The purpose of the judges is not to stimulate the imagination of preschool children, but to offer constructive criticism.

Was telling Todd he looked as though he'd 'crapped' in his pants productive?

And don't waste any more of your time hoping on my behalf, it's totally unnecessary.

I don't need to 'take the best from it.' I have no difficulty differentiating between there, they're and their. Even if diyqueen comes back and thanks macca@90 for his English lesson, I will be of the opinion that this thread is no place for the pedants.

On occasion I have pointed to the errors of others, but only if:[LIST][*]I am asked.[*]The poster is attempting to be clever at my expense (that does give me satisfaction).[*]The poster is taking a superior attitude to others, whilst guilty of similar basic errors.[/LIST]I must confess this desperation at a basic misspelling cracks me up.

Her

Inability to spell cracks me up too

This country is going down the pan

Apologies Ms.macca@90 for mistaking your gender.

Is this country going down the pan because of the occasional misspelling, or is it more to do with our politicians and a global recession?

And now I think we should return to the topic of the thread.

One can always bring a confrontation to an amicable conclusion.

It may be politicians and a global recession right now but never underestimate what insidious effects lack of grammar and misspelling can do to contribute to a recession.

To return to the topic of the thread, I have to say that Jason's comments made me wonder when I first heard them. I have heard of Mr Potato Head but I couldn't quite visualise him when Jason made his remarks. However, thinking about the toy (now that I have the image in my head), it's pretty obvious what Jason meant. He was using a global image to try and voice his problems with Ellery's routine/general style. Lumpy body (carriage rather than physical appearance one hopes) and awkward limbs struggling to move with fluidity. It wasn't the most immediate of images (for me anyway) and it did have unfortunate connotations which may have made it seem more of an insulting remark than it was meant to be.

It is constructive criticism because when you get that vivid image in your mind you get quite a good image of how Ellery moved on ice so Ellery, Frankie and the coaches had he stayed could go away and work on it.

Yes, the comment about Todd was productive. He did look like that in his performance and in his next performance, he didn't look like that.

Can you tell me how it wasn't productive?

As for the Sachs/Ross thing mentioned on the previous page, i didn't see what all the fuss is about. I didn't listen to or read the comments from the show, from what i gathered from the little i read about it, it was blown well out of proportion, as are Jason's comments. It was Brand and Ross, its the type of thing they do and its always in jest. I personally don't like Brand, not my type of humour, I think he often oversteps the mark to obscene and disgusting this time probably taking Ross with him.

I couldn't even read all the stuff on it because it was blown well out of proportion. It's Brand and Ross what do you expect? Its meant in jest and if they do or say anything just shrug it off coz they don't mean it.

I haven't even read the Brand/Ross comments from the previous page, much less made comment, so they're irrelevant to me.

I have made my opinion known, and have explained how I arrived at this conclusion. You disagree - that is your prerogative, but I don't feel the need to constantly justify my views.

The point is that calling someone Mr Potato Head is not constructive critcism as it doesn't give the person or pro anything to work on. Mr Potato Head is a child's toy i.e. not a skater and not a dancer. How does that help? If it does mean anything then the meaning is too obscure. The same with Cabbage Patch Doll. Maybe it means something in Australian speak, but if so, it doesn't transfer.

I have said before that it does set a bad example to children.

Thank you for the personal attack. Your comment there, i have to say hurt me more than anything Jason could come up with.

Your right we will have to agree to disagree on this.


That is your opinion, i feel the opposite. I think it is rather a good example to set to kids. If you read other things into it than was meant then that's your view.

My thoughts when Jason said it were a) How the hell did he draw that connection? and b) Is this going to prompt a racism inquiry?

I'm glad it hasn't done the second, but I still don't really understand the connection between a round child's toy that doesn't move at all, and the stiffness that Jason saw in Ellery.

The only connection I can see was the 80s theme, which is presumably the reason for the Cabbage Patch Doll comment as well. Neither were particularly descriptive of the problem Jason was criticising.

