S21: Bindi Irwin: Cheerful Aussie Ambassador

[katha]

That's one of the most misunderstood songs ever, isn't it? It's a creepy stalker song, it's not about touching devotion or love or something. Sting is always baffled by people using it for weddings etc., since the lyrics are so disturbing and depicting deranged behaviour. It's probably that the melody is so catchy...

[McManda]

It's probably that the melody is so catchy...

Which is funny too, because Sting has also said that the music is just an amalgamation of a hundred different generic pop melodies and what he was really concerned about getting right was the lyrics.

Not to discredit Bindi or her story or anything, but I do think that this week is more of the producers doing than any story she wanted to tell, given how we've seen her talk about and remember her dad.

[kayma]

So, how old was Bindi when she learned to walk that she can remember it? That's not a normal memory people have.

I want to like Bindi, but they're laying it on so thick. I don't like my cheesy show being sorrowful. And, Derek looks so uncomfortable.

Edited October 6, 2015 by kayma

[Padma]

I guess I'm not the target audience for the sentimentality they love to exaggerate for this week's theme. I would have rather had them use "Crocodile Rock" to remember Steve Irwin--his energy, fun and commitment to animals, esp. crocs--rather than the completely inappropriate and obsessively creepy (or in this case, maudlin) choice of EBYT.  "Somber" and "stalkerish" are not words I'd use to describe someone's beloved father.  But I'm sure the producers didn't want to miss out on exploiting the emotion and going for tears from people who want to be all sentimental about "dad in heaven looking after me" or whatever. A really terrible choice, though.

[smiley13]

Well that was just as I thought it would, sickeningly sappy.

[howmanywords]

They already used Crocodile Rock for the jive week 1 so they couldnt have used it again for a dance.  I'm mostly indifferent towards Bindi but I adored her dad and I was terribly sad when he died, I remember weeping during his funeral so I was a mess watching her dance and pre-dance package tonight. The show may have wanted to lay it on thick but I cant help but feel her tears were very real.

[Sayla Vee]

Of course I felt bad for Bindi, just as I feel sympathy for everyone who loses a parent......like me....no matter what age.  I found Andy's story just as moving.  I also found Alek's story about the incident in his hometown and Tamar's story about her husband's illness extremely moving. 

[Lonesome Rhodes]

BBC Worldwide reeeeeeeally needed a shot to jump start the ratings.  Little wonder they did not wait any longer to whip this one out.

[RemoteControlFreak]

Which is funny too, because Sting has also said that the music is just an amalgamation of a hundred different generic pop melodies and what he was really concerned about getting right was the lyrics.

Not to discredit Bindi or her story or anything, but I do think that this week is more of the producers doing than any story she wanted to tell, given how we've seen her talk about and remember her dad.

 

The scene with Derek talks about a child holding a single finger of a parent and Bindi claiming to have some memory of that -- cut to a studio shot of Bindi and her dad -- seemed extremely fake.  Good thing she's got another job because she's a terrible actor. 

[birkenstock]

I'm wondering if pictures have become memories for her.  She may have seen that photo of her holding onto Steve's finger over the years and transferred it into thinking it was something that is an actual memory. Hopefully, she didn't feel like she had to act sad for her package or fake cry.       

Edited October 6, 2015 by Cocka doodle dont

[kitcloudkicker]

1. I don't know how you could watch her and declare it fake, but I'm going to leave it. 

 

2. You can definitely transfer memories from pictures and they feel like "real memories." With so much of her life documented that very well could have happened. (Memories are super fascinating, this is a really good book about them.) Or the other explanation is that they may have had a picture handy of that moment because he did it all the time. 

 

3. Twitter rumors are saying Bindi/Val for the switchup, which I am excited about. Bindi/Mark felt too predictable, and I like Val in "big brother" mode.

[smiley13]

The scene with Derek talks about a child holding a single finger of a parent and Bindi claiming to have some memory of that -- cut to a studio shot of Bindi and her dad -- seemed extremely fake.  Good thing she's got another job because she's a terrible actor. 

Yes she does seem fake.  It is a shame, because when she was initially announced, I was excited about her being on the show.

[treeofdreams]

Interesting how perceptions differ.  She doesn't seem at all fake to me.

[cocacolacdngrams]

I too thought her package and fake tears after dance were too much...for me!  She was wiping her invisible tears...not smearing her make up and then her hand went right to Derek's shirt...with no make up on it...huh?  I think she is an amazing young woman...and does NOT need to have the sympathy card played for her as she is a good dancer and has shows' fave son as her partner...and I think she has a great chance of winning...

