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Sorry But Criticizing A TV Show For Its Lack Of Diversity Does Not Equal “Woman Hate”
I’ve heard this argument in discussions about the lack of diversity on HBO’s Girls and I’m hearing it again now with ABC Family’s Bunheads. The argument is: If you’re criticizing this show, which is for, by, and about girls/women, you’re misogynist.
Bullshit.
This week, Bunheads creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, of Gilmore Girls fame, responded to criticism made by Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes about the lack of diversity on Sherman-Palladino’s new series about ballerinas with this exact argument:
“I’ve always felt that women, in a general sense, have never supported other women the way they should…I think it’s a shame, but to me, it is what it is.”
Sherman-Palladino, who says she has never met Rhimes before, went on to say that with the increased demands on showrunners — particularly while getting a new program on the air — there’s no room for criticism among peers. “I wouldn’t do it. I wouldn’t go after another woman. I, frankly, wouldn’t go after another showrunner,” she said.
Showrunner-to-showrunner professional courtesies aside–think how awkward running into each other in the ladies’ room at the Emmys will be!–Sherman-Palladino’s assessment of the situation, not to mention her assertion of victimhood, is utterly facile and self-serving.
Here is Rhimes’ actual tweet:
It’s important to note here that Rhimes directed her criticism at @abcfbunheads, the official Twitter for the ABC Family show. ABC Family is a subsidiary of Disney-ABC, which owns all of the shows Rhimes has developed, created, or had her name attached to since her TV career began. In reality, her tweet is less an attack on Sherman-Palladino than a calling-out of the network Rhimes has made richer. The people who resent the lack of diversity criticism directed at shows like Girls and Bunheads will be the first to tell you that the lack of diversity on TV is a systemic problem. Which is why Rhimes being called a woman-hater for pointing out that there isn’t even one non-white ballerina on Bunheads Continue reading Sorry But Criticizing A TV Show For Its Lack Of Diversity Does Not Equal “Woman Hate”
Filed under: ABC, ABC Family, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Bunheads, Diversity on TV, Fake Bitchfights, Fake Misogyny, Girlfights, Girls HBO, Lack of Diversity on Television, Lack of Diversity on TV, Misogyny, Network TV, Shonda Rhimes, Woman Hate
12 Reasons To Watch Season 12 Of Dancing With The Stars
Sure, Dancing With The Stars has lost a few viewers in its old age. Apparently, last night’s Season 12 premiere pulled a smaller audience than expected (by that, I mean 22.3 million viewers), 20% down from the last season.
But it actually gained one viewer: ME (Yes, I’ve tried once before, but couldn’t stick to my guns). Now, for the first time, I watched the first performances live on TV (which I couldn’t even do for the Kate Gosselin and Bristol Palin trainwrecks)–and I think I’m in for the whole season. Why? Because there are SO MANY REASONS to watch this season. Twelve, in fact, right off the top of my head:
Reason #1: Turns out that my football boyfriend and Steelers #86 Hines Ward is light as a feather on his feet, as evidenced by his much-lauded performance with Kym Johnson. I knew it, I knew it, I knew that man could dance! And dear me, is he better to look at without all that football gear. Ward is as smooth a mover as he is fast a runner. He’s as smiley on the dance floor as he is on astroturf. And I know I’m not the first person to make the “Mmn!” sound while looking at his perfect Hines-dquarters, underdig?
Continue reading 12 Reasons To Watch Season 12 Of Dancing With The Stars
Filed under: ABC, Bosoms, Carrie Ann Inaba, Cheryl Burke, Dancing With the Stars, Dancing With The Stars Season 12, DWTS, Hardass Asian Mamas, Hines Ward, Karate Kid, Kate Gosselin, Kendra Wilkinson, Kirstie Alley, Len Goodman, Light As A Feather, Loveline, Pat Morita, Pro Athletes, Psycho Mike Catherwood, Ralph Macchio, Reasons To Watch DWTS, Sugar Ray Leonard, Wendy Williams, Wendy Williams Cries
BIRTHDAY CELEBRASIAN! Lindsay Price
Happy birthday to Lindsay Price, who turned 33 this week. May she continue to enjoy glowy skin, laughing eyes, and sufficient ratings on ABC’s Eastwick*!
