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="metirish":n3gtzq9j]I can't get the The JumpArounds out of my head. It maybe the most annoyingly catchy worst rap/beat-box styling I have ever heard....and my son jumps to attention when he hears them.....
http://www.nickjr.com/shows/the-jumparounds/index.jhtml[/quote:n3gtzq9j]
Uh, I know that one. I told my son that if he kept watching them he'd forget all the math and letters that he knows. I think he wants to risk it.<br><br><br><I>(Merged from TV Programming fragment, 6/2/2009</i>)
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Benjamin Grimm
Jun 02 2009 12:20 PM
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With my youngest about to turn 8, I've become ignorant of the current Nick Jr./Playhouse Disney characters.
There was a time, just a few years ago, when I was hip to all the kiddie toons, like <I>PB&J Otter</i>, and <i>Kipper</i>, and the original <i>Blues Clues</i>, and <I>Bear in the Big Blue House</i>.
But now? I've never even heard of "Spud" or "Fireman Sam." (Spud, by the way, looks like an escapee from McDonaldland.) I feel like I no longer have anything to contribute at the water cooler.
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John Cougar Lunchbucket
Jun 02 2009 12:33 PM
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Fireman Sam, from the same factory that makes Bob the Builder.
We watch on-demand from Sprout. The interesting thing about the show is the kid who's just flat-out rotten, always starting fires and stuff.
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metirish
Jun 02 2009 12:38 PM
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You know what I like a lot.......
The Wonder Pets , love the songs.
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Fman99
Jun 02 2009 12:45 PM
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| ="metirish"]You know what I like a lot.......
The Wonder Pets , love the songs. |
No no no no no no no. I told my son that if I ever caught the Wonder Pets playing in my yard I would grill them and slather them in BBQ sauce and make him eat them.
My kids are big these days on The Backyardigans, Dora the Explorer, and Diego. Subject to change at a moment's notice.
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Benjamin Grimm
Jun 02 2009 12:50 PM
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I remember, when my son was born in 1996, I knew all about Barney and we were prepared to change the channel whenever there was the first hint of the purple dinosaur.
But we got completely blindsided by the Teletubbies.
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metirish
Jun 02 2009 12:54 PM
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There are two or three posts in the "Thread without a purpose" thread that could go here.
I like how Nick Jr tries to sell the parent on the idea that your kid will learn cognitive skills ans so forth from watching their shows. I'm convinced my son will learn how to rap really badly from watching "Twist" form The JumpArounds
I've learned some Chinese from watching Ni Hoa ,Kai Lan
I know that snow in Chinese sounds a lot like saying sheee-at"....
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seawolf17
Jun 02 2009 12:55 PM
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We have a pretty solid rotation here. The big two right now are DragonTales, which is dreadful, and Sesame Street, which is still the champ.
In and out of rotation are Arthur, Curious George, It's a Big Big World, and the Backyardigans, which only appear on the weekends when we're laying in bed. I can't figure that show out; it's trying to be intelligent and cultured, but it just comes off bizarrely.
We were huge fans of Big Big World before it was moved out of the 7:30 am spot on Channel 13. We grab it every week on the DVR, but MiniWolf doesn't have the attachment to it like he used to when it was on every day.
Dragon Tales (aka "Dinosaur Show") haunts my nightmares.
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Centerfield
Jun 02 2009 01:10 PM
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If you should come home and find your child watching "Max and Ruby", immediately throw your TV out of the window. I'm not kidding about this.
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Centerfield
Jun 02 2009 01:14 PM
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="Fman99":15ws394o]="metirish":15ws394o]I can't get the The JumpArounds out of my head. It maybe the most annoyingly catchy worst rap/beat-box styling I have ever heard....and my son jumps to attention when he hears them.....
http://www.nickjr.com/shows/the-jumparounds/index.jhtml[/quote:15ws394o]
Uh, I know that one. I told my son that if he kept watching them he'd forget all the math and letters that he knows. I think he wants to risk it.<br><br><br><I>(Merged from TV Programming fragment, 6/2/2009</i>)[/quote:15ws394o]
The Jumparounds are the worst thing in the history of things.