[Uke]

I think Bindi was a terrific actress last night.  First I will emphasize, during the interview part of the package, yes I do believe Bindi really got choked up and emotional during the interview with the producer AND I think the producers who conduct those interviews are very good at playing on emotions and getting people to cry.

 

The holding one finger thing I believe was a producer-driven re-creation. They had the picture so they had Bindi "remember" IMO.  Here we have one of Derek's little tricks for showing "true" emotion. Scrunch up your eyes, cover your mouth and bury your face in his chest.  If she had just teared-up, I would have believed it. After what, 9 years?, emotions aren't usually on such a hair-trigger.  Certain memories of my Dad will cause me to tear up nearly 15 years after losing him, but tear up, not fall apart.

 

During the dance, the moment before the final embrace, there was no sign she was breaking apart. Again scrunch, cover and bury a couple times. When she finally resurfaced to walk to Alfonso, her face did not look like she just had a cry. No tears. No makeup smudges. No involuntary quivers in her face.  Now, I can talk with a "cry" in my voice quite easily, as I'm sure most women can and that's what I believe Bindi was doing.  This was the dance the show has been pushing from the start of the season. Derek knows how to play the game.  They had to play it to the hilt.  For the most emotional show of the season, that's exactly what they did.

 

Does she miss her Dad? Absolutely!  Was she broken up with emotion in the rehearsal segment or dance or post-dance? Nope. Not buying it.

 

It was a very nice dance though.

[Skycatcher]

I absolutely bought every sloppy, teary moment.  And I think that after being put in the position of wallowing in the build up of the "for Daddy" angst for a week, she was certainly worked up enough for real tears.  But I totally agree with Padma in that I thought Crocodile Rock was a more accurate presentation of the true Steve/Bindi energies.

[just prin]

Bindi's still smiling! Nice to see!

[Bronzedog]

This kid annoys the crap out of me.

[Artymouse]

I like Bindi, but the super-upbeat 24/7 thing is starting to grate. It reminds me of the Friends episode where Phoebe is dating the manically happy Alec Baldwin character, and she says he's like "Santa Claus ... on Prozac ... at Disneyland ... getting laid."

[just prin]

Much prefer that to "Rudolph on downers in Iraq getting blown up" myself! :)

[Carousel]

Such an impressive young lady. And she can really dance. She has the most gorgeous leg positions. Those Australian jungles must be some thin'

[Artymouse]

I thought her leg positions (is that the right word?) were astounding. She nailed everything except the menacing face and attitude. Bindi is just too sunny to be sinister.

[Janimo]

I really like Bindi.I know, I know, she annoys lots of people. To me,though, she seems like a genuinely nice, kind and thoughtful young woman....however, that's strictly my own opinion.  :)

[smiley13]

If they were going for a comedy routine last night, then she got it right.  Her "sinister" faces were hilarious.  Not sure why the judges were not in the floor laughing.

[LizBug]

I started out being wary of Bindi and her over-the-top behavior.  It was really annoying last night ... all the laughter, giggles.  Then, I reminded myself:  she's a teenager. This is the way teenagers act, especially when they're having a good time and enjoying themselves.  

[Uke]

Her sunshin-i-ness (is that a word?) is so OTT combined with her attempts at menacing scariness came off as manic and was just disturbing to me.  Derek said in his blog that he was shooting for "fierce, sexy, strong".  What he got out of her was a bit crazed.  It was uncomfortable for me to watch*.

 

(Normally I love scary movies, Halloween movies, ghost stories, etc. so long as it's not a lot of blood and guts stuff.)

[truthaboutluv]

Bindi is one of TIME Magazine's Most Influential Teens http://time.com/4081618/most-influential-teens-2015/. Interestingly, Bethany made the list last year too while she was a contestant on the show (she made the list again this year). 

[just prin]

In today's world, it's telling that one can be criticized for being "too nice." Sad, in MO. But then I'm just old.

[MickeyMouse]

In today's world, it's telling that one can be criticized for being "too nice." Sad, in MO. But then I'm just old.

Amen to that. Very sad.

[truthaboutluv]

One thing I loved about Bindi's rehearsal package last night was when she said that one of her favorite expressions is "Don't mistake kindness for weakness" and stressed that just because she's kind does not make her weak. I thought that was cool and I can see that about her. For all her giggly, giddiness, Bindi does seem to have a pretty strong sense of self. It was what I liked about Bethany - how self-assured and mature she came across as even though she was quiet and an introvert. 

[OakGoblinFly]

If they were going for a comedy routine last night, then she got it right.  Her "sinister" faces were hilarious.  Not sure why the judges were not in the floor laughing.

