Turning your TV Time into Quality Time
June 16, 2009 Issue #6b
Christine L. Pollock, Editor Ranny Levy, Publisher
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Christine L. Pollock, Editor |
Ranny Levy, Publisher Granny Ranny's Addenda |
Entertainment Insider News
Celebrate Father's Day with Cyberchase! Look for something special on Cyberchase as Award-winning film and stage actor Matthew Broderick guest stars as the voice of Max in a special “Father’s Day” episode in the Emmy Award-winning animated math series. The episode premiers June 19 on PBS KIDS GO! (check local listings). In this exciting episode, Hacker sets out to ruin Father’s Day while Max and the CyberSquad try to stop him.
Frances Nankin, “Cyberchase” executive producer and editorial director, is excited about this episode especially since Broderick was the team’s first choice for talent. They wanted someone to complement Creech -- someone who was smart and spunky. The team chose Broderick because of his “Ferris Bueller" role. Later on they learned that Broderick’s son was a “Cyberchase” fan and that clinched the deal, Nankin adds, chuckling.
Animating this episode was a bit tricky since a robot replaces the dad and looks exactly like the dad. The team overcame this obstacle in a creative manner. See if you can tell how they did it as you watch. Also, the team had to come up with an interesting way to depict numbers in a string so children see what’s going on, but don’t become bored as they learn about patterns and codes. The children who previewed this show were very enthusiastic about it, so apparently the team met its goal. The KIDS FIRST! kid jurors were especially intrigued with the “For Real” segment, which used live action to highlight the lessons learned.
When this show was launched, the producers planned for it to be a multi-platform show. In fact, the Cyberchase website was launched before the show even came onto the TV screen. It has a vast amount of content. Their purpose is to have a place where parents and children can revisit content from shows in a new way.
Math is everywhere, Nankin enthuses, and it’s fun to experience it together. When you do things together you can have fun and build math skills such as when we make banana pancakes and double a recipe. There’s nothing better than kids learning with parents. Many parents go to our private site for clips and tips. Along with this episode, parents might enjoy making facsimiles of decoders with their children.
Broderick and his family certainly enjoy it. "My son loves “Cyberchase,” so I was happy to lend my voice to the show,” said the guest star. “The best part is that I haven't told him I did it; I'm waiting to surprise him when we watch the episode together. I'm sure he'll be more impressed by it than any other work I've done!" It’s going to be a fun Father’s Day.
Plugged In Parents/Educators
Who would think that a lasagna loving cat who lives to eat and sleep could save the universe? That’s exactly what happens in Jim Davis’ all-new CGI Garfield adventure “Garfield’s Pet Force.” Davis, creator of the beloved cat, Garfield commented that this was such a fun film, it practically wrote itself.
In this made-for-DVD story, Garfield and friends are sucked into a parallel universe and transformed into five, furry superpowered defenders of justice - Garzooka, Odious, Starlene, and Abnermal - The Mighty Pet Force! The hip, crime fighting wonders must battle an evil comic book villain bent on conquering Cartoon World and turning all the comic characters into her slaves.
Keeping Garfield appropriate for audiences of all ages is very important to Davis. He feels that it’s very important to do humor without turning it into a PG rated film. The team was a bit concerned on this film about not achieving the G rating because of the storyline. How do you have a villainess take over a world without killing anyone? Davis solved this by having the villainess use a laser-type device that mixed people with other people or objects close to them when hit. This new being became an “zombie” controlled by the villainess.
Davis deliberately animated this title with freeze framing in mind, and it’s great for the zombie scenes. He points out that they use the term “zombie” for lack of another word. These are not characters risen from the dead, and the zombies are somewhat silly so young viewers won’t be scared. For example, one man has a bicycle for his head and another person is mixed up with a toilet. Others become part of their pet and vise versa. This animation style is perfect since viewers can easily hit the pause button and check out all the funny details on the screen.
Garfield has captured people's hearts for many generations, and Davis himself is finding out more about the beloved cat every day. Laughing, Davis sums it up, “Writing his material is easier with time as I learn him more. He actually writes himself. My talent is knowing what parts of his story will make readers laugh. As Garfield starts moving around with animation and as I hold the plush 3-D doll, I learn more about him and understand him more.”
Garfield turns 31 years old this week and is still as popular as ever. People identify with his character. According to Davis, all he does is hold a mirror to the reader then he sends back the image with a humorous twist in the form of a cat. In our world we are constantly getting messages about our diets and about how much sleep we should get, Garfield defends the right to be himself. He’s just fine with himself. That’s a good message for kids. "You’re human and that’s okay."
***All-New CGI Garfield Adventure "Garfield's Pet Force Comes to DVD June 16, 2009 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Check out the KIDS FIRST! News Blog to learn where Garfield is headed in the future, and to learn about the Professor Garfield Foundation, which helps kids read.
Blogs: Up-to-Date News from our President and VP and Jury Manager
Granny Ranny's Addenda
Preview: Diary of Anne Frqank 50th Anniversary on DVD June 16
Few stories have captured a significant historical experience and continue to make an impact to this day than "The Diary of Anne Frank." On June 16, 2009, four days after what would have been Anne Frank's 80th birthday, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release a 50th Anniversary Edition on Blu-ray and DVD of the cinematic classic based on the young Jewish girl's experience during the Holocaust. . ... - Read More
GoGirlGo! Ambassador Team Awards by Gatorade
The Women’s Sports Foundation’s GoGirlGo! Program was created to give girls access to physical activity. GoGirlGo! Ambassador Team Awards championed by Gatorade reward high school girls for taking the lead by inspiring other girls to participate in sports and physical activity .... Read More
Ann's Marketing Memes
KIDS FIRST! partners with IronKids to produce IronFlix!
This coming weekend at The Pier in St. Petersburg, IronKids will hold its second event of the season, drawing youth ranging from 6 to 15 years of age. Friday night at 7:30 pm at Straub Park, enjoy the free family film from The Henson Company, Tortoise vs. Hare. The IronFlix series, presented by KIDS FIRST! continues on Saturday, 10 am at The Pier. .... - Read More
KIDS FIRST! Jury Blog From Jury Manager Lauren Longworth
A Year With My Favorite Juror
Movies … Who has time for those? Still, there are times when movie watching is perfect - times we need to relax, sick days or those times when waiting for that special party is just unbearably long. In our quiet reviewing times, we discovered a few stand-outs. ... - Read More
ABOUT CQCM AND KIDS FIRST!
The Coalition for Quality Children's Media is a national, nonprofit organization founded in 1991 whose mission is to teach children critical viewing skills and to increase the visibility and availability of quality children's media. . . . More.