*Err… Intern Jasmine just reminded us that ‘Eastwick’ was cancelled last month. Um… let’s hope you get one of those fun new leopard-print Snuggies, instead!
Filed under: ABC, Actresses, Cancellasians, Eastwick, Lindsay Price, Pretty Girls, Shows We Haven't Watched, Taking a Hating Break, Television Ratings, We're Nice On Your Birthday
DWTS: I Totally Get It (Not!)
My mom loves Dancing with the Stars, so–against all of my instincts–I’ve actually promised to give it a shot this season.
Thing is, the season opener boasted two of the most intense television moments I’ve ever witnessed:
Oh hohhhh ohhh…
Mark Dacascos and Lacey Schwimmer’s “Asian-themed” kung-fu/cha cha cha hybrid routine, set to the charming tune of Carl Douglas’s “Kung Fu Fighting, for one. (Here’s my point: Isn’t doing the cha cha cha almost Asian enough? Have you guys watched your parents at weddings?)
This shit is definitely wild
And, worse, or… better, or… I really don’t know, the super awkweird Me-Daddy-You-Jane cha cha cha of Tom DeLay and Cheryl Burke–who I guess would be two of my favorite people in bizarro world. DeLay can’t really help that he’s, well Tom DeLay. I get that. But some things he should never do EVER AGAIN are strum an air guitar, mouth dirty words to a woman in her twenties, and… cha cha cha.
The result of both in concert: CREEPY TINGLES EVERYWHERE, and we’re just talking about episode one!! I’m fucking scarred for life!
And you know what, I don’t know if I can go through this kind of trauma again. Not even for my mother (Sorry, Mom!). We’ll see.
Watch the full episode here, if you dare.
[ABC: Dancing with the Stars - Official Site]
Source
Thanks, Margie!
Filed under: "Asian Themes", ABC, Cha Cha Cha, Cheryl Burke, Dancing With the Stars, DWTS, Kung Fu Fighting, Kung Fu Poses, Lacey Schwimmer, Mark Dacascos, Moms, Nonsense, Season Premiere, Tom DeLay
BABEWATCH: Zahf Paroo
Name: Zahf Paroo
Hails from: Canada
Occupation: Actor
Why He’s a Babe: Zahf Paroo is an astronaut. Well, he plays one on TV at least, in the new ABC drama, Defying Gravity, a terrible-yet-weirdly-compelling one-hour about astronauts on a six-year space mission who all see and hear things and go crazy for some mysterious reason. Zahf plays Ajay Sharma, who loses it during the pilot episode, ventures out on an unauthorized space walk, and has been grounded since. But did we mention that we think astronauts are “haut,” even the fake ones? Must be something about that jumpsuit.
Defying Gravity airs Sundays 10/9c on ABC.
Filed under: ABC, Astronauts, Canadiasians, Defying Gravity, Indian-Canadians, NASA, Space, Space Missions, Zahf Paroo
BIRTHDAY CELEBRASIAN!
Happy birthday to Ken Leung, who turned 39 Wednesday, the same day as the Lost season premiere, in which Ken returns as the caustic and highly entertaining pain-in-the-ass Miles Straume.
We pray his character doesn’t get killed off by a smoke monster, or another hostile island dweller, or that diabolical Ben Linus, because Miles–along with Sawyer–kills us every time with his snarky, cynical, in-your-face ‘tude. It’s such a breath of fresh island air to finally see an Asian funny man on TV who doesn’t get laughs from being foreign, nerdy, and clueless!
Filed under: ABC, Carter Chong, Chinese-Americans, Funny Men, Ken Leung, Lost, Miles Straume, Scene Stealers, The Sopranos
