Think about today's hit movies. There are good re-dos: "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Superman" and "Miami Vice" are a few. But then there is a crapload of crap. "John Tucker Must Die," "Scream 10," "The Fast and the Furious." My girlfriend Deanna and I saw "An Inconvenient Truth" a month back. Before the movie, there were previews for a series of artsy movies. She asked why these never play at the local Edwards or AMC theaters. "They wouldn't make enough money," I think I said. But I wonder if that is even true. I mean, how could I possibly know if that's true. What was the last "artsy" movie to play at the major theaters?
Instead of Edwards movie lineup being this:
Accepted, The Ant Bully, Barnyard, The Descent, John Tucker Must Die, Little Man, Material Girls, Miami Vice, Monster House, The Night Listener, Pirates of the Caribbean, Step Up, Talladega Nights, World Trade Center, You, Me and Dupree and Zoom...
What if it was this: World Trade Center, Talladega Nights, Pirates of the Caribbean , Miami Vice, The Night Listener, Monster House, The Ant Bully, Zoom, An Inconvenient Truth, Little Miss Sunshine and Quinceanera.
No more previews for crappy movies like Accepted or John Tucker Must Die. No more cheap movies marketed to the horny teen. Instead, the money could be put into improving blockbuster movies, or the teens - the moneymakers for theaters - would be required to actually think when watching something like Quinceanera, which is about an Echo Park girl who becomes pregnant a few months before her big day. Then they can actually witness what happens when they screw around.
Anyway, that will never happen. Instead we'll be forced to go to independent theaters like the Laemlle Playhouse to watch these movies.
Not only are movies being dumbed down, but children's TV as well. This column by Joel Stein is classic. Elmo, the cute, little Sesame Street puppet has ruined what was once an educational show.
Whereas Count Von Count markets math and Oscar markets the acceptability of negative emotions, Elmo, brilliantly, just markets Elmo, leading him to be the show's cash cow, or whatever misshapen animal he's supposed to be. ...
I desperately don't want the show to go away, so I know they can't afford to run the "Elmo accidentally drank bleach and died" episode. Instead, they need to simply take Elmo and his buddies and give them their own hourlong show for the idiot spawn. Then put Luis, Gordon and the cool Muppets on their own half-hour "Classic Sesame" for the kids who will one day actually contribute to our society.
Anyway, but even more than a dumbing down of society, the media is working quite well to damaging kids for life.
Just the other day, a study was released that showed that children who listen to raunchy, sex-laced lyrics are likely to have sex sooner than those who don't listen to that type of music. The study of 12 to 17 year olds found that 51 percent of those who listen to that type are likely to engage in sex within two years. That means if 10-year-olds starts listening to the likes of Chris Brown or Nelly it's more likely than not that he or she will be engaging in sex by the time they are 12.
Check out these Chris Brown lyrics... remember he's 16 and this song spent some time at No. 1:
Girl I can set you off
Don't believe my age is gonna slow us down
I can definitly show you things
To have you sayin I can't be 16
Once I get in you won't wanna go
(and I...)
I'll have yo girls wishin they were you
...
wait til' you see my....
wait til' you see my...
let me fall back
You ain't ready for all dat
have you sleep late
real late
yeah takin a long nap
you tell your friends...
to get wit my friends
we can be friends
switch and meet friends (switch)
we can do it all night long, and...
til' da clock hit mornin ya dig
16 YEARS OLD. This guy is marketed to junior high and high school kids. Same with so many other artists who are marketed to this age group.
I can say so much more on this topic (I probably will later), but I just want to end with this. The responsibility lies with parents. They need to know what their children are watching and listening to. The Internet has made it simple! If your kid is going to watch a movie, go to Common Sense Media movie reviews. You can also check out music reviews there. Or you can just read the lyrics.
