A tale of disability, abuse, expectations and family secrets, “She Looks Like Me” from director Torquil Jones has a headstart on most documentaries, given its subject matter’s winding twists and turns. Some key details end up obscured — there’s enough real-life material here to fill an entire miniseries — but the film has an alluring atmosphere, and is rife with enough intimate re-enactments, to be occasionally absorbing.
Dreamlike hymns echo off the walls of an ornate church in the movie’s opening scenes. These have little thematic bearing on the story, but they make for a vibrant aesthetic, appearing and reappearing during moments of quiet reflection. A now-adult Jen Bricker — a woman born without legs — narrates the broad strokes of her childhood, from her adoption in rural Illinois, to the way her parents and three older brothers raised her to believe she could do anything she wanted. Old photos and...
Dreamlike hymns echo off the walls of an ornate church in the movie’s opening scenes. These have little thematic bearing on the story, but they make for a vibrant aesthetic, appearing and reappearing during moments of quiet reflection. A now-adult Jen Bricker — a woman born without legs — narrates the broad strokes of her childhood, from her adoption in rural Illinois, to the way her parents and three older brothers raised her to believe she could do anything she wanted. Old photos and...
- 3/18/2024
- by Siddhant Adlakha
- Variety Film + TV
Born without legs in October 1987 and immediately abandoned at the hospital by her biological parents, Jen Bricker was adopted by a small-town Illinois couple — who already had three boys — and raised to believe she could do anything she put her mind to. Her parents, Gerald and Sharon, gently encouraged their daughter to remove the word “can’t” from her vocabulary, and so Bricker never thought twice about playing with or competing against the other kids at her school.
She excelled across a variety of different sports, but her greatest passion was reserved for gymnastics. Obsessed from the moment she first saw future gold medalist Dominique Moceanu perform one of her floor routines on TV, Bricker devoted herself to becoming a brilliant power tumbler, and when she was 11 she placed fourth in the Aau Junior Olympic Games despite being the only disabled athlete in competition.
Based on that remarkable saga of persistence and possibility,...
She excelled across a variety of different sports, but her greatest passion was reserved for gymnastics. Obsessed from the moment she first saw future gold medalist Dominique Moceanu perform one of her floor routines on TV, Bricker devoted herself to becoming a brilliant power tumbler, and when she was 11 she placed fourth in the Aau Junior Olympic Games despite being the only disabled athlete in competition.
Based on that remarkable saga of persistence and possibility,...
- 3/13/2024
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
This article appears in the SXSW 2024 issue of Den of Geek magazine. Check out all of our SXSW coverage here.
Grand Theft Hamlet is about as absurd a mash-up as its title would have you believe. It’s a documentary about Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen, two actors left jobless at the height of the pandemic who decide to put on a live-streamed production of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet in Grand Theft Auto Online.
Partway through the film, which was shot entirely in-game, as Sam is rehearsing the play’s famous “To be or not to be” speech on the beaches of Los Santos, a masked player walks up and calls him a bitch over chat, utterly unmoved by the iconic soliloquy. Other rehearsals are interrupted by helicopters and shootouts, all fitting encapsulations of the stark juxtaposition at the heart of the documentary. But GTA and Shakespeare may not be...
Grand Theft Hamlet is about as absurd a mash-up as its title would have you believe. It’s a documentary about Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen, two actors left jobless at the height of the pandemic who decide to put on a live-streamed production of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet in Grand Theft Auto Online.
Partway through the film, which was shot entirely in-game, as Sam is rehearsing the play’s famous “To be or not to be” speech on the beaches of Los Santos, a masked player walks up and calls him a bitch over chat, utterly unmoved by the iconic soliloquy. Other rehearsals are interrupted by helicopters and shootouts, all fitting encapsulations of the stark juxtaposition at the heart of the documentary. But GTA and Shakespeare may not be...
