Dancing with the Stars 8 debuts tonight on ABC at 8 ET. Here’s some last minute news before the big two-hour premiere.

Last week, it was reported that Holly Madison would take the place of Jewel, who had to drop out of the competition after fracturing both tibias during rehearsal.

Now People reports that the spot left open by Nancy O’Dell, who has a torn meniscus in her knee, will be filled by Melissa Rycroft, the woman who got dumped by The Bachelor last week. O’Dell spoke with Access Hollywood about her injury.

A source inside DwtS confirmed to People that Madison and Rycroft will dance during tonight’s premiere, even though they’ve only had days to practice. Since there is no Results Show this week, Madison and Rycroft won’t be penalized for having had less time to rehearse than the other couples.

What do you think of the latest additions to DwtS 8? Melissa Rycroft was certainly cast because she dominated headlines last week, and Holly Madison has had her fair share of publicity recently as well, after leaving Hugh Hefner and dumping Criss Angel. If newsworthiness was the main casting requirement, I assume that Rycroft and Madison were cast only after Rihanna and the Octomom rejected ABC’s offers.

EW.com ranked the DwtS 8 contestants before Jewel and O’Dell confirmed that they’d be leaving the show; TV Guide’s reader poll ranks the contestants without them. Which of the dancers do you think will burn out early, and who’s in it for the long haul?

ET caught up with Steve Wozniak & Karina Smirnoff in rehearsal and recorded a video interview. Us Weekly has a photo gallery of all of the couples in rehearsal.

In another video, The Insider filmed DwtS co-host Samantha Harris, Denise Richards and the female pro dancers as they enjoyed a pre-show spa day. Is it just me, or did Edyta Sliwinska seem a little nervous about her chances this season?

If you’re still hungry for more Dancing with the Stars news, feast upon these interviews with Shawn Johnson, Gilles Marini, Derek Hough and the wonderful Tom Bergeron.

A link to the MOIB chatroom is already posted on the homepage; you’re welcome to gather there during the East Coast live broadcast of DwtS to chat with other fans. Greg and I may check in on the chat (which is often much more fun than the show itself), but we won’t make a point of watching the show live, as we have in the past. I’ve been disappointed in the last two seasons, so I plan to record the show and watch the routines later that night.

Consequently, I won’t be posting full recaps of the show this season. After the East Coast broadcast airs, I’ll post a thread with the night’s scores and space for comments. Tuesday morning, I’ll post what videos of the routines I find on YouTube. And, of course, I’ll still be posting DwtS news throughout the week in Ox Notes.

Here’s hoping Dancing with the Stars 8 returns the show to its former glory.

Maybe it’s time to rethink the way celebrities train for Dancing with the Stars. Nancy O’Dell joins Jewel and Gilles Marini on the list of pre-season wounded, suffering from a right knee injury. O’Dell told TV Guide that she thinks she’ll be ready for Monday night’s DwtS 8 premiere.

Jewel’s knee tendinitis may be severe enough to have forced her out of the competition already. US Weekly reports that Holly Madison of E!’s Girls Next Door is ready to take Jewel’s place in the DwtS 8 cast on Monday night.

Update: TV Guide confirms that both Jewel and Nancy O’Dell are dropping out of the competition due to injuries sustained in rehearsals.

Belinda Carlisle told People that she’s struggling with her spins, although she looked pretty good in her Access Hollywood rehearsal video.

Variety’s Brian Lowry offers advice to actors in this sluggish economy: "If you say things like ‘I’ll get this to the lab right away, boss’ on a crime procedural, this isn’t the year to try renegotiating that contract."

Just what every nerd needs: Star Trek cologne.

After watching last night’s Top Chef New York reunion, EW’s Christine Spines wonders if the judges gave Hosea the title simply because he’s less obnoxious than Stefan.

Top Chef judge Toby Young blogged about how the gay rights movement made Stefan & Fabio’s "bromance" possible. The blog post also includes a story about Toby and Stefan going to a lesbian bar after filming the reunion special.

Ox Notes will be back on Monday, March 9 with a special Dancing with the Stars 8 news roundup. Let’s see who else gets injured between now and then.

With the Dancing with the Stars 8 premiere less than a week away, the contestants are all over the Web. Here are links to rehearsal videos of Lil’ Kim & Derek, Denise & Maks and Steve-O & Lacey.

In retrospect, I should’ve known that Belinda Carlisle was going to be on DwtS 8 on January 28. That’s when she became a spokeswoman for NutriSystem, following in the footsteps of DwtS alums Joey Fatone and Marie Osmond. The former Go-Go spoke with E! and TV Guide about her DwtS training.

With spring around the corner, networks are rolling out their green initiatives. FOX’s 24 was able to reduce its carbon footprint by 43% during the production of Season 7. And Discovery announced two new shows debuting this month that deal with green energy and climate change.

NBC release a list of guest stars appearing on its shows in March.

In May, Food Network will debut Sandra’s Money Saving Meals starring Sandra Lee. First money saving tip: stop spending all that money on those stupid tablescapes she features on Semi-Homemade.

Weeks after getting out of a contract due to alleged mercury poisoning acquired by eating too much sushi, Jeremy Piven was spotted dining on calamari salad and tuna tartare. Well played, Mr. Piven. Well played.

Spike TV is bringing back ’80s comedy legend Super Dave Osborne for a limited series this summer. If you’ve never seen the master of fake stunts gone awry, check out his failed attempt to jump off of Toronto’s CN Tower:

Monday night’s After the Final Rose special proved last week’s rumors true, and Jason Mesnick proved to be one of the biggest jerks in Bachelor history. Bachelor host Chris Harrison blogged that Melissa wasn’t blindsided by what transpired on the ATFR special.

Jason told People that he was contractually obligated to crush Melissa in front of the cameras. What, he couldn’t pretend to be in an awkward, long distance relationship until the season was over, and then dump her in private?

Speaking of huge tools, Gilles "The Naked Guy from the Sex and the City Movie" Marini is concerned that the tight pants he’ll be wearing for Dancing with the Stars 8 might show his "thing." He should be more concerned that he has tendinitis in his groin and shoulder.

Access Hollywood‘s website posted videos of Nancy O’Dell and Shawn Johnson rehearsing for DwtS 8.

In TV development news, ABC canceled Life on Mars, and CBS renewed Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory.

Ubiquitous TV ad men Billy Mays and Anthony "Sully" Sullivan are getting their own reality show on Discovery called Pitchmen starting on April 15.

Survivor: Tocantins‘ Jerry told People that eating uncooked beans cost him his chance at $1 million.

In an interview with TV Guide, eliminated Amazing Race duo Brad & Victoria revealed that Brad recently learned that he has cancer, and that Victoria needs surgery to repair a hip injury she sustained on the race. The married couple also mentioned that their missed connection in Amsterdam allowed them to watch the results of the U.S. Presidential Election on a TV in a cushy hotel room.