Dancing with the Stars

Low wattage celebs like Willa Ford and Harry Hamlin are a dime-a-dozen on "Dancing with the Stars," but A-list stars like super couple Brangelina? Not a chance, right?

On Tuesday the parking lot outside the "Dancing" set featured assigned spaces with the names of contestants like Mario Lopez, Jerry Springer and Hamlin's wife, Lisa Rinna. While there's nothing unusual about that, there was one space that seemed oddly out of place -- Brad Pitt's!

Brad, who is obviously not a contestant on the ABC show, had a parking spot with a sign baring his name and the show's logo on it.

So was Brangelina going to make a surprise appearance on the C-list emporium and show off their best Paso Doble moves? Probably not.

Perhaps, like the rest of us mere mortals, they're just fans of Joey Lawrence's tango.

Tune in to Wednesday's episode of "Dancing with the Stars" to see who gets voted off and if the Brad Pitt mystery is solved.

TMZ just spoke with Mario Lopez, who confirmed his dancing partner injured herself today, just hours before "Dancing With the Stars" airs live on ABC.

Lopez says Karina Smirnoff "hurt her back and neck in rehearsal" and doctors were summoned to the set. Lopez says Smirnoff is in pain, adding, "I hope she pulls it together. I'm nervous."

Mario, who is a favorite to win the competition, is scheduled to dance the tango tonight. The dance, known for it's jerky movements, could be particularly difficult for Smirnoff.

Just hours before tonight's taping of "Dancing with the Stars," TMZ has learned that Mario Lopez's partner, Karina Smirnoff, has suffered an injury on the set of the hit ABC show.

While reps for the show are denying that any incident has occured, sources inside CBS Television Studios, where the show is taped, tell TMZ that medics were rushed to the scene to treat a muscle pull in Smirnoff's back. No word on who Lopez will dance with in the case that Smirnoff will not be able to participate in tonight's live broadcast.

A source tells TMZ that the two muscle bound hunks were recently involved in a conversational love fest over being cast on the hit series.

Lawrence and Lopez were going on about how happy they were to be involved with a program that provides family-friendly entertainment and gets you into tip top shape as well. Not like their collective 12-pack needed any toning.

Joey further stated that he feels the ABC reality show was not a nail in the career coffin, unlike VH1's "The Surreal Life" which Lawrence added was the equivalent of a network saying your Hollywood days are over. Unless, of course, you're Flavor Flav!

It's time for another heaping serving of stars in spangled clothing. Yes, Dancing With the Stars is back, and this time TMZ is going to weigh thier assets before they take the first step.

Joey Lawrence is clearly the king of "whoah", and Jon Stewart has already famously pointed out that Tucker Carlson is a classic entertainer.

The new season of "Dancing With the Stars" hasn't even started but oddsmakers are already placing their bets on a winner.

John Avello, Director of Race & Sports Operations at Wynn Las Vegas, released his predictions of who will be the next Stacy Keibler or Kelly Monaco.

Avello has Mario Lopez waltzing away with the coveted crown. Previously, PinnacleSports.com also predicted Lopez would come out on top. Looks like we've got a lot of "Saved by the Bell" fans out there!

Monique Coleman, who your ten-year-old probably recognizes from "High School Musical", is slated for the runner-up slot. But Avello has some bad news for talk show pundit Jerry Springer. Although Springer may be good at dancing around punches and catfights, Avello predicts he will be the first contestant booted off the show.

Avello uses industry insiders and formulaic processing (whatever that means) to come up with the odds. In the past, he has accurately predicted winners for shows like "American Idol" and "Survivor."

"Dancing With the Stars" premieres on September 12 on ABC.

Tom DeLay, the House Majority Leader who was forced to resign earlier this year, has decided to pitch in his two cents about one of America's tightest races. No, not a political race. We're talking about the new season of "Dancing With the Stars."

DeLay, a former Republican congressman from Texas, sent out a letter to his supporters urging them to watch -- and vote for -- country singer Sara Evans in the third season of the popular ABC show. "Sara Evans has been a strong supporter of the Republican Party and represents good American values in the media," DeLay wrote. "We have always been able to count on Sara for her support of the things we all believe in. Let's show Sara that same support."

But DeLay's comments weren't just limited to supporting Evans. No, DeLay also took the time to bash one of Evans' competitors. "One of her opponents on the show is ultra liberal talk show host Jerry Springer," DeLay wrote. "We need to send a message to Hollywood and the media that smut has no place on television by supporting good people like Sara Evans."

She might still be in the midst of a nasty break up from Blink-182's Travis Barker, but "EXTRA" found Shanna Moakler in good spirits as she practiced for her upcoming gig as a contestant on "Dancing with the Stars."

Though Moakler and Barker have been swapping written attacks on their respective MySpace pages, the former Miss USA hopes for smoother sailing ahead. "I don't know if it's possible he and I could romantically be involved with each other again but I would like for he and I to come to a place where we could obviously be the best parents we could possibly be and just be friends. I would love that."

Moakler adds that "Dancing" has given her an outlet for her frustrations, something she considers a blessing. "I'm trying to stay positive and stay strong for my children, trying to you know not make that a negative. I'm trying to put all my energy into the dancing."

"Dancing With the Stars" premieres September 12 at 8PM ET/PT.

The most buff couple in Hollywood hit Julian's, a Los Angeles art gallery, for the opening of a new photography exhibit. While the couple focused on photographs inside, they were being photographed by a swarm of paparazzi outside the gallery.

It seems as if Katharine McPhee has performed "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" more than Judy Garland herself. From "The View" to "Regis and Kelly," it's been Rainbow, Rainbow, Rainbow. So how on earth does McPhee get on MTV? TMZ created a "Rainbow" music video befitting the hippest music channel.

Nicole Richie friends devised a clever if ineffective way to shield their famous friends from the paparazzi. We call this video "Boy ON the Hood."

She's the midst of of Hollywood's most recent nasty splits, but Shanna Moakler won't let drama with Travis Barker keep her from hitting the party scene. We caught up with the former Miss USA practicing for her debut on "Dancing With the Stars" last night at celebrity hotspot Hyde, where she busted out an impromptu booty shaking exhibition with last year's champ Cheryl Burke.

ABC announced the new performers on this season's edition of "Dancing with the Stars" and the list wasn't without some surprises.

As TMZ told you last week, Tucker Carlson, Vivica A. Fox, Harry Hamlin, Joe Lawrence, Mario Lopez , Shanna Moakler and Emmitt Smith will be competing this season. But there were four contestants we didn't know about until this morning. And we couldn't be more excited about the king of "My sister is having an affair with my husband and is pregnant with his baby' -- Mr. Jerry Springer.

Rounding out the cast is Monique Coleman ("High School Musical"), country singer Sara Evans and pop star Willa Ford.

TMZ has learned that retired NFL running back Emmitt Smith and former child star Joey Lawrence are the latest "stars" to jump aboard the ABC groove train and will shake their moneymakers on the TV juggernaut this fall.

While ABC won't confirm the final roster, Vivica A. Fox has gone on record saying she has already been cast.

And rumors have swirled that former "Saved by the Bell" star Mario Lopez and Mr. Lisa Rinna himself, Harry Hamlin, will also be on hand to Cha Cha Cha into America's living rooms.