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Fman99
Jun 02 2009 01:32 PM
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| ="seawolf17"]We have a pretty solid rotation here. The big two right now are DragonTales, which is dreadful, and Sesame Street, which is still the champ.
In and out of rotation are Arthur, Curious George, It's a Big Big World, and the Backyardigans, which only appear on the weekends when we're laying in bed. I can't figure that show out; it's trying to be intelligent and cultured, but it just comes off bizarrely.
We were huge fans of Big Big World before it was moved out of the 7:30 am spot on Channel 13. We grab it every week on the DVR, but MiniWolf doesn't have the attachment to it like he used to when it was on every day.
Dragon Tales (aka "Dinosaur Show") haunts my nightmares.
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As someone who survived all of these shows, a veteran if you will, I can relate. Dragontales are suck.
"Big Big World" always struck me as being "Your Child's Introduction to the Effects of Hallucinogenic Drugs." Little kids shouldn't be tripping balls like that.
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Benjamin Grimm
Jun 02 2009 01:33 PM
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I might have thought this thread would make me feel wistful, but it doesn't. There are a lot of things I miss about being the parent of a toddler, but not the television shows.
Now it's more about shows like <i>Hannah Montana</I> and <I>iCarly</i> and those insipid brats, Zach and Cody. In general, I find the Nick shows better than the Disney Channel shows. (<i>Drake and Josh</I> was probably my favorite.)
On Disney, the best of the worst is <i>Witches of Waverly Place</i>. It's kind of like <I>Bewitched</i> for tweens. And whoever's making that show is a Met-loving big shot. Lots of references to the Mets. The show takes place in New York City, and if all you knew about New York is what you learned from the show, you'd think that there wasn't an American League franchise in town.
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DocTee
Jun 02 2009 03:24 PM
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The new Disney show JONAS reminds me a lot of the MONKEES.
Phineas and Ferb rocks. Waverly Place? Not so much.
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dgwphotography
Jun 02 2009 06:13 PM
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I am sick of the Jonas brothers - comparing them to the Monkees is a travesty, IMO...
The only thing cool about the Wizards of Waverly place is a few of the little cloying, inside jokes they have made - The School administrator is Mr. Laritate (pronounced Larry Tate) - Using cab #804 in an episode involving a Taxi....
I agree with Ben - the quality of shows on Disney are awful at best. When my oldest was younger, we used to love watching Lizzie McGuire - there is nothing anywhere close to that quality on Disney now...
Also, a big hit in our house was Shining Time Station - that was another quality show.
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themetfairy
Jun 02 2009 06:26 PM
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Loved Ringo as Mr. Conductor, and was always amused when George Carlin took over that role.
Rugrats was a great show - the kids and I were discussing that one the other day.
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TheOldMole
Jun 02 2009 07:39 PM
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I kinda hate Wizards of Waverly Place -- she's such a bad role model. I like iCarly.
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Benjamin Grimm
Jun 02 2009 08:14 PM
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Me too. My praise for <i>Wizards</i> was intended to be faint. It's merely better than Hannah Montana and Zach and Cody.
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themetfairy
Jun 02 2009 08:37 PM
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="TheOldMole":2de5q4xe]I kinda hate Wizards of Waverly Place -- she's such a bad role model. I like iCarly.[/quote:2de5q4xe]
MK enjoys iCarly.
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MFS62
Jun 03 2009 06:04 AM
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| ="Fman99"]
No no no no no no no. I told my son that if I ever caught the Wonder Pets playing in my yard I would grill them and slather them in BBQ sauce and make him eat them.
