Episode 170 - Bratz

[joel_rosenbaum 1269]

Fat Cat Producer (chomping on a cigar): "You know what's hip with the kids? Comic Sans."

This was my first observation of the movie as well.

 

I can only conclude that Dan Gilbert underwrote this movie:

 

 

 

 

[Cam Bert 8145]

Jade is the only character in this film to be biracial. She is also the only character in this film to belong to two cliques and not one. Coincidence?

[Cameron H. 23786]

This was my first observation of the movie as well.

 

I can only conclude that Dan Gilbert underwrote this movie:

 

 

 

 

Comic Sans: it's both dynamic and whimsical.

[weber 2]

"Squarespace.com: They don't support Nazis anymore."

 

Best ad ever.

[Ofcoursemyhorse 1043]

Please tell me im not the only moron who watched Bratz Starrin and Stylin.

[PollyDarton 1807]

 

This movie is definitely about conformity, though. They go to "Carry Nation" High School. Carry/Carrie Nation is this person:

 

 

She was a temperance activist, which means she railed against alcohol, specifically, but also she just generally went around telling people how to live their lives. There's even a statue of her at the school. And the campus of Carry Nation High School is covered with signage that says "Obey" and "Listen" and "Submit," and it's run by a girl who puts everyone into their places on the first day. And yeah, she hates Da Bratz because of Cloe, but also because they are constantly defying the order she tries to maintain over the school, just by being themselves. Meredith carries around evidence of everyone's weirdness on her flash drive (like Cloe singing "La Cucaracha") threatening to reveal it to the rest of the school, and that seems to terrify Da Bratz into submission for most of the movie, until they learn to embrace it at the end of the movie.

 

But the movie has the internal contradiction of having an "anti-conformity" message while also relying very heavily on stereotypes to flesh out characters whose primary concern is fitting in.

 

Although it is easily argued that The Temperance League is enforcing a form of conformity (conformity to God), Carrie Nation herself is a terrible icon for conformity. She was a hatchet wielding eccentric. She found the consumption of liquor to be personally abhorrent and decided it was God's will that she should stop its influence. She was arrested 32 times and soaked up the attention. She sold photos of herself holding axes as well as tiny souvenir hatchets. Can an instrument of destruction really be a great symbol for conformity? Perhaps. Either the writers were lazy and just wanted the image of a stern old lady or maybe there is a deeper message of breaking down the norm like "Da Bratz?"

 

Also Da Bratz:

[JoelSchlosberg 352]

In all of this episode's discussion of Paula Abdul, I don't recall hearing about a connection to another HDTGM film...

... The Running Man! That's right, she choreographed all of its wonderfully cheesy dancing.

[tomspanks 9039]

That's a sharp observation, but I have a correction here. "Bubbie" is from yiddish, which is basically a dialect of German spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. Sephardi are basically Spanish, both culturally and in language, so it's very unlikely that any Sephardic Jew would use the word "bubbie" or any other Yiddish.

 

That's why I put it in quotes. I wondered if the filmmakers thought that being half Spanish and being of a "Sephardic Jewish background" meant OMG Latina with a bubbie.

[grudlian. 4725]

Jade is the only character in this film to be biracial. She is also the only character in this film to belong to two cliques and not one. Coincidence?

Considering the weird way the movie (and I'm going to speculate the dolls) attempts to celebrate diversity while simultaneously being racist, this might be intentional.

 

The actress playing Yasmin is Hispanic and Sephardic Jewish. The character has stereotypes of both these (or more correctly Latina and Jewish stereotypes). Maybe Yasmin is also supposed to be biracial.

 

EDIT: 1. The actress playing Yasmin is Spanish, Sephardic Jewish and Australian (I'll assume that translates to white and not aboriginal). So, multiracial is a better descriptor. And Yasmin had even more trouble finding a clique. So, is this confirming Cam Bert's theory?

 

2. I'll also assume Yasmin doll (not movie) is intended to be Latina/Mexican since they throw in La Cucaracha and a mariachi band. So, I'll definitely second June's thoughts that they should have found a Latina actress. Or do a better job of differentiating Latina/Mexican culture from Spanish culture.

 

3. I'm also not super comfortable going around discussing another real person's race without them present. So, I'll see myself out of the rest of this conversation if it pertains to the actress.

[PollyDarton 1807]

When the extras came to the wardrobe department for a fitting for this movie, they would have literally sorted them like Meredith does based on similar criteria... well, probably mostly on their appearance but I like to think the costume designer had a similar chart.

 

[tomspanks 9039]

When the extras came to the wardrobe department for a fitting for this movie, they would have literally sorted them like Meredith does based on similar criteria... well, probably mostly on their appearance but I like to think the costume designer had a similar chart.

 

 

Wait, that doesn't add up to "48 distinct cliques." Was Jade also in charge of counting them with her faulty math?

[Cam Bert 8145]

Considering the weird way the movie (and I'm going to speculate the dolls) attempts to celebrate diversity while simultaneously being racist, this might be intentional.

