Two Geeks Three Cats

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog entry are solely those of the author and are not the views of Shawn, Mulder, Pookie, or Claudia, though I suspect Claudia would rather watch Dancing with the Stars than most of the stuff we watch around here.

OK, I admit it. I watched the premiere of Dancing with the Stars last night. I don't really know why or how. It came on and I wasn't doing much of anything. It just kind of happened. Curiosity got the worst of me.

Now, let me preface this by saying that I have never seen an episode of Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor, or any of the ubiquitous un-reality shows. Though in the spirit of disclosure, I do enjoy Project Runway and some of the cooking competition shows as they seem to have a bit of artistry involved in the drama, but generally speaking, I like scripted entertainment. Unfortunately there is far too little out there that doesn't involve some sort of police procedural BS. I mean, how many shows can they make with the premise: "A person with X ability helps the police solve crimes"? But that is a question for another blog entry . . .

Back to my encounter with Dancing with the Stars. Having no interest in dancing outside of my ill fated 1984 dance school tap routine to Denise Williams' "Let's Hear it for the Boy," I never had any desire to watch the show. This show is cheesy, without a doubt. A random hodgepodge of pseudo celebrities (Kate Gosselin?!?), has-beens (Shannon Doherty, Pam Anderson), athletes (Chad Ochocinco, Evan Lysechek), and the occasional astronaut octogenarian (Buzz Aldrin) along with assorted others wear overdone costumes and perform traditional dances such as the Cha-cha-cha and the Viennese Waltz to bizarre covers of oldies and current songs. Really - who thought it was necessary to have people cha-cha-cha-ing to Ke$ha's TikTok? I'm sure some folks loved it . . .

Some of you may ask why did I watch the show and feel compelled to blog about it if I seem to dislike it so much. Admittedly it was somewhat entertaining, but what struck me most was the vulnerability of the "stars." Learning to dance is not easy and you can't fake the precision and poise needed. Poor Buzz looked stiff and a little confused at times, but mad props to the guy for even getting out there at 80 years old. Shannon Doherty has worn the Queen Bitch mantle for so long, yet last night she seemed just like a daughter who was out there trying to make her ailing dad proud. And Niecy Nash. Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of hers, mainly because i don't really like Reno 911 or Clean House, but the sassy big girl was out there workin' it. So what, if the judges didn't love it, she worked hard, dedicating her dance to "all the thick girls out there." I don't envy any of the women who dance in those heels, but to be plus sized and do so - Wow.

I likely will not watch the show again, but I was surprised by what I saw beneath the glitzy cheese, over-the-top judges, and horrible covers - for within such lameness was a glint of unexpected humanity.