Associated Press

The yearly announcement of the dozen has-beens and wannabees for “Dancing With The Stars” has become a publicity event on par with the revelation of the Oscar nominees and Pulitzer Prize candidates. In addition to my dear friend Marie Osmond, the line-up includes a Spice Girl, a race car driver, a soap opera hunk, Wayne Newton, an Abercrombie & Fitch model, and Jennie Garth. (Can’t the entertainment industry do without Jennie Garth? Is she truly necessary?)

Jane Seymour has had several back surgeries but will dance, scars and all. The Spice Girl will dance, paternity suit she threw at Eddie Murphy and all. I kid you not: Larry King already polled TV viewers and they voted (in a landslide) for Marie Osmond without seeing one step of dancing from any of the participants. This was, bar none, the stupidest thing I’ve seen on television since I mistakenly allowed Gayle King to co-host “The View.”

Admittedly, I was asked to be one of the stars in this year’s extravaganza. However, I declined the offer because I’m developing my own series called “Dancing With The Presidential Candidates.” Each one of them, from Edwards to McCain to Mitt Romney, is expert at dancing around political issues, so adding music and movement to the mix seemed like a natural!