dmmetler
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Posts posted by dmmetler
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One thing I really love is how supportive Dianna is of the girls-not only being OK with missing practice or competition for events in their lives, but setting it up for her boyfriend to ask her. I was also glad to see the lyrical because that is a different style, and one that some of the girls may never have had a chance to learn (as I said on TwOP, I used to teach at a school in Memphis that had a majorette team, and for most of the girls, it was the first dance class they'd ever taken.). Sunjay and Kayla's discussion was neat for the same reason.
It's so different from Dance Moms that it's hard to believe it's on the same network-this hardens more back to Cheerleader Nation. -
FYI-if you have Amazon Prime, a lot of the Glee albums are available for free streaming or download on Prime Music
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Asia could blow out her knee dancing, too, and end her career. I can't see why skating at a birthday party is such a big deal. She's not even 10 yet, so sacrificing her normal "kid" life in favor of a career seems way too early.
Sadly, I suspect the photo shoot that had to be at the same time as little sister's birthday was set up for drama.
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I'm more closely aligned with Billy-it seems kind of silly to complain about a song sung by an 8 yr old as being "childish". Asia can be pushed into dancing to mature music and in mature costumes, but you can't make a little kid's voice sound like an adult's, so enjoy being a kid.
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Yawn...so, the kid that was set up to win won. How surprising...
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At 8, she may only have been in 2nd grade when this was filmed, and if so, multiplication was a new skill. Even early in 3rd, it's not out of character for a kid to still struggle with it, so that doesn't bother me too much.
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It really seems like Kirstie ought to hire a tutor for school, then step back and let Asia's team of coaches handle it. Asia has a manager/vocal/acting coach and multiple dance teachers and choreographers. Be her mom, be Bella's mom, and stop trying to micromanage the kid.
More than almost any of the reality TV kids, It does seem like Asia wants this, and age 8, if she didn't, there'd be pushback. Her mom doesn't seem to realize it.
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My conclusion-Asia is probably the most "grown up" person on the show-or maybe Bella is! Otherwise, it's a big bunch of nothing. Asia strikes me as a kid playing a role and manipulating adults who think they're in control.
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OK...the mom mentioned like 30 hours/week or more of regular stuff...when is the kid doing schoolwork? I know homeschooling is more time-efficient, but in my state, there's still 180 days a year required and you have to cover the same core subjects.
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Abby's book was available for digital check out from my local library, so I checked it out for a trip yesterday. All I can say is that she has a good ghostwriter, because the book actually makes sense as far as training the small percentage of kids who actually want a professional dance career and have the natural abilities to make it a possibility. Too bad what she's done on her shows is so different from what her book is proposing.
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I'm really enjoying the teen tournament, though-in large part because while they seem to have cast based on their usual patterns (ie-tear-jerking back stories), the teens don't seem with the process, and are focused on actually cooking.
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It's back!
Again, I really like that this what they always do, although I'm sure the show got more girls at tryouts (I have to be honest, I would have been tempted to drive my daughter to Jackson to do the clinic, just because). The girls weren't surprised or stressed beyond what is reasonable for trying out for a competitive team. Compare that with the whole last season of dance moms, and it's a whole different world. I still adore Ms. Dianna, and her true enthusiasm and joy in watching the tryout solos was refreshing.
The moms seem great through the whole process. They're competitive, but not in a way that breaks down the other girls to make theirs look better. I loved Camryn's mother and how supportive she is.
I think Sunjai may just be too fragile looking to be quite as effective at this dance style as, say, Kayla. I've seen that in my daughter's dance studio-often the girls who look best in ballet look downright silly doing hip-hop, even when they're amazing dancers with great technique. I like the girl, but she just seems like a better fit for a more classical program.
Crystianna simply panicked a bit. At 11, she has all the time in the world, and she certainly is skilled. Her getting the position is the only thing that makes me think producer intervention.
I assume Camryn is taking dance classes elsewhere as well. I wanted to hug her and reassure her that a performing arts school isn't the only route towards becoming a professional. I'm glad she got the co-captain spot.-
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I know it would be less interesting for TV,but in many respects I wish they'd have everyone run the same course for the qualifier/finals just so it IS comparing apples-apples. Not just for the women, but for the men, too. It really seems like the qualifying courses simply weren't all focusing on the same things this year, and since the first set of obstacles for the finals IS the qualifying course, that carries to the finals as well.
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I'm mid-way through season three (binge watching on Netflix) and am loving so much about this show. It's strange to use the word "authentic" to describe a soap opera, but it honestly really comes off that way. I truly think most of the casting on this show was spot-on and that made all the difference. I'm looking forward to finishing the series-at the time it was originally on, I was a new mom and not watching much TV :).
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Three-one more completed the Denver course. I don't know if any qualified based on times. Denver seemed really hard compared to Miami.
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Are the courses assured to be created equal? St. Louis seemed to have more people finish than the other 2 so far.
