pop and teen sensation. Beginning his career at the age of eight, 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 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,” “Pokemon” 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.

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. She 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 BA in psychology in 2005.

MARK DACASCOS — Famously known as “The Chairman” and host of Food Network’s “Iron Chef America,” Mark Dacascos is also a trained martial artist and an actor. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, his passion for martial arts began at an early age under the tutelage of his parents, who are both former national champions and teachers. After being discovered in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Dacascos began to establish a film and television career playing not only martial artists but a wide arrangement of other 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,” to be released later this year.

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, where 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 DC and Houston, Texas.

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 number one. She has gone on to sell more than 20,000,000 albums worldwide and has won and 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. Gray has also appeared in numerous films, including “Spider Man,” “Training Day,” “Idlewild” (with Outkast) and the award-winning HBO Film, “Lackawanna Blues.”

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 entitled “Come Undone.” He has writing credits for Hillary Duff among other top acts. Hamilton 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.

MELISSA JOAN HART — Known for her starring roles in the television series “Clarissa Explains It All” and “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” Melissa Joan Hart began her career at the early age of four with television commercials and various television appearances. She starred in the film “Drive Me Crazy” alongside “Entourage’s” Adrian Grenier, as well as the ABC Family Original Movie “Holiday in Handcuffs,” opposite “Dancing with the Stars” alumnus 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 Fianc” that also garnered huge ratings. In 1993 she 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 three, and Braydon, 17 months.

KATHY IRELAND — Kathy Ireland the super model is now wife, mother of three, author, Sunday school teacher and fashion CEO of kathy ireland Worldwide (KIWW). Forbes, Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal celebrate KIWW as a $1.4 billion design empire. Ireland powerfully supports many non-profits, including the Elizabeth Taylor HIV/AIDS Foundation, Feed the Children and the Alliance for Christian Education. UCLA has named her as one of the Top Ten Women’s Health Advocates in America.

MICHAEL IRVIN — Regarded as 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 Playmaker” 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 he 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 he hosts his own radio show in Dallas for ESPN Radio.

JOANNA KRUPA — Polish-born Joanna Krupa was born in Warsaw and raised in Chicago. After high school she moved to LA 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 Krupa 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.

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, he 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 Liddell penned his autobiography, Iceman: My Fighting Life, which quickly became a New York Times bestseller. He has a BA in Business/Accounting from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he also wrestled.

DEBI MAZAR — Debi 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 a sharp-tongued New Yorker in both dramas and comedy. Her television credits include “Friends,” “Ugly Betty” and her own sitcom, CBS’ “Temporarily Yours.” Mazar presently stars as publicist Shauna on HBO’s hit series “Entourage.” She 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.

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 then Mya has appeared in several other movies and signed 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 due to be released on her independent label. A longtime advocate for young women, Mya founded The Mya Arts & Tech Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing disadvantaged youth growth and opportunity through arts & technology education, where she serves as both executive director and teacher.

KELLY OSBOURNE — A singer, actress and media personality, Kelly Osbourne’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 an Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program in 2002. That same year, Kelly 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. She made her dramatic acting debut in a starring role on the ABC series “Life As We Know It”. In recent years Osbourne has worked primarily in the UK, where she’s done theatre (including a successful run in “Chicago” in London’s West End in 2007), hosted her own weekly radio show on BBC Radio and presented numerous UK TV projects, including “Project Catwalk,” the UK’s version of “Project Runway.”

DONNY OSMOND — Donny 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 primetime history on the iconic ABC variety series, “The Donny & Marie Show.” He and Marie are currently performing at the Las Vegas Flamingo Hotel through 2012. For nearly five decades, Donny has been a singer, musician, Broadway and film actor, talk show and game show host, bestselling author, and even a champion race car driver.

LOUIE VITO — Professional snowboarder Louie Vito is among the U.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, OH 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.

Viewers may cast their votes for their favorite teams via phone on Monday and Tuesday night during and up to 30 minutes after the “Dancing with the Stars” performance shows. AT&T subscribers may also text message their votes by texting the word “VOTE” and entering the number that corresponds to the team they want to support (standard text message rates apply). Viewers may also vote online at www.abc.com starting from the opening of each episode on the East Coast and until 12:00 Noon, ET the following day.

Hosted by Tom Bergeron (“America’s Funniest Home Videos”) and Samantha Harris (“The Insider”) 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.