Heroes Also Goes Bi-curious

Posted on: 10/28/09 11:13 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Same sex experimentation is ‘in.’

Last Monday, NBC’s Heroes jumped in the same bandwagon as… well… everyone else with a “same-sex” kiss between Claire and her college room-mate. Secular media critics seem to agree that it’s a slumpbusting publicity stunt.

Media producers such as the money behind Heroes are realizing that it’s not just sex that sells… but two girls kissing sells even bigger! Threesomes? Even better!

Look at popular songs and music videos of late. Britney’s “3” (her song about a threesome) hit #1 two weeks ago. The music video of Black Eyed Peas’ #1 hit I Gotta Feeling featured several shots of girl on girl kissing. Cobra Starship’s Good Girls Go Bad (also in the top 10 a few weeks ago) ends with a girl on girl kiss. No need to go on- it’s everywhere on the music scene.

It’s not new to TV either. MTV’s Real Cancun not only had a threesome in one of their episodes, but also provided a front page teaser for the download so viewers could watch it again and again. Gossip Girl is trying to create buzz about their upcoming “threesome” in an episode on November 9th. MTV.com interviewed Gossip Girl’s Michelle Trachtenberg (sadly, I remember her from watching Ice Princess with my daughters) about the upcoming threesome and she says, “It’s worth waiting for.” The interview is sad, really. The interviewer asks her, “If you had to be in a threesome with two other characters in the show, who would be your pick?” Michelle replies, “All of them!”  (in 10 days our Youth Culture Window page will be featuring an article about this new trend).

Heroes ratings have been dropping and they needed a boost. What better boost to create buzz in today’s world than some girl on girl action. And if you have any doubt about NBC’s intentions, then ask yourself, why is it that they released pictures of the kiss and tried to create buzz about it before the episode even aired? News sources talked about the possibility as early as July. In early October geek sites and numerous other news sources released photos of the kiss, referring to it as a “perfect ratings slumpbuster.” TV.com’s Tim Surette writes:

Let the show’s hottest female character make out with her female college roommate. Bam! Genius! And just so we don’t forget that the kiss is coming next week, they’ve released a still photo.

Genius? Really?

Hardly.

I would tend to agree with this perspective from the National Post:

Two weeks ago I suggested that Claire’s kiss with Gretchen was a transparent publicity stunt designed to bring salivating teenage geeks back to the show. At the time I thought, mistakenly, that the kiss was a one-off destined for the regularly emptied dustbin of television history.
 
Instead, it seems that Heroes’ writers have chosen to elongate this college experimentation cliché in order to dangle the possibility of future Hayden Panettiere lesbian love scenes in front of the aforementioned geeks, seemingly unaware that google and PVRs have long since made actually watching the show a requisite for seeing such action.

It’s not that all lesbian storylines are somehow inherently cynical, they’re not; it’s just that in this particular context the same-sex narrative is about as dramatically credible as the recent lesbian kiss in Megan Fox’s movie Jennifer’s Body. The Claire kiss even received a pre-show publicity blitz similar to one for Jennifer’s Body centred on the promise of a topless Sapphic scene featuring the Transformers starlette. That scene ended up being an unfulfilled promise (left on the cutting room floor), and the geeks saw right through it, kind of like how we can all see through this sad and vaguely offensive attempt to keep Heroes interesting.

I used to enjoy Heroes. The truth of the matter is, the show lost my interest long ago… and Claire’s kiss didn’t bring me back.

Nice try!

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How Much Influence Does MTV Have?

Posted on: 09/19/09 9:33 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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Two weeks ago I told you to set your TIVOs to record the MTV Video Music Awards, referring to the show as one of the top three “portholes into youth culture” you’ll see any given year. Last week I wrote my annual recap of the show, calling it the “biggest pop culture phenomenon of the year.”

Some of you might be wondering why I would cite this show and this channel (MTV) as such a vivid reflection of our culture (and potent influence to it). I mean… seriously. How many people actually watch this show?

Good question. Let’s look at the extent of this channel’s reach, and then, let’s peek at how we can respond like the Apostle Paul.

