Ann Althouse skewers…
…the hypocritical Sally Quinn.
Although from the looks of things, it seems Quinn had already self-skewered.
The whole thing’s about the burning topic of ethics and “Dancing With the Stars:” who should have won, and what constitutes cheating in the show’s voting. I will now go on record as stating that (a) I have watched the show on occasion; (b) I’ve never voted; and (c) I don’t give a rat’s posterior who wins or whether voters bend the rules in the process.
However, I do know a bit about dancing. I thought the show’s format was to choose the best amateur dancer. If so, winner Jennifer Grey should not only have failed to win, she shouldn’t have been on the show on the first place. She is an actress whose main claim to fame is having starred in the film “Dirty Dancing,” performing—you guessed it—in a dancing role.
Exactly. It would be like Bristol being allowed on a “Salmon Fishing with the Stars” show for amatuers.
Yes it was a bit odd that a woman who starred in a dancing role in the highest grossing dance movie of all time had to be in a amateur dance contestant. How embarrassing for her, was that the best she could do? Compete against Bristol Palin, a receptionist? She also lacked a good personality, and was always complaining how old and injured she was. Hmm. Well, I hope Jennifer feels really happy about her “win”. I had a hard time watching that show because frankly, none of them are any good, (except the pros, who’s valiant efforts were somewhat marred by their clutzy partners) and the show went on forever. If it was half an hour maybe I could have watched it more.
Full disclosure: I watch the show because my wife won’t let me watch Fox news on those nights. (I really like ball room dancing too.)
Comments:
1. Does seem odd that a person known for dancing was invited to be a contestant. I kept wondering what she’s been doing since “Dirty Dancing”. But she WAS the best dancer this year.
2. I think several of the stars WERE pretty good.
3. The shows ARE too long. I get antsy, wanting them to be over. But, if you were an ABC exec, wouldn’t YOU drag them out since they get such high ratings?
4. I think Bristol had guts to even be on the program and she did pretty good for a rank amateur. I never thought much about her before but I respect her more now.
5. If you set aside the fact that Jennifer shouldn’t have been in the competition, then I like the way the results came out. Bristol has nothing to be ashamed of and if she had won, the outcry and viciousness of the attacks would have been really bad. And, the best dancer won.
6. I voted for the first time…for Jennifer…mainly to help spare Bristol from being ruthlessly and viciously attacked by loony libs. I was relieved when Bristol came in 3rd.
7. “Dirty Dancing” outgrossed “Saturday Night Fever”?
If it did, I’m surprised.
One of the commenters at the Althouse post linked to this little blog post about Quinn’s background:
http://themachoresponse.blogspot.com/2008/09/adultery-is-private-affair-between-two.html
This is the lady who now blogs for the WaPo on religion? And criticizes the morality of the Palins? Having to interact with people like her and her hubby are a good reason for not going into politics.
expat Says: Having to interact with people like her and her hubby are a good reason for not going into politics.
And the prevalence of people like Quinn & hubby is another good reason for limiting the size of government and other concentrations of power.
expat, very interesting link. I was a little disturbed by the attack on JFK’s reputation that it contained (well, not actually). Fits well with the recent discussions here, I think.
However, I do know a bit about dancing. I thought the show’s format was to choose the best amateur dancer.
Never watched it, never will, and so no horse in that race. But I DO hold your very learned opinion [your view, really] on dance (knowing a thing or two myself: one of my best friend’s wife, learned dance with Martha Graham and danced in one of her troupes …had pix of it, too …yes, they were “that old”, they’ve passed, now) in VERY high regard indeed …and that summed up everything else I’d read about this contretemps [recently] quite nicely – and appropriately – indeed.
gs Says has it right on. “Quinn & hubby” are, to me, the quintessential examples of loathsome, inside-the-beltway, elitism.
The 2010 Australian Dancing with the Stars winner was a fellow called Rob Palmer.
Rob’s claim to fame is he is a builder in a home improvement show. He danced with all the style and aptitude of a water buffalo standing on a crazy ants nest. To say he had four left feet was being generous.
Rob did however have a great personality and attitude, was humorously self depreciating and infectiously cheerful. He also obviously tried really hard, and noticeably improved as the show progressed. In the end he actually looked okay (and his partner Alana Patience did an unbelievable job in making him look as though he could dance!).
That is what the show is meant to be about: the fish out of water who rises to the occasion.
Jennifer Grey was great, but as you note, has a bit of background in dancing. Similarly, Brandy has a lifetime in entertaining, and I am sure there has had a bit of choreography training in her career.
Bristol Palin on the over hand was a kid from some small town in a pretty remote part of the world (most of us would regard Anchorage as a small town, never mind Wasilla!). Was she a great dancer? No. Did she do surprisingly well and improve a great deal? Well yes.
Rob Palmer and Bristol Palin are people we can associate with, and see ourselves performing as they did. That is their attraction.
Once again the rabid left shows how little class it has.
I totally agree about Jennifer Grey. Brandy falls in the same category. Both must have had extensive training by professional choreographers, why were they even there? Bristol and the kid from the Disney show were the target contestants, I’m glad they made the finals.
