Only two kinds of celebrities sign up to do old folk things like ballroom dancing on "Dancing With the Stars": Celebrities who haven't been relevant for more than 10 years (Priscilla Presley, George Hamilton, Steve Guttenberg) and celebrities who've lost their relevance in the past 10 years (Lil' Kim, Mario, Mya). Nicole Scherzinger, the only Pussycat Doll who had her mic turned on during concerts, fell headfirst into the latter category with the announcement that she would be joining the cast of the "celebrity" dancing reality show. It's a shame, really, cause it didn't have to end like this.
When the Pussycat Dolls broke out with their Cee-Lo-produced jezebel anthem "Don't Cha," Nicole was the apple of the music industry's eye. She was the Beyonce to the other girls' Kelly, Michelle, LeToya, LaTavia and Farrah (You probably don't remember those last three cause the Knowles put them out to pasture during commercial breaks). Nicole's sultry eyes exuded an intensity and her racial ambiguity made her a blank canvas that every man could fantasize about. Was she latina? Was she Native American? Was she Filipina? Was she half black? Nicole Scherzinger was whatever tickled your fantasy. As the hits for the Dolls kept racking up, Scherzinger began to land high-profile guest appearances on songs with the likes of Diddy and Timbaland. With her sizzling looks and commanding voice, what could go wrong? When she tried her solo career, apparently everything.
Long story short, Nicole's attempt at going solo bombed embarrassingly. After putting out over four "teaser" singles, no one at radio or iTunes took the bait and Nicole was forced to retreat back under the shelter of the Pussycat Dolls for a sophomore album. But the other chicks were salty as hell about Nicole's solo stunt and the record label certainly didn't help matters by putting things like "The Pussycat Dolls featuring Nicole Scherzinger" on their singles. Well, it looks like all the backbiting and cat fighting was for naught, because "Dancing With the Stars" is not where tomorrow's superstars end up. It's hard to say if it's karma or misfortune, but either way, Nicole's music career just took a big hit.