How many watched the awards on the 13th? 9 million on MTV alone. But if you look at the other channels the show was aired on, the show drew 26.9 million viewers on Sunday night on all three channels (MTV, MTV2 and VH1). But that doesn’t include the 5.5 million who watched it online the next day. These huge numbers make it the #1 viewed cable show of the entire year among people age 12-34 (You can read the whole breakdown of TV viewers here).

An MTV press release expanded on the 5.5 million people who visited MTV.com the day after the awards, ringing up 53.4 million page views and watching 17.9 million video streams.

MTV General Manager, Kristen Frank commented, “On Sunday night, MTV and MTV.com were really at the center of the pop culture zeitgeist. The Awards set high marks yet again this year both on-air and online, and we’re really seeing some unprecedented growth for our multimedia content in 2009.”

Hold on a minute… I have to go get my dictionary and look up zeitgeist. Ah, here it is: the ideas prevalent in a period and place, particularly as expressed in literature, philosophy, and religion.

Unfortunately, Kristen is correct. According to their press page, on-air, MTV is the number one rated full-day ad-supported cable network for young people ages 12-24. A few years ago Nielsen Media Research reported that MTV was the most recognized network among young adults age 12 to 34, watched by 73% of boys and 78% of girls age 12 to 19. (ParentsTV.org)

What do all these numbers mean? It means that whatever MTV is slanging (look that word up here)… our kids are listening. That’s why we should probably follow Paul’s example in Acts 17 and at least become aware of the content of this award show, as well as the content of this network’s programming. Unfortunately, I think you’ll find yourself reacting the same way the Apostle Paul reacted in Acts 17 when he walked along the city of Athens and looked at all the idols the people worshipped. He was “distressed.” The New Living Translation describes his reaction as “deeply troubled.”

How do you respond when you are deeply troubled by the elements of our culture?

Hopefully, if you’re looking for how to respond, you’ll continue reading that same passage and see how Paul responded in a reasonable dialogue with the people in the culture. He “reasoned” with them, even citing inscriptions on their idols (vs. 23) and quoting their pagan poets (vs. 28).

I encourage you to do the same.

1. Be deeply troubled when you see these elements in our culture. Don’t get numb to them.

2. Don’t over-react. Instead, ask God to open doors for reasonable conversation with unbelievers. You can even use tools like our MUSIC DISCUSSIONS page or our MOVIE CLIP DISCUSSIONS to jumpstart conversations using these elements from secular culture.

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Kanye Truly “Heartless”

Posted on: 09/14/09 12:54 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Sunday night millions of teenagers watched The MTV Video Movie Awards to catch a glimpse of the best artists of the day… unfortunately the most of what they caught was the “worst of them.” Kanye was sure at his worst.

If you haven’t read the headlines by now, Kanye did one of his dumbest moves yet live on the show, leaving Taylor Swift in tears. As I sit here and write this blog only hours after the event, articles are already appearing like popcorn all over the internet, filled with new news of Kanye’s rude antics, his removal form the awards, and now his weak apology.  (Sigh.)

I was watching the show Sunday night, my annual glimpse of one of the biggest pop culture phenomenon’s of the day. (As you know, ever year I encourage you to set your TIVOs and watch the show. The day after the awards, I write an article sharing my two cents on the show- ours will appear on the front page of our site late Monday in the Youth Culture Window magnifying glass.) Early in the show, shortly after Katy Perry’s disgusting crotch grab (that’s actually describing it mildly), Kanye West revealed his true self once again with an out of control outburst, walking on stage when Taylor Swift was awarded Best Female Video. Kanye took the mic from her during a pause in her acceptance speech and said, “Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’m gonna let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time! One of the best videos of all time!” Beyonce looked a little confused, and slightly flattered. Boos began echoing throughout the room, disapproving of Kanye. As West left stage, applause began again for Taylor. A stunned Taylor stood there with a horrified look on her face. She never got to finish her speech.

Kanye’s name was mentioned a few times later in the show as a nominee for other awards– a majority of the crowd booed whenever Kanye’s name was mentioned (actually flustering Diddy to stumble over his words).