- 3/10/2024
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
Simone Biles has Dominique Moceanu's support. After the 24-year-old gymnast withdrew from the team and individual all-around finals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the 39-year-old retired athlete took to Twitter to look back at her own experience from the Games. In 1996, Moceanu competed at the Olympics in Atlanta. She was part of the "Magnificent Seven," the first U.S. women's gymnastics team to win the Olympic team gold medal. But before the big event, Moceanu suffered a stress fracture in her tibia. And while competing on the balance beam, she fell and hit her head. "I was 14 y/o w/ a tibial stress fracture, left alone w/ no cervical spine exam after this fall," she...
- 7/28/2021
- E! Online
Olympic gold champion Simone Biles’ decision to withdraw from the gymnastics team final and not defend her all-around gold medal has been praised by both Hollywood and fellow athletes alike.
Hitting back at negative criticism from the likes of conservative pundit Charlie Kirk, who branded Biles a “shame to the country,” and Piers Morgan, came a world of support from those who believe the 4-time gold medalist did the right thing.
Fellow Olympian Dominique Moceanu is among the recent supporters of Biles, as she posted a video to Twitter documenting the injuries she endured as a 14-year-old competing in a floor exercise routine.
Moceanu tweeted, “I was 14 y/o w/ a tibial fracture, left alone w/ no cervical spine exam after this fall. I competed in the Olympic floor final minutes later. Simone Biles decision demonstrates that we have a say in our own health – ‘a say” I Never felt I had as an Olympian.
Hitting back at negative criticism from the likes of conservative pundit Charlie Kirk, who branded Biles a “shame to the country,” and Piers Morgan, came a world of support from those who believe the 4-time gold medalist did the right thing.
Fellow Olympian Dominique Moceanu is among the recent supporters of Biles, as she posted a video to Twitter documenting the injuries she endured as a 14-year-old competing in a floor exercise routine.
Moceanu tweeted, “I was 14 y/o w/ a tibial fracture, left alone w/ no cervical spine exam after this fall. I competed in the Olympic floor final minutes later. Simone Biles decision demonstrates that we have a say in our own health – ‘a say” I Never felt I had as an Olympian.
- 7/28/2021
- by Jennifer Yuma
- Variety Film + TV
[[tmz:video id="0_2o3hf1ni"]] Dominique Moceanu is celebrating the bravery of her fellow Team USA gymnasts who helped bring Larry Nassar to justice ... years after she started sounding the alarm about abuse in the sport. The 1996 gold medalist told us she first heard about Nassar 2 years ago, when Jamie Dantzscher confided in her. Several years earlier, Dominique had accused multiple people -- including coach Bela Karolyi -- of emotional and physical abuse, but says the convo with Jamie was...
- 1/26/2018
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Gymnast Aly Raisman has sent a message of support to her former teammate Gabby Douglas after Douglas alleged that she too was sexually abused by former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar.
“I applaud your bravery @gabrielledoug,” Raisman, 23, tweeted on Wednesday. “I support you.”
The tweet comes less than a day after Douglas alleged in a statement posted to Instagram that she was abused by Nassar as well. Douglas faced backlash after she criticized Raisman for speaking out on Instagram about the victim shaming many women endure for coming forward about their own attacks, and stating that women should “dress modestly.
“I applaud your bravery @gabrielledoug,” Raisman, 23, tweeted on Wednesday. “I support you.”
The tweet comes less than a day after Douglas alleged in a statement posted to Instagram that she was abused by Nassar as well. Douglas faced backlash after she criticized Raisman for speaking out on Instagram about the victim shaming many women endure for coming forward about their own attacks, and stating that women should “dress modestly.
- 11/22/2017
- by Char Adams
- PEOPLE.com
Current and former gymnasts are offering support to Aly Raisman after the star revealed the alleged sexual abuse she endured from former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar.
In an emotional interview with 60 Minutes, Raisman, 23, alleged that Nassar often touched her inappropriately and made her feel uncomfortable. In the wake of the news, athletes including Simon Biles and Dominique Moceanu have sent messages of support to Raisman.
