"Dancing With the Stars"

Last night, the phone rang and it was my sister, Dorothy, who yelled, "Turn the channel to 'Dance Wars'! They're announcing the 'Dancing With the Stars' stars!"

Of course, I did.

Jerry Rice, Kenny Mayne and Lisa Rinna were making the announcement on the DanceCenter set.

We missed the first contestant, which was deaf actress Marlee Matlin. Dorothy said Mayne, who was wearing blue eye shadow and a sparkly purple shirt, intoned in his patented blank tone something like: "She's the lucky one. She won't be able to hear anything Bruno says."

The other "stars" are Priscilla Presley, Adam Carolla, Cristían de la Fuente, Shannon Elizabeth, Steve Guttenberg, Mario, Penn Jillette, Monica Seles, Jason Taylor, Marissa Jaret Winokur and Kristi Yamaguchi.

Matlin is the second Academy Award winner. Tatum O'Neal was the first. Winokur, the original Tracy in "Hairspray," is the first Tony Award winner.

Presley is the oldest at 62. I'm guessing that Mario, at 21, is the youngest.

I'm going to predict that Penn of Penn and Teller fame, will be the first to be eliminated. In case you're wondering, he's the one big one who talks.

My pick for the winner? Either Taylor or Yamaguchi.

The pairings are: De la Fuente and Cheryl Burke, Elizabeth and Derek Hough, Guttenberg and Anna Trebunskaya, Mario and Karina Smirnoff, Penn and Kym Johnson, Presley and Louis van Amstel, Seles and Jonathan Roberts, Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska, Winokur and Tony Dovolani, Carolla and Julianne Hough and Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas. Matlin will be paired with newcomer Fabian Sanchez.

Best looking pairing? Taylor and Sliwinska. No doubt.

I never got into "Dance Wars," but I love "Dancing With the Stars."

The first show is 8 p.m. March 17. There will be a double elimination on March 25.

I can't wait!