My heart broke for Taylor Swift. Kanye’s actions were, dare I say, “Heartless.” As this MTV.com article put it,

“But his verbal attack against Swift had a more vicious tone. According to a tweet from Jay-Z’s DJ, Neil Armstrong, Swift and her mother were seen backstage crying afterward; Beyoncé brought Swift onstage for another chance at her acceptance speech later in the show. Various celebs have lashed out against West on Twitter, including Pink, who had to be escorted away from the rapper by security. “

For those of you read our Youth Culture Window article about Kanye last year, his actions Sunday night might not have surprised you. His “apology” wasn’t much of a band aid. Kanye’s blog reveals a little regret as he apologizes to Taylor. But he turns to defend himself by claiming he was just being “real.”

Yeah… a real jackass! (There I go again!)

Catch the whole Youth Culture Window article about the 2009 VMAs here.

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Set Your TIVOs for This Porthole into Youth Culture

Posted on: 09/5/09 12:20 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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Every year I encourage parents and youth workers to pay attention to three television events: The MTV Movie Awards, the Teen Choice Awards, and the MTV Video Music Awards (the VMAs). Next Sunday, September 13th is the MTV VMAs.

MTV’s VMAs always provide a revealing look not only to what bands and artists our kids are listening to, but also a peek into the type of content the top songs and videos are filled with. Every year I write an article the day after the event providing my take on the show (see my last year’s two cents here).

This year kids are already logging onto MTV.com to cast their votes (you can see what else kids are finding on MTV.com here, I blogged about that last week). Today as I jumped on MTV.com, it asked me to cast my vote for the best new artist. We can actually gain insight from merely peeking at just a few of the nominees.

One of the choices was a dark song from the band 3OH!3 titled “Don’t Trust Me.” This catchy song hit the Top 10 of Billboard’s HOT 100 at the beginning of the summer and has been hanging in the charts since. You can watch the video right on MTV’s Best New Artist nominee page, or, for a peek at the unedited lyrics, look here.

Another “New Artist” kids can vote for is Drake with his video for Best I Ever Had. I blogged about this song and video a couple weeks ago.. a song with a chorus that simply repeats, “You’re the f***ing best…” I find it literally amazing that this song is popular (currently on the Top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100).

That is just a glimpse of the kind of content our kids are being inundated with.

Learn more by watching the show yourself on September 13th (just put the kids to bed first). Or, if you can’t stomach it, wait until the next day and you can catch my synopsis on our YOUTH CULTURE WINDOW page (yep, I’ll do the dirty work for ya!).

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Bi-curious With MTV

Posted on: 09/2/09 10:48 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Two bi-curious girls in bed together “exploring their sexuality?”

You might think this kind of content is reserved for late night HBO or “SkinaMax”… right?

Try MTV. And if your kids don’t have access to the MTV channel… do they have access to the internet? Because when you pull up MTV.com today, this ad pops in your face:

 

A few years ago Nielsen Media Research reported that MTV was the most recognized network among young adults age 12 to 34, watched by 73% of boys and 78% of girls age 12 to 19. (ParentsTV.org)

MTV is still the hub of youth culture, not only on TV, but also on the web. Now if our kids miss the threesome on Real World Cancun that everyone is buzzing about, they can just watch complete episodes on the web, “unsensored,” as MTV.com puts it. Today they can watch the episdode where two bi-curious girls “explore their bi-sexuality.” (go ahead- see what our kids are watching- watch the first 60 seconds of this show – after the ad- where it says, “Previously on The Real World.”) Some of our kids will not bother with the whole episode. They’ll just click on the “unsensored clips” link from MTV’s front page and watch a little menage-a-trois.

How does MTV get away with this? Simple. No nudity and bleeping out profanity.

Harmless, right?

Hmmmmmmm.

Do you know where your kids are browsing?

I’ll give parents similar advice to what I gave in my blog, “You Mean the Lyrics Do Affect Me?”