 

The actress playing Yasmin is Hispanic and Sephardic Jewish. The character has stereotypes of both these (or more correctly Latina and Jewish stereotypes). Maybe Yasmin is also supposed to be biracial.

Until we see her parents, I'm sticking by Jade being the only biracial character.

 

Edit: Though also on further thought based on what you said Yasmin is of the most ambiguous racial background and had the hardest time fitting into a stereotypical clique and ended up in "Journalism" which we see no other members of. Coincidence?

[Cam Bert 8145]

That picture remains me. So all the kids at the start are being sorted into their cliques. The one girl comes up just bawling so they put her in the emo clique? I'm sorry but crying doesn't make you emo. Her way of dress and talk is not in line with the emo kids of the mid to late 2000s. Emo kids wouldn't be crying they'd be complaining about how shitty life is. This just reeks of middle aged screenwriter googling what current cliques are in schools and seeing the phrase "emo" and assuming that means the overly emotional kids.

[Cameron H. 23786]

When they were assigning themselves roles for the Talent Show, should I have felt disappointment in the fact that Jade was asked to design their outfits rather than use her sweet chemistry skills to whip up some bitchin' pyrotechnics? It feels like a real Catch-22 and I fear I might lose sleep over it

[Elektra Boogaloo 3371]

Please tell me im not the only moron who watched Bratz Starrin and Stylin.

IS CLOE'S FATHER IN IT???

[grudlian. 4725]

Until we see her parents, I'm sticking by Jade being the only biracial character.

I have good news and bad news.

 

The good news is that Yasmin has a mother according to the Bratz wiki.

 

The bad news is I've now been to the Bratz wiki and its information on Yasmin's mother Portia is inconclusive:

 

 

This has to be not accurate information right? Beyond what are obvious spelling errors, I can't imagine the Bratz official biographies include Portia says "Hello in hell without Yasmin."

[Cam Bert 8145]

I have good news and bad news.

 

The good news is that Yasmin has a mother according to the Bratz wiki.

 

The bad news is I've now been to the Bratz wiki and its information on Yasmin's mother Portia is inconclusive:

 

This has to be not accurate information right? Beyond what are obvious spelling errors, I can't imagine the Bratz official biographies include Portia says "Hello in hell without Yasmin."

I think this settles it. All the missing parents are in Hell.

 

Also Sasha has divorced parents, Cloe has a single mom and Yasmin's mom is now in hell. Is Jade the only one with happy married parents?

[tomspanks 9039]

I am cackling at "she is got Red eyes" and that her father's name is Purpl

[grudlian. 4725]

I am cackling at "she is got Red eyes" and that her father's name is Purpl

Having red eyes is consistent with her being some sort of hellish demon.

[JoelSchlosberg 352]

When the extras came to the wardrobe department for a fitting for this movie, they would have literally sorted them like Meredith does based on similar criteria... well, probably mostly on their appearance but I like to think the costume designer had a similar chart.

 

 

Isn't "Cyber-Bloggers" redundant, since any blog is by definition online and thus in cyberspace?

[RyanSz 3140]

Okay now that I've finally listened to the whole episode I feel that I need to add some things that pissed me off mainly due to my career and family life.

 

First, with having family members who were either born deaf or totally lost it later in life, the deaf athlete would not be able to control the volume of his voice like he was. The line about how he can read lips was basically their cop out of "shit he doesn't know sign language and wearing an ear piece won't fit in with our chic high school setting, so let's just put in a line about lip reading and these dumb kids will love it." I did appreciate the use of music vibrations in regards to deaf culture as many do find enjoyment from the vibration, usually faster or harder tempos.

 

Yet the thing that irritated me the most was Jon Voight's attempt to run his school like a prison, complete with guards, high fences, and cameras, yet where he's getting his information from is a Complete Idiot's Guide to Running a Prison book. As a prison librarian for over three years now, I can say if that was a real book whoever made it should be shot because that is such a dangerous way to try and run a prison, because no two prison's are the same. There are so many variables like population, surrounding environment, foundation of the land that the facility is built on, etc., that there's no way to say "do A to get a B result." And to prove how ineffective he is, he's basically letting one of the students i.e. inmates, in the form of his daughter, run roughshod over the facility.

 

Then by grouping students into incredible niche clique's it further runs the risk of a bigger issue down the road with fights or riots, or in the schools case a massive food fight. The only time you would see such grouping in a prison is if it was an incredibly volatile yard where race or sex issues were at a boiling point where the warden would not allow any kind of intermingling because it would just lead to massive violence. Most facilities with open yards and housing will mix inmates together so as to alleviate issues, while the die-hards of the various gangs would either be in administrative segregation or room with other members spread over other yards to lessen the chance of a riot happening. Now while races in prison will generally flock together on a yard, by the facility not playing into it by housing them together in the same way, they aren't adding to the problem. Yet in this movie and school, Voight let's this happen and sees nothing wrong with it.

