She’s not slurring. She’s not unnerved by a fellow judge. She’s right where she belongs, making a comeback as the maternal coach for the nation’s would-be dancers.
Ditzy or not, Paula Abdul is invincible, the antidote to the overbearing stage mother. Encouragement and praise are her harshest judgments; when she likes something, her response is stratospheric.
On her new show, a derivative variation on “So You Think Everyone Can Dance Without the Stars,” she’s back with a vengeance. If not invincible, at least tremendously watchable.
As many have proven before her (did you see Dick Clark on New Year’s Eve? Have you caught Joan Rivers lately?), you can’t keep a veteran celebrity down.
Abdul is having the last laugh with “Live to Dance” on CBS, even if the show sank in the ratings on its second outing. She is beloved, perhaps as much for her erratic behavior and unpredictable antics as for her soulful expressions of encouragement for contestants.
Her official title doesn’t include “Mentor” for nothing.
“Truly magic” is a characteristic compliment she hands out to soloists, pairs and groups of dancers.
The show moves into the first performance round Wednesday, locally at 7 p.m. on KCNC-Channel 4, following the auditions. Two of the first six acts will advance to the next round.
Her signature moment, the one we anticipate with a combination of excitement and dread, is the Head Down on the Judges’ Desk Time- Stopper. You know the bit: Even better than the Hands Clapping at Nose Level, it formerly read as exasperation when used next to her old colleague Simon Cowell; now it more often signals unspeakable delight and artistic admiration, a surrender to the emotional power of The Dance.
Abdul is continually able to reimagine herself at the center of the pop culture. From cheerleader to choreographer to singer and talent judge, she is a master of reinvention. We smack our heads on our desks in surrender to the power of The Mentor.
“Off the Map.”
Shonda Rhimes, the producer behind “Grey’s Anatomy,” has a new show on the air — “Grey’s in the Jungle.”
Actually it’s called “Off the Map,” and it premieres at 9 p.m. Wednesday on KMGH-Channel 7.
Bright and beautiful young doctors work and flirt in the rain forest in an undefined South American country (shot in Hawaii), occasionally taking time out from the practice of tropical medicine to swim, zipline and learn life lessons from the natives.
Once again, the young upstarts will bump against the old pros, bringing more enthusiasm than experience to the task of saving lives. Once again the power of human connection will triumph over pessimism, poverty and disease. Once again, a character with good abs will take his shirt off within the first few minutes.
Mamie Gummer (Meryl Streep’s daughter, who had a recent role in “The Good Wife”) and Zach Gilford (“Friday Night Lights”) are the standouts, as young docs hoping to find themselves.
Formulaic and predictable, “Off the Map” only has to be as good as Rhimes’ other mediocre medical melodrama, “Private Practice,” to stay on the air. Who knew “Grey’s” could look semi-serious in comparison?
Boffo “Jersey” ratings.
A whopping 8.4 million people tuned in the “Jersey Shore” third season premiere on Thursday. That means the kids are now part of the most-watched MTV series of all time. And how do they do it?
It’s a carefully calibrated regimen of “Gym. Tan. Laundry.”
Or, in the inimitable words of Snooki (a.k.a. Nicole Polizzi), when asked how she’ll spend her life after the reality show:
“Just snookin’ around.”
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