MY ADVICE TO PARENTS:

1. Find out what your kids are watching. Do your kids watch MTV? Do they browse on MTV.com? Check their browsing history. Ask them what they are watching.

2. Don’t over-react when you find out what they’re watching. If you don’t know what to say, just say, “We’re going to talk about this sometime soon.” Spend some time praying before you react. (Remember the stupid stuff you did as a kid!)

3. Engage in a healthy dialogue with your kids about what they are watching. Note: I didn’t say, “PREACH TO THEM ABOUT THIS!” The emphasis here is more about LISTENING than talking. As a parent, I’m always looking for opportunities to dialogue with my own kids about anything. As a youth worker, I’m always looking for real issues that kids want to discuss. Music, TV and movies are something that they will often be excited to talk about. Use this an open door to discuss our character. (I have provided some good discussion questions in this previous blog about music)

4. Don’t be afraid to take the advice I always offer parents. I recommend using two buttons on your remote control often: The “pause” button, and the “off” button!  The “pause” button is great to use when watching something as a family and you encounter content that opens the door to good discussion.  The “off” button is a good button to use when shows cross the line.  Personally, I block MTV.  This channel has no salvageable content whatsoever.

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My Thoughts After Watching Teen Choice 2009

Posted on: 08/11/09 9:49 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Yesterday I blogged that I’d share my thoughts with you after watching the Teen Choice Awards 2009 that aired on Fox last night. This show always provides us with an informative glimpse into our youth culture. Last night’s show didn’t fall short of that.

I don’t know where to start: Sean Kingston’s pole dancers? Britney’s “Ultimate Choice” award? Miley’s “J-lo dress?”

Sigh.

Yes, there were a few, “Oh my!” moments. But overall the show was actually pretty tame. Just more of the same: people that shouldn’t be role models receiving awards from teenagers for movies teens shouldn’t be watching, TV shows they shouldn’t be viewing, and music they shouldn’t be listening to. (Wow… I’m starting to sound old and grumpy!)

The lowlight of the show was Miley.

Yesterday I jumped to Miley’s defense. She’s young and has definitely made some mistakes. But I’m not one to talk. When I was her age I was doing things that would make you shudder (I wasn’t following Christ).

Miley seems to be on the same quest that many young stars have navigated. She’s looking for her place, and she seems to be wondering if that place requires racy outfits and sexy dance moves.

The news is buzzing this morning about Miley’s outfits and her “pole dance” at the show. ( I’ll let you decide for yourself what to call it. She did hold onto a pole and dip once. Not sure what she was thinking. This article actually includes a home-made video from someone at the awards who recorded Miley’s performance) Her new song, “Party in the USA” included a nice little line about moving her hips… and she definitely did.

I don’t know if that whole dance bothered me half as much as her dress that she war later when she gave Britney her award. Again I’ll say, “Billy? Dude… that’s your daughter up there! Don’t you feel like covering her up a little bit?!”

Another moment in the show that reflects our culture was the new award, “The Choice Fabulous.” This is a new award that seemed a little vague, but they announced it as an award to a guy who isn’t afraid to “where heels.” So call it what you may, it was the “Choice Gay” award. When the skirt-wearing “Miss J” accepted his award, he made sure to thank “every single gay, lesbian…” etc.

Should parents worry about their kids watching this show?

I definitely am always concerned about the subtle elements of shows like this (past years haven’t always been so subtle). The subtle messages of this show are, “These are the people to be!” “These songs are the songs to listen to!” “These movies and TV shows are the ones to watch!”

That’s why I’m disappointed when shows like “Gossip Girl” are awarded. I’m bummed when Miley introduces a racy Britney montage and then calls her, “my hero.” I’m not excited about the Black Eyed Peas song “I Gotta Feeling” is performed live, directing even more kids to their racy video.

This show gives a pretty accurate glimpse of what this generation values. The good is standing side by side with the profane and it’s all politically correct.

Parents should not only be aware of these influences in our kids’ lives, we should dialogue with our kids about these influences. Keep your eyes on resources like this blog and our frequent Youth Culture Window articles that keep you current.

