‘Dancing With the Stars’ Eyes the Oscars: Could It Could Happen?

They had an All-Stars edition, so why not an Oscars edition? That’s the buzz regarding an upcoming season of ABC’s "Dancing with the Stars,"  as producers scramble to come up with new ways to recharge the long-running reality show.

According to Radar Online, “DWTS” producers once considered a themed season of the show, featuring Academy Award winners --  and actress Renee Zellweger (“Cold Mountain”) was at the top of their wish list. A “DWTS” source told Radar: “The producers are fixated on Renee, in part because she hasn’t done much dancing at all since ‘Chicago’ more than ten years ago and there’s this real mystery about her and what she’s up to.”

The "all Oscar-winners series" would certainly cost ABC megabucks, and a star of Zellweger’s caliber would also bring in mega ratings for that quest for the mirrorball trophy. The plan, should it ever come to fruition, would be “to include former Academy Award winners from all eras,” according to the insider.

Academy Award winners Tatum O'Neal, Marlee Matlin and Cloris Leachman have all competed on “Dancing With the Stars” in the past (in seasons 2, 6, and 7, respectively), but a themed season has never been attempted before. Instead, the show usually boasts a mix of athletes, reality stars, musicians and actors, with the occasional wild card -- Bristol Palin, anyone? -- thrown in for good measure.

But actual Oscar owners may be harder to sign. Zellweger’s peeps told Gossip Cop  the actress would not be signing on to the show. And here’s what some other Academy Award winners have said about the TV dancing competition:

Jon Voight may have won an Oscar for his performance in the 1979 film “The Champ,” but the actor doesn’t plan to add a mirrorball trophy to his awards collection. In 2011, Voight told  CNN he previosuly turned down the ABC dancing show due to his age:  "They asked me to do 'Dancing With the Stars,' and you know it would probably be fun for people to watch me dance, but I'm an old fella now,” he said.

Academy Award winner Cher (“Moonstruck,”1988) took a turn at the “DWTS” judges’ table last season, but she won’t be taking any turns on the dance floor. The legendary entertainer was recently asked if she’d ever consider competing on the show, and she told reporters: “I think I wouldn’t do it because I would be too frightened.”

And before she was a co-host on “The View,” Whoopi Goldberg was an Oscar winner. But don’t count on seeing the actress -- who won the Best Supporting Actress category in 1990 for her role in “Ghost”--  as a future mirrorball contender. In 2010, a frustrated Goldberg slammed the show’s voting system after Florence Henderson was cut from the competition: “You know, I don't usually get worked up over stuff, especially 'Dancing with the Stars,’” she said. “Every now and then, I hit my limit, like all of you. But this is beyond everything … 'Dancing with the Damned Stars!’”