Charo has announced that she is a huge fan of the hit show "Dancing With the Stars," and would love to be a contestant. I think that with her fun-loving, energetic personality, she would be a great addition to the show.

How can you help? If you'd like to see Charo dance with the stars, write to the ABC TV network and let them know! You can write to ABC at this link.

My earliest exposure to Charo was through 1970's television, watching her on various variety shows, as well as her many appearances on The Love Boat. I didn't care much for the character she portrayed; I found the thick-accented, overly-energetic, ignorant blonde act so ridiculous and annoying.

That all changed in the Fall of 1992. I was on a trip to Hawaii with my parents, part of a retirees club tour of the islands. I had not yet turned 30, and was probably the youngest person on this tour. Now I loved traveling with my folks, but being surrounded by so many jet lagged, cranky seniors would get on anybody's nerve. On top of that, Hurricane Iniki had just passed through and completely trashed Kauai, making it impossible for us to visit the beautiful Garden Isle. This all put me in a very odd mood - not quite losing it, but not feeling all that happy about where I was and what I was doing.

One evening in Honolulu, we were given the option of attending one of two dinner shows - Don Ho's and Charo's. Now Don Ho's would seem like the obvious choice, wouldn't it? Part of the quintessential Hawaiian experience, right? Given the mood I was in, however, I felt we needed to see something that would complement the tone of the trip. I convinced my parents that we just had to see Charo, revelling in the tackiness of it all.

I was amazingly surprised to find that the show didn't suck. Quite the contrary - I actually enjoyed it! Sure, some of the humor was forced. I remember Charo making jokes about Zsa Zsa Gabor and her infamous Beverly Hills police officer slap, and thinking, "Talk about the pot calling the kettle ludicrous!"

But I also discovered that Charo was much more talented than I ever realized. Her singing, dancing, and beautiful guitar playing made for a very enjoyable evening. I remember leaving the show with a big smile on my face, pleased with what I had just experienced.

(And it turns out my choice of shows was good for another reason. The people who went to see Don Ho that night complained how bad his show was. Seems Don only made one appearance, to sing his trademark "Tiny Bubbles" song, and he appeared to be quite drunk.)

Fast-forward to August, 2003. I hadn't given Charo's show much thought since seeing it in 1992. The annual Dutchess County Fair in Rhinebeck, NY, was about to start. I was reviewing the schedule of events to see which day I should go. The Fair has musical performances most days, but they tend to attract Country music acts, like Billy Ray Cyrus and Tracy Lawrence. Imagine my surprise to see Charo on the schedule! It looked like the Fair was making an attempt to attract an additional demographic. That settled it for me - I just had to attend the Fair on the day that Charo would be performing.

And I was not disappointed. I was treated to a show that was fun, energetic, and at times, beautiful. 11 years later, she was still singing and dancing away, and her guitar playing was as excellent as ever.

Her banter had matured somewhat since the last time I saw her - there was much less of the dumb foreign blonde routine, although some of it was still there. (Charo herself admits that "cuchi-cuchi" has helped pay her bills.) What emerged from that silly girl was an intelligent, talented woman with a good sense of humor and a big heart.

I enjoyed the show so much that when I spotted her on the Dutchess County Fair schedule for 2004, I was right there again. I sat through both of her performances, got lots of photos, and even bought an autographed copy of her Guitar Passions CD.

I see from the Web that Charo continues to tour. One of these days, I'm hoping that she will be performing somewhere near where I'm at, so that I can enjoy yet another one of her entertaining concerts!

Did you know that...?

• The guitar that Charo performs with is so valuable that insurance companies refuse to cover it when she travels.


• According to Charo, she helped write two songs that ABBA made famous: "Fernando" and "Chiquitita".


• Charo has twice been named "Best Flamenco Guitarist" in Guitar Player Magazine's readers' poll.


• Even though she appears to mangle English, Charo is fluent in four other languages: Spanish, French, Italian and Japanese.


• In addition to appearing on its Telethons, Charo also serves as a Muscular Dystrophy Association national vice president, doing promotions and appearances year-round.
  

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Doesn't that feel good?