STAGE TUBE: Donny Osmond Talks 'DANCING' To ET

Entertainment Tonight got the excited reaction of new "Dancing with the Stars" contender Donny Osmond, following the announcement on "Good Morning America" that he would be joining the competitive dance show.

Donny was born December 9, 1957 to George and Olive Osmond in Ogden Utah. He is the seventh of nine children: eight boys and one girl. The entire Osmond Family have a long and varied career, which had a humble beginning singing barbershop harmony on Main Street Disneyland. Soon thereafter, Donny and his siblings became very successful teen idols worldwide.

Donny Osmond had performed on Broadway prior to 2006 in George M. Cohan's Little Johnny Jones, but his stay was short-lived. All that changed when Donny was invited by Disney to star in the Broadway production of Beauty and The Beast. Playing the role of the villainous Gaston was a change for Donny, who said it was an opportunity for his "mischievous side to shine." After his 12-week run ended, he was asked to return in July 2008 for the final performance as it closed its doors.

Today, Donny performs at the Las Vegas Flamingo Hotel with his sister, Marie. The show began back in September 2008 and was originally scheduled to run for 6 months. The response was so overwhelming that the Flamingo immediately asked for a two year extension. The Donny & Marie Show is scheduled to continue through October 2010.

ABC's Dancing with the Stars recently announced a new twist for the upcoming season. The new season of the ABC hit television show will premiere with 16 celebrities, and pare them down with one particularly "brutal" elimination schedule. The ninth season of the hit ABC show premieres Sept. 21.

Hosted by Tom Bergeron (America's Funniest Home Videos) and Samantha Harris (E! Entertainment), the celebrities performed choreographed dance routines which will be judged by renowned Ballroom judge Len Goodman and dancer/choreographers Bruno Tonioli andCarrie Ann Inaba.

Dancing with the Stars is the U.S. version of the international smash hit series, Strictly Come Dancing. This version is produced by BBC Worldwide Americas. Conrad Green serves as executive producer and Rob Wade and Matilda Zoltowski are co-executive producers. Alex Rudzinski directs. Dancing with the Stars is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound and Spanish audio via SAP. For more information, visit www.abc.com.