Entertainment Media Archives - Page 13 of 50 - Jonathan's Blog From The Source

Miley’s Wrecking Ball

Posted on: 09/17/13 7:44 AM | by Jonathan McKee

It’s really been sad watching the downward spiral of Miley over the last 5 years. I say that with sincerity, as the father of two girls who used to watch the Hannah Montana show. It’s sad seeing a childhood hero make decisions that hurl a wrecking ball through her life.

Miley gets completely naked in her newest music video Wrecking Ball, in true iTunes “clean” style, never showing the few inches of real estate that would result in an explicit label. She just rides the wrecking ball naked, licking a sledgehammer while singing “all you ever did was wreck me.” The video has Continue reading “Miley’s Wrecking Ball”

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The Infiltration of US Culture

Posted on: 09/9/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Do you ever wonder if teenagers are the same across the globe?

I’ve been in the city of Kampala, Uganda almost a week now hanging with teenagers, parents, and youth workers. I’ve spoken at several youth events, taught a parent workshop, and spent four full days (so far) training and interacting with youth workers (two days of training to go). It’s been a wild ride… literally!

I think you’ll be intrigued by Continue reading “The Infiltration of US Culture”

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The VMAs: Insight into Our Kids Music

Posted on: 08/28/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

What music videos are most teens watching?

What songs fill your teens’ music library in that device in their pocket?

Which artists are the biggest role models for young people today?

What truths are your teens gleaning from these heroes?

The VMAs answered these questions with a megaphone on Sunday night, and surprisingly… people were actually surprised with the answers. Funny. The event wasn’t surprising in the least. It was typical Lady Gaga, typical Miley Cyrus, typical Justin Timberlake, Typical Bruno Mars… typical MTV.

Sad that “typical” is often confused with “no big deal.”

So what can we take away from cable’s #1 entertainment telecast of 2013 among young people age 12-34? Glad you asked.

Here’s our Youth Culture Window article unveiling what millions of young people gleaned from this eccentric and aberrant pop culture jamboree this year.

CLICK HERE FOR THIS ARTICLE:
THE CULTURE BEHIND THE MUSIC

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What We’ll See at the MTV VMAs Sunday

Posted on: 08/22/13 10:33 AM | by Jonathan McKee

MTV is rolling out the heavy hitters this year for the 2013 VMAs: Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis… practically everyone teens want to see.

The question is: what will young people take away from Sunday night’s show?

This Sunday night literally millions of young people will be watching the MTV Video Music Awards (the VMAs), an event where the most popular celebs in music, movies and television come together to celebrate the greatest music videos of the year. This event always provides a sobering glimpse Continue reading “What We’ll See at the MTV VMAs Sunday”

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Responding to The Jonas Brothers’ New Music Video

Posted on: 08/5/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

I like to keep an eye on the music charts and see what young people are putting in their heads. The next few months, and even weeks, will be interesting, because new music is on its way from Katy Perry (Aug 12), Lady Gaga (Aug 19) and others. But among these, it was the new Jonas Brothers music video that caught my attention.

Unlike so many artists today who become the heroes and role models of kids today, The Jonas Brothers seem to have kept a pretty clean slate. Back in 2008 Continue reading “Responding to The Jonas Brothers’ New Music Video”

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Nudity and Sex… No Big Deal

Posted on: 07/24/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

We’ve seen an increase in nudity and sensuality on TV, in Music Videos, and other entertainment media in the last few years. Should we be concerned? Is America concerned?

STD rates are up in my city and up to 23% higher in my entire state. These rates are the highest among young adults age 15-24. I thought it was bad enough in 2008 when the U.S. Center for Disease Control informed us all 1 in 4 teenage girls in America have an STD. Is America’s chillaxed attitude about sex sending young people the wrong message?

My girls went to Italy and France last summer and saw some of the classic paintings and sculptures from brilliant artists like Michelangelo, DaVinci… and those other Ninja turtles. As they gazed at nude paintings in the Louvre and on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel… my wife didn’t cover their eyes.

So when is nudity art… Continue reading “Nudity and Sex… No Big Deal”

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Blocking Unwanted Web Sites

Posted on: 07/2/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

“What can I do to block my kids from wandering onto bad web sites?”

That’s the gist of the question I hear at least once a week and at every one of my parenting workshops. I just heard it from multiple youth workers (who happened to also be parents) last month at the Student Leadership Conference 2013 in Dallas.

The answer is never simple, because many parents are searching for a miracle pill, and unfortunately, that’s not what their kids need. I don’t blame parents—it would be nice to have some magic guardrails keeping our kids on course as they navigate today’s tumultuous waters. But the truth of the matter is, our kids need to learn discernment. Life is full of distractions, and young people need to learn to press on when the beautiful voices of the Sirens attempt to lure them to steer into the rocks.

But discernment isn’t learned instantaneously. We’re fools to think that our 8-year-olds, our 11-year-olds, and yes… even some of our 15-year-olds… are ready to meander through the red light district (like what they might find on the iTunes video charts) without wandering into trouble. So what can parents do to block off some harmful distractions during this vulnerable stage of teaching our kids discernment?

After my recent Lure of the Glowing Screen workshop, a youth worker named Robby asked if I had heard of blocking content at the router level. I had heard a little, but am no expert. He told me about a free resource he uses Continue reading “Blocking Unwanted Web Sites”

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Google Glass 101

Posted on: 06/27/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Are those some new bizarre type of reading glasses?

No… those are Google Glass, the newest attempt from Google to take the next step into the future of technology.

I can’t think of Google Glass without the recent Saturday Night Live “Weekend Update” report coming to mind… Continue reading “Google Glass 101”

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5 Years of Miley

Posted on: 06/25/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

“Yikes. Now she is getting crazy.”

“Miley? Knock knock… U still in there… (broken heart icon)”

“She’s trying way too hard and it’s embarrassing to watch.”

Those are the top three comments on Miley Cyrus’ new We Can’t Stop music video on iTunes today. Even many of her fans seem to have lost hope in her. I read 20 comments and less than half were good.

I can’t say I disagree with her “fans.” Miley is a young woman with enormous potential, but her standing as a role model for young girls is rapidly morphing from Hannah Montana to Lindsey Lohan. It’s been sad watching Miley’s moral decline over the past 5 years (scroll to the bottom of this post where I provide quick-links to Miley’s antics over the past 5 years).

It’s hard to even describe Miley’s new We Can’t Stop music video. USA TODAY’s Patrick Ryan says it well Continue reading “5 Years of Miley”

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