 

No two prison's or schools have the same type of population, some are gen pop where all criminals from all walks of life are made to intermingle, there are prisons that are Special Need Yards (SNY), like where I work, where the yard or in my case, the whole prison, is made up of inmates who would not survive on a gen pop yard for a variety of reasons (chomo, ex-gang member, ex-cop, priest, trans, celebrity). So again that book and his use of it just infuriated me.

 

I will also say that Adam de la Pena might have one of the weirdest writing trajectories in Hollywood as he started as a writer on The Man Show, and wrote on Crank Yankers and Kimmel Live, but also created the show I'm With Busey, where he traveled around with his childhood hero Gary Busey. He then created the 8-bit show Code Monkeys for G4 before writing Bratz and is now the head writer for Chelsea. I think the only weirder career path in Hollywood that I can remember is Jon Peter's run from being a hairdresser to running Sony Pictures.

[PollyDarton 1807]

 

Wait, that doesn't add up to "48 distinct cliques." Was Jade also in charge of counting them with her faulty math?

 

There are 17 on her chart and she mentions "goths, gangsters, wanna-be gangsters, the pretzel people(Who are very different from the Greenies), nerds, the football jocks" and she sends one guy over to the loners.

Additionally I saw the karate kids, rockabilly/greasers, and whatever student government clique Meredith is in.

[Cam Bert 8145]

 

There are 17 on her chart and she mentions "goths, gangsters, wanna-be gangsters, the pretzel people(Who are very different from the Greenies), nerds, the football jocks" and she sends one guy over to the loners.

Additionally I saw the karate kids, rockabilly/greasers, and whatever student government clique Meredith is in.

I assumed they were the student council. You're right though that is another clique.

You can also add journalism to the list and at Meredith's party one of the tables was labeled "Boy Jocks." Can we safely assume there is a "Girl Jocks" as well?

[The_Triple_Lindy 2482]

Okay now that I've finally listened to the whole episode I feel that I need to add some things that pissed me off mainly due to my career and family life.

 

First, with having family members who were either born deaf or totally lost it later in life, the deaf athlete would not be able to control the volume of his voice like he was. The line about how he can read lips was basically their cop out of "shit he doesn't know sign language and wearing an ear piece won't fit in with our chic high school setting, so let's just put in a line about lip reading and these dumb kids will love it." I did appreciate the use of music vibrations in regards to deaf culture as many do find enjoyment from the vibration, usually faster or harder tempos.

 

Yet the thing that irritated me the most was Jon Voight's attempt to run his school like a prison, complete with guards, high fences, and cameras, yet where he's getting his information from is a Complete Idiot's Guide to Running a Prison book. As a prison librarian for over three years now, I can say if that was a real book whoever made it should be shot because that is such a dangerous way to try and run a prison, because no two prison's are the same. There are so many variables like population, surrounding environment, foundation of the land that the facility is built on, etc., that there's no way to say "do A to get a B result." And to prove how ineffective he is, he's basically letting one of the students i.e. inmates, in the form of his daughter, run roughshod over the facility.

 

Then by grouping students into incredible niche clique's it further runs the risk of a bigger issue down the road with fights or riots, or in the schools case a massive food fight. The only time you would see such grouping in a prison is if it was an incredibly volatile yard where race or sex issues were at a boiling point where the warden would not allow any kind of intermingling because it would just lead to massive violence. Most facilities with open yards and housing will mix inmates together so as to alleviate issues, while the die-hards of the various gangs would either be in administrative segregation or room with other members spread over other yards to lessen the chance of a riot happening. Now while races in prison will generally flock together on a yard, by the facility not playing into it by housing them together in the same way, they aren't adding to the problem. Yet in this movie and school, Voight let's this happen and sees nothing wrong with it.

 

No two prison's or schools have the same type of population, some are gen pop where all criminals from all walks of life are made to intermingle, there are prisons that are Special Need Yards (SNY), like where I work, where the yard or in my case, the whole prison, is made up of inmates who would not survive on a gen pop yard for a variety of reasons (chomo, ex-gang member, ex-cop, priest, trans, celebrity). So again that book and his use of it just infuriated me.

 

I will also say that Adam de la Pena might have one of the weirdest writing trajectories in Hollywood as he started as a writer on The Man Show, and wrote on Crank Yankers and Kimmel Live, but also created the show I'm With Busey, where he traveled around with his childhood hero Gary Busey. He then created the 8-bit show Code Monkeys for G4 before writing Bratz and is now the head writer for Chelsea. I think the only weirder career path in Hollywood that I can remember is Jon Peter's run from being a hairdresser to running Sony Pictures.

 

Dude ... this movie was like your Slumdog Millionaire moment.

[PollyDarton 1807]

I assumed they were the student council. You're right though that is another clique.

You can also add journalism to the list and at Meredith's party one of the tables was labeled "Boy Jocks." Can we safely assume there is a "Girl Jocks" as well?

 

There is a table for "Girls soccer" is that the same as girl jocks?

There doesn't seem to be any lady basketball, volleyball, field hockey, or softball. It would seem girl's soccer and cheerleaders are the only acceptable female athletics at Carrie Nation High. Sad.