'Biggest Loser' Season 14: Jillian Michaels plus Kids

'The Biggest Loser' is adding Jillian Michaels (again!) and...babies?

Okay, not literal babies. But the show's 14th season will indeed feature the return of Jillian Michaels as well as some kid contestants.

I mean, they had "old" people two seasons ago (remember the old v young teams?) so why not go the other route...really young. Like, you know, a bunch of thirteen year olds. Which is exactly what they've done.

'Beverly Hills Nannies'

The voyeur in me was excited about 'Beverly Hills Nannies'.

As someone who has worked as a nanny, I wanted to see what crazy things these supposedly crazy moms asked their employees to do.

Honestly, I was a little disappointed.

The shows premise is interesting enough. It follows (and I may have lost count here) at least five nannies on their first day with new families. Some of the nannies have worked for years, some of them are new to the California scene, but they all have one thing in common. They all know Kristin, who apparently (according to the show anyway) is some kind of super well-connected nanny extraordinaire.

What's particuarly interesting is that despite the fact that some of the nannies do have college degrees, almost none of them appear to have a real background in child development. Sure, they've all babysat etc., but have they had training that wasn't on the job? I'd think that a potential employer would want that too, but I guess I'm wrong.

'Cheer Perfection': Will There Be a Second Episode?

In a rather bizarre marketing move, TLC has been advertising the premiere of 'Cheer Perfection' for several weeks, drilling into our heads that the premiere date was July 11th, 2012.

Now, the word premiere obviously just means "for the first time", so technically there is nothing wrong with them using it in their previews. However, I think it also led numerous TV viewers to believe that 'Cheer Perfection' was going to be a new series.

New TLC Shows

There are a couple of new shows that TLC has chosen to produce that haven't been marketed yet. Until they get an official airdate, there's no guarantee that they'll be coming to our TVs, but here are a few shows that you might be able to watch soon:

'Cheer Perfection' is Coming to TLC

Cheerleading is coming to TLC! No, not a taped competition, but rather a special about the cutthroat world of children's cheerleading.

Sound oddly familiar? It should. The show is set up with a format that is almost identical to Lifetime's very successful show, 'Dance Moms'. After all, no one owns the petty mom/competitive kid arena.

TLC is clearly hoping to be as successful as 'Dance Moms', and maybe steal some of Lifetime's viewers while they're at it.

'Dance Moms'-When Stars Collide, S1 E5

"When Stars Collide"
What Happened During Season 1 Episode 5?

Yet again, what in the world is wrong with Christi? Okay, I agree that she was right when she said that Maddie dancing without a lollipop (while all the other girls were holding one) did draw attention to her. But it also made sense that if they were one short she would be the one to dance without it, because she was in the center. It would have looked very odd if one of the girls on the end was missing a lollipop.

And sure, the talent scout seemed more interested in Maddie than in Christi's daughter Chloe. BUT Maddie is a better dancer than Chloe, and she has more of that cutesy child star look. The harsh truth is that Maddie does appear more talented than Chloe. It's nice (in a way) that Christi thinks so highly of her daughter that she constantly wants to blame other people and make excuses when they surpass her, but the truth of the matter is that Chloe just isn't as good. Maybe her mother should help her build other talents, or help her be happy with what she is capable of, instead of constantly making her feel bad by comparing her to Maddie. Personally I think that Chloe will grow up to be beautiful and poised, and Maddie is seeing her main success as a child star. But Chloe won't be happy if her mother keeps comparing her to another child!

Of course, once again Melissa (Maddie's mother) is not in the clear. She thinks too much of both her children, and while I understood her frustration when her youngest daughter (Mackenzie) refused to sing for the talent scout, I also couldn't help but think back to one of the earliest interviews where Mackenzie admits that she doesn't want to be on Broadway. Why force your child to do something that they don't want to do? Maybe because it's your own dream? And that is sadly clear when Melissa (somewhat jokingly) mentions that maybe the talent scout will like her on stage as well, and cast her with Maddie in something.

Does anyone else think that Christi is being ridiculous? Do you think that Maddie is more talented, or is she receiving attention unfairly? And how do you feel about Melissa pushing her children towards fame?

