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    spirit fingers for everyone

    Cheerleader drama: Next to Kirsten Dunst & Rihanna, how does Bring It On: TheMusical stack up?

    Sarah Rufca
    Jan 30, 2012 | 10:57 am
    • Cheerleaders always rule — on the stage or in endless movies.
      Photo by Michael Lamont
    • A scene from Bring It On: The Musical
      Photo by Greg Mooney
    • You'd better bring it. It's Bring It On.
      Photo by Craig Schwartz

    You don't have to be a cheerleader to love Bring It On — it's one of the best high school movies of all time.

    So in honor of Bring It On: The Musical playing at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts through Sunday, I rewatched the original Bring It On with Kirsten Dunst and the so-terrible-it's-kinda-awesome Bring It On: All Or Nothing starring Hayden Panettiere and Beyoncé's little sister, the best of four (yes, four) straight-to-DVD sequels.

    The musical picks up a few plots elements from both films — the cheer captain transferring to an inner-city high school, finding love with a DJ., etc. and it totally, um, brings it when it comes to gymnastic spectacle.

    But how does it compare to the movies? Allow me to break it down.

    Best Lead Character Name
    Winner: Campbell, Bring It On: The Musical
    Frankly if this was a competition for the weirdest thing the writers think a blonde cheerleader from SoCal might be named, Whittier from Bring It On Again would be the champion. (Seriously, Whittier? Is she a cheerleader or a liberal arts college in Ohio?)

    But alas, Bring It On Again is so terrible I can't even bring myself to enjoy it ironically.

    Campbell is not only a somewhat unique yet believable name, it's also a set-up for comedy. By the time she makes it into the cool clique, she's gone "from cream of mushroom to chicken and stars." Only a Warhol reference could be better.

    Best Sassy Sidekick
    Winner: La Cienega, Bring It On: The Musical
    The sassy black sidekick has been so overdone it's hard to even tell them apart anymore. Props to the musical for changing it up by including a drag queen named after a Los Angeles boulevard.

    Best Guest Appearance
    Winner: Sparky Polastri, Bring It On
    You could argue the biggest star is actually a pre-Umbrella Rihanna playing herself in All or Nothing. But global pop stars aside, the most memorable scene in the Bring It On franchise is when Upright Citizens Brigade founder Ian Roberts shows up as the choreographer with spirit fingers and a sharp tongue.

    I'm not sure who else could deliver a line like "I will attempt to transform your stiff, robotic routines into poetry written with the human body," and also rock a black unitard.

    Best Villain
    Winner: Eva, Bring It On: The Musical
    Look, it wouldn't be a cheerleading movie without a couple bitches. Bitches are to cheerleading movies like mullets are to Monster Jam. But Eva makes the girl from Single White Female look tame, and seems to have a lot of fun doing it.

    Best White Girl Learning to Be Hip-Hop
    Winner: Julia Stiles, Save The Last Dance
    I'm sorry but Julia Stiles in Save The Last Dance is always the answer to this question. You know it, I know it, and even though they can't say anything official right now, the Juilliard judges know it too.

    Most Embarrassing White Girl Trying to Be Hip-Hop
    Winner: Hayden Panettiere, Bring It On: All or Nothing
    Nothing is more cringe-inducing than when the tiny cheerleader from Heroes learns to dance out her anger by krumping. Krumping! Oh man.

    Do I even need to mention she ends the movie in camo cheerleading gear, including a do-rag? It's the most awkward I felt watching Panettiere onscreen since she told Ellen about her boyfriend's giant penis.

    Worst Cheerleader
    Winner: Solange Knowles, Bring It On: All or Nothing
    Solange spent most of her time in BIO:AON staring with dead eyes and calling Hayden "white girl." (Oh . . . snap?) Also, shouldn't cheerleaders be, I don't know, peppy?

    Solange is more of a wet blanket. Plus she totally does not get that Hayden's krumping is going to take them to the next level.

    Best Cheer-Off
    Winner: This scene, Bring It On
    As far as stolen cheers go, let's talk about "Brr, it's cold in here/There must be some Toros in the atmosphere." I've been wondering for 10 years — what does this mean?

    Are Toros cold? Are they like the co-worker who always turns the A/C down to 60? Because I am not cheering for that asshole.

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    ACL Fest News

    Lorde, Charli XCX among headliners for 25th anniversary ACL Fest

    Brianna Caleri
    May 5, 2026 | 3:30 pm
    Charlie xcx
    Charli xcx/Facebook
    Charlie XCX's pop domination continues at the top of the ACL Fest lineup.

    Austin City Limits Music Festival, one of Texas' biggest events, is having a banner year for its 25th Anniversary. Five months before the festival — held October 2-4 and October 9-11 — music lovers now know who to expect on the lineup.

    The highly anticipated headliners include:

    • Charli xcx
    • RÜFÜS DU SOL
    • Twenty One Pilots
    • Lorde
    • Skrillex (Weekend One only)
    • Kings of Leon (Weekend Two only)
    • The xx

    Of course, there are plenty of other acts worth seeing who aren't headliners. Some standouts chosen by the festival include:

    • Turnstile
    • Labrinth
    • Lola Young
    • The Chainsmokers
    • Geese
    • Young Miko
    • Bleachers
    • SOFI TUKKER
    • Parcels
    • The War On Drugs
    • Leon Thomas
    • Brandon Flowers (Weekend One)

    While there are certainly less expensive and crowded places to see Texas musicians, ACL Fest is a rite of passage — and for bigger or traveling artists, sometimes a homecoming. Here's who's representing the Lone Star State this year:

    • Bo Staloch (W1)
    • World Famous Pets (W2)
    • Calder Allen
    • Solya (W1)
    • Asleep At The Wheel (W1)
    • DJ Cassandra (W1)
    • Cure For Paranoia (W1)
    • NIGHT TRAVELER (W1)
    • Grocery Bag (W1)
    • Coleman Jennings (W1)
    • lluvii (W2)
    • Montclair (W2)
    • Almost Heaven (W2)
    • Left Lucid (W1)
    • The 4411 (W1)
    • The Moriah Sisters (W1)
    • Huston Tillotson University Jazz Collective (W2)

    In our opinion, a few acts got short shrift in the announcement. Here are the names we're excited to see while digging deeper:

    • Lykke Li
    • Jesse Welles
    • Saint Motel
    • LP
    • Natasha Bedingfield (W2)
    • Rebecca Black (W1)

    Three-day tickets for both weekends go on sale today, May 5, at noon at ACLFestival.com.

    ACL Fest 2026 lineup The full ACL Fest lineup for 2026.Graphic courtesy of Austin City Limits Music Festival

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