House and Cuddy — Should they get together?

Posted on February 1, 2009 at 8:00 am

In the words of Entertainment Weekly, House and Cuddy will “do the deed” this season. The popular television series is about the irascible doctor who is a master diagnostician but who constantly battles with his frustrated supervisor about his disregard of rules, risks, and social conventions. As often happens in fiction and sometimes happens in real life, this friction sets off some romantic sparks and after years of dancing around their mutual attraction they are going to act on it.house-cuddy.jpg
This may be satisfying for the characters, but it is unlikely to be satisfying for the viewers, at least not for long. Can you think of a time when resolving the romantic tension between lead characters has made a television show better? I’m thinking of “Cheers,” “Rhoda,” “I Dream of Jeannie” — any others? “That Girl” ended before the wedding of Ann and Don. Is getting together another form of Jumping the Shark?
House at LocateTV.com

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Super Bowl Ads — Not Family Friendly?

Posted on January 31, 2009 at 8:00 am

Many families have Super Bowl traditions as the generations gather around the television to watch the biggest football game of the year. It gives families a wonderful opportunity to share their interests and histories and to talk about the skill, determination, teamwork, practice, and courage that go into competing at that level. super-bowl-2009.gif
Unfortunately, the ads, which have generated almost as much press as the game itself, can lead to a whole other kind of family conversation and not one many parents welcome. Every year, I hear complaints from parents who find themselves getting questions about ED or who find their children imitating the silly or hyper-sexed behavior from alcohol ads.
Common Sense Media has a new report based on a review of the ads in over 50 games with more than 160 hours and more than 5000 commercials.
They found:

  • 1 out of every 6 commercials shown contained messages and images that were inappropriate for young kids.
  • 40% of the games included advertisements for erectile-dysfunction drugs (Viagra® and Cialis®)
  • More than 500 of the ads involved significant levels of violence, including gun fights, explosions and murders.
  • 300 of the ads were for alcohol.
  • 80 of the ads included significant levels of sexuality, including scenes about prostitution and strippers.
  • Nearly half (44.7%) of the violent and sexual ads were promotions by the networks for their own programs.

94% of the mothers polled said that they were concerned about inappropriate television commercials during pro football games. And at least one father agrees:

“I wasn’t too happy with ads for erectile-dysfunction drugs popping up every 15 minutes whenever I watched a football game with my daughters in the room.”

President Barack Obama,
The Audacity of Hope, 2006

The report, called Broadcast Dysfunction: Sex, Violence, Alcohol, and the NFL is well worth reading. And Common Sense Media’s site has something even more important — a direct link to send the NFL a complaint using their draft text or your own words. If this is a concern for you and your family, I urge you to let Commissioner Roger Goodell know how you feel.

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Marketing to Kids Television Understanding Media and Pop Culture

Return of ”The Electric Company’

Posted on January 27, 2009 at 4:00 pm

Hey you guys! The classic 1970’s show The Electric Company taught a generation of kids how to take the letters they learned on “Sesame Street” and turn them into words and sentences. The superstar cast included Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, and Bill Cosby. Zero Mostel, Joan Rivers and Gene Wilder worked with animation pioneers John and Faith Hubley on the “Letterman” segments.

Now endearingly retro, the original disco-era series is available on DVD. And it has just been updated with a whole new series featuring beat-boxers, hip-hoppers, and record-scratchers, but still teaching kids about the power of the “silent e.” It also has some very good lessons about problem-solving and asking questions to discover the truth. In this version, The Electric Company is a group of people with special word skills who work together to foil a group of mischief-makers called the Pranksters. No Broadway or television stars in the cast, but it does have some Tony-award talent behind the scenes and some guest appearances by kid-friendly celebrities like Tiki Barber. It’s aimed at children from 6-9 and its bright, bouncy, and colorful characters and situations will keep them entertained and inspired about the power of words. And they still yell, “Hey, you GUUUUYYYYS!”

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Early Readers Elementary School Movie Mom’s Top Picks for Families Television

Make Em Laugh — The (Very Funny) History of Comedy

Posted on January 25, 2009 at 3:48 pm

There is no better way to strengthen family connections than combining shared laughter and history. So every family should make time to watch the hilarious new PBS series “Make Em Laugh,” the history of comedy on television and in the movies in the United States, from the silent era to Jon Stewart, with current comedians commenting on their inspirations and influences. Episodes on slapstick, satire, pushing the limits, and verbal humor are on the schedule (NOTE: some mature material)

Make 'em Laugh: The Funny Business of America at LocateTV.com

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‘Lost’ Travels Through Time

Posted on January 21, 2009 at 8:00 am

Jen Chaney reports in the Washington Post that “Lost” gets even more mysterious with its season premiere as the island itself begins to travel through time.
After four seasons that contained flashbacks, flash-forwards and electromagnetic forces that sent some characters into a chronological tailspin, the crafty writers of the ABC drama about plane crash survivors on a mysterious island take things to a whole new level during the fifth season. In the season premiere, which airs Wednesday, the island itself moves in time. Repeatedly. Several characters become “unstuck” in time. And “Lost” proves that it stands — to borrow a phrase from James Franco in “The Pineapple Express” — at “the apex of the vortex” of TV time travel.
Chaney remembers some other television series that experimented with time travel, including “Dr. Who,” “The Simpsons,” and “Quantum Leap.”
Entertainment Weekly has a guide to Season Five of “Lost” from Doc Jensen for those who can use a refresher. Chadwick Matlin of Slate has another guide for the lost with advice on how to find out everything you need in each episode’s opening moments.
Instead of searching for recaps online or trying to pull an 82-episode marathon, just watch the first few minutes of each premiere–the introductory scene through the first commercial–and you’ll learn everything you need to know.
Matlin knows what he’s talking about — his bio says he taught a course on “Lost.” And he says that season one was about survival, season two was about the hatch, season three may be about the Others, season four may be about the island’s advantages, and season five? Matlin says the clues will all be in the first part of this week’s episode.
What do you think about this development for “Lost?” Deepening the mystery or jumping the shark?

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