The Mock Dock

For those of you who don’t watch SYTYCD, you missed the first male/male ballroom dancing couple audition. And you know what? It was totally creepy. NOT because they were gay, but because ballroom dancing is SUPPOSED to have women in flowy dresses dancing with strong guys who pick them up and spin them around. That is the ESSENCE of ballroom. So for two dudes to try it, sans woman, regardless of whether or not they’re gay, just doesn’t work.

Anyway, appropriately, Nigel Lythgoe, judge and executive producer of the show, told the dudes that the routine didn’t fly for him. And that he’d be giving each of them a second audition with different (female) partners. He wasn’t nasty about it, he simply said what probably zillions of people were thinking, which was basically that ballroom dancing is meant to be done with a male/female couple. It wasn’t homophobic – it was just TRUE. And in the end, one of the men went on to the next round – the other was cut.

So naturally, GLAAD is pissed off, because OF COURSE they are. “It’s unacceptable for this kind of blatant homophobia to occur,” GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano said in a statement. “Fox Entertainment and Nigel Lythgoe owe Misha, Mitchel and the whole LGBT community an apology.”

What a load of crap. Nigel and Fox owe the LGBT community NOTHING. This wasn’t homophobic and had nothing to do with discrimination against gays. It was simply Nigel saying he didn’t really feel like having a Blades of Glory dance competition. And I applaud him for that.

After GLAAD’s attack, Nigel said via Twitter: “I am very sad the word ‘homophobe’ is being used. That is someone who hates homosexuals. I dislike effeminate dancing! Wake up and listen. I believe overtly effeminate dancing destroys the opportunity for many male dancers to be supported. Being gay doesn’t mean effeminate.””

I’m so freaking sick and tired of everyone being so thin-skinned and offended by everything all the time. I hope Nigel doesn’t back down, because this is just utterly ridiculous. If Nigel were homophobic, and wanted to discriminate against gay male dancers, we pretty much wouldn’t have a show anymore, now, would we? Because hello – probably more than half of the finalists in any given season are as gay as the day is long.

Thoughts?

Simon Cowell, according to Nigel Lythgoe, makes TWENTY TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS A MINUTE for his work on American Idol (this is apparently the minute calculation based off the $36 million dollar per season salary.)

Nigel says Simon has been a brilliant negotiator, only signing on for 12 month contracts at a time. 

I freaking love Simon Cowell.  He is living proof that it pays to be snarky.  There is hope for The Mock Dock yet!