Jon Carroll { A TV potpourri }

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 11/22/10 | Jon Carroll

[SmithL]

I imagine you have already heard that a man in Wisconsin shot his television set when Bristol Palin beat out R&B singer Brandy to achieve the finals of "Dancing With the Stars." I know that in real life he is a troubled human being with a history of bipolar disorder, but I think in the make-believe world of celebrity media, he speaks for all of us.

Except, of course, for all those wonderful supporters of Sarah Palin who keep voting Bristol despite her mediocre dancing. I'm sure she's a perfectly appealing 20-year-old, but she can't dance very well, and she certainly can't dance as well as Brandy. I suppose "mediocrity is OK with me" might almost be a Tea Party motto, but it seems pretty darned unfair to actually talented people who are losing to ideology-based dance voting.

Of course, I can't prove that there's a Tea Party bloc vote. But if people actually saw the dancing - well, Bristol ain't good. No reason why she should be. She's not an athlete and she's not an actress, two categories that do really well on "Dancing With the Stars." She's probably a victim; when her mother showed up for the first show, she was roundly booed by the audience, a fact that was never mentioned on camera. Didn't happen. No politics here, just warm fuzzy feelings about the Dance.

Bristol is certainly a pawn. Every week she talks about how much she misses her son and how much she misses Alaska; she has looked more and more miserable as the weeks have gone on. Her supporters don't seem to care about her; they care about "one of their own" winning anything, including a televised variety competition. I wanted to shoot the television myself, but then I'm a big Brandy fan.

[SmithL]

I'm sure he is a big brandy fan. That would certainly explain his PDS as well as his half-vast conspiracy theories.

[psjones]

Wow, does this writer even watch the show? So many things wrong with what he/she says.

A) Bristol does not talk every week of missing her son, but that’s a given, anyway.

B) She seems to enjoy being on the show, except for the one time she said she was tired and got homesick

C) the show has been not just about who is the best dancer, but who has the most fan base. Anyone remembers Mario Lopez and Gilles? Two guys who were the better dancers,imo, but lost.

D) Not all the athletes and actors have been the better dancers, there have been some who never really improved.

[Mr. Mojo]

Hmmm...I wonder if this columnist would be similarly upset if, say, Chelsea Clinton entered the competition and advanced beyond her talent level? < / rhetorical question >

[Bristol] can't dance very well

I've only seen her dance once (last week), and she looked pretty good to my (admittedly untrained) eye.

[munin]

So why watch this nonsence? whynot do like me and watch re-runs of “Law and Order”
at least that ceeps the grey mather intact

[Mr. Mojo]

You talkin’ to me? I’ve watched a grand total of 5 min. of this show in my life. ...and it’ll probably be the last 5 min.

My post was pointing out the lunacy of people (like the columnist of this piece) getting all riled up about the results of celebrity competition shows.

[terycarl]

My post was pointing out the lunacy of people (like the columnist of this piece) getting all riled up about the results of celebrity competition shows

jwatching the show is actually quite entertaining, trying to figure how a dance instructor can turn a total incompetant into a fairly good dancer is amazing!!! I don’t think that Bristol was the best dancer either but the show gives the professional judges 50% and the public 50%.......should be 75/25 professional else it is a popularity contest having little if anything to do with dancing!!!