Dancing with the Stars

Mark Ballas tells TMZ ... he was NOT the target of a Jaleel White meltdown during a "Dancing with the Stars" rehearsal session last week ... despite reports to the contrary.

Mark was leaving Hyde in L.A. last night (the same one Paris, Lindsay and Britney used to party at back in the day) ... when we asked about Jaleel's alleged meltdown ... in which he reportedly screamed at his partner Kym Johnson before going off on Mark.

Gladys Knight is pulling double duty ... 'cause in between training sessions for "Dancing with the Stars," TMZ has learned Knight is also working on a top secret scripted TV show.

Sources close to production tell us ... Knight has been cast to star in a show called "The First Family" ... about a fictional President of the United States who's juggling work with his family life. We're told Gladys is playing the President's mother.

Sources connected to Gladys tell TMZ ... the Motown legend is working extremely hard to handle both gigs ... and producers on both shows are being very flexible to accommodate the star.

We're told the sitcom is already garnering interest from a major network ... which has made it clear they want to rush production to capitalize on Knight's "Dancing" momentum.

Four-time Pro Bowler and children's author Donald Driver isn't taking "Dancing with the Stars" lightly -- sources tell TMZ, the Green Bay wide receiver is working himself to the BONE to crush the competition.

According to sources, Donald's been working non-stop -- practicing with his partner for 5 hours at a time ... then going home and studying dance moves on YouTube.

We're told Donald pays especially close attention to the male pros -- intently studying their moves and their footwork ... just like a football player would study tapes of old games.

According to sources, Donald's goal is to dance at the pro level -- not just the "celebrity" level.

We're told Donald is so focused on being at the top of his game -- he's even keeping his pro partner Peta Murgatroyd on a strict diet.

Gavin Degraw is up for some serious double duty -- he's joining the cast of "Dancing With the Stars" ... but TMZ has learned he will also continue his current U.S. tour.

Multiple "DWTS" sources confirm the "Not Over You" singer has signed on for the new season -- the full cast will be announced on Tuesday morning.

Degraw's taking on a major work load -- the show premieres on March 19th ... but his tour continues through mid April.

We're told Gavin's dancing pro will most likely join him on tour so they can keep practicing -- but none of his tour dates conflict with 'DWTS' airdates.

"Dancing with the Stars" pro Mark Ballas has a MAJOR problem with the "Dance Moms" reality show -- telling TMZ, the angry screaming dance coach is verbally abusing the kids ... and she doesn't know jack squat about dancing.

In case you haven't seen the show ... dance company owner Abby Lee Miller has become famous for berating the children ... once telling a crying little girl, "You save those tears for your pillow, in your room, alone."

Mark tells us, "She's not dancing, she's just yelling at them" ... adding, "I just don't think it's the correct way to teach somebody ... Those kids are 6 years old. They're learning. They're babies ... They need to be treated the correct way."

TMZ has learned the identity of yet another of the contestants for the upcoming season of "Dancing With the Stars" ... the super hot Maria Menounos.

We revealed three cast members yesterday ... "View" host Sherri Sherpherd, "Little House of the Prairie" star Melissa Gilbert, and "Melrose Place" hunk Jack Wagner.

Now we've learned the show has picked the younger and sexier Menounos to join the mix.

Despite rumors he's quitting ... TMZ has learned, "Dancing with the Stars" pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy is COMING BACK TO THE SHOW -- and we got the video to prove it!!!

Maksim touched down in LAX yesterday for his first practice -- he didn't say much ... but as soon as he landed, guy made a beeline for an L.A. dance studio ... where he met with Melissa Gilbert -- one of the stars on the upcoming season.

TMZ broke the story ... Sherri Shepherd and Heather Locklear's ex Jack Wagner are also set to compete on the show.

TMZ has learned the secret identities of THREE new celebrity contestants on the upcoming season of "Dancing with the Stars" -- most interesting ... Heather Locklear's ex and "Melrose Place" actor Jack Wagner. You'll recall Jack and Heather got into an epic fight in December that triggered a 911 call.

Sources connected with the production tell TMZ, Sherri Shepherd from "The View" will also be competing in the upcoming season ... which kicks off next month.