So in conclusion - it's better to be accurate than on theme, Jason, regardless of whether you should be bitchy or not

Personal attack
Hurtful comment

Now I'm even more puzzled than I was at Jason's analogy.

True - but Jason is Mr Soundbite. He'd always rather go for the pithy, slightly obscure reference even if there was a good chance that he'd be misunderstood. To be frank, I don't think he minds being misunderstood at all. He's probably dying for a chance to explain what he means. The words diarrhoea and verbal spring to mind.

It's almost as if he thought the insults up beforehand, isn't it, and pinned them on his 'donkeys' when he got the chance.

If so, as I strongly suspect, how can anyone justify that? Especially as a good example for children?

I didn't read anything 'other' into it at all. Please do not put words into my mouth. I said that such comments did not give the celebs and pros anything to work on and were, in fact, obscure in meaning. I said that they might mean more in Australian speak, meaning that most of us would not know what that might be (e.g. maybe an in-joke).

It hurt me and felt like a personal attack on my character, not in the words themselves but in the feeling and tone behind them.

I have to say, you may not have thought it or wrote it with that sort of tone or feeling behind it.

I felt in your words that you were attacking me and talking down to me from a high horse.

If you weren't and were talking in the tones of Schofield, Fern, Robin, Karen or Nicky then i'm sorry for reading a feeling that wasn't there.

That's why i don't feel Jason is being personal whatsoever in any of his comments because i don't get a negative feeling from him when he says them. I can get a fake, negative feeling off Ruthie though.


I wasn't trying to put words into your mouth. I don't think the references were obscure. I knew what he meant and if anyone reads any rascist, baldist feeling into the comment then they are taking it wrong.

I don't think there is any in-jokes in Jason's comments. I didn't get the cabbage patch doll reference as i don't know the doll but i can imagine it and he did elaborate so i could get his meaning.

Not necessarily professional dancers - people learning to dance learn very quickly to accept comments of all kinds right from the word go. If they can't take it, they soon get out. But the point is, the insults are rarely meant as such; it is just a way that people in dance and theatre professions talk.

I take your point about these celebs being novices, but don't let's forget that they are all professional people, who have been in the public eye in some form or another. They're not members of the public who have never been in front of cameras before. And they all know - or should know - from previous series, exactly what they are letting themselves in for as far as Jason, Ruthie and the public as well, are concerned.

They all get paid very highly for doing the show, so not sure how that relates to doing the show for charity?

Some of the people give the money that they are paid to charity.
I think what Ellery is saying in his interviews is that it is a bad example to give to kids that talking like that is acceptable.

Although I think saying Jason is a bad example to kids is a slight exaggeration, I do think his comments are becoming less constructive and more personal. I would take offense at some of the things he is saying, so I think he needs to tone down what he says a bit.

All performers in all spheres of entertainment crave public approval, and invariably put on a front of invulnerability, but in truth the vast majority are very sensitive souls, and both them and their families are hurt by these unjustified 'personal attacks' which are being made on National TV.

It is not fair to expose the contestants and their families to this unjustified treatment, and the public do not find it entertaining to have to watch, and as Ellery quite rightly said,

'It needs addressing'.

Several contestants on both SCD and DOI have actually said that it took most of the week to get their confidence up a bit, so in their case this is evidence that these remarks are not at all constructive and in fact unhelpful for progression. Half the week should not be spent having to pick up your shattered confidence on the ice. That's regression caused by unnecessary (imo) remarks.

I couldn't agree more.

http://strictlydancing.utopian-total...to-be-fun.html

You know - maybe you do have a point if I step back and really consider it.

I don't find it particularly entertaining to hear someone rip into someone else - I do think that people should be able to voice their criticisms more intelligently than that.

Unfortunately, we live in an entertainment culture that demands sensationalism. Rudeness is regarded as entertaining by a lot of viewers. It's an undesirable state of affairs in my view. Maybe you're right. Maybe it does "need addressing".

I still don't believe any of Jason's remarks are "personal attacks" though. I think he's mainly playing for effect. Doesn't justify some of what he says though.