sleepyjean

I used to love Grease, but I think I overdosed on the movie and the musical about 15 years ago and now I can't stomach it at all. I didn't watch this. I just came by here to say I'm so glad this is over, so I don't have to see the commercials for it anymore. Because of the commercials, I was sick of the show long before it aired.

Was somebody in tv land under the impression that the general public is suffering from a lack of Kardashian? That we need another Kardashian show because the current show and the Caitlyn show and their constant presence on social media (and subsequent distribution by the mass media) aren't enough? Maybe I live in a delusional bubble, but I thought surely we all agreed that we've reached the Kardashian saturation point. I watched part of the Khloe show while I was at the gym and it was super awkward as mentioned above. Maybe it will get better. But if she is stiff and awkward with people she knows, I can't imagine how she will pull this off with anyone else. Or is that the plan? Every week will be Khole and her friends?

I'm very glad Poh left and that there wasn't a long drawn out goodbye. This is the first season I've watched since Carrie Underwood, so I have no idea who Shi is, or why she's such a big freakin' deal. Did Shi go far in the competition? Does she have a big record deal now? I noticed AI didn't go into a "look what she's accomplished" montage about Shi, so I suspect that Shi's legendary reputation lives only within the family unit. Without any context, their relationship seems really...off. The amount of sister-fawning from Poh seemed way out of proportion. If Shi had a huge career, or if Poh was mute until Shi donated a vocal cord, maybe I'd understand. But "my sister was in this competition too and she got to be on tv, but then got the boot" doesn't seem to warrant such an over the top "Everything I do, I do it for you" response. Over and over. In any case, I'm glad Poh is gone, because I found that whole thing a little disturbing.

I second this. I thought Maya was the best of the bunch, but pretty much all of it was 'meh.' I was most disappointed by Zach. That one outfit looked like a moving blanket, and where did his immaculate finishing go? Samantha I think just fell in love with neoprene mesh and doesn't realize that a little goes a long way. Peytie's orange dress was awful, but the sleeveless leather top was great. Which makes it all the more puzzling that she had the least done.

Count me as a dissenter in Peytie debate. I do like just about everything she has worn. But she does have a few things that I would not let my 16 year old wear. It doesn't matter to me if other kids are dressing like skanks.I wouldn't want my kid showing her midriff or wearing a deep vee cut down almost to the bra band. If she'd been wearing a bra.

I don't have strong feelings one way or the other about JLo, and I'm not particularly biased about her. This season is the first time I've seen her as a judge, so I don't have a lot of context. What I observed was her giving the girl a legit critique. I didn't see anything even close to hate. Not even mild dislike. She did glance at the girl's shoes and back up at her face, but I didn't see that as "looking her up and down." I think the chick was wearing some ridiculous shoes and I suspect she was jumping up and down a bit more than we saw in the edited clip. I would've been afraid for her ankles too!

I'm not a fan of rap music, but I find this show interesting anyway. It's especially interesting that all of these people have garnered some interest on youtube, and based on that, feel like they know it all. How to brand their kids, how to style their kids, how to develop their kids as artists...they don't need advice from anyone, not even Jermaine Dupri, who even *I* know is a heavy hitter in the industry. Lil Poopy is a baby name. It's appropriate for someone who looks about 9 years old, but when he's 16 it won't be cute any more. Sooner or later, he'll have to drop the "Lil." Is he going to go through his adult career as Poopy? I don't suppose it occurred to anyone to come up with a name that will survive longevity. Or are we all assuming that any traction this kid gets on a career will be short lived, so it doesn't matter? No offense to Poopy, but it took me a few minutes to figure out whether he was a boy or a girl. In fact, I assume he was a girl until someone referred to him as "he." Supah Peach has significantly more attitude than talent. Which isn't to say she is untalented, but that her attitude really sucks. And so does her mom's. If I were Jermaine Dupri, I wouldn't sign her. If she's already arrogant and difficult at 12, it's unlikely that she will become LESS so in her teen years. Who wants to work with (and invest $$$$ in) a kid and a nightmare mom who can't take basic instructions? Especially when the kid isn't the phenom she thinks she is? And the cape is stupid. As others have said, it is RIDICULOUS that these parents (a) have so much riding on these kids and (b) are constantly repeating that to the kids. When Poops said he grew up in a rough neighborhood, and he wants to make it big so he can get his family out of there, it was really disturbing. First of all, he isn't grown. He still lives in that neighborhood, and when this show is over, he's going back there. I suspect his neighbors (and family) are the type to assume that because he was on this show, he's made it big and has money. Reality tv pays no money, so it will be fun going home to find everyone waiting with their hand out. Second, how about the parents get their collective act together and "make it" on their own? How about *they* work hard to get more education or a better job, or whatever it takes to improve their own position in life? How do you think it's ok to put "saving" the family on a 12 year old? This is recipe for dysfunction. Ten years from now, most of these kids will resent the hell out of their momagers and popagers. They'll want to pull away and live their own lives, and the parents will be running after them screaming "Look what I sacrificed for you! If it wasn't for me, there'd be no you! You OWE me!" The parents are clueless. Clueless, but convinced they know all they need to know to navigate this industry. A combination doomed to disaster. Tough times ahead for these kids. Even if they do achieve some success. On a positive note, I do like the way Jermaine handles these kids. He is very professional, he treats them like artists, and he doesn't talk down to them. He's trying to mentor them on how to be smart about their careers. And he handles their (and the parents') nonsense with admirable calm and patience. He could've really tore Peach a new one for being so disrespectful when the stylist was talking to her at the Hit List. Although I wish he had bit a bit harder on her, I think he did handle it the right way. And I hope he noted that she did not apologize. She wasn't even slightly repentant, and the mom blamed it on ADD. Please JD, do not sign that kid. She is going to do whatever the hell she wants, whenever the hell she wants and her mom will do nothing but make excuses for her. It's a disaster waiting to happen.

