On Mar. 17, a new crop of contestants will hit the dance floor with their pro partners, hoping to cha-cha their way to winning Dancing with the Stars bragging rights and that famous mirror ball trophy.

This time, the dancing dozen includes athletes, actors, a musician and a magician: sports legends Kristi Yamaguchi, Monica Seles, and Jason Taylor, TV and movie stars Shannon Elizabeth, Marlee Matlin, Priscilla Presley, Steve Guttenberg, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Cristián de la Fuente, and Adam Carolla, singer Mario, and Penn Jillette of illusionist duo Penn & Teller.

This show has got huge over the past few years and this year seems like it will be a decent year as well.

Here is a bit of an interview that Danny Noriega gave a few days ago now.

Q: Were you surprised by the reaction to your YouTube clip making the rounds online?

A: That’s something that is so, like, forever ago that I used to do. It’s almost like another person ago. That’s when I was younger. It was more like an acting thing I used to do, personalities and stuff like that. I’m actually kind of shocked that they used that one. There’s more interesting ones. [He laughs.]

Q: You’re not the only one with a pseudo-scandal: David Hernandez has also been taking some heat for his stripper past. How do you guys handle that pressure?

A: It’s just really weird. Doing something as simple as making an acting video — which I did, like, so many moons ago — something little like that, that was made for humor, gets blown up out of proportion and can be kind of shown as your character, and it’s not the kind of person that I am, you know what I mean? I just think it’s pretty sad that people will do that just to tear down somebody’s success. We’re all trying to be somebody in life right now, and we don’t understand why people would try to cut us down by doing things like that.

Q: Do you think your unique personality helped you get this far in the competition?

A: You always want to stay true to yourself. I think the other contestants were all different, but I definitely was, like, really, really different. [He laughs.] But I wasn’t trying to be different or anything, it just came naturally.

Q: Did anyone ever ask you to tone it down a bit?

A: Definitely. I got that a lot. Yeah, I didn’t really listen! [He laughs.]

Q: How do you feel about becoming a role model to young “Idol” fans?

A: I love the little fan letters that I’m getting from these little kids telling me that they admire me … for being myself and that I’ve showed them that you can be different and still be successful. … I really like to inspire those little kids that think that they can’t do anything because they’re different in ways, whether it’s sexuality or their race or anything like that. It’s fine to be yourself and be successful.

Hillary hints at Clinton-Obama ticket for election

Hillary Clinton was up early today, appearing on the morning television shows a day after her primary wins in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island and suggesting that she and her opponent, Sen. Barack Obama, might share the Democratic ticket — with her in the No. 1 slot.

“That may be where this is headed,” Clinton said. “But of course we have to decide who is on the top of the ticket. I think the people of Ohio very clearly said it should be me.” She said Democratic voters have begun to focus on who would be the best commander-in-chief.

“I really think that now that Senator John McCain is going to be the nominee, Democratic voters have begun to take their decision very seriously, and that works to my benefit,” Clinton said on NBC’s “Today” program.

I’m sure everyone has heard about David Hernandez’s gay stripper job her held for three years. (not that there is anything wrong with that)

After his rendition of “All Coming Back to Me Now,” Simon can be heard telling the other judges to “say I liked the way you stripped it down.”

Simon cannot let things go and has to always get his 2C in.

Britney Spears has refused to attend her younger sisters alleged wedding. Sources say the singer’s pregnant 16-year-old sister Jamie Lynn Spears is set to marry her 19-year-old boyfriend Casey Aldridge before their child is born.

Sources say Jamie Lynn asked Britney to be the maid of honor at her ceremony but the singer told her “hell would freeze over” before she would attend the wedding.

“When Jamie Lynn asked her, Britney laughed sarcastically down the phone. She told her hell would freeze over before she’d stand as her maid of honor then hung up on her,” said the insider.