Dancing with the Stars

Cat-astrophe avoided at "Dancing With the Stars" -- when a stowaway kitten that had been stuck inside a car's motor was rescued by two PAs -- who heard the engine purring -- literally.

Production sources tell us ... the PAs heard noises from a random vehicle on the lot. They walked up to the car and heard the meows ... then discovered a kitten trapped under the hood.

Interesting Fact: Cats are known to climb near car engines to stay warm at night.

Back to the story ... The PAs tried luring the critter out with tuna ... when that didn't work, one of them crawled under the car, reached into the engine compartment and snatched the kitty.

The most amazing part ... the heroes believe the stray was inside the engine when the driver took the car from the San Fernando Valley to Hollywood.

Julianne Hough has learned a hard lesson about the movie biz ... it ain't that easy, so she's returning to "Dancing with the Stars" but this time as a judge ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected with the show tell us ... they've made an offer to Julianne to become the 4th judge ... the other 3 are coming back. We're told the 2 sides are in negotiations and are expected to make the deal.

Julianne left the show years ago to pursue an acting and singing career, but it's been rough going ... particularly "Rock of Ages" and "Footloose."

We're told her commitment to DWTS is only a couple of hours a week, so she'll still pursue acting.

"Dancing with the Stars" star Cheryl Burke looks dramatically different these days ... but she says she's NOT deathly ill ... hasn't had plastic surgery ... and she's pissed at all the trash talk.

Burke -- who recently dropped a sizable amount of weight -- posted this pic on Facebook ... and got bombarded with comments from people saying she looks anorexic. Someone even suggested she's dying of AIDS.

One person wrote, "Those Botox lips need there [sic] own FB page, gross" ... and another said she should delete the pic before it ends up on TMZ.

Burke is especially upset because she believes the same people who are trash-talking her now are the ones who called her fat before.

Burke -- who was once a regular on the club/party circuit -- tells TMZ there's absolutely nothing wrong with her ... she recently turned 30 and decided to stop drinking and hard partying. She says she's living healthy ... and that what you see is the result of hard work.

Burke tells us, "I didn't have plastic surgery and I don't have an eating disorder. I'm just actually happy."

Anyone who was banging Jennifer Lopez would shout it from the rooftops … unfortunately Maksim Chmerkovskiy is not just anyone.

Our photog tried to confirm the rumors the two dancers were knocking boots, but Maksim didn't bite. Well, kinda ...

Maksim Chmerkovskiy danced around the question ... is he banging Jennifer Lopez?

We got Maksim in NYC and asked him about the pic we posted Monday ... showing him and JLo hanging out in Connecticut Saturday night ... definitely looking cozy.

Our photog was pretty direct, and Maksim very cleverly deflected the questions.

Yeah, they're totally together.

Jennifer Lopez and Maksim Chmerkovskiy say they're just friends, but they could smell each others pheromones judging from this pic ... obtained by TMZ.

JLo and Maksim were at the Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut Saturday night after her show. They hit up the Shrine nightclub and were certainly close.

They say they're just friends with a common interest ... dancing. Interesting ... she said on a TV show recently that dancers were better in the sack than actors. It's a compliment to Maksim and a diss to you know who.

Mark Ballas was in a bad car accident Monday afternoon and ended up in an L.A. hospital ... TMZ has learned.

We're told Mark was driving on an L.A. street, in the process of turning right, when another car was speeding in his lane, couldn't stop in time and slammed into his back right side.

Mark complained of whiplash and back pain. His girlfriend took him to Cedars-Sinai Medial Center where doctors examined him and prescribed some pain meds. Doctors told him the pain would get worse tomorrow, which isn't great news because Mark is scheduled to perform this week where he'll have a guitar strapped to his body as he sings and dances.

Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Meryl Davis from "Dancing with the Stars" are huge losers ... 'cause even though they won the disco ball thingy ... they missed out on a ridiculously over-the-top feast at the wrap party.

After the finale, 'DWTS' threw the bash featuring a $70K menu designed by a bunch of TV chefs -- from "MasterChef" and "Top Chef." Some of the gut-busting highlights included:

-- Beef cheeks over pureed cauliflower
-- Bacon grilled cheese served w/ chilled heirloom roasted red & yellow tomato soup
-- Louisiana pan fried chicken
-- Andouille and sausage gumbo w/ cornbread

Go ahead and drool through the gallery ... which includes the kick ass dessert -- a dance floor made of 200 chocolate and strawberry infused cupcakes, all whipped up by Blendtec.

James Maslow's fans are fuming mad he got kicked off "Dancing With the Stars" this week ... claiming a glitch in fan voting might have cost James votes ... TMZ has learned.