On a website whose posters and commenters love to shout “racism!”, I made gleeful argument that having Jen Gray on the show displayed racism by DWTS producers:
DWTS producers must have known that either the Disney kid or Brandy would win. Given that the DWTS audience skews old and to the right (read: racist), therefore, DWTS producers could not allow their ratings to be damaged via being dominated by black persons. Therefore, the decision to find the only white person who could win against black persons whom DWTS producers know are innately superior dancers: professional dancer Jen Grey. If DWTS producers said, enough times, that she is not a professional dancer, then maybe enough people would buy it. Racism!
And, the beauty is, its undisprovable. The added beauty is: if anyone disagrees with my analysis, then I can point out that the disagreeing persons are likely racists themselves. I can’t lose! Allowing Jen Grey onto that show was clear racism!
On a website whose posters and commenters love to shout “racism!”, I made gleeful argument that having Jen Gray on the show displayed racism by DWTS producers:
DWTS producers must have known that either the Disney kid or Brandy would win. Given that the DWTS audience skews old and to the right (read: racist), therefore, DWTS producers could not allow their ratings to be damaged via being dominated by black persons. Therefore, the decision to find the only white person who could win against black persons whom DWTS producers know are innately superior dancers: professional dancer Jen Grey. If DWTS producers said, enough times, that she is not a professional dancer, then maybe enough people would buy it. Racism!
And, the beauty is, its undisprovable. The added beauty is: if anyone disagrees with my analysis, then I can point out that the disagreeing persons are likely racists themselves. I can’t lose! Allowing Jen Grey onto that show was clear racism!
What’s this about Jennifer Grey being known chiefly for “Dirty Dancing?” She is, or ought to be, most famous for her tole as Toni in that great movie, “Red Dawn.”
Wolverines!
I watch very little TV, but I remember reading that Jennifer Grey played herself in some sitcom in the last few years. I never saw the show, but I thought that was kind of cool.
The backstory on Sally Quinn make me wonder how if many of the Establishment women who slept their way to the top are the ones calling Palin a tramp.
Mean girls rule, I guess.
To be fair, jenifer gray isnt a dancer. She was in Dirty Dancing 20 years ago and never danced again.
Daisy: Grey had extensive dance training. She danced professionally in a major dance film—and not just in any dance genre, but in ballroom dancing. That makes her a professional. It is obvious when you watch her dance; this is no amateur. It is irrelevant whether she has danced professionally in the last 20 years or not. It’s the early training and the early experience that counts the most. That’s your foundation.
I’ll admit DWTS is one of my guilty pleasures.
Besides, any show that has the likes of Edyta Sliwinska, Julianne Hough, Cheryl Burke, Kym Johnson, Lacey Schwimmer, Anna Trebunskaya or Chelsie Hightower is gonna have my undivided attention anyway!
Now, regarding Jennifer Grey being a contestant, I can kind of see what they were going for – but I think they blew it in execution.
I remember when “Dirty Dancing” came out, and my wife (fiance at the time) loved the movie.
It’s also one of those iconic films that people just remember and I doubt any Hollywood idiot would ever try to remake it.
Things are so exaggerated now, the movie looks quite innocent when compared to anything currently being produced.
One of the things we had wondered within our little household about was when they were going to tie DWTS in with the movie.
When Swayze recently passed away of cancer, they even had a kind of memorial thing they did of all of his movies.
So, having Grey on the competition wasn’t a big shock as I think the fix was in from the beginning.
They figured they could tie in to some of that sentimentality for the sake of ratings.
My suspicion is they figured that with her movie and dance background, plus the tie into the movie, it’d be a cake walk for Grey.
They grossly underestimated the controversy that would be created by having Bristol on at the same time.
I also think they figured it would come down to Grey vs Brandi.
If the show was supposed to be about “amateurs” learning how to dance and then competing each week – and showing improvement each week – then Grey really had no business being a contestant.
Neither did Brandi for that matter.
I think that led to a lot of rooting for the underdog – in this case Bristol and Kyle.
It would have been better to have had Grey on as something of a guest, perhaps as a one-night judge even, rather than as a contestant.
As a contestant, she came equipped with far more training – even from an early age – than any other contestant, plus she had the fan base tie-in to the movie.
Brandi likewise had extensive experience learning choreography from her music career as well as a huge fan base.
Kyle had a LOT of experience being in front of a crowd and giving a performance as an entertainer – and he came off as a genuinely likable fellow who was fun to watch – but he really didn’t have a huge dance background so it was fun to watch him work on his steps.
Bristol came off as a normal person – an effect exaggerated even more so by being shown week after week standing beside a group that often came off as hyper-emotional prima donas even while her own performance improved.
This being an election year in which her mother was playing a key role created a fan base I think the show’s producers didn’t anticipate.
The producers probably all have pretty much the same political leanings anyway, so on what personal basis would they have been exposed to other political views – or how vehemently those opposing political views could be?
Again, I suspect they thought Bristol would have been gone long before she was.
I think how it was handled was awkward and left a bad impression with pretty much anyone who was following the show.
Perhaps it should be renamed “Semi-professionals Dancing with Professionals”?
The best way for the show to redeem itself at this point is probably to make sure next season’s contestants DON’T have dancing backgrounds.
Still, it’s a fun show and I know we’ll be tuning in Mondays and Tuesdays next season to see what happens.