With such high standards, it's very difficult for Hough to do all three of her disciplines at once. Her music suffered when she was doing "Dancing With the Stars," for example, she said.

"I don't like doing anything halfway," she said. "That's why I'm taking next season off, so I can really focus on the new record."

But Hough's music will be taking a back seat next spring, when shooting begins on the remake of "Footloose," which starred Kevin Bacon and Lori Singer.

"I'm ecstatic. I'm thrilled," said Hough, who was born four years after "Footloose" was released. "Who doesn't love the original? It's such a classic. Hopefully, we'll do a great job. It's an honor."

The movie will be filmed in Georgia, close to Hough's current home in Nashville, Tenn. As most Utahns, including Hough, are well aware, parts of the original "Footloose" were filmed in the Beehive State, including the dance scene at the end of the show at the Lehi Roller Mills.

"I used to drive past there every day. That was on the way between my house and my dance studio," said Hough, a Utah native who graduated from Alta High School in 2006. Hough's father, Bruce Hough, is a former chairman of the Utah Republican Party.

Maybe one of Hough's best-known "acting" roles so far, however, was the prank she pulled on her boyfriend and fellow country singer Chuck Wicks.

The prank, which became a smash hit on YouTube, came when Wicks and Hough were the opening slots on the Brad Paisley tour. During Wicks' set, renowned prankster Paisley came onstage to show a video of Hough telling Wicks (in front of the crowd) that she was breaking up with him.

"He pranked my boyfriend like every single night. I was kind of disappointed he didn't prank me. I may have to go on tour with him again so he can prank me," she said.

If you go...

What: George Strait, Blake Shelton, Julianne Hough

Where: USANA Amphitheatre, 5400 South and 6200 West

When: July 17, 7:30 p.m.

How much: $39-$79

Phone: 801-467-8499, 800-888-8499

Web: www.smithstix.com

e-mail: preavy@desnews.com