Leachman, Lucci to compete on 'Dancing'

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- This year's contestants on "Dancing With the Stars" include daytime star Susan Lucci and 82-year-old actress Cloris Leachman, the Fox show's U.S. producers say.

The lineup of 13 contestants is certainly eclectic, ranging from veteran actress Leachman -- who won an Oscar for 1971's "The Last Picture Show" and an Emmy as the nosy landlady Phyllis on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" -- to 18-year-old "Hannah Montana" star Cody Linley, USA Today reported Monday.

The lineup will also include Lucci, a longtime fixture as Erica Kane on ABC's daytime drama "All My Children," and Grammy-winning singer Toni Braxton, hospitalized earlier this year with a heart lining inflammation.

Also appearing will be entertainer and socialite Kim Kardashian, who currently stars in her own reality show "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" on the E! Network. She might have to reconsider, however, after cutting her foot on the coffee table of a New York hotel room.

USA Today said Leachman signed on to dance after gaining the all-clear from her doctors.

"I haven't danced in 60 years," she said. "I want to get my muscles back. They're noodles. I need the exercise. This is the most pleasant way to do it."