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Fman, if you harm one hair on the cute little heads of the Wonder Pets, I will hunt you down, slather you with BBQ sauce and grill you. They are adoreable and teach good lessons about the importance of cooperation/ teamwork. I am happy that my grandkids like that show.
Later
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Edgy DC
Jun 03 2009 07:16 AM
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| ="metirish"]You know what I like a lot.......
The Wonder Pets , love the songs. |
As if kids need more encouragement to put their pocket pets in toy vehicles and roll them around the floor until they fall down the stairs.
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John Cougar Lunchbucket
Jun 03 2009 07:44 AM
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Lunchpail was asking to see the Wonder Pets this morning but it wasn't on.
Wound up putting on Super Why, but even he can smell how blatant an attempt to "educate" that show is, and he views it suspiciously as entertainment.
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Fman99
Jun 03 2009 07:49 AM
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| ="John Cougar Lunchbucket"]Lunchpail was asking to see the Wonder Pets this morning but it wasn't on.
Wound up putting on Super Why, but even he can smell how blatant an attempt to "educate" that show is, and he views it suspiciously as entertainment. |
Fboy digs on Super Why also. Education be damned. Also worth trying on PBS is "Sid the Science Kid."
Comes complete with Gerald, the ADD-enhanced animatard.
To recount an actual recent conversation in my house...
Fboy: "I like Gerald the best."
Fwife: "Yeah, your son's purple headed friend has an attention problem."
Fman: "Yeah, so does mine."
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metirish
Jun 03 2009 07:51 AM
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Ever watch "Little Bill" , it's a Bill Cosby thing....I find it a drag and the kid seems not that interested , maybe because it's rather dull .
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Benjamin Grimm
Jun 03 2009 07:54 AM
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="metirish":jomh7o5r]Ever watch "Little Bill" , it's a Bill Cosby thing....I find it a drag and the kid seems not that interested , maybe because it's rather dull .[/quote:jomh7o5r]
I love the animation style in <i>Little Bill.</i>
It's a slow-moving, sweet little show, probably best suited for very little kids who are in a mood to be soothed. (<i>Kipper</i> seems to serve that same function.)
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John Cougar Lunchbucket
Jun 03 2009 08:01 AM
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My problem with Sid the Science Kid is that I want to have sex with the teacher
and maybe his Mom too.
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Benjamin Grimm
Jun 03 2009 08:54 AM
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I'm beginning to think your problems run much deeper than that!
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Fman99
Jun 03 2009 08:56 AM
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| ="John Cougar Lunchbucket"]My problem with Sid the Science Kid is that I want to have sex with the teacher
and maybe his Mom too.
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"I love my mom
My mom is cool
She'll service Mets fans
Cause Mets fans rule!"
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MFS62
Jun 03 2009 09:07 AM
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="Benjamin Grimm":uh69t6fu]I'm beginning to think your problems run much deeper than that![/quote:uh69t6fu]
Just keep him away from the set when "Flight 29 Down" is on. That show is for slightly older kids.
Later
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Benjamin Grimm
Jun 03 2009 09:38 AM
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Just to be clear, I think it's okay to lust after cartoon characters. (I had a thing for Disney's Pocahontas for a while.) But I'm not so sure about those characters.
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dgwphotography
Jun 03 2009 11:03 AM
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| ="Benjamin Grimm"]Just to be clear, I think it's okay to lust after cartoon characters. (I had a thing for Disney's Pocahontas for a while.) But I'm not so sure about those characters. |
Jasmine rules all...
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Willets Point
Jun 03 2009 11:26 AM
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Don't forget cupcake from "Fonzie and the Happy Days Gang."
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John Cougar Lunchbucket
Jul 12 2009 09:45 PM
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Free tickets, so we wound up seeing this duo at Summerstage this afternoon:
Lance has good energy but, I think, kinda needs a writer. He must have said "you guys are awesome!" 30 times in a 30-minute performance.