“You inspire me day in and day out @Aly_Raisman,” Biles tweeted on Monday. “I’ll always be in your corner supporting you. you are so brave and courageous! keep your chin up!
In an emotional interview with 60 Minutes, Raisman, 23, alleged that Nassar often touched her inappropriately and made her feel uncomfortable. In the wake of the news, athletes including Simon Biles and Dominique Moceanu have sent messages of support to Raisman.
“You inspire me day in and day out @Aly_Raisman,” Biles tweeted on Monday. “I’ll always be in your corner supporting you. you are so brave and courageous! keep your chin up!
- 11/14/2017
- by Char Adams
- PEOPLE.com
Michelle Carter reached her ultimate goal when she won gold at the Rio Olympics, but she soon discovered that made a major impact beyond her medal as a body positive icon.
The shot putter nabbed gold at her third Games, becoming the first American ever to win in the event, and gained a legion of fans for being unabashedly herself.
“I was pretty amazed by people’s reactions, but it’s something that I truly believe for myself, because I’ve dealt with those issues,” Carter, 31, tells People of being seen as a body image role model. “And you go in and out of that,...
The shot putter nabbed gold at her third Games, becoming the first American ever to win in the event, and gained a legion of fans for being unabashedly herself.
“I was pretty amazed by people’s reactions, but it’s something that I truly believe for myself, because I’ve dealt with those issues,” Carter, 31, tells People of being seen as a body image role model. “And you go in and out of that,...
- 4/10/2017
- by Julie Mazziotta
- PEOPLE.com
As USA Gymnastics faces a headline-making sex abuse scandal, a report has surfaced highlighting pleas from USA Swimming officials for the U.S. Olympic Committee to implement policies that would protect young athletes from abuse — warnings the Usoc allegedly failed to heed.
By 2010, dozens of swimming coaches had been banned for life by USA Swimming for sexual misconduct, ABC News reported. Now, two letters obtained by USA Today show that USA Swimming urged the Usoc in late 2004 and early 2005 to take steps to ensure the safety of athletes in numerous sports.
In those letters, then USA Swimming executive director Chuck...
By 2010, dozens of swimming coaches had been banned for life by USA Swimming for sexual misconduct, ABC News reported. Now, two letters obtained by USA Today show that USA Swimming urged the Usoc in late 2004 and early 2005 to take steps to ensure the safety of athletes in numerous sports.
In those letters, then USA Swimming executive director Chuck...
- 3/31/2017
- by Char Adams
- PEOPLE.com
Three retired gymnasts told the Senate Judiciary Committee of their experiences of child abuse while competing for USA Gymnastics on Tuesday, expressing support for a bill that they hope will put an end to future incidents.
Gold medalist Dominique Moceanu, bronze medalist Jamie Dantzscher and three-time national champion rhythmic gymnast Jessica Howard all testified — both Dantzscher and Howard alleging that they were sexually abused by the team’s former doctor, Larry Nassar.
The athletes also claimed they suffered other types of abuse.
“The well-being of the athletes should always come first, and to me, this is one of the most important things in sport,...
Gold medalist Dominique Moceanu, bronze medalist Jamie Dantzscher and three-time national champion rhythmic gymnast Jessica Howard all testified — both Dantzscher and Howard alleging that they were sexually abused by the team’s former doctor, Larry Nassar.
The athletes also claimed they suffered other types of abuse.
“The well-being of the athletes should always come first, and to me, this is one of the most important things in sport,...
- 3/29/2017
- by Stephanie Petit
- PEOPLE.com
Several of the women allegedly sexually abused by former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar are speaking out in a new The Dr. Oz Show special, blaming, in part, leadership of the team and the sport’s culture for allowing the incidents to occur.
“You know, honestly, the culture of fear, intimidation and control that you already lived with as a gymnast just stopped you from saying anything ever to rock the boat,” former U.S. rhythmic gymnast Jessica Howard, who has accused Nassar of abuse, tells Dr. Oz on Monday (Nassar has pled not guilty). “Like, you just did what you were supposed to do.
