DwtS Offseason Update: 12-06-06

The exposure from their appearances on Dancing with the Stars has been good for the careers of Mario Lopez and Jerry Springer. One of them earned a role on George Lopez's sitcom, and the other is shilling for a video game. Guess who got which gig.

Tour News
At his forum, Maksim Chmerkovskiy further explained why he chose to drop out of the DwtS Tour:

"Sometimes certain situations in life present themselves and you have to make a decision. That is exactly what happened in this particular case. I made a decision to benefit the future. At this particular point, I cannot reveal any more information; your understanding of my privacy is greatly appreciated."

At this point, no one is slated to replace Willa and Max on the tour.

Season 4 Rumors
Almost as quickly as the rumor surfaced, it was put to rest. Jennifer Aniston will not be on Dancing with the Stars 4 this spring.

Other News
Mario Lopez has parlayed his popularity from DwtS into a few new jobs. He's signed a talent holding deal with the CW network to join the cast of a current CW show or develop a new show for the 2007-2008 season.

In the meantime, Mario did an embarrassing dance routine at a launch party for the video game Viva Pinata.

Jerry Springer has made a few career changes of his own since the end of his run on DwtS. On Tuesday, he ended production of his radio show , because of increasing demands on his time. He's going to play a recurring character on the George Lopez show, and he's filming a movie in February.

Jerry also joined Sara Evans on stage at her December 1 show at the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville, Indiana. One of Sara's songs, "You'll Always Be My Baby," has been adapted into a children's book.