November 26: Dancing With the Blog

I'm sitting in my living room right now, watching the finals of Dancing With the Stars.  It's pretty obvious who's going to win tomorrow night.  It's been pretty obvious from the beginning of the season.  Shawn Johnson has pretty much stomped every other contestant.  However, I have seen some of my favorite people get kicked off shows like American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance.  Now, some of my disciples are probably thinking, "Who gives a shit?"  I understand.  Some nights, I feel the same way about these programs, but then I get sucked right back in.

I've had an idea for a reality show that would crush Idol and The Amazing Race.  It would be called Laureate, and it would feature people facing poetry challenges.  One week, a sonnet.  Another week, a sestina.  Free verse.  Ghazal.  Pantoum.  The judges would be award-winning poets like Sharon Olds and Phil Levine and Billy Collins.  At the end of the competition, the winner would be crowned the Poet Laureate and receive one million dollars and a book deal.

Tell me that's not a great idea.  I know I wouldn't miss a single episode.  Hell, who am I kidding?  I would be on the very first season.  I would win the first season.  Of course, if I'm the executive producer, that might be a little problem, but I would find some way around that little conflict of interest.  A million bucks and a book.

I know this idea isn't exactly for Fox or NBC.  Maybe PBS would be interested in it.  Laureate and Downton Abbey, the shows that saved Public Television.

Saint Marty is taking meetings if any TV execs are reading.

Yes, but can she write a haiku?