“You know, honestly, the culture of fear, intimidation and control that you already lived with as a gymnast just stopped you from saying anything ever to rock the boat,” former U.S. rhythmic gymnast Jessica Howard, who has accused Nassar of abuse, tells Dr. Oz on Monday (Nassar has pled not guilty). “Like, you just did what you were supposed to do.
- 3/20/2017
- by Lindsay Kimble
- PEOPLE.com
For more than 35 years, the names Bela and Martha Karolyi have been synonymous with elite American gymnastics. The duo — who defected from Romania in 1981 — have coached legends from Mary Lou Retton to Kerri Strug, and Martha oversaw both the 2012 and 2016 gold-medal winning teams.
Young gymnasts dreaming of Olympic gold knew there was only one place to go if they wanted to earn their place on the Olympic team: Karolyis Camp.
The secluded ranch in the Sam Houston National Forest is now under scrutiny as several former gymnasts have come forward to allege that former team doctor Larry Nassar sexually abused them on the property.
Young gymnasts dreaming of Olympic gold knew there was only one place to go if they wanted to earn their place on the Olympic team: Karolyis Camp.
The secluded ranch in the Sam Houston National Forest is now under scrutiny as several former gymnasts have come forward to allege that former team doctor Larry Nassar sexually abused them on the property.
- 2/23/2017
- by Kathy Ehrich Dowd
- PEOPLE.com
Dominique Moceanu has spoken out in support of the three former Team USA gymnasts who “bravely” came forward in a 60 Minutes piece Sunday evening to accuse former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar of sexual abuse — and contends that the “culture” within the organization can “set the stage for such atrocities to take place.”
Moceanu, 35, has long been critical of the sport’s governing body, which she says failed to support her after she came forward with her own allegations of emotional and physical abuse by coaches Bela and Martha Karolyi.
In her statement posted Monday evening, Moceanu again repeated those allegations,...
Moceanu, 35, has long been critical of the sport’s governing body, which she says failed to support her after she came forward with her own allegations of emotional and physical abuse by coaches Bela and Martha Karolyi.
In her statement posted Monday evening, Moceanu again repeated those allegations,...
- 2/21/2017
- by Kathy Ehrich Dowd
- PEOPLE.com
After the U.S. women’s gymnastics team clinched gold at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, star athlete Gabby Douglas returned to her room in the Olympic Village and cried.
“I Googled myself after the team final competition and I just wanted to see something positive, because coming from Olympic trials I got a lot of flack for being on the team,” she tells People. “I stayed off social media until after team finals, when I Googled myself – which I probably shouldn’t have done. And that was when it all started.”
Douglas, who also took home two gold medals...
“I Googled myself after the team final competition and I just wanted to see something positive, because coming from Olympic trials I got a lot of flack for being on the team,” she tells People. “I stayed off social media until after team finals, when I Googled myself – which I probably shouldn’t have done. And that was when it all started.”
Douglas, who also took home two gold medals...
- 12/22/2016
- by Lindsay Kimble
- PEOPLE.com
Mudding in a three-wheeler, roller skating, doing tricks on a trampoline - Jen Bricker did them all as a spunky child whose mom and dad never let "can't" be part of her vocabulary. And she did them without legs. "Ever since my parents adopted me, they didn't just say you can do whatever you want, we believe in you," Bricker, now 28, tells People in this week's issue. "It was, 'You want to go roller skating? Put the skates on your hands. We'll figure out a different way.' " Bricker, whose new memoir Everything is Possible is excerpted exclusively in People,...
- 9/2/2016
- by Sandra Sobieraj Westfall, @sswestfall
- PEOPLE.com
Mudding in a three-wheeler, roller skating, doing tricks on a trampoline - Jen Bricker did them all as a spunky child whose mom and dad never let "can't" be part of her vocabulary. And she did them without legs. "Ever since my parents adopted me, they didn't just say you can do whatever you want, we believe in you," Bricker, now 28, tells People in this week's issue. "It was, 'You want to go roller skating? Put the skates on your hands. We'll figure out a different way.' " Bricker, whose new memoir Everything is Possible is excerpted exclusively in People,...