I didn't dislike her and I did like that she has an original quality to her voice. That aside, can someone explain to me why people bring a guitar into the audition if they aren't going to use it? I stopped watching this show after season 3, so I missed when the instruments were introduced into the process. Once I found out what his backstory was, I forwarded past it, so I never got past "so what?" myself. Call me a cynical bastard, but it was 20 years ago, so the tug on my heartstrings was minimal. Also, he makes some ugly faces when he sings, and that's a problem. The whole point of all that bad acting was to get featured on the show. And because there wasn't much else of interest at that audition, the producers went with it. It sounded a little Latin to me until that run near the end, where he took a hard left right into the temple. I have never heard a Keith Urban song, and didn't know until just now that he is a country singer. But I have a hard time wrapping my mind around an Australian guy singing American country music with a Southern twang and it sounding authentic. How can it not be an obvious affect? I'll have to look him up on youtube. Meanwhile, my problem with the kid wasn't that his twang sounded fake, but it sounded like he was mimicking the original artist. While I don't think any of the kids deserved to pass through, it doesn't really bother me. Somebody's got to be an easy cut in Hollywood, right? Plus they are worth some drama as we watch them struggle to handle the pressure - then crash and burn.

I have not heard that. Where does that information come from?

Interesting article. 20 years ago, the DCC made $15 per game and that was it. I remember reading years ago that the reason the pay was so low, is because they wanted to attract a certain kind girl. A girl who was doing the job solely for the "honor" and prestige, and not to pay the bills.(There's an implication in there that I find really disturbing. As if people who have to actually support themselves are somehow less than those who don't.) But when you look at the disparity in pay back then, I really just makes the Cowboys look like misers who were exploiting girls because they could. In most professions and industries, those who are the "best of the best" (as the DCC have long claimed to be) are paid more than those who have less experience, less talent, less...whatever. When you see it on paper, the fact that they didn't pay their game day entertainment/brand ambassadors for their effort was just bull. Pure and simple. I am sure the DCC are paid more now, but I wonder if it is commensurate with other NFL teams. And I wonder how it compares to the other Cowboys dance team. I would assume the DCC get paid way more, but then again, in the 90s, I would've assumed the DCC were paid more than any other team. And I would've been dead wrong. I admire Bonnie-Jill. She is one of few DCC alumni who openly admits that it was a career move. She did her year and then moved on to bigger and better.

I didn't watch much of last season, so I don't know what the deal is with Kayla, but I did see part of the new year's special and noticed her weight gain as well. It is significant. One of the last episodes I watched was one where Dianna addressed Kayla's weight, so it was a bummer to see that she's let it get out of control. She's still a teenager (I think?) so the weight seems more due to lifestyle and lack of activity than an age-related change in her metabolism. I remember in the first season Kayla talked about wanting to into a dance program in college and eventually become a choreographer. At the time, I wondered how far she could go with that, given her lack of training. While she excelled at Dianna's form of dance, you have to do a lot more than that to get into a good dance program. Dianna herself doesn't have much dance training, and I don't think she's giving her students much of a foundation in the dance basics. Anyway, seeing Kayla now, she's clearly not dancing much, so I can only assume the college dance program thing never happened for her. Or IS she in college and what we're seeing is freshman weight gain? In either case. it's a bit of a bummer to see her let herself go like that. It looks to me like she's given up on her dream of dance as a profession. You have to take care of your body in order to make it in that world. It looks to me like she has decided she'd rather continue on as a big fish in the little DD4L pond. I guess it's not terribly surprising as we saw in previous seasons that when it comes to dance, she likes doing what she likes and isn't interested in challenging herself to gain some versatility as a dancer.

