Contest for Teachers Only: DVDs on Presidents and Martin Luther King

Posted on January 9, 2011 at 3:52 pm

I have two DVDs to give away — for teachers only, this time. These are from my very favorite series for kids, Scholastic’s Storybook Treasures and they are perfect for celebrating Martin Luther King Day, Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and President’s Day in the classroom.

March On!… and More Stories About African American History The first story on this DVD is written by the sister of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., with a very personal account of his “I Have a Dream” speech. “Martin’s Big Words” has Michael Clarke Duncan narrating the story of Dr. King, from his childhood asking his mother about “Whites Only” signs and being inspired by the power of his preacher father’s big words. “Rosa,” narrated by author Nikki Giovanni, is the story of the woman who decided not to give up her seat on the bus and changed the world. And “Henry’s Freedom Box” is the true story of a slave who escaped to freedom — through the mail.

So You Want to Be President… and More Stories to Celebrate American History The title story teaches kids that presidents are people and that their backgrounds and personalities affect the way they do their job — and sometimes the mistakes they make. Narrator Stockard Channing played the role of the first lady on “West Wing.” The late Senator Ted Kennedy narrates “My Senator and Me,” his own story about a dog’s-eye view of political life in Washington. In “Madam President,” a girl imagines what she could do if she had the job. And “I Could Do That: Esther Morris Gets Women the Vote” tells the story of the suffrage leader and first woman to hold public office in the United States — she took over the job of the judge who resigned in protest when she got women the vote in Wyoming, the first state to give women that right.

Send an email to moviemom@moviemom.com with either President or King in the subject line, to let me know which one you want. Don’t forget your address! The first to respond will get the DVDs.

Happy Birthday, Elvis!

Posted on January 9, 2011 at 2:35 pm

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Music

TV Guide on Faith on Television

Posted on January 9, 2011 at 9:50 am

Craig Tomashoff’ has a thoughtful article in TV Guide about the portrayal of religion and spirituality on television. It has some surprising examples. The often-outrageous animated series “The Simpsons” was praised for using “Christian faith, religion and questions about God” as recurring themes.

At first glance, it seems odd that a child-choking, beer-swilling glutton who has embodied all seven deadly sins could be considered a shining example of a man of faith. Then again, as the Vatican paper explained, the Simpson family “recites prayers before meals and, in their own way, believes in the life thereafter.” Even Melissa Henson, director of communications for the Parents Television Council, says, “The Simpsons is one of the more balanced treatments of faith-based characters that you’ll see. Flanders seems like a dork, but he’s sincere.”

Most prime-time elevision shows are designed to appeal to the broadest possible audience and producers worry that identifying characters with a particular religious faith will be controversial, offending both those who share that faith and those who do not. The result is a pervasive cynicism on television with regard to faith and people of faith.

A recent TV Guide Magazine poll found that 59 percent of readers believe religion and faith-based characters aren’t being treated fairly on prime time. As one respondent put it, “So often, religious people (read: Christians) are portrayed as crackpot, hypocritical, ultraconservative nutjobs.”

Thomashoff points to “Community’ as an example of inclusion and “The Middle,” “Lost,” and “The Good Wife” as shows that grapple with questions of faith in a sincere and respectful way. “Hellcats” has a Christian character whose faith leads her to decide not to have sex with her boyfriend. And Will Scheffer of the polygamous HBO drama “Big Love” says, “Faith is our main theme. All our characters will be struggling and questioning, but in a way that won’t be off-putting to viewers, whether they be atheists or true believers.” Stories — whether drama or comedy — are about conflict. When television writers and producers portray the struggles of their characters to find meaning and direction, questions of religion and spirituality provide an authenticity and connection to viewers.

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Television

Tribute: Doonesbury’s Mom and Marshall’s Dad

Posted on January 8, 2011 at 1:39 pm

We don’t often see death in comic strips and sit-coms. But on “How I Met Your Mother,” Marshall Erickson (Jason Segal) lost his beloved father Marvin (played by Bill Fagerbakke). And the title character in Garry Trudeau’s comic strip, currently celebrating its 40th anniversary of publication, lost his feisty mother Daisy. In both cases, the deaths occurred out of sight but the audience shared in the loss as we see the impact on the characters that to some of us feel like family.
Doonesbury has run a week of strips about the memorial service for Daisy, mostly focusing on the insensitive behavior of Mike’s ex-wife J.J. and his brother. In “How I Met Your Mother,” Marshall, who was very close to his parents, got the bad news in the last moment of the episode. I hope future shows will show Marshall and his wife Lily as they try to understand their loss and find a way to keep the best of Marshall’s father close to them.
I admire both Doonesbury and “How I Met Your Mother” for their willingness to bring the challenges of parental loss to their stories.

A Map of Movie Sequels

Posted on January 7, 2011 at 3:55 pm

What’s the worst movie sequel you ever saw? I’d have to say the sequels to “Grease,” “Men in Black,” “Get Shorty,” and “The Whole Nine Yards” are tied for last place.
Many thanks to my dear friend and fellow critic Brandon Fibbs for sharing this excellent graph showing how well movie sequels hold up to the original films.

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Understanding Media and Pop Culture