As for the third -- that would be "Little House on the Prairie" star Melissa Gilbert, who was rumored to be on last season ... but that deal fell through.

We shot Melissa on her way into practice today at an L.A. dance studio (below) -- she was pretty tight-lipped.

DISCLAIMER: We are not saying women are worse drivers than men -- BUT ... Mark Ballas' girlfriend totally just destroyed the "Dancing" pro's Audi SUV ... and TMZ has obtained pics of the wreckage.

The 3-car pileup went down Saturday night on the Sunset Strip in L.A. -- sources tell TMZ, Mark's Pia Toscano replacement Tiffany Dunn was driving his Audi and accidentally rammed some dude's Porsche from behind ... sending him careening into another car.

Thankfully, everyone was fine ... and the damage on the other two cars wasn't too bad -- but that's a heckuva lot more than we can say for Mark's poor Audi, which was left in undriveable condition in the middle of the road.

We're told the car was eventually towed to safety -- and Mark's insurance company is taking care of everything else.

So -- now that we got that out of the way -- we gotta ask ...

After winning "Dancing with the Stars" and flying through the night with his trophy, Army veteran J.R. Martinez got a hero's welcome from fans outside "Good Morning America" in NYC this morning.

Martinez and his booty shaking partner Karina Smirnoff beat out Rob Kardashian and Ricki Lake for the "Dancing" crown.

Chaz Bono could be the voice trying to sell you soap -- it's all part of his grand plan after getting booted from "Dancing with the Stars."

Bono's rep/manager, Howard Bragman, tells TMZ ... Chaz took no meetings during "DWTS" -- but his team will get together this week to plot out a strategy for the next chapter.

Bragman says they're looking at several options -- including acting, voice-over work, and endorsements -- and Chaz also plans to continue booking speaking engagements.

As for whether he'd be into continuing his dancing career, Bragman says Chaz is "open to all reasonable discussions."

So we might not have seen his last Tango after all ...

Chaz Bono was eliminated from "Dancing With the Stars" tonight, and his farewell speech was one part inspiration ... and one part 'screw you' to his critics -- saying, "I wanted to show America a different kind of man."

Chaz came under fire from groups that claimed -- among other things -- he would be a bad influence on children watching 'DWTS' because he is transgender. Chaz tackled the controversy head-on after getting voted out ... saying, "If there was somebody like me on TV when I was growing up my whole life would have been different."

Chaz continued, "I dedicate everything I did to all the people out there like me -- and especially to kids and teens who are struggling."

A battle over the crapper is underway at the studio where "X Factor" and "Dancing with the Stars" are taped ... rife with allegations of toilet squatting ... and TMZ has obtained a photo of the sign that set the whole thing off.

Both shows tape at the legendary CBS Studios in Hollywood -- and recently, one of the common restrooms contained a sign with the "X Factor" logo.

Someone named Rob who works at "Dancing with the Stars" felt the "X Factor" people were claiming the bathroom as their own ... so he left an angry note right on the door which reads, "These restrooms are for everyone. If you have a problem with that, come see me. I’m on stage 46. Just ask for Rob. I’m the 6’ 3” black man.”

"Dancing with the Stars" dudes David Arquette, Val Chmerkovsiy and Chaz Bono busted a move before last night's competition and showed off their bare chests.

Safe to say the guy suing Ricki Lake for allegedly burning down his Malibu mansion is NOT a fan of "Dancing With the Stars" ... because he claims the show has derailed his lawsuit!

According to docs filed last month, the owner, Hovsep Kousouyan, has been trying to get Lake to sit for a deposition for months ... but she claims she can't because of her commitment to "DWTS."

Kousouyan's lawyers claim they've offered up at least eight different dates -- including nights and weekends -- but Lake's attorneys have repeatedly said she's unavailable until December.

Sources close to Lake tell TMZ she has no problem sitting down for the depo ... she's just been working seven days a week on "DWTS." We're told he lawyers are working on setting a date.

Kousouyan says he's out $20,000 a month on lost rent, so Lake could be on the hook for a HUGE chunk of change.

The U.S. got the shaft when it comes to "Dancing with the Stars" ... because on the Argentinian version of the show, the contestants get completely naked ... and dry hump each other ... fo' realz.