Hot-Dog Hot-Dog Hot Diggity Dog

One of the reasons my son loves the show is because of the music. It's fun, upbeat, and has small dance numbers. In reality who can beat that. And apparently he's not the only one in LOVE with the hotdog dance. What's the hotdog dance you ask. Well take a look:

Look at all the kids who also enjoy Mickey Mouse Clubhouse music:



 

But is there more to the show than the visuals and the music. Can it provide something 'deeper' like other shows (sesame street & blues clues) or is it sugar coated wish washy content trying to drag you into the world of Disney? Either way, the truth is that kids love it and it gets them moving. With that in mind, does it have to provide more?

So do you want to learn the hotdog dance? Check out the link below?

Who's the leader of the club that's made for you and me....

MICKEY MOUSE!!

As a women in children's media, I watch children's television through a very critical lens. Don't get me wrong, I don't think every child's tv show has to be teaching our children root memorization. But what the shows should be doing is providing an opportunity for a learning moment. This moment can be in social problems, typical education, creativity, music, etc.

When I put on my mommy hat, I have a love for the things that make my son smile (as long as those things don't consist of fire, electricity, biting, etc). So when I saw my sons excitement for the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, I gave in and allowed him the opportunity to enjoy the music and visuals. I do have to admit that when I was a child I was somewhat of a Mickey fan. Ok, ok, I lie I was a HUGE Mickey fan. Let me just put it into perspective, the first word I could spell (even before my name) was Mickey Mouse. So, to be honest, I was happy that my son was enjoying the same character I did 25 years ago.

But there is something different about Mickey's Clubhouse. It's not the old school Mickey we are all use to. To keep up with the changing visuals in kids cartoons Mickey has somewhat undergone a face lift. As well as the rest of the characters. Don't get me wrong some things have stayed the same, Donald is still cranky and doesn't wear pants, Goofy is still goofy (but has aquired a love for stinky shoes), Daisy and Minnie love bows and high heels, and Pluto is still the only dog that can't talk.

But visually wow... 25 years sure can change things. And like Susan Lucci even the greatest mouse in the house gets a little nip and tuck.

My Sons Mickey

My Mickey

It's ok I'm doing it for 16 and preggers

Teen Mom Pregnant Auditions
When I first heard about the show 16 and pregnant, which was some years ago, I thought "Oh god, this could be pretty bad". Not just thinking about the show itself, but more about how this is going to affect teen girls. From my experience, being a teenager, bored girls can be pretty impressionable. Especially being from a small town and not having an abundance of healthy activities to participate in.

So when the show debuted I was worried about the potential boom in teen pregnancies; because how hard can it be if Farrah can do it, right? Well my fear has been realized, not because kids want to be like the girls on 16 and pregnant, but because they want to be on 16 and pregnant. Reality tv has given people the idea that they too can be the next upcoming star with no talent, just a predicament. So what is stopping these girls from having babies to try to reach an end goal of money and fame. Maybe we can teach them the reality of unprotected sex in their sex ed classes they are taking in school.... wait, do we even have those anymore? Either way, kids need to learn safe sex and the repercussions of having a child. Hey we should toss in some math education too... teach them the probability of getting knocked up and casted for a reality show.

Where is the passive viewing? Glee Season 2 Spoof ep 2

This is a great example of how to participate in culture and social life by using remixes/creation to take current pop culture media and put a spin on it. In this spoof all the characters are the same and so is the storyline; the change comes from emphasizing the details of the episode by poking fun at them. To be able to create this type of video, one must watch the show attentively. This type of short video shows how a person may look or seem to be a passive viewer, but is truly active/creative in their media viewing. So let's engage by watching the video below :) (Ito, 2008)

I think I smell smoke

Even though work place fires only account for 8% of all work place deaths (the lowest ranked environmental reason for deaths in the work place); it's still important to be prepared because you never know when tragedy will strike.
(Statistic retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cfch0008.pdf)

(Don't You Want Me Baby by Atomic Tom) Take Me Home Tonight 80s Movie Re...

This is a music video made for the the upcoming movie "Take Me Home Tonight". It's a great remake of the song Don't You Want Me Baby; but it's appeal comes from the homage it pays to all our favorite 80's tv and movie moments/characters. The youth today might not understand where some of these spoofs are coming from. But it brings light to a genre that has had so much influence on today's television. ENJOY!!!!!!

Exploratory 3

The Office - Gay Witch Hunt

The Office is one of those shows that you either love or you hate. The humor is on the awkward side and many people find it offensive.

The show takes place in a PA town called Scranton. And it is based on the characters who work in a paper supply business (Dunder-Mifflin). The main character is Michael, the socially awkward and offensive Regional Manager. The other characters all have second place major roles: Jim (the go-getter prankster), Pam (the girl next door receptionist), Dwight (the very very odd rule follower), Andy (the hopeless romantic, ex-anger management), Oscar (the know it all), Angela (Up-tight), Kevin (food obsessed, fat guy). The office pretty much takes all your possible stereotypes and turns them upside down.

Synopsis
For this particular episode Michael learns that Oscar is gay, after Toby (the HR Rep) confronts Michael about some politically incorrect terminology he has been using in the office (faggy). After Toby talks to Michael, he informs him that this is a secret and it should be kept this way. Michael then proceeds to confront Oscar in the middle of the office and tells him that he's sorry and that he never knew. Michael then asks Oscar if they can go out for a beer so Oscar can explain how he can do those things to a man (while the rest of the office overhears all this). After being harassed by a another employee (Angela... blatantly using purell to sanatize her hands after every interaction) for being gay, Oscar talks to Toby and Toby then confronts Michael.

Feeling bad about outing Oscar, Michael hosts a meeting about homosexuality, where he attempts to present himself as open-minded and progressive. Showing everyone in the office that hugging and kissing a gay man, doesn't get you sick. After all of this the head of Dunder Mifflin give Oscar 3 months of paid vacation and a company car if he promises not to press charges. Oscar agrees and before the show ends, he looks at the camera and says, "See kids, it pays to be gay." and smiles.

This episode to me was one of the craziest line pushers of the series. I had a hard time not cringing through the whole thing, because it was like watching a horrible train wreak for 21 minutes (netflix). But as you watch and see how Oscar handles the situation, I feel that the educational value comes from the ending. Oscar obliviously didn't want to be outed, but embarrasses his identity. He only once denied it in the episode and after that accepted what was happening and handled it by going through the proper chain of command. The whole educational value of the show comes from seeing stereotypes played and understanding the reason they are given so much attention is because they are ridiculous. Everyone is different and through understanding and compassion an office can run, even with conflicting ideas and personalities.