Dance Moms, Christi vs. Melissa

"Dance Moms"--Stealing the Show

Does anyone else have a massive problem with Christi? For one thing, who in the world thinks it's appropriate to yell at lots of other people in front of a group of your children and theirs. Apparently Christi thinks it is perfectly fine, and that really worries me. I am concerned about the impact it has not only on her child, but on all the other children as well. And it certainly did have an impact, almost every girl who was in the room when Christi started to scream burst into tears.

Christi also has unreasonable requests. She wanted Melissa's daughter Maddie to only dance one solo (and not two) because all of the other girls in the troupe were only dancing one solo. However, as both Abby and Melissa explained, Maddie has an extra private tap lesson once a week, and the second solo she was dancing was choreographed by that teacher within the confines of that class. Christi claimed that Maddie should only dance one solo because it gave her an "unfair advantage" in terms of increasing her chances to win. But these dance competitions aren't based on quantity. Christi may not want to believe this, but even if her daughter (Chloe) had danced three separate solos I don't think she would have beat Maddie. Maddie, this week at least, was a more technically perfect dancer. You just have to see how Chloe fumbled during her dance to see that. So, who in the world cares about the number of dances each child does?? It truly does not increase their chances. In fact, I would say that the more dances a child has the more likely it is that she will lose, because she is having to remember double the material accurately.

However, that is not to say that I have no problems with Melissa. After Maddie and Chloe had gone on stage to receive awards, and Maddie had won, Melissa provoked Christi by turning to her and saying, "Still undefeated! Aren't you happy?". When she knew how upset Christi was about Maddie's two solos (regardless of whether that was justified or not) I don't see why she felt the need to continue to antagonize another mother.

Now onto Kelly and her daughter, Paige. They did repeatedly ask Maddie's mom (Melissa) for Paige's dance music. And she didn't get it until 8 pm on the night before the competition. Regardless of how hard the music was to get, that is completely unreasonable. She is a nine-year-old child, and she is supposed to dance successfully based only on counts? Please. Kelly certainly has a point that someone dropped a ball, and we all saw how badly that turned out. Paige froze on stage. And Abby, rather typically, blamed Paige! She was not as well prepared as the other girls, because she did not have her music in time, and that showed.

Finally, I agree with all of the mothers that doing a six hour Acro class the night before a competition is lunancy. However, I also agreed with Abby (this is truly shocking!) that if the children didn't know it at that point they wouldn't know it. Still, I think it would have been far better to run each child through her dance once, and then to send her home to rest before the competition. The mothers are wrong that their children need endless practice in their routines before competition, but Abby is wrong that they need endless practice in something new. Don't make them practice! Let them actually get some sleep.

wednesdays are for reality tv

Reality Television Night

I'm really not a big fan of reality television. I think most of it is incredibly junky, and I have an especially hard time watching other people suffer on screen. It's bad enough when it's scripted.

Regardless, summer is a time when I do tend to watch more reality television, more out of necessity then anything else. Unfortunately, almost all of my favorites air at the exact same time on Wednesday nights.

Here are my top 4 favorites (in no particular order):

1. Toddlers & Tiaras
TLC, Wednesdays, 10 pm
Each week's episode follows 3 different girls and their mothers as they prepare for a beauty pageant, and then compete. Pretty shocking stuff (fake tans on two-year-olds, false teeth on three-year-olds, acrylic nails on toddlers) combined with ridiculously inappropriate on stage antics pairs for a train wreck worth watching.

2. Love in the Wild
NBC, Wednesdays, 10 pm

Can't stand kids? Well, 'Love in the Wild' doesn't have any. Instead it's a show that focuses on a group of twenty-somethings thrown into a jungle in Costa Rica. Oh, and they all work (and sleep!) in pairs with a member of the opposite sex. At the end of each episode they can choose to stay with that week's partner or switch to someone "better" (aka hotter). I like this show because the contestants' quirks and flaws shine far more realistically when they're completing a realistic nature challenge (i.e. building a raft to get across a river infested with crocodiles, or climbing down rope ladders into caves filled with bats) than it ever will on 'The Bachelor'.

3. Dance Moms
Lifetime, Wednesdays, 10 pm
This show is clearly mimicking the successful model of 'Toddlers & Tiaras', but that doesn't make it any less compelling. It follows a group of pre-teen competitive dancers and their controlling mothers. Actually, the only one who's less intense than these moms is their dance teacher. Each episode begins with the children preparing for the weekend's dance competition, and ends with their competitive dance number. Well worth watching for the drama alone, plus the dancing actually is pretty impressive.