An evil new tween act called The Fresh Beats performed prior and, um, I really wanted to to kill them.
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Fman99
Jul 13 2009 06:46 AM
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| ="John Cougar Lunchbucket"]Free tickets, so we wound up seeing this duo at Summerstage this afternoon:
Lance has good energy but, I think, kinda needs a writer. He must have said "you guys are awesome!" 30 times in a 30-minute performance.
An evil new tween act called The Fresh Beats performed prior and, um, I really wanted to to kill them. |
Yo Gabba Gabba is good, especially if your kids take a lot of acid. That show trips balls.
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Centerfield
Jul 16 2009 10:18 AM
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I saw Jessica Alba on Sesame Street. She was teaching kids the meaning of "scrumptious". At the end of the piece, a talking cake (it is Sesame Street) turns to her and says she's scrumptious.
I think it's my favorite thing I've ever seen on Sesame Street.
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themetfairy
Jul 16 2009 10:44 AM
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My favorite thing was The Count and Susan Sarandon knocking on a castle door on a rainy night <g>
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Swan Swan H
Jul 16 2009 11:18 AM
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Words can not do this justice. The Kate Pierson Muppet makes me smile like Fman outside an all-girls high school.
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zkHM8xG6i8o&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zkHM8xG6i8o&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
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Centerfield
Jul 16 2009 11:31 AM
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="themetfairy":11dyjvfs]My favorite thing was The Count and Susan Sarandon knocking on a castle door on a rainy night <g>[/quote:11dyjvfs]
No way! That is way too funny.
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OlerudOwned
Jul 16 2009 12:03 PM
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I love that fact that Yo Gabba Gabba's producer and co-creator is Christian Jacobs, aka the Aquabats' own MC Bat Commander.
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sKqKAboqDQA&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sKqKAboqDQA&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
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Fman99
Jul 16 2009 12:47 PM
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="Swan Swan H":1g98ou0q]Words can not do this justice. The Kate Pierson Muppet makes me smile like Fman outside an all-girls high school.
[/quote:1g98ou0q]
Well that trumps my Kermit singing "Hurt," Johnny Cash style complete with vomiting, fellatio and drug use. NSFW (unless you work at Robert Downey Jr's house).
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BcERe5pd8yI&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BcERe5pd8yI&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
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themetfairy
Jul 16 2009 12:50 PM
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="Centerfield":1l9c22ku]="themetfairy":1l9c22ku]My favorite thing was The Count and Susan Sarandon knocking on a castle door on a rainy night <g>[/quote:1l9c22ku]
No way! That is way too funny.[/quote:1l9c22ku]
It has to go back 15-19 years ago, when my daughter was little. But I loved it.
What's great about Sesame Street (or at least what was great about it - I haven't watched it in years) is that they would write to entertain the parents as much as to entertain the kids. When you're home with a young one, you definitely appreciate that.
Barney, OTOH, is pure, condescending evil....
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themetfairy
Jul 16 2009 12:53 PM
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="Centerfield":3cqlfco6]="themetfairy":3cqlfco6]My favorite thing was The Count and Susan Sarandon knocking on a castle door on a rainy night <g>[/quote:3cqlfco6]
No way! That is way too funny.[/quote:3cqlfco6]
Viola -
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RzeBXARiA0I&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RzeBXARiA0I&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
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dgwphotography
Jul 16 2009 01:34 PM
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="themetfairy":19ouk7ob]="Centerfield":19ouk7ob]="themetfairy":19ouk7ob]My favorite thing was The Count and Susan Sarandon knocking on a castle door on a rainy night <g>[/quote:19ouk7ob]
No way! That is way too funny.[/quote:19ouk7ob]
It has to go back 15-19 years ago, when my daughter was little. But I loved it.
What's great about Sesame Street (or at least what was great about it - I haven't watched it in years) is that they would write to entertain the parents as much as to entertain the kids. When you're home with a young one, you definitely appreciate that.
