Cloris Leachman

Until now, I haven't devoted an entire post to one contestant but I'm making an exception with Cloris Leachman.

I have always liked Cloris Leachman the actress. I think she is funny, smart, and talented, and I was looking forward to her being on Dancing with the Stars. In addition, I was (and still am!) very impressed that she is willing to do this at age 82! I'm all for strong women of all ages doing wonderful things and being role models.

So, for all that, I'm glad she's on this season. And some of what she does is actually funny I think. However, what bothers me, and what I was disappointed to learn about her is that she is not thinking about the other people on the show. By constantly mugging for the camera, making jokes, and intentionally doing things that throw off the timing of the show, she is taking away from the other dancers. And most of them are working very hard and also deserve their time to talk which has to be shortened each time Phyllis goes off on something.

This is where it stopped being funny for me, and started seeming rude and disrespectful. The first night for example, if she had stopped after she put her leg up on the judges table...that would have been enough! But she kept going and going and going... And then did it again the next night.

Being 82 and going on DWTS is admirable; but being 82 does not give someone the license to be rude. I'm not talking about her comments specifically, but only about the fact that she intentionally takes a lot of time for herself at the expense of others.

I hope that she will come to realize this and stop hogging so much time every time she dances.

Dancing with the Stars Season 7!

The newest season of Dancing with the Stars kicked off this week and I don't have strong opinions on the outcomes yet but I do have a few observations:

1. I love ballroom dancing but three nights of DWTS is just too much! For those of us who work full time, this is too much time to devote to a TV show each week. I don't intend to spend that much time watching this show.

2. I predict that the show will lose fans and ratings eventually if ABC continues to keep adding more and more advertising. The first night was literally scheduled as one dance, 10 commercials, one dance, 10 commercials, etc. Enough already! Have some respect for the loyal viewers and stop this practice. Personally, I either leave or don't pay attention during any of the commercials anyway.

3. Who would have expected an 82 year old to be the first one "bleeped" on the show? I like Cloris Leachman the actress and some of her schtick is entertaining on the show. I greatly admire that she is even attempting this; it gives us all hope! But I'm getting tired of her jokes already after two days. Sort of like I feel when I see Don Rickles on a live show...he makes constant one liners that aren't funny and it gets tedious very quickly. Know when to back off gracefully and listening (rather than talking) goes a long way sometime.

4. Kudos to Tom Bergeron! His poise, quick thinking, and humor play a big role in the success of the show. Tom should have won the Emmy!