 

 

Blinded by the smoke?  

[just prin]

After reading about the condition of Bindi's feet in Derek's blog, I'm sure Bindi needs immunity, whether she'll admit that or not. And I don't doubt that the others' feet are in pretty much the same poor shape at this stage of the competition. Gotta admire all these folks, who give it everything they've got week after week. They could take the money and run but, season after season, most do not do that!

Edited October 30, 2015 by just prin

[LizBug]

So ... who's idea was it to take Bindi to a children's hospital?  There's a time for over-the-top perkiness but this wasn't it.  I felt so sorry for the kids, especially that one who looked like "go away, whoever you are, and let me sleep."  

[bayviewbubba]

Figured out who she reminds me of - Shirley Temple. Strong, sunny, sweet. She might have had the power to annoy with all of that but she always came out on top and everyone loved her. And, just like the real Shirley, she has been a powerhouse since she was a toddler. I want to see where she is in 20 years (though I'll probably be to old to remember that I cared enough to be curious!).

[Uke]

So ... who's idea was it to take Bindi to a children's hospital?  There's a time for over-the-top perkiness but this wasn't it.  I felt so sorry for the kids, especially that one who looked like "go away, whoever you are, and let me sleep."  

 

I saw that. There's a massive PR effort happening for Bindi and it struck me as a little wrong the way this was done.

 

One clip I saw had, of course, the cameraman and a news reporter and they all were visiting kids in a common room or kids in private rooms who were clearly up and aware of what was going on (Halloween celebration).

 

The other clip (can't remember if it was on ENews or ET) showing Bindi visiting kids who obviously weren't into whatever was happening, didn't know or care who Bindi was, and looked like they just wanted to be left alone. For those kids, you leave the cameras and commotion out.  If Bindi wants to go in to say a kind word, fine (if it's okay with the parents). But for a camera crew, sound guy, producer, reporter, Bindi & Mom and who knows how many others to descend on seriously sick little kids (for Bindi's self-promotion), just rubs me the wrong way.

Edited November 3, 2015 by Uke

[kitcloudkicker]

Dancing with the Stars has an ongoing relationship with that hospital. Here's last year's cast there: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/rumer-willis-and-more-dwts-cast-members-visit-childrens-hospital-201595

 

And Andy there:

https://www.facebook.com/ChildrensLA/videos/10153546684870673/

 

And Season 19's cast there:

http://www.chla.org/blog/celebrities/movin-and-groovin-abcs-dancing-the-stars

 

In addition to countless other celeb visits on their blog and a whole section about "celebrity visits" on their Facebook. Those kids are probably more shocked if no one shows up with a camera crew. 

Edited November 3, 2015 by kitcloudkicker

[Uke]

Dancing with the Stars has an ongoing relationship with that hospital. ...

 

In addition to countless other celeb visits on their blog and a whole section about "celebrity visits" on their Facebook. Those kids are probably more shocked if no one shows up with a camera crew. 

 

Oh, for sure it's good promo for the celebs/pros doing something charitable "for the community" and the participating kids stuck in the hospital I'm sure get a kick out of it.  But normally we see them in a common area all having some fun together. 

[kitcloudkicker]

Oh, for sure it's good promo for the celebs/pros doing something charitable "for the community" and the participating kids stuck in the hospital I'm sure get a kick out of it.  But normally we see them in a common area all having some fun together. 

 

Nah, Andy is in rooms. Matthew Lillard (you can't tell me any of those kids know who the fuck he is - also, when did he get so old?) is in rooms. The cast of Pretty Little Liars stormed the rooms with what looks like 20 people in tow. Looks like standard operating procedure to me. 

[Uke]

Nah, Andy is in rooms. Matthew Lillard (you can't tell me any of those kids know who the fuck he is - also, when did he get so old?) is in rooms. The cast of Pretty Little Liars stormed the rooms with what looks like 20 people in tow. Looks like standard operating procedure to me. 

 

Ha! I had to google Matthew. He looked vaguely familiar.

 

I guess at that Children's Hospital they must get everyone to sign filming consents at checkin.

[cooksdelight]

Seriously? At first I thought this was some sort of spoof, but it's TMZ

http://www.tmz.com/2015/11/05/bindi-irwin-dwts-contract-rejected-steve-irwin/

[kitcloudkicker]

That feels like a fairly minor paperwork issue given a sensationalist headline. It's my understanding that widows and widowers with minor children end up needing to submit death certificates (legal proof) any time they're dealing with legal stuff involving their kids (including getting them passports), basically to prevent parents in custody battles from using their kids to do fishy crap to each other. Not a fun thing to have to have at the ready, but Terri should have no trouble turning it in, and then it's a non issue.