Barney, OTOH, is pure, condescending evil....[/quote:19ouk7ob]
I heartily disagree.
Children's programming is supposed to be just that, Children's programming, especially for preschoolers. Do I want the show my 3-5 year old watches to reference The Rocky Horror Picture Show? I don't care if she gets it or not - I sure as Hell don't want that.
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Edgy DC
Jul 16 2009 01:37 PM
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Yeah, but studies have well shown that kids learn a lot more if parents watch with them, and that intent has been there for a long time in <i>Seasame Street</i>
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dgwphotography
Jul 16 2009 01:40 PM
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="Edgy DC":1ljcpnws]Yeah, but studies have well shown that kids learn a lot more if parents watch with them, and that intent has been there for a long time in <i>Seasame Street</i>[/quote:1ljcpnws]
So I have to have some underlying content to keep me interested in order to watch it with my kid?
I mean, really - do my kids need to see a talking cake tell Jessica Alba that she's scrumptious?
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themetfairy
Jul 16 2009 01:44 PM
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="dgwphotography":290zshzw]="Edgy DC":290zshzw]Yeah, but studies have well shown that kids learn a lot more if parents watch with them, and that intent has been there for a long time in <i>Seasame Street</i>[/quote:290zshzw]
So I have to have some underlying content to keep me interested in order to watch it with my kid?[/quote:290zshzw]
Says a non stay-at-home parent.
When you're a house hostage with youngsters, you appreciate shows that are written on multiple levels.
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Benjamin Grimm
Jul 16 2009 01:45 PM
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I'm with Scarlett.
Not only is it better if the show is entertaining (at least a little) for grownups, I don't really like my kids watching inane stuff, at any age.
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Edgy DC
Jul 16 2009 01:47 PM
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="dgwphotography"]| ="Edgy DC"]Yeah, but studies have well shown that kids learn a lot more if parents watch with them, and that intent has been there for a long time in <i>Seasame Street</i> |
So I have to have some underlying content to keep me interested in order to watch it with my kid? |
No, you don't. None of us have to have any of this. But I'm sure studies would also show that more parents will watch.
| ="dgwphotography"]I mean, really - do my kids need to see a talking cake tell Jessica Alba that she's scrumptious? |
No. I'm sure your kids don't need to see any of it. I'm saying there's intent beyond clever for clever's sake. I'd guess describing an attractive young woman as consumeable is something you'd object to whether aimed at parents or chillins.
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dgwphotography
Jul 16 2009 01:50 PM
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="themetfairy":9b0boevi]="dgwphotography":9b0boevi]="Edgy DC":9b0boevi]Yeah, but studies have well shown that kids learn a lot more if parents watch with them, and that intent has been there for a long time in <i>Seasame Street</i>[/quote:9b0boevi]
So I have to have some underlying content to keep me interested in order to watch it with my kid?[/quote:9b0boevi]
Says a non stay-at-home parent.
When you're a house hostage with youngsters, you appreciate shows that are written on multiple levels.[/quote:9b0boevi]
For about a year, I was a stay-at-home parent, and we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one - there's enough innuendo everywhere else in entertainment, it should stay out of children's tv.
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themetfairy
Jul 16 2009 01:53 PM
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="dgwphotography":1ib027dv]="themetfairy":1ib027dv]="dgwphotography":1ib027dv]="Edgy DC":1ib027dv]Yeah, but studies have well shown that kids learn a lot more if parents watch with them, and that intent has been there for a long time in <i>Seasame Street</i>[/quote:1ib027dv]
So I have to have some underlying content to keep me interested in order to watch it with my kid?[/quote:1ib027dv]
Says a non stay-at-home parent.