Tim walking a designer to mini-Mood and helping him pick a new fabric is crossing the line from mentoring to assisting. Yes or No? Discuss amongst yourselves. ETA: The Knicks City Dancers are brand ambassadors for the Knicks. Aside from dance ability, they are hired to be (and trained to be) approachable and personable to adults and children and they are all pretty, with great figures. None of them would ever be anything less than sweet and enthusiastic with these kids. They were a great choice for models. And I'm really glad they didn't ask the designers to make little sparkly outfits for halftime.

Is the son Jordan some kind of big deal? I just read this article about the mansion where he lives with 2 bandmates and a girlfriend. It says he's about to relaunch his music career. I assume that means been some sort of hiatus from his music career. So if he hasn't been doing music, what HAS he been doing that he can afford to buy (or probably rent) a mansion and spend $$$ on interior design? I'm very curious to know where the money comes from. Dad?

This show is still on? Wow. Why is it still on? Who would sign their kid up for this? Hasn't Maddie shot off to Hollywood in a blaze of glory? I haven't followed this show in years, but I swear I read a news article about her being a big star now. And Isn't Abby in jail? Or going there soon? I admit I'm curious to know which of the original crew is still there. Specifically Nia, because she never was dance superstar material and zero chance of her being a breakout star, so what's the point? Or has Abby changed her tune during my hiatus and started showcasing Nia?

I went to a taping of this show a couple of months ago. Before that, I knew intellectually that it's a 45 minute show (or however long it actually is, minus the commercials.) Not a lot of therapy or, ya know, actual HELP can happen in that short period. But I guess I thought beforehand that Dr. P actually spent a decent amount of time talking to the guests, and then it gets edited down to the 45 minute show. Not so. There is zero interaction between Phil and the guests other than exactly what you see on the show. Guest comes out, Phil shakes his/her hand, and they launch right into it. During the commercials, Phil looks at his notes and/or stares into space while the crew moves chairs around and rearranges the guests. He does not talk to the guests at all unless the cameras are rolling. It comes across as "Hi there total stranger. I'm Phil. I've never met you before, never spoken a word. Now please sit there while consult my little blue cards and then proceed to lecture you on everything you're doing wrong in your life. When it's over, he simply walks off, leaving the guest sitting there. For one of the shows, he paused to thank that African American lawyer lady who is on there all the time and whose name I can't remember. But other than that he just...leaves. It's weird to watch. The whole thing made me feel like a creepy voyeur. I have no idea why anyone would volunteer to be on this show.

Can someone explain to me exactly what these people are doing for their mission? Are they digging wells? Going door to door to get people to embrace Jesus? I'm trying to think what productive impact they might be having, given that they can't speak the language and are completely unskilled. I mean...what's the point of it? What can they offer that the people there don't already have? And how are they supporting themselves while they're there? On an unrelated note, since (I assume) they are bucking the trend of starting all of the kids' names with the same letter, I think a cute thing would be to have all the names rhyme. Spurgeon. Durgeon. Turgeon. Furgeon. Why not? They could work for boys or girls!

The tags are hysterical: #whereareyourclothes #aftersexselfie #wegetityouandyourhusbandsleepinthesamebed #heyheyhey

Damned with faint praise.

I haven't seen any of his posts, but it is possible that the issue isn't literacy, but rather he's more comfortable with the local patois rather than the Queen's English? Also, from what I've observerd, a LOT of people come across significantly less intelligent on social media and text than in person because they use shorthand or can't/won't proofread or edit themselves.

I hope if these two don't make it, that it falls apart before they have kids and not after. Loren strikes me as the type who gets really vindictive post-breakup. The kind of girl who puts SO much energy into getting what she wants in a relationship would put just as much energy into hating your guts when its over. I can see Alexei packing up and going right back to Israel. I can see Loren absolutely losing it when he demands that she send the kids overseas for the summers. And I wonder how alimony would work if the spouse moves to another country. Is that enforceable? ETA: fixing my typos