4. The Glee Project
Oxygn, Sunday, 9 pm
This show isn't exactly inspired. It's a competition show much like many that have come before it. Teenagers, lured by the chance to have a 7 episode arc on 'Glee', live together in dorms and compete daily in different singing/dancing/acting challenges. At the end of each episode the 3 weakest competitors are asked to sing for 'Glee's' creator (Ryan Murphy), who choose one to eliminate. There's just something about watching talented, but slightly whiny, teenagers compete that I find oddly compelling (probably because I'm not in high school anymore).

'Dance Moms' vs. 'Toddlers & Tiaras'

I just happened to stumble across 'Dance Moms' on Hulu. The show focuses on a group of young competitive dancers (ages 6-9), their mothers, and their coach. Really it's little more than 'Toddlers & Tiaras' for the dancing set. In fact, the shows are both on Wednesday nights at 10! This choice surprises me a little, since I have a sneaking suspicion that the folks who watch 'Toddlers & Tiaras' will want to watch 'Dance Moms' too. It doesn't seem like a smart marketing move to put the novel show ('Dance Moms') on at the exact same time as the other already successful show.

Regardless, 'Dance Moms' is a horrific reality show that's worth watching. The show focuses on the girls as they train with their coach for a week, and ends with them competing at a dance competition. It's all gearing up for the season finale, which will focus on the girls' performance at Nationals. And these girls have won before, so they expect to do it again.

For the most part the mothers seem a little saner than those on 'Toddlers & Tiaras'. However, I suspect the only reason for that is because they have someone else coaching their child (and telling her what to do/yelling at her, etc.). The moms on 'Toddlers & Tiaras' don't have this, so their crazy is immediately evident. And the moms on 'Dance Moms' must be (at least a little) crazy, because they see the rehearsals, and they choose to leave their daughters in a toxic environment that includes constant belittling, an open ranking of which dancer is the best, and provocative dance moves and costumes that would barely be appropriate for a 16 year old. Plus, each time the children are interviewed (even in their own homes) they are dressed like little barbie dolls, complete with full make-up and fake nails.

Watch the show and make up your own mind...what's worse? 'Dance Moms' or 'Toddlers & Tiaras'?

A new episode of 'Dance Moms' airs tonight (Wednesday) at 10 on Lifetime.

"Coming Out"

Coming out to America?

Have any of you been watching "Sister Wives" on TLC? In case you've missed it, it's a reality/documentary t.v. show that lets you glimpse into the lives of a polygamist family. There's a husband, Kody, and his three four wives (Meri, Christine, Janelle, and Robyn). In last week's episode ('Browns Out of Hiding') the cameras followed the family as they made their first appearance on national television ("The Today Show") as a polygamist family.

What I found humorous about the episode was the constant reference to "coming out". I immediately thought about how that term is almost exclusively used for gay people, and how bizarre it sounds when it is used in any other context.

But what makes the use of the term "coming out" in reference to a polygamist family so jarring? I think the largest issue is the relationship between gays coming out and religion. Typical understanding of this situation would suggest that once you come out your place in your religion is threatened (and more often than not this is true, especially considering certain denominations condemnation of the "gay lifestyle"). However, the Browns use religion to justify their standing as polygamists (as Kody Brown essentially says, "I made the decision of this lifestyle because of faith").

The sister wives* discuss the pros and cons of coming out (in the polygamist sense, not the gay sense...see how confusing this is?) throughout the episode. They frame it in many different ways. They talk about how they don't want to be ashamed of 'who they are' anymore, that they want to come out of hiding, that they believe that America has civil rights for a reason, and that they want those rights to be applicable to them. All of these statements could just as easily be said by someone who is gay and deciding to come out to their friends and family.

However, the sister wives are not gay (that we know of) nor are they necessarily accepting of the gay lifestyle. Just because they want their own freedom and safety to 'be themselves' does not mean that they recognize this right in everyone else. Sure, the "Today Show" did touch upon the relationship between their situation and that of gay people (Viera opened the segment by stating that America is full of different family configurations--"What defines a family has certainly changed throughout the years. These days family includes single parents, step-parents, even two dads or two moms"). Okay, so the "Today Show" loosely made the comparison, but why are news outlets jumping on the idea that Kody Brown and his wives are pro-gay marriage?




