Modern Day Love Boat

This week is the debut of Dancing With The Stars on ABC. One of the first articles I wrote for this page was, "I Admit, I Watch Dancing With The Stars!" So let's preview the big season premiere.

I'm not going to discuss Edyta, Cheryl, or two-time defending champ Julianne Hough or their skimpy outfits. No Maxim, Derek, Len, or Bruno. Not the snappy live salsa music, host Tom Bergeron, or the "would you please not say anything" Samantha Harris. I'm stealing Jason Taylor's cleats, hiding Christy Yamiguchi's skates, and telling Pricilla Presely to keep those blue suede shoes in the box for just a minute.

Instead I want to talk about the whole idea of Dancing With The Stars. It's one of TVs most popular shows. It's watched every week at La Casa de la Wynn, and keeps my wife happy that there is as show we can watch together. The idea seems original enough, but it's not. The premise of putting a bunch of sort-of stars on TV is nothing new. As a matter of fact ABC did it the last time some 30 years ago on The Love Boat!

Remember The Love Boat? The corny song? Captain Stubing's terrible shorts? That goofy Gopher, and who the heck told Doc he was funny anyway? I remember all the sort-of -stars pictures in the life preserver at the beginning of the show, don't you? Such compelling stars like..Florence Henderson, Bert Convy, Jack Cassidy, J0Anne Worley, and I think even Soupy Sales was on a few. The only real difference is that we couldn't vote someone off each week, and that's was a shame. Would have made it a better show.

C'mon why did we watch The Love Boat? I think it was to see if we were going to get a peek of Maureen McCormick wearing a bathing suit in her week on the show in 1976. It certainly wasn't to see if Brett Summers or Charles Nelson Reilly was going to find true love in the five minutes before Fantasy Island came on afterwards.

The concept is nothing new. Just has a better stage, better costumes, and better music to be sure. They better not have Jack Jones Night on DWTS anytime soon, because I've heard The Love Boat theme enough in my life.

So let's get ready. Let's shine up the shoes, tune up the band, and let's go to JoAnn Fabrics to buy a third of a yard of fabric and make every one's costume for tonight's big show. Because tonight. Live from Hollywood! This is Dancing With The Stars!!!