When you're a house hostage with youngsters, you appreciate shows that are written on multiple levels.[/quote:1ib027dv]
For about a year, I was a stay-at-home parent, and we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one - there's enough innuendo everywhere else in entertainment, it should stay out of children's tv.[/quote:1ib027dv]
I think the disagreement is the definition of innuendo. I agree that kids should be shielded from that, but I don't think that the two examples we're talking about cross that line.
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dgwphotography
Jul 16 2009 01:55 PM
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="themetfairy":azbhbgw3]="dgwphotography":azbhbgw3]="themetfairy":azbhbgw3]="dgwphotography":azbhbgw3]="Edgy DC":azbhbgw3]Yeah, but studies have well shown that kids learn a lot more if parents watch with them, and that intent has been there for a long time in <i>Seasame Street</i>[/quote:azbhbgw3]
So I have to have some underlying content to keep me interested in order to watch it with my kid?[/quote:azbhbgw3]
Says a non stay-at-home parent.
When you're a house hostage with youngsters, you appreciate shows that are written on multiple levels.[/quote:azbhbgw3]
For about a year, I was a stay-at-home parent, and we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one - there's enough innuendo everywhere else in entertainment, it should stay out of children's tv.[/quote:azbhbgw3]
I think the disagreement is the definition of innuendo. I agree that kids should be shielded from that, but I don't think that the two examples we're talking about cross that line.[/quote:azbhbgw3]
Maybe one doesn't, but I think the Jessica Alba example sure does.
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themetfairy
Jul 16 2009 01:56 PM
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It's hard to judge without seeing the clip. Scrumptious can be said innocently or lewdly (or many ways in between those two extremes).
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themetfairy
Jul 16 2009 02:01 PM
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In point of fact, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang had a lead character named Truly Scrumptious, along with a corresponding song.
I don't remember too much about that movie, but it always seemed pretty innocuous to me.
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dgwphotography
Jul 16 2009 02:06 PM
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="themetfairy":3tm5ydak]It's hard to judge without seeing the clip. Scrumptious can be said innocently or lewdly (or many ways in between those two extremes).[/quote:3tm5ydak]
That it can.
My point is that I think children's programming - especially those aimed at the 3-5 set - should be simple. Barney fit that bill. As much as the show drove me nuts, Ashley just loved it. There were so many other quality shows around that time - Caillou, Shining Time Station, Arthur (when she got a little older), that didn't need any of that.
Quick little story - I think I shared this with Metfairy before...
My cousin worked on the Fairfield Exchange at the local Cablevision News 12 right after he graduated from college - even won a local Cable Ace Award.... He left the show in the very early 90's to try and get work in LA (he ended up working on The Larry Sanders Show for about 4 years... On his way out to LA, he took a detour to Texas to interview for a Children's show that was just starting up at a PBS affiliate down there. He told me afterward that after seeing some of the demo tapes, within six months, he would have ended up in a clock tower somewhere with a rifle if he accepted the job...
It was the beginning of Barney...
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Edgy DC
Jul 16 2009 02:06 PM
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Ian Fleming may have written a children's book, but his attitudes about women were not meaningfully altered from the Bond books.
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metsguyinmichigan
Jul 16 2009 02:07 PM
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I chaperoned my daughter's class two years ago on a four-bus trip, and they threw in a DVD of "Chitty Chitty." Bored the kids to absolute tears. It was so long, and there were so many songs. But I liked it as a kid.
As for Sesame Street, I liked H. Ross Parrot when he was on during the election.
And, when my son was young, there was an actres named Gina who was one of the people living on the street. Think she worked in Hooper's Store. When she was on, I watched. :)
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Benjamin Grimm
Jul 16 2009 02:09 PM
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Gina showed up on <i>The Sopranos</i> sleeping with a mobster and throwing f-bombs.
I was about 40 years old, and it still made me curl into a fetal position.
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themetfairy
Jul 16 2009 02:13 PM
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Barney almost drove me to a clocktower.
