The fourth season of Dancing with the Stars will be heading soon to a TV screen near you. Sure, the cast this season stretches the term “star” as only these reality TV competitions can, but it’s all good. Jerry Springer, himself a DWTS alum, announced the new wannabe hoofers today on Good Morning America.

So, without further ado, let’s learn who will be dancing their way into America’s hearts in less than a month’s time, shall we?

LAILA ALI– the daughter of the legendary Muhammad Ali is a talented boxer in her own right. Laila didn’t originally intend to follow in her daddy’s footsteps. She owned a nail salon and was headed for business school ‘til the fighting bug got stuck in her blood. Since her professional debut, Laila has been undefeated.  She successfully defended her WBC and WIBA belts against Gwendolyn O’Neil in South Africa on February 3, 2007. The beautiful 29 year-old Ms. Ali has also appeared on the covers of Glamour and Italian Vogue. She is the author of an inspirational autobiography, Reach!

Laila will be paired with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. This is Maksim’s third season on DWTS. Last season, he worked with Willa Ford and was rumored to have begun a romantic relationship with her. However, it was later revealed that she is engaged to be married…to someone else.

BILLY RAY CYRUS – the “Achy, Breaky Heart” country sensation seemed to fade away for a bit, finally resurfacing along with his daughter Miley Cyrus on the Disney channel smash hit series, Hannah Montana. During the in-between years, this handsome father of five reconnected with his musical roots on the beautiful “faith journey” CD, The Other Side. He also starred on the PAX TV series, DOC. His current album is entitled Wanna Be Your Joe.

Cyrus will be kicking it with Karina Smirnoff. Last season – Karina’s first – she danced with and romanced the runner-up, Mario Lopez.

CLYDE DREXLER – one of the NBA’s “all-time great guards”, Drexler stands 6ft. 7in. tall and weighs only 222 lbs. His nickname is Clyde the Glide, which bodes well for his standings in this competition. Drexler was a member of the 1992 Olympic Dream Team and led the Portland Blazers to two NBA Finals. However, he didn’t earn his championship ring ‘til he went to play for the Houston Rockets. He retired from the sport in 1998.

Clyde is partnered with Elena Grinenko. Grinenko, who hails from Russia like Chmerkovskiy and Smirnoff, was eliminated first last season, along with her “celeb”, political pundit, Tucker Carlson.

JOEY FATONE – best known as a member of the boy-band, ‘NSync, Fatone had the rumor mill buzzing back in December about his involvement with DWTS. In recent years, Fatone became a dad, got hitched and appeared on Broadway (Rent, Little Shop of Horrors) and in films (My Big, Fat Greek Wedding, The Cooler).

Joey is going to be working with Kym Johnson. The Aussie-lovely has appeared on the Australian edition of DWTS and Celebrity Survivor Vanuatu in her homeland. This is her second season on the US series. She was previously paired with Jerry Springer, which is ironic as one of Joey’s exes, Kendra Jade, once dated – and reportedly made a video – with Mr. Springer.

Eek!

SHANDI FINNESSEY – was crowned Miss USA in 2004 at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. (Hey, that’s the same place American Idol uses for its finale!) Since then, the beauty has co-hosted Lingo with Chuck Woolery, hosted the Ultimate Blackjack Tour on CBS (and PlayMania for GSN), done commentary for various beauty pageants including the 2006 Miss Universe Pageant and appeared on numerous talk shows. The willowy blond (she’s 5ft. 10 in. tall) also finds time to model too.

She’s going to dance with newcomer Brian Fortuna, who runs the Universal Dance Studio in Collingswood, NJ.

LEEZA GIBBONS – has had her own TV talk show, Leeza and was a correspondent/co-host of Entertainment Tonight. She was also an anchor on Extra. Leeza can currently be found on the radio with Leeza Live. A mother of three, Gibbons has also received the Congressional Horizon Award for her work on children’s issues. She is also deeply involved with her own nonprofit, the Memory Foundation, which aids families, individuals and caregivers who are afflicted with and affected by Alzheimer’s Disease. Leeza lost her beloved mother to the condition.

