Dancing With The Stars just isn't my cup of tea!

I’ve thought about writing a post about Dancing With The Stars for quite some time and haven’t gotten around to it for two main reasons. First, I hadn’t watched enough episodes to give an opinion and second, because after I starting watching it, I hoped the show would grow on me. Sadly, it has not.

While this show has had great success and as my wife, puts it, “is good clean fun,” I think the trouble I have with enjoying it is that I just don’t like dancing all that much. I suppose a good counter-argument to that would be that it’s fun to watch the “stars” progress as the show goes on, but unlike her, I don’t find myself interested in these people on a dance floor. The odd thing about it for me is that I actually have a friend and former classmate in the show right now, but I still don’t find myself interested.

I do think that there is a lot of hard work that goes into the routines and some of the dancing is beautiful and at times, exciting, but after a long day at work I would rather watch one of my favorite shows that try and find enjoyment in something I clearly don’t grasp like so many millions of others.

The legitimacy of American Idol...

To this day, I’ve still never seen a full episode of American Idol and although I often find myself somewhat curious, I can’t say as though I really have plans to. It’s not that I have anything against the show or the contestants, but I can’t help feel that there are a ton of highly talented musicians who will never get discovered while those chosen to be on this reality show can make millions without ever playing a smoky underground night club or packed up their van to tour towns where no one’s ever heard them.

I understand that the American people want other people they can cheer for and in a small way, it’s part of the American dream, but what about the dream of a singer who may happen to be 30-years-old (You must be under 30 to enter the contest) or who is dedicated to their band and doesn’t want to break from them to attend on of the try-outs? Millions of artist make their way up through hard work and years of perseverance while individuals who may or may not be able to write a song or play an instrument, get a chance to be a start in a manner of weeks. For pure entertainment value, I get the premise, but as for idols; I just don’t think they’re truly being represented.

There's always time to watch one's favorite show!

There are several television shows that I watch throughout the week. Some are ones that I DVR and can’t wait to tune in and then there are those that I watch because my wife enjoys them. That’s isn’t to say that I don’t like them, but it’s suffice to say that The Biggest Loser isn’t my first choice for shows to watch when there are alternatives like the Sci-Fi Channel and some cool shows on the Discovery Channel. That being said, we are both still in the first several months of our marriage and I think that it’s important to have some give and take. I know full well that if I really wanted to watch Battlestar Galactica, Julie would either go upstairs to another tv or just switch it, but the point is for us to be together. It doesn’t really matter what it is we’re watch because family time is family time. This is of course when the DVR becomes such a great thing to have. We can watch The Bachelor all night long and I don’t mind because I can still watch Jack Bauer take on the rest of the world after she goes to bed!

Awards shows and DVRs

We all know that it’s impossible to annotate your DVR recordings, but wouldn’t it be great if you could at least press fast-forward once and have it automatically skip through a set of commercials? Sure it would, but it would be even better if there was a switch made especially for award shows!

Okay, this really is in jest, but for anyone that has any inclination to watch a show like the Oscars, there is so much you just don’t want to see or hear. Some people just want to know exactly who won the top awards and that’s it. Zip – press the new button on the DVR and you’re there. Others like the musical performances and the top awards. This would require multiple zips, but a little preprogramming could keep you away from the award in the “Best Editing in a Feature Length Documentary Made Before Bush Came Into Office” category.

Seriously, we all read and watch a lot of shows and the like, about annual awards, but the shows themselves are overkill. So I think everyone should just set their DVRs and do something else until the end. Facebook anyone?