In its first season, there were 18 episodes. We lived in Manhattan at the time, and had four PBS channels (two from NYC, one from LI and one from NJ). We saw those episodes over and over and over. When they announced a second season of Barney, I was thrilled - I needed the variety. Didn't get it. It was the same sets, the same kids, the same friggin' songs and the same condescending attitude. It was at that point that I lost it - I just could not have that show on anymore. It rebounded a bit with my second child, but only because he loved sitting in my lap for the I Love You song. But basically, Barney's utter lack of creativity drove me bonkers.
Loved Shining Time Station. Although I still can't understand how George Carlin got the gig as the second Mr. Conductor.
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metsguyinmichigan
Jul 16 2009 06:16 PM
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I liked the Thomas parts of Shining Time Station. But I had trouble with the station parts. Couldn't deal with the notion that the kids hang around a train station all day. Did their parents know this? Approve? And Schemer made a living managing an arcade with four games and juke box?
I know, I know.
Gina dropped F-bombs?
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Frayed Knot
Jul 16 2009 06:54 PM
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="metsguyinmichigan":2vaww90e]... I couldn't deal with the notion that the kids hang around a train station all day. Did their parents know this? Approve?[/quote:2vaww90e]
At first my mother loved the fact that I got a job at the Shining Time Station across the street. And she loved that the family who ran it came from the same part of Sicily as she did. But before long I was skipping school to hang around there and my parents weren't happy, my old man knew what went on at that shining station. But how could a go to school and listen to good government bullshit when at Shining Time Station I was important, I was a bigshot. I mean, here I was, this twelve year old kid, barely tall enough to see over the tiller and these wiseguys are having me park their engines for them.
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Benjamin Grimm
Jul 16 2009 08:19 PM
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="metsguyinmichigan":1ngc81hw]
Gina dropped F-bombs?[/quote:1ngc81hw]
Yup. Even now, years later, thinking about it makes me all uneasy.
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metsguyinmichigan
Jul 16 2009 10:51 PM
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Oh, Elmo!
Extreme makeover: steamy role on 'Sopranos' for 'Sesame' star
By David Bauder
ASSOCIATED PRESS
April 26, 2004
DATEBOOK
"The Sopranos"
Alison Bartlett of "Sesame Street" joins the cast.
10 tonight on HBO2, 11 p.m. tomorrow on HBO.
NEW YORK – After filming an intimate scene with his girlfriend in "The Sopranos," Steve Buscemi's good-natured angst over actress Alison Bartlett's other job on "Sesame Street" was laid bare.
"Everybody's going to hate me!" Buscemi moaned. "I'm bedding down Gina!"
What would Elmo say?
Good-natured Gina, the veterinarian and "Sesame Street" neighbor for nearly two decades, semi-nude and in bed with a man? A mobster just out of prison, no less.
Even in a profession with vertigo-inducing character switches, Bartlett's feat – simultaneously performing on TV's most violent show and probably its most gentle – is noteworthy.
"It is an extreme," she said over lunch at an Italian restaurant. "An absolute extreme."
Children's Television Workshop, which makes "Sesame Street," has rules about what outside work its performers can take on.
Lewis Bernstein, the show's executive producer, said he trusted Bartlett to do what's right.
He was able to see for himself yesterday, when the love scene involving Bartlett's character, Gwen McIntyre, was scheduled to air.
Bartlett has been a member of the "Sesame Street" family since 1986, first portraying a student in a science class. Gina graduated college, came back to run a day care and is now a vet, even though Bartlett is allergic to dogs.
Before joining "Sesame Street," Bartlett had prime "Sopranos" training: at age 12, she played a girl who chopped her boyfriend's head off in a Gary Sinise-directed play.
Taking time off to have three children, "Sesame Street" was Bartlett's only acting job for many years.
But in the past two years, she's actively sought other work. She's on a new series, "The Jury," to air on Fox this summer. She played a prison guard raped by a prisoner on "Law & Order" and a closet lesbian schoolteacher on "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."