I just swung by here to say I am completely gobsmacked that this family is still on tv. I haven't seen any Duggar shows in years. I stopped watching long before any of the children became adults. However, I did of course hear the news about the oldest boy molesting some of his sisters when he was a teenager. When I saw the TLC ads for this special, I was amazed that the Duggars were back. (And also amazed the the daughters have turned out to be attractive adults. I was sure they'd all grow up to be kind of funny looking, but I digress.) When this show first started, TLC packaged it as look at this family with this alternative lifestyle that is so wholesome and family oriented and untainted by modern life! Watch how they manage with such a large family! Look on with envy at how the children cooperate so beautifully, when the two or three you have are total brats who can't get along for five minutes! Observe as they produce more offspring and go on adventures, and hang out with people just like them! Fast forward a few years and the shine has worn off. The kids aren't little and adorable anymore. Ma Duggar's uterus as finally given out. (I assume. I haven't seen any additional birth announcements on Yahoo trends since the one daughter was born with some kind of medical condition.) The media turned over the rock of the Duggar's wholesome lifestyle and revealed they have creepy crawlies underneath just like everyone else. There are so many kids they are interchangeable to me, and I don't find the family nearly as interesting now that the kids are older. But there are plenty of people here who are still interested, so the Duggar magic is still working on some folks. Are their ratings still decent? Is this special a way of testing the waters to see if they can do spinoffs for all of the kids? Would people watch all of that? My question is why are the Duggars still doing these shows? Have they answered that question? Could it be any other reason but they've fallen into the reality show trap where they are dependent on the TLC paychecks? Now they are "celebrities" and nobody can go on to have a regular life with a real job that comes with a boss and regular hours? I can't imagine any other reason why they would want to do a show that airs their dirty laundry and (by all reports here) makes everyone act all wooden uncomfortable and why they would want to remain affiliated with TLC, which has changed dramatically as a network since the Duggar saga began? Or is this special some kind of "we want to set the record straight" nonsense, that everyone but them knows is just adds to the freakiness of the situation? Really, the only thing that I'd be interested to see with this family is what happens when all of the kids are up and out, and Ma and Pa Duggar are knocking around that big house by themselves. Their whole identity seems to have been wrapped up in raising those kids. What will they do when the kids no longer need raising and they have nobody to talk to but each other? Or have any of the kids promised to stay on the homestead and raise their families there forever and ever?

I think Aleksandra getting pregnant seals the deal as far as getting Josh's parents' approval and cementing her place in the family. Not that it's WHY she got pregnant, but it wouldn't surprise me if that was at least part of the motivation. After all, nothing says "this is forever" like a baby. In my cynical mind, I can't think why two people who are so young, barely married, and have no visible means of supporting themselves independently would decide NOW is a good time to get knocked up. And it clearly was something they made a conscious decision to do, given all of the forms of birth control available. Or is LDS one of those religions that frown on birth control?

Can someone please explain to me why you would go to Jamaica to look for a husband. I really don't get it. I don't think they go looking for a husband. They go on vacation, drink a lot, and stumble across some great sex in paradise with a guy who is very skilled at making a woman feel like the center of his universe. Then they think about going back to the states where there is no sex and no one doting on them. The post-vacation letdown hits them hard, and they miss that chemistry and excitement. Somehow the distance and absence and loneliness (and the fact that no local guys are nearly as attentive) convince them that they had a special connection with Jamaica guy. What is this feeling? It must be love! So back to Jamaica they go, to reconnect with their soulmate. And they tell their friends and family "I wasn't looking, but when you meet the right one, you just KNOW."

Hope Nikki doesn't pork up, or she's outta there. I never thought of that, but if she did gain weight, I can easily see him sitting her down for a talking to. He would start off with "my first wife gained weight too" then go into how he always required his children to maintain a certain level of fitness, then seque into how he's not going to replace her wardrobe every six months because she's getting fat. Then he will do that weird passive-aggressive thing he does to browbeat her into some kind of exercise. But it will have to be something that does not involve spending money or interacting with other people. So no gym membership for Nikki.

I have to disagree with this. I found quite a bit of what she had to say self-centered and a wee bit entitled. It was all about how what her father had done had been so traumatic for HER, and he hadn't even cared about her opinion. Her comment "I've cried myself to sleep about it wondering how my father could do this to me" says it all. Sweetie, this isn't about you. Grow up. Your father didn't go looking for Nikki just to piss you off. You're going to be up and out of the house living your own life. Your father was lonely, he wanted a life partner, and he desperately wanted someone who would never ever leave him or take away anything that he's worked for all his life. He lacks a lot of qualities that would make him attractive to a woman near his own age, so he went looking for someone who doesn't have a lot of options, and who would be willing to fit herself into the desired mold. "What will Elise think about this" probably wasn't even in the top ten on his priority list. Nor should it have been. He's a grown man. He should be able to choose a life mate based on what he wants, and he's under no obligation to consult with his grown children, who are off living their own lives and making their own choices about who to date and marry. Would it have been nice if he'd asked her how she feels about it? Yes. But obviously they aren't that close, if going on a reality show is the only way for her to express her feelings to him. And when that didn't work, she put him on blast on Instagram. Very mature. If Elise was a minor, I'd feel bad for her. If she expressed concern for her father, I'd understand. But it was 100% about how her feelings were hurt.