Here’s the complete list of this year’s Teen Choice Awards winners:

Choice Movie Action Adventure: “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.”
— Choice Movie Drama: “Twilight.”
— Choice Movie Bromantic Comedy: “Marley & Me.”
— Choice Movie Comedy: “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.”
— Choice Movie Chick Flick: “27 Dresses.”
— Choice Movie Horror/Thriller: “Friday the 13th.”
— Choice Movie Music/Dance: “High School Musical 3: Senior Year.”
— Choice Movie Hissy Fit: Miley Cyrus, “Hannah Montana: The Movie.”
— Choice Movie Actor Drama: Robert Pattinson, “Twilight.”
— Choice Movie Actress Drama: Kristen Stewart, “Twilight.”
— Choice Movie Actor Action Adventure: Hugh Jackman, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.”
— Choice Movie Actress Action Adventure: Jordana Brewster, “Fast & Furious.”
— Choice Movie Actor Comedy: Zac Efron, “17 Again.”
— Choice Movie Actress Comedy: Anne Hathaway, “Bride Wars.”
— Choice Movie Actress Music/Dance: Miley Cyrus, “Hannah Montana: The Movie.”
— Choice Movie Actor Music/Dance: Zac Efron, “High School Musical 3: Senior Year.”
— Choice Movie Villain: Cam Gigandet, “Twilight.”
— Choice Movie Fresh Face Female: Ashley Greene, “Twilight.”
— Choice Movie Fresh Face Male: Taylor Lautner, “Twilight.”
— Choice Movie Liplock: Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, “Twilight.”
— Choice Movie Rumble: Robert Pattinson vs. Cam Gigandet, “Twilight.”
— Choice Movie Rockstar Moment: Zac Efron, “17 Again.”
— Choice Summer Movie Drama: “My Sister’s Keeper.”
— Choice Summer Movie Comedy: “Up.”
— Choice Summer Movie Romance: “The Proposal.”
— Choice Summer Movie Action Adventure: “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”
— Choice Summer Movie Star Male: Shia LaBeouf, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.”
— Choice Summer Movie Star Female: Megan Fox, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.”
— Choice TV Show Drama: “Gossip Girl.”
— Choice TV Show Action Adventure: “Heroes.”
— Choice TV Show Comedy: “Hannah Montana.”
— Choice TV Animated Show: “SpongeBob SquarePants.”
— Choice TV Reality: “The Hills.”
— Choice TV Reality Competition: “American Idol.”
— Choice TV Actor Drama: Chace Crawford, “Gossip Girl.”
— Choice TV Actress Drama: Leighton Meester, “Gossip Girl.”
— Choice TV Actor Action Adventure: Tom Welling, “Smallville.”
— Choice TV Actress Action Adventure: Hayden Panettiere, “Heroes.”
— Choice TV Actor Comedy: Jonas Brothers, “Jonas.”
— Choice TV Actress Comedy: Miley Cyrus, “Hannah Montana.”
— Choice TV Breakout Show: “Jonas.”
— Choice TV Breakout Star Female: Demi Lovato, “Sonny with a Chance.”
— Choice TV Breakout Star Male: Frankie Jonas, “Jonas.”
— Choice TV Male Reality/Variety Star: Adam Lambert, “American Idol.”
— Choice TV Female Reality/Variety Star: Lauren Conrad, “The Hills.”
— Choice TV Villain: Ed Westwick, “Gossip Girl.”
— Choice Fab-u-lous: Jay Alexander, “America’s Next Top Model.”
— Choice TV Sidekick: Emily Osment, “Hannah Montana.”
— Choice TV Late Night Show: “Chelsea Lately.”
— Choice TV Parental Unit: Billy Ray Cyrus, “Hannah Montana.”
— Choice Summer TV Show: “Princess Protection Program.”
— Choice Summer TV Star Female: Selena Gomez, “Princess Protection Program.”
— Choice Summer TV Star Male: Daren Kagasoff, “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.”
— Choice Music Single: Miley Cyrus, “The Climb.”
— Choice Music Hook-Up: Lady Ga Ga and Colby O’Donis, “Just Dance.”
— Choice Music Male Artist: Jason Mraz.
— Choice Music Female Artist: Taylor Swift.
— Choice Music Rad Artist: Kanye West.
— Choice Music R&B Artist: Beyonce.
— Choice Music Rock Group: Paramore.
— Choice Music Breakout Artist: David Archuleta.
— Choice Music Love Song: David Archuleta, “Crush.”
— Choice Music R&B Track: Beyonce, “Single Ladies.”
— Choice Music Rap/Hip-Hop Track: Black Eyed Peas, “Boom Boom Pow.”
— Choice Music Rock Track: Paramore, “Decode.”
— Choice Music Album Male Artist: Jason Mraz, “We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things.”
— Choice Music Album Female Artist: Taylor Swift, “Fearless.”
— Choice Music Soundtrack: “Twilight.”
— Choice Music Tour: Demi Lovato and David Archuleta.
— Choice Summer Song: Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus, “Before the Storm.”
— Choice Male Athlete: David Beckham.
— Choice Female Athlete: Shawn Johnson.
— Choice Male Action Sports Athlete: Ryan Sheckler.
— Choice Female Action Sports Athlete: Stephanie Gilmore.
— Choice Male Hottie: Robert Pattinson.
— Choice Female Hottie: Megan Fox.
— Choice Web Star: Fred.
— Choice Red Carpet Fashion Icon Female: Selena Gomez.
— Choice Red Carpet Fashion Icon Male: Jonas Brothers.
— Choice Comedian: George Lopez.
— Choice Celebrity Activist: Hayden Panettiere.
— Choice Celebrity Pet: Bo, the Obamas’ dog.
— Choice Video Game: “Rock Band 2.”
— Choice Celebrity Baby: Honor Marie Warren, daughter of Jessica Alba and Cash Warren.
— Choice Celebrity Dancer: Selena Gomez.
— Choice Twit: Ellen DeGeneres.
— Ultimate Choice Award: Britney Spears.