- 9/2/2016
- by Sandra Sobieraj Westfall, @sswestfall
- PEOPLE.com
Real friends ... iron your clothes? As the official flag bearer for Team U.S.A. in the Closing Ceremony in Rio, 19-year-old Simone Biles needs to look sharp. And with some help from fellow Final Five teammate Laurie Hernandez, the five-time Olympic medalist showed off her freshly ironed Ralph Lauren uniform for the ceremony. "Thanks roomie ... closing ceremony outfit @ sam mikulak Ha," Biles wrote, calling out men's Olympic gymnast Sam Mikulak in a Snapchat post showing Hernandez ironing her white "U.S.A." shirt. Soon after, Biles posted a mirror selfie of the two gymnasts in their outfits. "Closing ceremonies ready,...
- 8/21/2016
- by Blake Bakkila, @bcbakkila
- PEOPLE.com
The wrestling didn't stop after the championship match for Risako Kawai in Rio. The Japanese wrestler, 21, won the gold medal in the women's 63-kg freestyle on Thursday, and celebrated in style by slamming down her coach, Kazuhito Sakae. The post-win video shows Sakae walking over to congratulate the elated Kawai and just as they embrace, the gold medalist throws her coach to the mat - twice! Both coach and player were smiling and laughing throughout the short clip, celebrating Kawai's dominant 3-0 vicotry against Belarus's Maria Mamashuk. Kawai later credited her coach's support for earning Japan's fourth gold medal in...
- 8/19/2016
- by Blake Bakkila, @bcbakkila
- PEOPLE.com
These days the most dominant U.S. gymnasts like Simone Biles and Aly Raisman have strong, muscular bodies that enable them to pack their routines with more flips and tricks than ever. But that shift to a more powerful frame is a big change from "Magnificent Seven" gymnast Dominique Moceanu's days when she says her coaches routinely body shamed and threatened her to lose weight. In 1996 Dominique Moceanu, then 14, and her teammates captured the United States' first team gold at the Atlanta Olympics. But Moceanu says it took overcoming extreme "psychological and emotional abuse" from her coaches, Martha and Béla Károlyi,...
- 8/16/2016
- by Julie Mazziotta, @julietmazz
- PEOPLE.com
It's late in July of 1996. The city of Atlanta, Ga., has been abuzz with the summer Olympics. Muhammad Ali lit the torch during the Opening Ceremonies. Andre Agassi secured his career Grand Slam. Michael Johnson was running around the track in his gold Nikes. But on the night of the 23rd, the entire world was glued to their television to watch a group of teenage girls make history. They were known then simply as the U.S. women's gymnastic team, but they would soon become the Magnificent Seven. To those too young to remember, this may sound like a dramatic moniker, but it's nothing short of appropriate. This group—Dominique Dawes, Dominique Moceanu, Shannon...
- 8/4/2016
- E! Online
Hard truth: Gymnasts are the most bad-ass athletes. They were no protective garments, they fling themselves around, and they usually incorporate personal style and generally wonderful fashions into their work. This morning a phenomenal video of Lloimincia Hall, an Lsu gymnast, is making the rounds, and it's another example of why gymnasts are some of the premiere bad-asses of our time. Let us learn five major lessons in badassitude from these kickass ladies. 1. Lloimincia Hall teaches us that stank is as powerful on the floor as stamina. This is a woman takes time out from her incredible flipping to let you know she can jive harder to Earth, Wind, and Fire than you can. She is right to do this. 2. Look, McKayla Maroney defies gravity just because. Look. McKayla jumps and elevates for what seems like minutes in the middle of her jump. Incredibly high, incredibly controlled. Color us "impressed,...
- 4/7/2014
- by Louis Virtel
- Hitfix
It's been more than a decade since the 1990s ended, yet the Internet can't seem to go a day without a reminder of the neon slap bracelets that may have been banned from your school.
Yes, we get it. Times are tough and there's comfort in reflection, but enough is enough.