[coaster]

Agreed with the above. I was surprised to find that the contract is still going through the courts now, though. I wonder if it always takes this long when they have a minor contestant? Also, very cool that Bindi's mom was okay signing something saying she makes no claim to the money Bindi makes from the show. Not all parents of celebrity minors would do that.

[BW Manilowe]

Agreed with the above. I was surprised to find that the contract is still going through the courts now, though. I wonder if it always takes this long when they have a minor contestant? Also, very cool that Bindi's mom was okay signing something saying she makes no claim to the money Bindi makes from the show. Not all parents of celebrity minors would do that.

I don't think Terri Irwin is (or Steve Irwin was, for that matter) your typical parent of a celebrity minor. Just saying.

I hope all it takes to fix this is a copy of Steve's Death Certificate/other pertinent legal documentation being faxed (presumably) to the court in LA from Australia. I wouldn't want Bindi to have to drop out of the competition at this late date because of a paperwork issue.

I thought the whole thing was a joke too. I mean, at the time, it seemed like the whole world knew about Bindi's Dad dying so tragically. But I get there's a difference between knowing/saying he died & being able to show legal proof of it &, even if this Judge knows Steve's legally dead (& has been since Bindi was 8 & Robert was, like, 3), (s)he still needs to see his official Death Certificate/other pertinent paperwork to show Steve/his estate won't make any claim on any of Bindi's apparently substantial DWTS earnings (at least substantial in USD--not sure how much her earnings will translate to in AUSD, more or less than the original USD amount).

[magpye29]

Well, any way you slice it, it's a really crappy thing for Bindi to have to go through.  Imagine having those headlines all over, and you know it'll be all over the tabloids this weekend.  This is something that should have been done months ago, before this season ever started.  and if this is something every minor goes through at the beginning of the season, they should have had a checklist in place that would encompass this type of scenario.  

 

But if you want to play conspiracy theory, maybe someone leaked this to the press to sabotage Bindi's state of mind, since it doesn't look like there's any other way she won't make it to the finals unless she has a gigantic, impossible for even Julianne to miss, screwup that completely torpedoes her scores.  OTOH, maybe somebody leaked it to get a sympathy vote going for Bindi to ensure she wins the MBT.  I don't believe either of those scenarios, BTW, but even if they're not true, it's still really lousy for Bindi to have this legal nonsense playing havoc at this point in the competition.

[boyznkatz]

It's probably just some old news that TMZ dug up. Hard to believe that the show would proceed without the contract in place. Besides, her mom probably turned in the certificate by now. This is probably another reason though why kids under 18 shouldn't be on the show.

[smiley13]

I vote that she gets disqualified!!

 

(Oh I can wish!!)

[Andie1]

It's probably just some old news that TMZ dug up. Hard to believe that the show would proceed without the contract in place. Besides, her mom probably turned in the certificate by now. This is probably another reason though why kids under 18 shouldn't be on the show.

The judge rejected the DWTS contract...  this is too hilarious !! way to look after your daughter, Mom. First rule of any contract, make sure you know what the law is regarding minors.  Fail.  I wonder if Bindi is all happy go lucky now?  It's just common sense, we were involved in legal paperwork after our friends children were orphaned. You gotta make sure you have all the legal paperwork and have everything to prove  in the best interest of the child. Not expediency, and no assumptions about anything. Get that death certificate, and if you can't why not?   Mom either just didn't know, didn't care or got bad legal advice. Ignorance is no defense.

 

Yep, I Agree, kids under 18 with irresponsible parents shouldn't be on the show.  The big downside is she's going be sobbing about her dead dad again.Way to go Mom, Way to exploit the shit out of Steve Irwin's memory. You signed her up for this.  Ugh. I'm so done with this bullshit.

. http://news.yahoo.com/bindi-irwins-dancing-stars-contract-201000868.html

Edited November 5, 2015 by Andie1

[CrazyDog]

I really don't see how this is her mom "exploiting" anything. It's a sensationalist headline, that should be easily rectified. I feel bad that Bindi and her mom have to deal with it, but hopefully it will be fixed soon. I hope she continues strong right into the finale!

[Andie1]

Exploitive because it once again draws a headline to Dead Steve Irwin, when the Dead Steve Irwin storyline has been beaten to death.

Edited November 6, 2015 by Andie1

[dizzyizzy01]

That's the media though not Bindi's mom.  Clickbait headlines...