'Live to Dance': does the premiere get a gold star?

This interesting article addresses some of the key issues regarding . A careful reading of this material could make a big difference in how you think about .



Once you begin to move beyond basic background information, you begin to realize that there's more to than you may have first thought.

So did “Live to Dance” work as a show on its own? CBS made a bold move in putting the show up in place of megahit “NCIS,” but right now the show still needs a bit more of an identity to justify the choice.

Let’s first focus on why this should work:

* Judging format: Having the three judges make their decision before their critiques is a bold move -- even though they can change their mind, more often than not these people won’t want to risk their credibility and become a flip-flopper simply because someone has a sappy story.
* Paula Abdul: People genuinely love her, and that can go a long way.
* The contestants: Even though there are other dance shows, it was still amazing to see how much talent actually made it out there.

Unfortunately, there are still a number of problems weighing this show down:

* The format: This show feels way too much like “America’s Got Talent” -- really, the only differences are a quieter audience and nobody eating fire. There is even the same frustrating camera that drifts from the performance to check out the judges.
* The chemistry: The judges are all fantastic on their own, but the lack of rapport was a bit sad so far.
* The mysterious audience: Where are these people sitting? It was weird to see just the stage, the judges, and applause.
* Hearing “if you get two gold stars…” at least two million times.

All in all, though, this premiere had some promise in it. The judges were fairly harsh, and didn’t just put through dance acts based on their story. The real highlight? A contemporary pair early on who loved each other, were brilliant at their craft, but were hesitant to get together in fear of ruining their performances if something goes south.

Knowing enough about to make solid, informed choices cuts down on the fear factor. If you apply what you've just learned about , you should have nothing to worry about.