Below, a final goodbye to the 90s to end the nostalgia once and for all. (We're not kidding. There are 1990 items below.)
1. Scrunchies
2. "The Wild Thornberries"
3. Dawson and Joey
4. "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys"
5. Mr. Feeny
7. MTV playing music videos
8. Snick
9. The premiere of "Freaks and Geeks"
10. Levar Burton
11. "Daria"
12. "Arthur"
13. "The Powerpuff Girls"
14. "Smart Guy"
15. Comedy Central globe logo with buildings
16. "The X-Files"
17. Rosie O'Donnell
18. Bill Nye
19. "Dawson's Creek"
20. The Mighty Ducks"
21. "Are You Afraid of the Dark"
22. Cornholio
23. Rachel Green
24. Tim Allen
25. "All That"
26. "Beverly Hills 90210"
27. "Step by Step"
28. "The Ren & Stimpy Show"
29. "The Famous Jett Jackson"
30. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer...
Yes, we get it. Times are tough and there's comfort in reflection, but enough is enough.
Below, a final goodbye to the 90s to end the nostalgia once and for all. (We're not kidding. There are 1990 items below.)
1. Scrunchies
2. "The Wild Thornberries"
3. Dawson and Joey
4. "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys"
5. Mr. Feeny
7. MTV playing music videos
8. Snick
9. The premiere of "Freaks and Geeks"
10. Levar Burton
11. "Daria"
12. "Arthur"
13. "The Powerpuff Girls"
14. "Smart Guy"
15. Comedy Central globe logo with buildings
16. "The X-Files"
17. Rosie O'Donnell
18. Bill Nye
19. "Dawson's Creek"
20. The Mighty Ducks"
21. "Are You Afraid of the Dark"
22. Cornholio
23. Rachel Green
24. Tim Allen
25. "All That"
26. "Beverly Hills 90210"
27. "Step by Step"
28. "The Ren & Stimpy Show"
29. "The Famous Jett Jackson"
30. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer...
- 7/29/2013
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
Tune in alert as Michael Phelps swims for his final individual gold medal of the London Olympics Friday night in the 100m butterfly, a race which he memorably won by .01 seconds in Beijing. Missy Franklin swims for her third gold medal . fourth overall . in the 200m backstroke, her best event. Also in primetime, Cullen Jones and Anthony Ervin chase gold against the fastest men in the pool in the 50m freestyle. From NBC Mag 7, the story behind the gold medal-winning women.s gymnastics team from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, airs tomorrow night in primetime. All seven members of the team (Shannon Miller, Dominique Moceanu, Dominique Dawes, Kerri Strug, Amy Chow, Amanda Borden and Jaycie Phelps)...
- 8/3/2012
- by April MacIntyre
- Monsters and Critics
Not to gloat, but ... America Is Better Than Everyone Else On The Planet In Women's Gymnastics!!!!The U.S. women's gymnastics team didn't just win Gold in the team competition ... they Crushed the competition ... slaughtering Russia by a whole 5 points. Just to compare, China beat the Us back in 2008 by 2ish points ... in what was then considered to be a pretty dominant performance. So, 5 points is Huuuuuge. It's a big deal ... the team -- made up of Jordyn Wieber,...
- 7/31/2012
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Jordyn Wieber was all but a lock to compete in - and potentially win - the all-around final in women's gymnastics at the Olympic Games. But Sunday, the first day of women's gymnastics competition at the Games, proved to be more dramatic than Wieber, 17, may have expected. After her routines on vault, beam, bars and floor earned what some believe to be questionably low scores, Wieber was edged out of the individual all-around final, leaving her sobbing on the competition floor. Her teammates Aly Raisman and Gabrielle Douglas qualified for the final. The current national and world champion, Wieber herself...
