TVSquad

Dancing With the Stars is a show that makes no sense to me. I understand the appeal of it; I'm usually very interested in any program that involves celebrities doing ridiculous things on national television and I know that people love bright shiny costumes, but it still somehow manages to hold no interest for me whatsoever.

With that said, I know that the announcement of each season's DWTS cast is heavily anticipated and rumored for months before the actual announcement. We heard that Dan Marino may be a contestant; a claim that was soon denied. 82-year-old Cloris Leachman was another name floated, as was Magnum, P.I. himself, Tom Selleck. Kim Kardashian and Kathy Griffin were also said to have been approached.

As with most rumors, some of these turned out to be false, but others had some truth to them. Follow me after the jump for the official (and completely insane) cast of Dancing With the Stars' seventh season, along with some twists the producers have cooked up for this go-around.

Hey, let's all mark our calendars, because it's a big day in the TV world. Now all the people who aren't watching According to Jim on TV can not watch it on DVD.

Season one of the ABC comedy (it's a comedy, right?) will be released on Oct. 21, 2008. It's part of a deal ABC Studios inked with Lionsgate Home Entertainment to distribute select titles on DVD. Season one of Reaper is next on Nov. 4, followed by Boy Meets World (which was discontinued in 2006), Hope and Faith, and 8 Simple Rules.

That's interesting, because I've got Season one of 8 Simple Rules here (no, I didn't buy it, a publicist sent it to me), and it's from Buena Vista Home Entertainment. So Lionsgate must be taking over distribution.

AOL Television news has an interesting story by USA Today reporter Gary Levin on the impact American Idol has on other shows that share its time slot. The summary:  Idol grabs huge numbers (nearly 30 million viewers) while the other shows struggle.

Case in point, The ABC sitcoms According to Jim and Hope & Faith (which I didn't realize was still on the schedule) are earning their lowest numbers ever. NBC's Joey lasted all of one week on the Tuesday night schedule before being removed. The Idol effect is also hurting Wednesday night show's as well, especially the juggernaut known as Lost. Since the Idol result show began in late February the ABC show has lost almost 20% of its audience.

But the news is not all bad. The CBS shows NCIS and Criminal Minds are faring better against Idol, mostly due to their base of older viewers and young men. Whether they can hold on to that audience as the competition nears its end is another matter entirely.