TVSquad

(S02E01) It's hard to make a hit show, and it's hard to predict what show will be a hit. When I first heard the idea for Dancing with the Stars before the first season I thought, 'Why would anyone watch that?' Yet, here we are starting the third season and ABC has a bona fide hit on their hands. And I'm watching it. Go figure.

Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris return as hosts. And if I can go off-topic for just a minute, I have to mention Breakfast Time. I've been a Bergeron fan since he hosted the best morning show that ever was. When Tom goes into the Hall of Fame he should be wearing his Breakfast Time cap. That said, they have eleven new stars ready to dance it up. Celebrity men danced the Cha Cha Cha while the women did the Fox Trot. Here are the couples and their results.

Think about the number of daytime talk shows that have lasted more than a couple of years. You've got self-help shows like Oprah and Dr. Phil, "You're my baby's daddy" shows like Maury and Jerry Springer, and one or two celebrity-hosted shows, like Ellen and the old Rosie O'Donnell Show. The formula for daytime talk show success is very nebulous, so nebulous that it has chewed up and spit out celebrities as diverse as Jane Pauley, Tempestt Bledsoe, Tony Danza and David Letterman.

So why, why, WHY do celebrities whosse star power has fallen a little bit keep thinking they can forge a second career as a talk show host? And who are these studio execs who think creating these shows is a good idea? That's what I thought when I read that Vivica A. Fox is now talking to studios about hosting a daytime talk show. Sigh. I mean, Vivica's a nice actress. But what insight can she give to a daytime talk show, especially one that isn't celebrity-driven? We already have Tyra Banks talking about her dolphin phobia; do we need another beautiful celebrity trying to relate to everyday folks?