- 7/29/2012
- by Rennie Dyball
- PEOPLE.com
As Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Dominique Moceanu puts it, "there's always guaranteed elation, heartache and drama at the Olympic trials." That much was proven on Sunday night as the country's top gymnasts competed for the chance to represent the U.S.A. at the 2012 Olympic Games. Moceanu talked to People on her way home from the trials, which left her feeling very optimistic about the country's chances in London. The team gold medal "is theirs to win, absolutely," says Moceanu. "Without a doubt, I think it's theirs. But it's a matter of who's going to be healthy, emotionally and physically,...
- 7/2/2012
- by Rennie Dyball
- PEOPLE.com
Here's something you'll never hear me say about any reality show besides So You Think You Can Dance: I'm sad that the audition episodes are over. The show handles its tryout weeks with gusto, a lot of respect for its competitors, and more celebration than mockery. (Take note, American Idol.) Even host Cat Deeley, who makes only a few short cameos in each audition episode, is wonderfully sympathetic as a contestant interviewer. The fact that she lives an Emmy-less existence is a human injustice. Let's take this crusade to the streets.
As usual, I've got the five best auditions of the week, this time from the Salt Lake City tryouts. Did anyone wear a tabernacle-like hat and jive in tribute to Brigham Young? Did guest judge Adam Shankman weep an entire great salt lake into his diet green tea? Stay tuned for the unsurprising answers.
1. Deanne "Dee" Tomasetta can't make you love her,...
As usual, I've got the five best auditions of the week, this time from the Salt Lake City tryouts. Did anyone wear a tabernacle-like hat and jive in tribute to Brigham Young? Did guest judge Adam Shankman weep an entire great salt lake into his diet green tea? Stay tuned for the unsurprising answers.
1. Deanne "Dee" Tomasetta can't make you love her,...
- 6/14/2012
- by virtel
- The Backlot
video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player
Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Dominique Moceanu received quite a surprise a few years ago - a sister she never knew she had named Jen Bricker, who was born without legs but who also competed in gymnastics, rising all the way to the level of the Junior Olympics.
Moceanu's story came to light with the publishing of her book "Off Balance," a memoir in which she reveals that Bricker wrote to her in 2007, just as Moceanu was about to give birth to her first child.
Bricker was born when Moceanu was six years old. Her biological parents gave her up for adoption immediately and she was taken in by a couple in Illinois with three sons.
"My parents made me feel everything but handicapped growing up. Handicapped wasn't even a word we used," Bricker tells ABC News.
Bricker, as a power tumbler, grew up idolizing Dominique,...
Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Dominique Moceanu received quite a surprise a few years ago - a sister she never knew she had named Jen Bricker, who was born without legs but who also competed in gymnastics, rising all the way to the level of the Junior Olympics.
Moceanu's story came to light with the publishing of her book "Off Balance," a memoir in which she reveals that Bricker wrote to her in 2007, just as Moceanu was about to give birth to her first child.
Bricker was born when Moceanu was six years old. Her biological parents gave her up for adoption immediately and she was taken in by a couple in Illinois with three sons.
"My parents made me feel everything but handicapped growing up. Handicapped wasn't even a word we used," Bricker tells ABC News.
Bricker, as a power tumbler, grew up idolizing Dominique,...
- 6/12/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
The way they laugh and speak - even their handwriting - bear similarities only two sisters can share. But Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Dominique Moceanu and her sister Jennifer Bricker, whose existence was a secret for most of her life, have yet another connection that could potentially take sibling bonding to new heights. Even though they grew up hundreds of miles away from each other, Moceanu, who was the youngest of the gold-winning "Magnificient 7" at the 1996 Olympics, and Bricker, who was born without legs, both share a passion for gymnastics. "I don't think it's a coincidence," Bricker told 20/20 Friday in...
