Raising Asia - General Discussion

[Absolom]

Ratings:  962,000 viewers and a .3 rating. 

 

Barely enough to stay on the air.

[Absolom]

This episode didn't break the cable top 100 for the night. 

[NikSac]

This episode didn't break the cable top 100 for the night. 

 

This may be a dumb question, but do you know how they do this ranking (or a site that explains it)?  It seems to me that with so many people using DVR, watching re-runs, etc. it would be hard to know exactly how any show was doing. Not that I would expect this one to be in the top 100, but I'm just curious how all of that plays into the ratings.

[leighroda]

I think it's funny that Asia is always saying how she has to work so hard because that's what Beyonce did... Actually no she (Beyonce) didn't, she had a relatively normal childhood. Notice I said relatively, I'm not saying she had time to roam the streets and play in the neighborhood like most of us did in the 90's... I'm sure a lot of practice and hard work made her who she is today, no doubt, but I'm pretty sure she was allowed to skate at her sisters birthday party. The thing that bugs me is how much time and energy they put into Asia being Beyonce... Beyonce is Beyonce because that is organically who she is. Did it take time and hard work? Absolutely. But she isn't trying to be anyone but herself and that is who is a superstar, not her trying to be Whitney Houston (does that make sense?).

Fun fact: my six degrees of separation to Beyonce is that being from Houston, I went to elementary school with a member of her original group "girls Tyme"... Unfortunately I'm a few years younger and I don't remember who. I remember there being a huge hoopla that someone from my school was on "star search" (that was a huge deal in the 90's) It wasn't Beyonce because from anything I can tell she is not from the same area as I am, but it may have been Kelly Rowland, but probably more likely the random girl that did not go on to be in destiny's child.

[leighroda]

This episode seems very fishy and so many levels to me.

Wow Kristi really blew her top. Super cray cray. Why was she fighting with the producers of the reality show when Anthony said the f-bomb at to Shawn? Why did she storm out and not even allow Asia to rehearse that day? I'm sure that Shawn can fight for himself, as we obviously saw. So many questions, not enough answers.

Is Anthony the choreographer given to them by the reality show? Perhaps that is why they are being so wishy-washy trying to get him to quit. Maybe they can't legally fire him while filming the reality show so they're trying to get him to resign of his own volition. That is why they keep hampering everything he is trying to accomplish. Yes, saying the f bomb in front of Asia was uncalled for, and he should've stepped out of the room if he knew he was going to get so angry. But then for Christie to go bananas is a also good example?

Why is Kristi always asking for the cameras to leave or that the mics be turned off? Did she not know that she was filming a reality show? It just seems so controlling for nothing. Why sign the contract and agree to be on a reality show, if you don't want to be filmed? That's like pulling a Lindsay Lohan but you are not Lindsay Lohan...lol. Still don't understand why she keeps saying "cameras out, cameras out" when drama is going down. That cracks me up every time and it makes me think that she is hiding something. Then she routinely threatens to cancel the reality show, as if to make Asia conform and change whatever she's doing in that moment. Methinks the Rays want the exposure that the reality show is going to give Asia, but Kristi doesn't want all her crazy to seen by the public.

I am so sick of this penis-measuring contest. Shawn just came into the picture and he keeps throwing his weight around trying to prove that he's the boss and the other two need to bow down to him. But he knows nothing about music, nothing about dancing, nothing about anything. He seems to be the one causing the most drama right now. First he gives Billy ultimate control, then he turns around and gives it to Anthony... it's like he doesn't even know truly what he wants and he just wants everyone to obey his every whim. It truly is confusing for both Anthony and Billy, and I can see why there is so much tension and conflict.

Anthony is extremely passionate about his job and sometimes does take things too seriously, or emotionally. But I truly believe that his heart is in the right place. Poor Asia. She really is caught in the middle of trying to make everybody happy. I hope that she does find time for her own happiness. Does anyone know if any of Asia's singles even charted?

So. Much. Agreed. Every single episode has some moment where she is demanding cameras off or mics off. It's funny because my impression on dance moms and AUDC is that while kristie definitly orchestrated Asia's career, that she was a little more hands off and was teaching Asia to handle herself (to a degree, I never thought she was hands off by any means)... But now I see I could not have been more wrong. This throws the phrase "tiger mom" out the window and now I refer to Kristie as "dragon mom".