Tony Dovolani will work with Leeza. This ethnic Albanian who was born in Kosovo began folkdancing as a toddler. At the age of 15, he emigrated to the US with his family. He’s been paired up with Stacy Keibler and Sara Evans on his previous two seasons on Dancing with the Stars.

HEATHER MILLS – the soon to be ex-wife of former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, Mills is a model turned activist who lost her leg after being struck by a motorcycle in London back in 1993. The steely blonde has a 3 year old daughter named Beatrice. She is a champion for animal rights and is a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador.

Jonathan Roberts, a gifted ballroom dancer who is often partnered with his lovely Russian-born wife, Anna Trebunskaya, for competitions, will help Ms. Mills learn her steps this time around. He’s a three-season vet of Dancing with the Stars.

APOLO ANTON OHNO – He first came to the world’s attention during the 2002 Winter Olympics. Ohno won a gold and silver medal in Salt Lake City and earned three medallions in Torino (2006). Ohno and his father, Yuki, a native of Japan, are very close. In fact, Yuki raised Anton after his parents divorced. It was Yuki who introduced the youngster, who also swims rather well, to short-track ice skating. It’s not certain whether Ohno will go to the 2010 Olympics.

Julianne Hough is going to put the moves on the handsome Ohno this season. It’s the eighteen year old’s first DWTS series appearance although she’s been a fixture on the recent live tour. Originally from Utah, Hough is currently making headlines for being involved in a plane crash while en route to work with Ohno in Cleveland. Ohno was in town for a skating competition.

VINCENT PASTORE – best known for his role as Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on The Sopranos, Pastore is also a veteran film actor. He’s appeared in the movies Mickey Blue Eyes, Corky Romano and Riding in Cars with Boys. Vincent did the voice of Luca in 2004’s animated smash hit Shark Tale. He’s also a reality TV vet. Pastore lost almost 30 lbs. on the fourth season of Vh-1’s Celebrity Fit Club.

Edyta Sliwinska will put Pastore through his paces on the show. The Latin dancer, who was brought up in Poland, is certain to help Pastore keep fit. She’s the only dancer who’s been on all four seasons of DWTS. Edyta previously worked with George Hamilton, Evander Holyfield and Joey Lawrence.

PAULINA PORIZKOVA – once revered as the most beautiful woman in the world, Porizkova made a fortune with her gorgeous face. She was born in Czechoslovakia but was brought up under harsh conditions in Sweden. John Casablancas, the head of Elite Model Management, discovered her while she was still a teenager. Her Sports Illustrated swimsuit covers (1984 and 1985) were highly celebrated. The supermodel has also been on People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful list several times. Porizkova made several films including Anna and Her Alibi. In recent years, the intelligent beauty, who is a mother of two, has become a writer. Porizkova, who wed Ric Ocasek, lead singer of the Boston-based rock band, The Cars in 1989, is still happily married.

Alec Mazo is making his return to Dancing with the Stars. He coached season one winner, Kelly Monaco. The luscious Russian, who often works with Edyta Sliwinska, appeared in the feature film Dance with Me and is an avid soccer player.

IAN ZIERING – the former husband of Playmate (and Price is Right model) Nikki Schieler Ziering, Ian portrayed Steve Sanders onBeverly Hills 90210. Prior to that, he starred on CBS soap, The Guiding Light. He has also been featured on TV in shows such as Melrose Place, JAG and Son of the Beach and in films like Endless Love and No Way Back.

Cheryl Burke, who has won back-to-back seasons of DWTS, will share the spotlight with Ziering. Burke is the only dancer to win twice. Drew Lachey and Emmitt Smith were her former partners. She is also the youngest dancer to be nominated at the Emmy Awards (2006) for Outstanding Choreography.

Don’t forget to catch Dancing with the Stars this season. The series premieres on March 19^th at 8pm ET on ABC!