"It's a good thing my children go to bed at 8 o'clock," she said.
Georgianne Walken, casting director on "The Sopranos," said Bartlett nailed the audition for McIntyre's character by capturing the maternal instincts of a woman who fell in love with a prison inmate.
It wasn't a case where someone wanted to hire a "Sesame Street" character because of a perverse sense of humor, she said.
"When I brought her in the room, I don't think anyone realized what she had been doing prior to that," Walken said. "We're adults, and we don't watch ('Sesame Street') anymore."
At the same time, Bartlett said she pursued the role because "The Sopranos" is a great show, not because she was trying to break from the constraints of a long-established character.
She and her manager, Carolyn Anthony, cleared the job with Children's Television Workshop. Bartlett's contract with "The Sopranos" had a long list of activities she would not do, words she would not say.
When the love scene with Buscemi was filmed, Anthony watched from the control room. She demanded another take when Bartlett flashed too much skin during one run-through.
"The people who are looking to see something, they are going to be disappointed," Bartlett said. "But if they are looking to see something from Gina, they will be pleased. They shouldn't be comparing me to a Bada Bing (girl)."
Bernstein, her boss at "Sesame Street," was looking forward to seeing it.
"Knowing her, Alison will probably have the good judgment to know what she could or could not do," he said. "She'll walk the line without us having to pass on the script, because I don't think we want to be in that role."
Children's Television Workshop forbids its actors from making commercial endorsements for children's products, or performing in roles on other children's shows because it might confuse "Sesame Street's" young fans.
The show asks actors not to appear in roles that would cast their "Sesame Street" characters in a bad light, he said.
"Sesame Street" is also careful in picking outside celebrities to appear on the show, which is done partly to attract parents to watch with their children. Tony Soprano himself, James Gandolfini, was on three years ago to talk to children about fears.
Bartlett's appearance on "The Sopranos" shouldn't be a problem because any parent with common sense isn't letting their preschool children watch the show, he said.
Bernstein can't recall any problem with an actor over an outside job. A new season was six months of work when she started. Now in its 35th season, "Sesame Street" is making only 26 new episodes over two months, so producers can't really complain when actors seek other work.
"Our actors should be able to have a life outside of 'Sesame Street,' " he said. "We hope that they will have the good judgment not to do things that would not reflect well on the show. And they know we'll be watching to see if it's good or not good. We don't have long-term contracts."
Still, seeing Gina in a clinch with Buscemi's character may be tough for those Muppets to take.
Again, what would Elmo say?
"He'd probably use his high-pitched voice to say, 'I saw Gina in bed,' " Bartlett said. "And he'd probably need a good therapy session."
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John Cougar Lunchbucket
Jul 17 2009 04:57 AM
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="Frayed Knot":1siv1zsy]="metsguyinmichigan":1siv1zsy]... I couldn't deal with the notion that the kids hang around a train station all day. Did their parents know this? Approve?[/quote:1siv1zsy]
At first my mother loved the fact that I got a job at the Shining Time Station across the street. And she loved that the family who ran it came from the same part of Sicily as she did. But before long I was skipping school to hang around there and my parents weren't happy, my old man knew what went on at that shining station. But how could a go to school and listen to good government bullshit when at Shining Time Station I was important, I was a bigshot. I mean, here I was, this twelve year old kid, barely tall enough to see over the tiller and these wiseguys are having me park their engines for them.[/quote:1siv1zsy]
Now go home and get your Shining Time box.
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Edgy DC
Jul 17 2009 05:33 AM
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"I know there are other kids, like my best friends, who would've gotten outta there the minute Mr. Conductor gave them a gun to hide. But I didn't. I have to admit, it turned me on."
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Fman99
Jul 17 2009 09:36 AM
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[doorbell rings]
"Mom, whaddya think? Isn't the hat great?"
"My god, you look like a conductor!"
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