[Absolom]

This may be a dumb question, but do you know how they do this ranking (or a site that explains it)?  It seems to me that with so many people using DVR, watching re-runs, etc. it would be hard to know exactly how any show was doing. Not that I would expect this one to be in the top 100, but I'm just curious how all of that plays into the ratings.

 

These numbers are the overnight numbers for that hour only.  Reruns are a separate number and the DVR viewing is separate and usually not publicly available for this kind of cable show.  Usually this number is from the Nielsen box families.

[NikSac]

Thanks Absolom.  You would think I'd know this stuff, but 'back in the day' when my family was picked as a "Nielson family" DVR and such didn't exist yet. Even then I wondered how things were impacted if we taped it (as in VHS tape) but didn't watch it when it first aired. My family thought I was nuts but I remember being so excited when we got chosen to be part of the ratings.  Maybe it was the $1 bill they sent in the mail... I dunno.  Ok now I feel old lol.

 

Anyway it got me curious how the current Nielson ratings work. Thanks for your reply!

[joanofarch4]

This show might be just too creepy for the average viewing public...  Or even the snarky viewing public...

[CousinAmy]

Was this the season finale? I keep forgetting when it's on and have to catch up On Demand. I wonder if it did well enough to continue to another season. "Dance Mom" was pretty vile from the first episode and it's still going. 

[OnceSane]

I believe there are a few episodes to go.

[Absolom]

I doubt it will go a second season, but there's a slim chance it will.  I don't think there's been a night where both episodes broke the top 100 on cable for the day.  Lifetime usually has higher expectations than that.  Dance Moms did very well for Lifetime in the ratings in the early seasons.

[Absolom]

Asia prepares to sing her new ballad.

[Absolom]

Asia tries to remain calm.

[joanofarch4]

I agree that Asia truly found her passion and genuinely wants to pursue and succeed at it.  In fact, she's basically the only character on the entire show with any intelligence or common sense, it seems.  However, Mom needs to lay off obsessing about fat grams and calories (in front of BOTH of her daughters), and the choreographer creeps me out...  To say that he's "pimping" his client out is not too far from the truth.  What he's basically saying is that people won't pay to see a little girl acting like a little girl, but a little girl acting like a fully sexualized grown woman will attract crowds and dollars.  Yeah?  And?

Edited September 9, 2014 by joanofarch4

[topanga]

Never mind

Edited September 10, 2014 by topanga

[topanga]

Whoa. How can parents, especially a father, watch his eight year-old daughter dress and dance that provocatively? Asia clearly has talent and stage presence, but why does he have to look like an adult?

[topanga]

I originally posted in the wrong episode, which is where the quotes come from. My bad.

 

 

I feel like people are way too hard on them. You can see that Asia loves to perform. she may not like the controlling mom, but she shines on stage. I do agree that they are eroding her entire childhood too aggressively, and that she still needs to develop her singing and acting. But Even Beyoncé wasn't Beyoncé at 8. This is all stuff that comes with time.

You make some good points, Spiderella2, but what the parents are doing is way more damaging than just developing their child's talent and natural desire to perform. This is my first episode of "Raising Asia," and I find myself appalled by what these parents are doing to their daughter. At the same time, I can't turn away.

 

It's one thing to say that I'm going to develop my daughter's dancing, acting, and singing skills because she is a triple threat. It's another thing to repeatedly tell an 8-year old after hours and hours of preparation for a performance that she needs to "focus." And the number of cameras in her face and people yelling things at her and her parents' constant hovering? It annoys Asia now, but she's quickly going to get used to and eventually depend on that attention because it will be part of her identity. So what happens when the cameras are gone? Will she be able to cope? Many child starts get addicted to drugs and alcohol once they're no longer on hit shows and no longer have that constant attention and adulation.

 

 

 

They must have saved up money when they both worked before the kids.

Kids? They have another child? I never saw Kristie, Shawn, or Asia talk to or interact with any other children during the episode. I know the show is called Raising Asia, and the camera footage should be of Asia, but where is their other child (children?) during all of this time? In the previews for the next episode, I did see another little girl standing on stage next to Asia. Is that her sister?  I'm not sure if the other little girl has special needs, but she didn't look completely engaged while standing there.

[NikSac]

There's at least one other kid - daughter Bluray.  I can't remember her actual full name (sorry!) but middle name Blu and last name Ray so, Bluray.She seems pretty 'with it' to me and I bet it really bothers her to see Asia getting all the attention.  Although in the long run it might be healthier for her emotionally.

[chabelisaywow]

These people are so low brow - it's a litter not a chariot.