Maslow and his partner Peta Murgatroyd got the ax on Monday's show, despite not finishing with the lowest score from the judges (that would be Candace Cameron Bure and Mark Ballas).

Several fans have voiced outrage over Facebook voting, claiming votes for James and Peta were instead counted for Meryl and Maxim (see below).

But a rep for ABC claims despite the automated Facebook response ... the votes were all counted correctly. The rep blew off the apparent error as a "caching anomaly" that only affected a small amount of users.

Amy Purdy -- the double amputee competing on "Dancing with the Stars" -- is using low rider technology to give her a competitive edge on the show -- she's testing out prosthetic feet that are powered with hydraulics.

The U.S. Paralympic snowboarder tells TMZ she's pushing the boundaries of technology and creativity by experimenting with different kinds of artificial feet to enhance her dancing abilities ... including a pair with hydraulic ankles.

We're told Southern California Prosthetics in Orange County sent over several sets of feet for Amy to try out this week with her partner, Derek Hough. Amy says she wants to try out different types of feet for different dances -- for example, she wants feet with high heels to do the samba.

But she's also testing out the hydraulic gams that allow her ankles to move in different directions -- rather than being stuck at a 90 degree angle -- which means she can extend her foot off the ground or land gracefully on the tips of her toes if she's doing a contemporary dance routine.

And you were worried about your own two left feet.

Cody Simpson has lost his right of privacy while doing "Dancing With the Stars." He cannot remove his mic while he's on the phone, while he's talking business, while he reveals his most inner thoughts. The only exception -- taking a dump.

The contract Cody signed makes the NSA look like child's play. We got a copy because Cody's only 17 and the doc has to be filed with the court.

Cody agrees to wear a mic during rehearsal's and training, with only a bathroom break out.

The Australian singer gets a guaranteed $125K ... which goes up the longer he stays on the show. It caps out at $50K per week if he's in the finals.

And, "DWTS" cleverly figured out a way to block Jimmy Fallon from hijacking ABC stars. Cody specifically agreed to appear on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," "Good Morning America," and "The View."

Here's how onerous the deal is ... "DWTS" has final cut on Cody's hairstyle.

Aiden Turner -- like the 1980 US Hockey Team -- now believes in miracles ... because his lawyer just got him an unbelievable plea bargain in his domestic violence case.

The former "All My Children" star was charged with 2 counts of domestic violence with injury and 2 other related charges. He allegedly chucked a remote at his live-in girlfriend and gave her a black eye and bruised her elbow.

Enter criminal defense attorney Mike Cavalluzzi. He scored a plea where ALL of the charges were dropped and Aiden pled no contest to misdemeanor disturbing the peace.

Aiden -- who you may remember from "Dancing with the Stars" -- must complete 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling. After 1 year the plea is reduced to a mere infraction -- like a traffic ticket.

This is a story about two young people with a special connection who just bought a house together to begin a new chapter of their lives ... Derek Hough and Mark Ballas.

TMZ has learned ... the "Dancing with the Stars" pros -- who also happen to be BFFAEs -- just went halfsies on a quaint little place in the San Fernando Valley.

Official documents show ... the best buds each threw in on the $1.275 mil home ... which comes equipped with a massive closet, fabulous kitchen and a spa bath that could easily fit two.

The master bathroom even contains his and his sinks.

"Dancing with the Stars" isn't always where Hollywood careers go to die -- case in point ... "DWTS" alum Maksim Chmerkovskiy ... who just got his first big acting gig in a brand new country music video ... after quitting the show last year.

Granted ... he has one line, but still ... you know how hard it is to get an acting job these days??

The music video is for "Til Your Boots are Dirty" by singer Stacy Burk -- no, not the hardcore bondage porn star ... this Stacy Burk is a man -- and the song's actually pretty good.

42-year-old mother of four and cancer survivor Brooke Burke-Charvet knows how to live life to the fullest ... and tightest ... flaunting her ridiculously toned body at a gas station in Malibu today.

Just to recap: this "Dancing with the Stars" badass is 42, she has 4 kids (3 daughters and 1 son) and recently beat thyroid cancer following a scary diagnosis in 2012. And she can still look this good.

FYI, Brooke is currently married to former "Baywatch" star David Charvet.

Gotta love California.

Aiden Turner -- a regular on "All My Children" -- has been charged with 4 counts of domestic violence ... TMZ has learned.

Turner got into a beef with his GF last month at their Hollywood apartment. He allegedly threw a remote control at her, striking her in the eye and causing a cut and bruising. We're also told he allegedly hurt her shoulder.