entertainmentdissected

She’s conquered a grizzly bear and mulitple husbands- but Erica Kane’s never conquered a dancing compeition. Kane’s portrayer, Susan Lucci, is one of the celebrity contestants on the new season of Dancing With the Stars. (picture courtest of Associated Press/Dan Steinberg)

ABC hit Dancing With the Stars returns for its seventh installment tonight- and I’m wondering if this will be the season it finally wins me over.

The reality competition- which pairs professional ballroom dancers with celebrities, and plays out over 10 weeks- combines votes from viewers and a panel of three judges.

This year’s celebrity contestants include daytime soap vixen Susan Lucci, actress Cloris Leachman, former *NSYNC member Lance Bass (fellow former “bandmate” Joey Fatone competed in season four), chef Rocco DiSpirito, singer Toni Braxton, reality television’s Kim Kardashian and Hannah Montana’s Cody Linley (the youngest star competing this season).

Now, I’ve followed a couple reality series here and there- I tune in to American Idol (or as I affectionately call it, Karaoke Idol) to see the can’t-miss reactions of Randy, Paula and Simon, as well as some of the uber-dull performances. And I did get into the first season of the bisexual dating swankfest known as A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila (it was such a wreck that I could not peel myself away). But, Dancing With the Anything-But-A-List Stars? Never really interested me, outside of catching a couple of episodes, to see why people were fussing over the program.

It’s not that I’m not a dancing fan- I love the freedom, the escape of dance, and pride myself in being an enthusiastic, presentational-type dancer myself when the occasion calls for it. But watching what- for the most part- are second-rate celebrities competing for a trophy?(by the way, is that all they get out of it?)

Let me say that not all of the celebrity contestants would fit the bill of non-A-list stars- for instance, All My Children’s Lucci is a bonafide icon, and arguably the most popular and recognizable name (and face) in the history of daytime television. But, sift through the list of past contestants (start here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_with_the_Stars_%28US_season_1%29), and you’ll see that most either are stars of yesteryear, or current stars who aren’t anywhere close to being household names.

Granted, it would be difficult for scorching hot stars of now to compete, given their schedules. It’s just when I see and hear Dancing With the STARS, I guess I expect a little more in the way of big-name personalities. Is the pool of available talent that lacking, that the show had to recruit 82-year-old Leachman, whose biggest claim to fame- despite winning nearly every acting award known to man- remains her stint as Phyllis on the classic 1970s sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show?

Having said that, Leachman must be in some sort of admirable physical health to sign up for what actually is a grueling and tiring competition. From the looks of it, contestants literally work their bums off, preparing for their turn in the weekly ballroom spotlight. And that, I do appreciate.

Furthermore, the series’ multiple televised nights (one for competing, the other for results) consistently rank among the week’s top 10 programs. So, who am I to buzzkill the dancing sensation?

Heck, maybe I will tune in this season, just to see Erica Kane attempt to add the Foxtrot, Cha-Cha-Cha, Quickstep, Jive, Tango, Mambo, Rumba and Salsa to her list of enviable achievements. 

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