[Spiderella2]

I originally posted in the wrong episode, which is where the quotes come from. My bad.

 

You make some good points, Spiderella2, but what the parents are doing is way more damaging than just developing their child's talent and natural desire to perform. This is my first episode of "Raising Asia," and I find myself appalled by what these parents are doing to their daughter. At the same time, I can't turn away.

 

It's one thing to say that I'm going to develop my daughter's dancing, acting, and singing skills because she is a triple threat. It's another thing to repeatedly tell an 8-year old after hours and hours of preparation for a performance that she needs to "focus." And the number of cameras in her face and people yelling things at her and her parents' constant hovering? It annoys Asia now, but she's quickly going to get used to and eventually depend on that attention because it will be part of her identity. So what happens when the cameras are gone? Will she be able to cope? Many child starts get addicted to drugs and alcohol once they're no longer on hit shows and no longer have that constant attention and adulation.

 

 

Kids? They have another child? I never saw Kristie, Shawn, or Asia talk to or interact with any other children during the episode. I know the show is called Raising Asia, and the camera footage should be of Asia, but where is their other child (children?) during all of this time? In the previews for the next episode, I did see another little girl standing on stage next to Asia. Is that her sister?  I'm not sure if the other little girl has special needs, but she didn't look completely engaged while standing there.

I think you missed several crucial episodes. First, I was responding to someone else who was wondering how the family was able to afford the choreographer, her wardrobe, singing lessons, and all the costs associated with it. I explained that from the initial episode it was apparent that they had successful fitness careers prior to having children so they must have a little nest egg saved up. Plus, Asia must be getting some performance fees and some of her shows, not all of them but--some of them. Of course that is not enough to offset all the expenses, but Sean has two businesses that he has developed to the point where he can make money and provide for his family.

They do have another daughter, her name is Bella, and she is five years old. She doesn't have special needs, she's just used to being thrust in the closet while everyone focuses on Asia, which by itself is very sad. But she has been taught that when Asia is about to perform everything else of her own needs falls to the wayside. Bella used to spend a lot of time with the father, but since Sean has become more involved in Asia's career, Bella now spends a lot of time with her grandmother and her aunt. That's the other lady into scenario, the Gina check that was crying in this episode. I'm sure that Bella probably feels some level of emotional neglect, but she can't VOICE that because she's only five years old. She probably loves to watch her sister on stage, but she does understand that Asia in that moment is more important than her. Which is why she just sits quietly and does not make a fuss. That's probably why to you she looks so vacant. But she was singing along with some of the songs, and obviously she's very proud of her sister and loves her. They did seem to have a good relationship between the two sisters Asia and Bella.

[Spiderella2]

Just another episode in this entire travesty.

I'm still in awe of the lack of Christie's self-awareness. Why is she freaking out every time the camera is filming? You signed up for a reality show, this is what it entails. You can't lash out and threatened to fire somebody for doing the job that you signed up for, and probably got paid for.

And for the whole team to jump on Asia for being distracted when everyone was issuing orders to her left and right, any person in their right mind would be distracted. It's a good thing that she took some time to lock herself in the closet and get some peace and quiet before she went on stage. Another thing that's really sad is that she had to beg in the meeting to be allowed to have one minute by herself before performances. Wow.

I thought once Sean got in the mix, things would be better but it seems like his presence has made things a lot worse. He has set the choreographer and the manager against themselves, he has made Asia constantly afraid that the show was getting canceled, he canceled events because he did not like the song, it's just ridiculous.

But I truly feel that the biggest NutBag award must go to Christie. Even if she is stressed, that is no reason to act the way that she is acting. If Asia is in a good space she seems to want her to be stressed out right before the show. Yeah so what if the girl doesn't understand implications of her performance? She is always trying to please her mother and do a good job anyway so what is all the fuss about? Why does Christie keep telling her over and over again, "this is such a big deal, this is such a big deal, this is such a big deal!!!" I'm sure Asia got it by the 50th time you said it.

And Gina been all up in her feelings because she feels like the family doesn't use her? Wow. It's not always about you Gina. And the one time that Gina was in a position where she could calm things down, before the Las Vegas show, when Asia was having her meltdown, what did she end up doing? She ran to go get the manager Bobby. So obviously she doesn't feel like she is emotionally equipped to deal with all the drama.

This entire family is just something else. I feel so bad for Asia with each and every episode. I'm almost waiting for her to throw her hands up in the air and say "look I'm totally done with this popstar stuff I want to have a normal life." But of course she's never going to say that.

