Tuesday, September 21, 2010

(43-56) Dirty Dancing ??

The Queen of EVERYTHING P.I. is at it again.  I don't enjoy being a cynic or a killjoy; in fact I like to think that I am typically the antithesis of these things; however, I DON'T like being duped; and something happened on "Dancing with the Stars" last night that had me feeling uneasy.
For those of you who don't watch "DWTS,"  my apologies; but please stay with me, because you don't have to have knowledge of the show to read this post.

Now, I LOVE "Dirty Dancing,"  it's one of my all time favorite movies, and I know that I've mentioned it at least twice before on "The Bumpy Ride."  The first time (briefly) in "Camping In Style," and then later in "What a Man."  I was actually quite surprised to see that I had only written about it twice and also that I didn't have it listed in my profile as one of my favorite movies; so I may just have to rectify that.  Anywho, I think that we've now established that I'm a Big (say it with me) "HUGE" "Dirty Dancing" fan; and as such I really don't want to tarnish any one's memory of it or call out one of its stars; but then again, I am The Queen of FAIRNESS; so I HAVE to.

Jennifer Grey is on this season's "Dancing With The Stars."  I for one am very happy that she's there, because since she got her new nose, we just don't see that much of her; or maybe we do and we just don't recognize her - SORRY.  Just kidding; REALLY.  Anyway, Lucky Jennifer got paired up with dance pro Derek Hough who just happened to have won "DWTS" two times already; and before even dancing a step they were already being pegged as the couple to beat.

So prior to their Viennese Waltz; they showed some clips from their rehearsals, and when Jennifer found out that they were dancing to a song from "Dirty Dancing," she had a little break down, cried, and left the room.  When she came back she explained that she was remembering dancing with Patrick and she spoke of him VERY fondly and very lovingly; which moved the audience tremendously; me included.  BUT, me being the Queen of USELESS KNOWLEDGE and the QUEEN of REMEMBERING THINGS, I recalled hearing that Ms. Grey and Mr. Swayze actually did NOT get along well during the filming of "DD" nor afterwards; and, I hate to say it, but this recollection made me feel manipulated.  I felt as if it was a stunt on Jen's behalf to pull our heartstrings and get votes based on our love for "Dirty Dancing" and our adoration of "Mr. Swayze," and that didn't feel honest to me.  The irony is, that Jennifer danced BEAUTIFULLY.  Had she not played the Patrick Swayze card, people would have voted for her based on her performance and for their love of Baby; but now she'll never know exactly why she got the votes.  Was it Dirty Dancing??

Do I enjoy being suspicious?  No way!  And, I am definitely not judging Ms. Grey's feelings about her "DD" co-star.  Perhaps if she was not fond of him in the past; that changed when he got ill.  It's not for me to say (or judge,)  BUT, my curiosity did get the better of me; so when Michelle K came over for dinner and I told her my theory; we got to work.
Every good PI needs a sidekick, and Michelle has helped me on more than one caper; so while I finished preparing dinner, she Googled "Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze's relationship during filming Dirty Dancing," and found:  Jennifer Grey Hated Working With Patrick Swayze Fearing they wouldn't have the right chemistry for Dirty Dancing...
By: Harjeet Mander on May 21, 2008  To quote Harjeet's article  "Jennifer Grey was distraught when she found out she was to star opposite Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing, because the actress hated working with him in a previous film.

The co-stars first worked together on Red Dawn, an experience Grey strongly disliked, and when she discovered she was to work with the Hollywood hunk again in the cult 1987 film, she threw a hissy fit.
Producer Linda Gottlieb recalls: "When Jennifer heard that Patrick was playing the part she was not a happy camper.  "They had performed together in Red Dawn and I gather that was not a wonderful working relationship.  "They had very different temperaments  - Jennifer is a kind of spontaneous girl and she'd be very emotional; she would cry easily. Patrick is the exact opposite."


Now in doing my research (YES, research;) before boldly, writing this blog; I did find articles about Jennifer Grey's RECENT claims that Patrick Swayze inspired her to do "DWTS," and yet; I can't help but feel that this was all very calculated.  Certainly I don't want to taint any one's memory of "Dirty Dancing" or cause anyone to question the chemistry between Johnny and Baby, because there is no denying that it was there; but I guess that's what has me so distracted.  I can live with knowing that they were "acting," but I don't want to believe that Ms. Grey is using Patrick's passing to garner votes and sympathy; because she's BETTER than that.

Now, there's no need to comment and tell me that I'm being skeptical or rude; because I'm truly not trying to be.   Perhaps as Jen got older, she learned to value Patrick and the experience that they had together.  Maybe Ms. Grey and Mr. Swayze had a reconciliation at some point and we weren't privy to this information; however, I think that it's fair to say that if we don't have all of the information, we can only go on what was put out there for us; and that's exactly what this post has been based on.  I'll still vote for Jennifer Grey if she DANCES for my vote.  I'll continue to watch "Dirty Dancing" EVERY time I get the opportunity to; and it will still bring me the same joy that it always has. I'm merely presenting an idea, because afterall; although it might not be humorous, it is an observation and it's what has been on my mind today.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

4 comments:

Julie Tucker-Wolek said...

I'm torn on that one... I don't think she was doing it to get the vote... i'm thinking that she was WAY younger during DD and probably a little naive and snooty back then (remember her with Matthew Broderick... that didn't end well either....)... and maybe she was afraid to be upstaged by PS back then... or she had a crush on him during Red Dawn and he didn't bite... well anyways... you never know... but maybe when he was dying she re-thought everything :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)

Paige said...

ABSOLUTELY a possibility Julie. :):):)

Joni Parker said...

If it WAS a "stunt" to garner more votes, it proabably wasn't her idea anyway....those TV producers will do anything and make the "actors" do anything to get viewers and keep us "interested"...

Phoenix Carrie said...

I agree with you, Queen of Everything - makes ya think!!! You were defnitely fair in your blog, very objective, and I know it comes from a place that loves Baby!!!