Tuesday Samurai - Dancing With the Bright Ideas

My apologies for bringing you the Tuesday Samurai so late in the day. It's been an eventful day! The first rehearsal for Bright Ideas was earlier this evening, and though I couldn't be there myself, I can't wait to meet with the cast tomorrow evening and hear about all the fun that was had tonight.

Is it coincidence that the first rehearsal of Bright Ideas was on the same night as the first elimination on Dancing With the Stars? Yes, of course, that's a complete coincidence. But as I unwind with the results show (most of which can be skimmed), I'm struck by the fact that with judges' scores combined with audience voting, the people who are eliminated aren't necessarily the ones who deserve to be. Buzz Aldrin, national treasure and aerospace pioneer that he may be, is in his 80s and just not a good dancer. There's no way around that. And yet he's the sentimental favorite.

I have nothing against Buzz, but Shannen Doherty, tonight's eliminee may very well be lamenting his status as a national treasure, whereas she'll forever have the shadow of the misunderstood Brenda Walsh to battle. What the heck does any of this have to do with Bright Ideas? Well, I'll tell you. It's a loose connection, but it's there. Josh and Genevra Bradley love their son more than anything in the world and want the very best for him - namely, the very best preschool. And why shouldn't little Mac have a spot at Bright Ideas Early Childhood Development Academy?

Because life isn't fair. That's why. Is that a grim outlook? No. It just means that you have to work with the circumstances you're given and make the most of them. Some people, like Buzz Aldrin, use charm. Others, like Shannen Doherty (or, at least, her scheming alter ego) use more sinister tactics. Now, the real question is, which do you find more interesting? The charmer or the schemer?

In an ideal world, everyone would be a charmer, and we'd lolly gag about in clouds made of cotton candy, praising each other for our latest good deed. Unfortunately, that doesn't make for entertaining theater. Which is why the shenanigans that Josh and Gen find themselves in during the whirlwind of Bright Ideas will make you gasp, laugh, shake your head, and maybe even pee a little.

You'll just have to wait to see the show before you decide who you're rooting for...and to see if you agree with the results. But I guarantee it - the journey to those results will be entertaining.

Tuesday Samurai isn't so cohesive later in the day, is it? I'll try to get the brainwaves moving earlier in the day next week. Until then...our sword is the stage.

Ryan Grimes
Managing Director
Urban Samurai Productions