Wednesday, September 19, 2007 at 2:56 pm
Li'l Critics Divided: Kid Nation Rules, Is "Cheesy"
CBS, you may have read, is refusing to screen the premiere of controversial reality show Kid Nation for critics. That depends, however, how you define "critic." Turns out the network did screen the show for audiences of children in several major cities--and there just happened to be TV crews on hand from the local CBS affiliates to do "news" stories on the screenings! According to the Denver Post report,
CBS4 spokeswoman Danielle Dascalos screened the pilot for Graland [Country Day School] fifth- through eighth-graders. The younger kids liked it; the older kids found it "cheesy," Dascalos said.
Viewers who are allowed to stay up until 9 p.m., on the other hand, will have to wait until tonight to render judgment.
10 Comments to “Li'l Critics Divided: Kid Nation Rules, Is "Cheesy"”
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About Tuned In
James Poniewozik writes TIME magazine's Tuned In column, about pop culture and society. Tuned In, the blog version, is about the stuff we used to call "TV," whether it's in your living room, on your computer or -- once the networks figure out the technology and line up the advertisers -- in your dreams themselves. Read more
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Wednesday, September 19, 2007 at 4:42 pm
9:00 PM!? Great! I fall asleep in my recliner around that time. Wait a minute.....you New York guys think the universe revolves around NYC. That is 8:00 PM here in real America. Maybe I can catch it after all.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 at 4:45 pm
I almost forgot. James, if you want more traffic, do what Joe Klein did and post something with Drudge in the title. Drudge's ego-bots will sniff it out, post it on his page and you can have 2200+ posts and counting just like Joe.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 at 4:48 pm
@Keith: You have clocks in OKC? I thought you just told time by the stars after the sun went down. [emoticon that indicates I am just kidding.]
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 at 5:51 pm
@James: Just like Kid Nation, we exploit our youngen's by having them turn an hour glass over every hour and marking it on the little chalkboard they carry bare footed to their one room school house. Well, they carry them when it isn't harvest season and they stay home to drive a team of mules out in the field. Ya'll Yankees ought to come visit us for some good old possum stew. We'll have a hootnanny!
Thursday, September 20, 2007 at 1:45 am
The kids are right. It's cheesy. I turned it off after 20 minutes and won't be back.
Thursday, September 20, 2007 at 11:24 am
Mary, what were you expecting? Kids figthing and yelling? What is wrong with the show, not enough violence for you? Why tag it as cheesy? The show, if you look at it the right way, is an interesting experiment in human interaction, without most of the preconceptions that we develop as we grow up and interact with our societies and the input obtained from outside media. There was reasonable exchange of thoughts, without violence. Not only that, but even after one girl criticized the council, they still rewarded her with the star for the person that did the most work. That should teach a lot of grown ups a lesson. I actually find it sad that there is too much adult interaction and guidance, it would really be interesting to see kids be kids and build their own structures of governance. You also have to take the show for what it's worth and realize that because of so much pressure from the bubble rap society that we live in these kids were probably coached and tendered to so as not to offend anyone.
Thursday, September 20, 2007 at 12:54 pm
Phil, I am at a bit of a disadvantage that I didn't watch the rest. And after James' review maybe I should give it a shot. But no, I definitely did not want violence or yelling! In fact the small bit of shoving I saw disturbed me enough. The kids were fine, it was the falseness of the setup that bothered me. The "real" 1885 town, the book written by pioneers, the host dazzling the kids with a gold star, it just turned me off. That's what I found cheesy, not the kids who I immediately found the best part of the silly show.
Friday, September 21, 2007 at 12:27 am
i really enjoyed it.it talks about older kids wanting to be bollies and that the young stood up for himself and became aleader and all followed.it showed ambishes of kids that want to achieve can and rewarded them with a trophy of gold.each one them now can work harder as ateam.
keep up good work
dont like it dont watch it
austin texas
Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 11:26 am
Its ok! I watch every episode! Its kind of sick how the kids drink like there drinking beer!
Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 11:27 am
The kids are very weird on the show!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tottaly survivor!