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Dancing With the Stars Cast Dishes on New Season

Mon., Feb. 23, 2009 2:55 PM PST by Marc Malkin

CRAIG SJODIN/ABC

Dancing With the Stars is no laughing matter to Steve-O!

The Jackass prankster is apparently taking his upcoming stint on DWTS very seriously. "He truly cares," fellow contestant Gilles Marini told us last night at Leeza Gibbons' Night to Make a Difference Oscar party at Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills. "He's gonna really work hard, and he's going to do wonderful. I give him all the props in the world."

If Marini's name doesn't immediately ring a bell, his manhood work in Sex and the City sure will.

Marini played Samantha's sexed-up neighbor, Dante, in the SATC movie.

"It's going to be great," Marini said. "I just can't wait to show it."

He's talking about his dance moves, people!

In other DWTS news, Denise Richards is already hoping a lucky charm will give her a lift in the competition, which kicks off March 9 on ABC. The E! reality star plans on wearing Jane Seymour's open-heart necklace during the competition.

"I wore the necklace when I did Dancing With the Stars, and that became my lucky piece," said Seymour, who competed in season five. "Then Marissa [Winokur] danced with Tony Dovolani, and she wasn't doing so well, but then she wore my necklace and made it to fourth place. So, now Denise is wearing it."

The party at Mr. Chow, which benefited the Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre also attracted Teri Hatcher, Paris Hilton, Michael Bublé and Hilary Duff.

—Additional reporting by Dahvi Shira