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Teen Choice

Posted on: 08/10/09 12:03 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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Every year I watch three TV award shows that provide a pretty accurate glimpse of our current youth culture: MTV Movie Awards, the Teen Choice Awards, and the MTV Video Music Awards.

This year we already caught a glimpse from the MTV Movie Awards- a rather revealing glimpse (Click here for my summary of that show). MTV’s VMA’s are just around the corner (September 13th). The Teen Choice Awards air tonight, Monday, August 10, on FOX. (my apologies to those who are receiving this blog via email on Tuesday)

What do I expect from this year’s Teen Choice Awards?

My pre-show thoughts:

1. The Jonas Brothers are hosting. That might actually help the show stay a little more clean than normal. That doesn’t mean that all the guest there will be role models, but the host does have a huge effect on the flavor of the show. Last year the show cleaned up when Miley hosted- hopefully it will happen again.

2. Miley is performing her newest single, “Party in the U.S.A.” Miley is always interesting to watch. Through the good and bad, she’s always been a pretty clean role model (a way better role model than when I was a teenager!). I’ll be curious to see the direction this new single takes her.

3. Twilight, Twilight, Twilight, Twilight, Twilight. Did I mention Twilight? Yeah… that’s what the show is going to feel like (12 nominations going into it)

You can check out the official web site here: wwwTeenChoiceAwards.com and watch the show tonight on Fox. Expect my post-show thoughts later this week.

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92% More 12-34-year-olds Watched the MTV Movie Awards

Posted on: 06/10/09 9:54 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Last week I posted my recap of this year’s raunchy MTV Movie Awards… a show that always seems to slip under the radar of most parents.

Apparently this is true. Because 92% more people in the 12-34 demographic watched the show this year. Online, the show generated a 205% increase from last year. By Midday Monday, the show had already logged 3.5 million streams. Add that to the 5.3 million viewers the night before.

That’s a lot of kids getting a glimpse of the “junk” MTV was showing (Click here for my description of what most parents had no idea that their kids were watching)

Last week I chatted about the show with a few parents I knew from church. Several of them admitted that their kids watched it… the parents had no idea what kind of content their kids were watching (along with literally millions of other kids across the country).