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What I think is neatest is that, if you've used the Cambridge School Classics Project Latin curriculum, the Pompeii episode is not only, for the most part, characters from that book series, but it answers a question that just doesn't make sense-the first level of the book, designed for about 7th grade or so, takes place in Pompeii. At the 2nd stage, suddenly, they're out in the countryside, with no explanation, despite that the father's career wouldn't really transport well. Makes SO much sense to be able to say that the Doctor did it-and LOLed at the idea that the reason this family could be saved was because they were so insignificant, knowing that they're characters in one of the most common textbook series used for Latin instruction in the English speaking world (and quite possibly the most commonly used in England).
Love Donna as a companion. I just kind of wish they'd been able to keep Catherine Tate around longer-if not as a regular companion, at least in a way that would have let her easily be brought back for one-shot deals later, the way Rose and Martha both have.
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I loved Donna (and not just because we share a name)-and I think a big part of it was that she wasn't in awe of the doctor-she stood up to him, had a mind of her own, and was truly a companion, not a dependent. Clara has had some of that same feeling about her at times, but, to be blunt, she's too young for it to really come off as an equal-and that will be more the case with 12 since he's an older actor to start with.
And if they ever retcon anything, I want Donna to get her memory back, unscathed.
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I'm glad you posted this-I usually don't watch recap episodes, but this one was worth seeing, in large part because it did let the kids and the other teams have their say. I'm really enjoying this show.
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The cat is peeing blood and peeing outside the litter box, on cloth items. That's not behavioral, and that's not stress-that's an animal who is sick and in pain. She's not doing it to spite you.
And for heaven's sake, don't give an animal as a gift, especially not when it's pretty obvious that you were the one who wanted the cat in the first place!
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Who the heck gave that guy an f2 Savannah? I know in Bengals an f4 is considered the minimum for a domestic/pet placement-everything earlier is recommended only for people who have extensive experience, because they're just too wild, and Savannah's are bigger than Bengals, with the earlier crosses tending to be quite large. Not to mention that the F2 was female, and early crosses of Savannahs often have trouble in delivery-I really, really hope she was spayed, but most people who spend that much on a pair of exotic cats aren't going to neuter their pets.
My 9 yr old loves learning about animal behavior, and enjoys the show, and even she was yelling at the TV.
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I like the concept of the lock-in, and that's actually fairly common for performing groups to get a lot of rehearsal in. I do wish the girls could actually finish a competition, though.
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Let's see, there were only two weekends this year that had enough snow/ice to shut things down in Memphis at all, and every little town has a Christmas parade (the other weekend was in Feb, which isn't a parade time of year), so this pretty much has to have been filmed in early December, if anyone wants a timeline.
As far as the "Street Battle" goes, I'm calling foul. Because, honestly, outside of a judged event, how is it going to prove anything? Just seems a way to ramp up drama in an episode that, due to not having a competition, didn't have much. But again, it's a lot more realistic that sometimes competitions don't happen. I also have to say I like that they have a variety of routines and are working on all of them, but for the most part, the only new content added in a given week might be a short part of the stand battle, and that different girls do different dance classes/teams.
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In fairness, I think Carmen WAS pushing for "You're doing too much", and if Rachel had said "I know...can I take an incomplete this semester, take a term off, and come back once I'm no longer so busy", it would have played out differently. It was Rachel going full-on Diva "See how much you've made me put up with", and referencing Cassandra (who, honestly, has been about the most realistic teacher shown on this show yet) and her spiraliing out of control. I can see a professor at a performing arts school taking a hard line when there's a student who's behavior shows that she's being unprofessional-and that was where Rachel was. Based on that scene, NYADA doesn't want Rachel as a graduate or an "ex-student" (because there are a LOT of performing arts folks who are stated to have "attended Julliard" or wherever, but not actually have graduated, usually BECAUSE they got a big break), not because she can't sing, but because she's so unprofessional and unprepared for the real world. But not broadsided when this was the first time the audience had heard that Rachel was struggling. I can believe Rachel had blown off prior suggestions of concern-but I need to SEE them.
Honestly, this whole episode felt out of sync. If the guy had been killed had been the bass player for One Tree Hill or something and we'd seen him in band meetings and maybe he'd had a name and a line at some point, that would have put it in context. If we'd seen Cassandra, or Carmen, or even Kurt warn Rachel that she was doing too much and she needed to let something go to focus on the show, then Carmen wouldn't have come off as a malevolent dictator. If we'd seen any signs in the past that interracial dating was a problem (as opposed to "Girl, you can do so much better than this idiot!") as opposed to "never mentioned, but now it's a big deal". Maybe all the foreshadowing stuff that would have led to a plot climax was on the cutting room floor to allow for more time in Lima.
Bring It! - General Discussion
in Bring It!
And so do the parents-I don't remember which mom it was who commented that she can tell when a coach has really put in the time with the girls and how good they were, but that stood out to me. There's no trash talking or bringing another team down. Effort and skill is recognized, and the win is never assumed to be in the bag.