- 6/11/2012
- by Alison Schwartz
- PEOPLE.com
In her new memoir 'Off Balance,' Dominique not only reveals insight into her rise to the top of the Olympic podium, but also details about her 'secret sister' Jennifer Bricker, a gymnast born with no legs. Read more about her 'Gma' interview below! Romanian-born Dominique Moceanu, 30, was only 14 years old when the U.S. Women's Olympic Gymnastics Team took the Gold in the 1996 Olympics. In her powerful new book, she discusses the challenges about growing up in a world of contestant competitions, her demanding coach Bela Karolyi, and filing for emancipation from her parents. But the biggest shock of all came when Dominique found out she had another sister! On June 11th on Good Morning America, Dominique discussed finding a sibling through a letter she received in 1997. In the letter, long-lost sister Jen included adoption files, their parents signatures and family photos. Jen explained that she idolized Dominique growing up,...
- 6/11/2012
- by HL Staff
- HollywoodLife
Just before she became a mother, Dominique Moceanu learned a shocking family secret: she had a sister whom she'd never met. "It was the biggest bombshell of my life," the Olympian tells 20/20 in an interview set to air Friday night. "I had this sister that was born who was given up for adoption, and I never knew it." Estranged from her parents Dmitry and Camelia after becoming legally emancipated in 1998, the family later reconciled and Dmitry walked Moceanu down the aisle at her 2006 wedding to Michael Canales, a doctor and fellow gymnast. But it was when her father was sick...
- 6/8/2012
- PEOPLE.com
We’re in the home stretch of EW’s Summer Movie Body Count, our brave attempt to provide a coherent catalogue of every onscreen death in a major release during Hollywood’s blockbuster season. Fortunately for us overworked, underpaid obituarists at PopWatch HQ, Week 15 was dominated by a film that could practically be titled Body Count: The Movie: Part 5. Did the latest entry in the Final Destination series fall victim to the Curse of the Fivequels? Read on… (Warning: Spoilers for 5inal De5tination, 30 Minutes or L5ss, and The H5lp follow…)
Final Destination 5 (henceforth 5inal) provides us...
Final Destination 5 (henceforth 5inal) provides us...
- 8/16/2011
- by Darren Franich
- EW.com - PopWatch
Olympic gold medalist Kerri Strug has a jewel on her finger to compliment the bling around her neck. The gymnast famous for getting injured during her vault at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta exchanged vows with Robert Fischer, according to People. In a sunset ceremony in her hometown of Tuscon, Az, she wed her attorney husband on Sunday. Kerri shimmered down the aisle in a custom Pronovias gown, decorated with 5,000 Swarovski crystals. "Robert always wants to make me happy," Strug told People. "He's a little old-fashioned. He really courted me, and for a while. To this day, he still gives me flowers on a regular basis." The first man to literally sweep her off her feet, coach Bela Karolyi, was there to see his protégé become a wife. Bela carried the injured Kerri from the competition floor and to the podium to receive the gold medal with her teammates. Fellow "Magnificent...
- 4/26/2010
- by TheInsider
- TheInsider.com
This is one leap Kerri Strug landed with nothing but smiles. The gold medal-winning gymnast best known for her heroic vault in the 1996 Olympics, married attorney Robert Fischer at sunset in her hometown of Tucson, Ariz., Sunday. "Robert always wants to make me happy," Strug happily tells People of her husband, whom she met through mutual friends in Washington, D.C. "He's a little old-fashioned. He really courted me, and for a while. To this day, he still gives me flowers on a regular basis." The reception, held at the Skyline Country Club, featured hundreds of orchids, a fireworks display,...
- 4/26/2010
- by Rennie Dyball
- PEOPLE.com
Make way for the next member of Team U.S.A. 2024: Olympic gold-medal winning gymnast Dominique Moceanu and her husband, gymnast-turned-surgeon Mike Canales, had their second child, Vincent Michael Canales, on Friday in Cleveland. Baby Vincent, who arrived a hardy 8 lbs, 9 oz., and 19.5 inches long, is the couple's second child. They welcomed a girl, Carmen Noel, on Christmas 2007. "Mommy and baby are doing well," the dad of two tells People. As for the new big sister, "Carmen couldn't be happier or more excited." Moceanu, who won her gold in 1996 in Atlanta, and Canales have been married since August, 2006. "Being...
- 3/14/2009
- by Rennie Dyball
- PEOPLE.com
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