A lot of the show’s hype had to do with the movie Twilight and its fanatical band of followers. MTV showed an exclusive preview for it’s new movie “New Moon,” and that, combined with the many other “moons” we saw that night created quite a buzz … hence the high number of downloads the next few days.

You can see all the numbers here and here.

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Surprised Once Again By MTV

Posted on: 06/3/09 9:37 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Those of you who are EZINE subscribers saw the article yesterday-it’s all over the front page of our web site. It was time for my annual recap of the MTV MOVIE AWARDS, aired last Sunday night. I recap this vulgar show every year to give us a glimpse of the easy-access programming that teenagers are watching. And every year I ask church teenagers the following week, “Did you see the MTV MOVIE AWARDS?” Over 50% say yes. 

And this year?

Wow! Just when I thought it couldn’t get much worse.

I think I was the most shocked when there was a commercial for “Balls Out Comedy” coming to MTV, and they showed a skateboarder skating with “something” hanging out of his pants. It’s hard to even describe this. This is MTV… so they can’t show nudity, right? But they literally showed the words “Balls Out Comedy” across the screen, and then a video of a guy with his “junk” hanging out of his pants- pixelated, so we couldn’t see the details.

And this was just a commerical that ran during the show. The show… sigh. Plenty of “junk” in that show as well.

Catch my entire recap here.

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Set Your Recorders…

Posted on: 05/29/09 1:54 PM | by Jonathan McKee

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I don’t tell you to set your DVR’s (and VCR’s) very often. But this Sunday night is one of those times I think it’s worth it.

Three times a year a show comes on TV that gives you a glimpse of the role models (or lack thereof) that your kids are watching and emulating. One of those shows is this Sunday’s MTV Movie Awards. (the other two shows are the MTV VMAs, and the Teen Choice Awards)

David wrote this week’s Youth Culture Window to give us a glimpse of what to expect this year from this “typically- racy” show. Here’s a glimpse at David’s… er… glimpse:    

The Golden Popcorn Crowd
A Glimpse of Our Kid’s Role Models from the 2009 MTV MOVIE AWARDS

An article from David R. Smith

If only we could choose our kids’ role models…

This Sunday night, we’ll get a pretty accurate glimpse of our teens’ role models. Andy Samberg. Lil Wayne. Eminem. Put the kids to bed…it’s time for the annual MTV Movie Awards.

The 2009 MTV Movie Awards
Broadcasting live from Los Angeles on May 31st at 9:00pm (EST), the MTV Movie Awards will bring in millions of young viewers from all across the country (and world). Teenagers will not only tune in to see the on-stage antics of A-List celebrities and the live performances of today’s biggest stars, but also to see who wins the Golden Popcorn…the “award” given to winners for categories such as “Best Kiss,” “Best Villain,” and “Best Movie,” to name a few.

With all the movie stars and music icons that will hit the stage this year, along with the fact that viewers actually get to select the winners, teenagers will have tons of reasons to watch this year. And that means you probably have a good reason to watch, as well.

Big Names…As Usual
MTV is bringing out the big guns this year. Andy Samberg, one of Gen Y’s favorite personas from Saturday Night Live, will be hosting the event. Samberg is the guy who brought us those wonderful toe-tappin’ tunes like “D–k in a Box” and “J–z in My Pants,” (which was one of the top music videos on iTunes when it was released), and the most recent digital short featuring Justin Timberlake which has the chorus, “We should f*** each other’s mother.”

But Samberg won’t be the only star on stage. He’ll be surrounded by other big names who’ll function as presenters throughout the evening. Lil Wayne (winner of Best Hip Hop video from 2008 VMA’s), Will Ferrell (Talladega Nights), Denzel Washington, Cameron Diaz, Ryan Reynolds, Vanessa Hudgens, Jonah Hill, Sandra Bullock, Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a. The Rock), and Channing Tatum (Star Trek) are just a few of the celebs that will grab the mic to pass out the popcorn…

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