While it’s not yet official that “Gossip Girl” actor Chace Crawford will step into Kevin Bacon’s dancing shoes for the remake of “Footloose,” a certain TV actress already wants to be his partner. 

E! News reports “Heroes” star Hayden Panettiere has auditioned for the part of Ariel, and sources say she wowed the filmmakers with her singing. ”They were really impressed. No one realized what a good singer she is.”

The next step will likely be a dance audition with Crawford, but this casting is no done deal. “Dancing with the Stars” beauty/country songbird Julianne Hough is also interested, and she can dance rings around practically anyone else. 

Last fall, Julianne Hough stated she would not return for the next season of “Dancing with the Stars,” but the producers lured her back by offering her hunky honey Chuck Wicks a spot on the show. 

Now the two-time “DWTS” champ says she’s sitting out next season, and it looks like she means it this time. Chuck and Julianne were voted off the show this week, and both plan to get back to their careers in country music. Hough told Access Hollywood, “I’m not doing next season. I’m gonna take one off.

“We definitely went further than anticipated. I think he could have made it a little bit further, but you know what? It’s the name of the game and it’s about fan base and hopefully our country fans will follow us into music.”

Could this too-cute couple be the next Tim and Faith? They have the looks, even if they don’t yet have the hits!

Julianne Hough has coached two winners on “Dancing with the Stars,” but faces a unique challenge this year—training her real-life boyfriend Chuck Wicks. The country heartthrob has one big thing going for him—he’s hot. Other than that, he’s a mess. How long can the Ken&Barbie cuteness of Chulianne keep this pair in the running when Chuck’s just not improving?

One way is to beg your fans for votes. That’s just what Julianne did today in her MySpace blog:

Friday, March 20, 2009 

At Disney World without Chuck…. lol
Hey guys,I just finished a show here at disney world for the childrens miracle network. it was such a cool experience to meet all the champion kids… makes you really appreciate what you have and what you can do to help raise awareness for them…im just laying in bed with lexi [her spaniel], she is on my right arm asleep so it’s taking me forever to type cause im doing it with my left hand…lol
anyways i’m just laying here thinking about how hard it’s gonna be to start teaching chuck our dance for next week tomorrow. we are so behind because we are both still touring. he is in new hampshire tonight i think… i get on a flight at 5:50am to CT to meet him for his show. we should get a couple of hours of training in before he goes on… and then we both fly again the next morning at about 5am to Mississippi for a show i’m doing there… hopefully you guys will vote this week, i think we are really going to need it!!! 

Yeah, you probably are. If Clutzy Chuck can’t shape up by the time the really bad dancers go home, this darling duo won’t be long in the ballroom.

Tonight’s season finale will be Julianne Hough’s last appearance on the show—for awhile. anyway. She’s sitting out next season to spend more time in Nashville working on her singing career as well as spending time with BF Chuck Wicks. Hough told People magazine at Sunday’s American Music Awards:

“I’m actually going to take next season off and really focus on my music. Get ready for the next record, start writing, going on tour, [and] promoting this record.”

She’s already bought a condo in Nashville and will be settling in for the holidays before going into the studio to record her second album. Meanwhile, back at “DWTS,” rookie Lacey Schwimmer seems poised to fill Hough’s dancing shoes—especially if she and partner Lance Bass win tonight.

Two-time “Dancing with the Stars” winner Julianne Hough won’t be back for the next season of the show because she wants to concentrate on her country music career. She told Ryan Seacrest on his KIIS-FM radio show:

“I’m not going to be back next season. That’s final. I’m definitely not going back next season. It’s because I really, really want to focus on the music and kind of be taken seriously a little bit. I think it’s hard to be on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ and be singing and kind of get that confusion, and so I’m really going to focus on the music. Music is where I want to be.”

Does she really mean Nashville is where she wants to be? That’s where her boyfriend, hunky country crooner Chuck Wicks, lives. The couple met while both were opening for superstar Brad Paisley. Hough’s first album came out earlier this year.

The current season os ABC hit “Dancing with the Stars” has sent more players to the hospital than the NFL. Julianne Hough (pictured) is still out recovering from an operation due to endometriosis and now Kym Johnson is the latest pro to struggle with bad luck. The Aussie has suffered a shoulder injury that may require surgery, but she’s expected to dance with partner Warren Sapp tonight. The pros aren’t the only ones hurting—stars Misty May, Jerry, Brooke and Susan have all been hurt already, and the season’s not nearly over yet.

Two-time “Dancing with the Stars” winner Julianne Hough spent five years suffering in silence from endometriosis but hopes to save other women from the same thing. 

“I’ve always been honest, and to be honest, I think it can help other girls who ignore pain. You don’t have to ignore pain. I didn’t want this whole drama with, kije, the cameras filming you. I kept going through the show and I was just kind of quiet, and through the show it just kept getting worse and worse.”

Julianne’s now recuperating from surgery for appendicitis and complications of endometriosis and hopes to return to “DWTS” in another week or two.

Those stomach pains Julianne Hough suffered during last week’s episodes of “Dancing with the Stars” turned out to be not-so-minor after all. Hough will be dancing with partner Cody Linley on tonight’s show but tomorrow she’ll be heading for the hospital to have her appendix removed. The dancing star has also been diagnosed with endometriosis, which can cause growths in and around the uterus. Hough may be back in action as early as next week while Linley will be paired with another partner during her absence. Get well soon, Julianne!

This season of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” is getting to be more dangerous than playing for the NFL. The latest participant to be rushed to the hospital is perky pro dancer Julianne Hough, who complained of stomach pains. The two-time DWTS winner wrote in her blog today that she “didn’t feel well all day” but was determined to get through the show. A trip to Cedars Sinai Medical Center showed the dancer (and budding country star) had just an ordinary tummyache but she’s taking it easy today before going back to rehearsals. She reassured fans “Everybody, I’m OK. I’m fine.” As a DWTS viewer, I’m glad she’ll be back because her jitterbug with “Hannah Montana” actor Cody Linley was the highlight of this week’s show.