Yay! Turn up the volume and raise the roof! CBS is bringing crazy back to TV! Or is it? Paula Abdul premieres her new show, Live to Dance on Tuesday, January 4th and, oh how I’ve missed the seal clapping, the head dropping to the table and the sporadically gushing tears of Miss Paula.
BUT, I just watched the CBS-released trailer, which, if this is anything to go by, prepares us for a new Paula, displaying a more forceful, confident demeanor than we’ve ever seen. No longer the meek , second banana to a curmudgeon English bloke. No, the Live to Dance Paula is now the boss, clearly in charge of the panel of judges and her cast of contestants.
The greatest aspect of this show for Paula is that it will allow her to revisit her roots, her love of dance. Many American Idol viewers don’t know that Paula wasn’t just a 1980s flash in the pan pop singer who got lucky with her AI gig some 20 years later. Paula was actually an esteemed choreographer for the likes of Janet Jackson, the Jackson Victory Tour, The Tracy Ullman Show, the Fly Girls from In Living Color, and a host of 1990s-era movies. Prior to that, Paula was a cheerleader for the Lakers as well as their choreographer. Dancing is her first love, her greatest art, and Live to Dance should prove to be an awesome vehicle in which to showcase her expertise. Even if we can’t watch her implode on live TV from time to time, I think we can expect her to provide expert guidance and mentorship to her contestants and just maybe, if we’re lucky, get a little dash of the crazy!