[Spiderella2]

Good thing when her mic went out she wasn't caught lip syncing. That would have been a mockery...lol

It is odd that all her dancers were older. They couldn't get teen or kid dancers?

Asia did do a great job, and it was a really good performance. Even with the glitches it seemed like everything came together pretty well. Has anyone heard about her since the show went off air?

Funny how another choreographer Ricky Jackson had the same idea as Anthony that her music was too immature. Of course Billy Bobby, whatever his name is it's gonna take an exception to that. It's not an 'Anthony syndrome' it's a "people who have ears/current music industry" syndrome. What a bozo.

Did she just walked past her fans without even a thank you or wave? Why did her dad tell her to do that? It would have taken no more than 10 minutes to show her doesn't fans some love. The dad truly has no concept of how the music industry works. Sean needs to not quit his day job.

Edited September 10, 2014 by Spiderella2

[TomGirl]

I didn't care for Asia on AUDC, but I'm somewhat impressed by her now. In spite of all the craziness around her, she seems to cope with things fairly well, seems quite mature for 8, can argue respectfully with her parents and maintain her composure, is always prepared for her performances, articulates her opinions well, and exhibits a healthy confidence. How she manages to do all that, I don't know. I also like her relationship with Bella. By the way, I thought Bella looked so cute in this episode. I think she is going to grow up into a very pretty girl.

[joanofarch4]

It suddenly hit me last night: this is a parody of sports parents.  None of these people are real.  Well, ASIA, but other than that.  We're being played!

[joanofarch4]

I think Bella is perfectly happy sitting on the sidelines; as she said last night, "This looks like a lot of work!"  Assuming she's real, that is...

[joanofarch4]

Did Asia do a "crotch grab," or did my eyes deceive me?

[topanga]

 

Did Asia do a "crotch grab," or did my eyes deceive me?

I didn't see it, but I wouldn't be surprised.

[Absolom]

Ratings are in: 896,000 viewers and a .3 rating.

 

The 10 PM show didn't break the top 100 cable shows of the day.

 

I think that's bad enough to be permanently done.

[MsTree]

Christ on a cracker, Kristie! I'm 100 times older than Asia (well, not really ;-) and you're stressing ME out!  Please give your kid a break. She needs at least 5 minutes before a show without you on her back. And for cryin' out loud, a cheese doodle here & there isn't gonna kill her. STFU!

[CousinAmy]

My mom raised me on a very strict diet - no sweets except for so called "diet foods" = no sugar, but plenty of saccharine - but when I was about 12 and spending days at friends' houses, I couldn't resist the snacks and started to pack on the pounds. I can just see Asia struggling with that, since she knows what she "should" eat, but is probably getting resentful and will have a hard time finding the balance between a few Cheetos and a gallon of Rocky Road ice cream. 

[MsTree]

...and that's exactly why Kristie needs to lighten up on the kid. Besides, kids need some 'fat' in their diet, especially dairy. Hopefully Asia doesn't develop any vitamin deficiencies.

[hatchetgirl]

She totally just walked by those, maybe 10 little girls waiting for her. That was awful and a great way to not become anything. :(

I agree with Billy, she's 8 not 30! Let the kid be 8 for crying out loud.

I'm waiting for "A Very Special Asia" where mom and dad get divorced.

[joanofarch4]

No RA tonight (only the insufferable "DM")?  Is the series over already?  I mean, finally?

[OnceSane]

I believe this episode is the last, a thirteen episode first season is fairly common for many shows.  Plus, I looked around online & can't find any evidence pointing to more episodes for this season.  No clue whether the show has been renewed.

[Absolom]

Yes, it's done.  Thirteen was the original order.  I don't think it will be back, but I could be fooled.  Half or more of the shows didn't break the top cable 100 of the day. 

[joanofarch4]

Well, it was snarkable while it lasted...

[emmoroco]

I feel like Asia's mother totally ignores the younger kid.  That family is going to have issues in a few years when the younger one starts to act out because she's basically ignored and has no relationship with her mother, I bet. 

[Spiderella2]

Another sighting.

I am watching American Crime Story: O.J. Simpson the one with Cuba Gooding Jr. Playing O.J. Simpson. An older Asia plays OJ and Nicole's daughter. She has only spoken one line so far in the whole series and I've seen 8 of 9 episodes. Her affect was completely off. She seemed way too 'fine' considering her mom was dead.

[hoodooznoodooz]

sorry!

Edited September 15, 2017 by hoodooznoodooz