Their statements can certainly be construed to mean that:

"I really believe that something that works for somebody should work for somebody and it's nobody else's buisness."-Ellen Degeneres
"So do we."-The Brown Family

"I actually believe the state should never be involved in marriage. That is a religious choice, or it is a personal choice. It should not be something that the state is dictating."-Kody Brown (said in 'In Touch' magazine).**


I'm really not sure how I feel about this. In many ways I couldn't care less. If Kody Brown and his wives are okay being in a polygamist relationship then let them be in a polygamist relationship. Legally he is only married to the first wife, so really it is just a lifestyle choice to introduce three other women into the relationship. It's not bigamy since he is not claiming to be legally married to his second, third, or fourth wife. He is "married in faith" by their church. But that's not breaking any laws. If they ever argue that polygamist marriage should be legal I'm sure I'd be forced to take a real standpoint on the issue, but right now I'm okay with what they're doing. It's their life.

I do care slightly because I do believe that the polygamist faith can be built in such a way that it is demeaning to women, and although they could "just leave it" in many ways they can't. They don't have the resources, they aren't educated enough, etc. The fact that the Brown's dress in modern day clothes (unlike these polygamists) and are allowing their children to go to public school makes me feel better. But I'm not sure if any of those feelings are justified, or if I can really even hold such a oxymoronic opinion.

I also care slightly because I think it undermines gay marriage. Many Americans are definitely bewildered by polygamy, and I think a large majority would outwardly condemn it. Sure, we are willing to open our homes to it for an hour on Sunday nights, but it's highly unlikely we're willing to offer it legal protection. Aligning gay marriage with polygamy is problematic for this reason. Do we really want gay marriage to be lumped in with something that is (potentially) even more controversial. We've been arguing for so long that gay marriage should be legal because gay couples are in many ways just like straight couples. Everything in gay marriage (the depth of the relationship and the way that it functions) is similar to its heteronormative counterpart. The only difference is that in gay marriage there are two men or two women. Isn't it slightly problematic to link this argument with one that says that the number of wives/husbands can be endless? What I do know is that legal support of gay marriage is happening, but legal support for polygamy? I think that's a long way off.



*opps, if you don't watch this show/"Big Love" you may not know that all the wives married to the same husband are called 'sister wives'.
**I should point out that even if the Browns do support gay marriage, their church as a whole does not.

Here's another article that sort of agrees with me.

reality tv doesn't really make you famous. really.

Remember how I said that last post's photo would relate to this one? Well this is why.

I almost never mention reality/documentary television. For one thing, it's really not applicable since one reality television show is rarely going to launch a television career. Unless, of course, you count something like being a bachelorette on "The Bachelor" and then being cast as the lead on "The Bacchelorette". But come on, that's not real acting. Anyways, before I get distracted by ranting about that subject, let me rant about something else instead:

"Toddlers and Tiaras"...I'm somewhat obsessed with this show. There's something horrifically fascinating about mothers pursuing their dreams of perfection through their children. For those of you who don't know, every episode follows a similar formula:

"Toddlers and Tiaras" introduces us to a particular pageant theme (for instance, the 'living doll' pageant, or the 'rodeo' pageant). We then are introduced to three children who are going to be competing in that pageant. We see some b-roll footage of their hometowns, a shot of the front of their house, and some shots of the children practicing/preparing for the pageant. This includes some really problematic decisions on the parents part (i.e. spray tanning your two-year-old? of course. acrylic nails on your four-year-old? who doesn't do that).

Anyway, if you want to be completely drawn into a show that will in all likelihood disturb you, then you should probably watch "Toddlers and Tiaras".

So, why, you may ask, am I mentioning the show on this particular site? Well, mainly because a while ago "The Talk" (CBS) had a 'special' guest. Eden Wood, a four-year-old pageant competitor, who sang a song that was horrific in its own right. And not the fun side of horrific that "Toddlers and Tiaras" falls into, but rather the disturbing/turn-off my TV right now/WTH side of horrific. Watch the clip, as you can see the hosts of the show basically agree with me.

Anyway, the child went from "Toddlers and Tiaras" to "The Talk" so I suppose she climbed somewhat up the TV tree. Kind of.