Granny Ranny’s Coming Attractions

A terrific collection of films for Black History Month comes from Scholastic, “March On! … and more stories about African American History.” It includes four stories on one DVD celebrating Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and other people who have helped shaped African American history. The title tale (March On: The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World), based on the book by Dr. Christine King Ferris, sister of Martin Luther King, is a wonderful story about partnership and equality. The collection of actual photographs and illustrations makes for an interesting way to view the story. Younger kids may get bored with all the still photographs but, they illustrate important events in the history of our country. The March in Washington D.C. was based on love and peace. That is what is made clear in this film. It definitely gives viewers things to think about. The background of Martin Luther King Jr. from his sister’s point of view is interesting. I would recommend this DVD for kids age eight and older. This is a show that makes everyone think about how we treat others. It shows how people in the 60s worked towards equality and peace. The basis of Martin Luther King Jr’s speech is still true today. We cannot move forward unless we consider everyone equal. We must have hope and move ahead with our own dreams. We must work together and speak up for what is right.

Also coming out in February from Scholastic is the DVD, “So You Want To Be President? … and more stories to celebrate American history.” This DVD collects four storises about American political history. The title tale is based on the Caldecott Medal award winning book by Judith St. George, and features narration by Stockard Channing. Another tale is My Senator and Me: A Dog’s Eye View of Washington, D.C., written and narrated by Senator Edward M. Kennedy. DVD extras include an inervewi with author Lane Smith

PorchLight Home Entertainment will be relesing six new Jay Jay the Jet Plane titles through E1 Entertainment in January. Each DVD is newly mastered and contains five twelve-minute story segments.

The hit preschool series has been seen on over 100 broadcasters around the world. These DVD releases represent the latest in a long line of successful licenses that include product from toys to apparel to publishing.

Jay Jay The Jet Plane will be released in Dual Language with three of the new releases including both English and Spanish language versions. Additionally, three DVDs will contain special never-before broadcast episodes for the faith-based consumer.
“We are very pleased to announce the release of these new episodic collections of Jay Jay The Jet Plane. This is a very well-respected brand in the educational market place and now is a great time to make these programs available again to consumers,” said Herb Dorfman, General Manager of PorchLight Home Entertainment.

Titles include:

JAY JAY THE JET PLANE: FANTASTIC FAITH

JAY JAY THE JET PLANE: GOD’S AWESOME CREATION

JAY JAY THE JET PLANE: GOD’S PROMISE

JAY JAY THE JET PLANE: JAY JAY AND THE MAGIC BOOKS

JAY JAY THE JET PLANE: JAY JAY EARNS HIS WINGS

JAY JAY THE JET PLANE: SUPER LOOP DE LOOP

With technology allowing nearly 24-hour media access as children and teens go about their daily lives, the amount of time young people spend with entertainment media has risen dramatically, especially among minority youth, according to a study released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Today, 8-18 year-olds devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes (7:38) to using entertainment media across a typical day (more than 53 hours a week). And because they spend so much of that time ‘media multitasking’ (using more than one medium at a time), they actually manage to pack a total of 10 hours and 45 minutes (10:45) worth of media content into those 7½ hours.

The amount of time spent with media increased by an hour and seventeen minutes a day over the past five years, from 6:21 in 2004 to 7:38 today. And because of media multitasking, the total amount of media content consumed during that period has increased from 8:33 in 2004 to 10:45 today.

Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds is the third in a series of large-scale, nationally representative surveys by the Foundation about young people’s media use. It includes data from all three waves of the study (1999, 2004, and 2009), and is among the largest and most comprehensive publicly available sources of information about media use among American youth.

Mobile media driving increased consumption. The increase in media use is driven in large part by ready access to mobile devices like cell phones and iPods. Over the past five years, there has been a huge increase in ownership among 8- to 18-year-olds: from 39% to 66% for cell phones, and from 18% to 76% for iPods and other MP3 players. During this period, cell phones and iPods have become true multi-media devices: in fact, young people now spend more time listening to music, playing games, and watching TV on their cell phones (a total of :49 daily) than they spend talking on them (:33).

Parents and media rules. Only about three in ten young people say they have rules about how much time they can spend watching TV (28%) or playing video games (30%), and 36% say the same about using the computer. But when parents do set limits, children spend less time with media: those with any media rules consume nearly 3 hours less media per day (2:52) than those with no rules.

Media in the home. About two-thirds (64%) of young people say the TV is usually on during meals, and just under half (45%) say the TV is left on “most of the time” in their home, even if no one is watching. Seven in ten (71%) have a TV in their bedroom, and half (50%) have a console video game player in their room. Again, children in these TV-centric homes spend far more time watching: 1:30 more a day in homes where the TV is left on most of the time, and an hour more among those with a TV in their room.

“The amount of time young people spend with media has grown to where it’s even more than a full-time work week,” said Drew Altman, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation. “When children are spending this much time doing anything, we need to understand how it’s affecting them – for good and bad.”

Heavy media users report getting lower grades. While the study cannot establish a cause and effect relationship between media use and grades, there are differences between heavy and light media users in this regard. About half (47%) of heavy media users say they usually get fair or poor grades (mostly Cs or lower), compared to about a quarter (23%) of light users. These differences may or may not be influenced by their media use patterns. (Heavy users are the 21% of young people who consume more than 16 hours of media a day, and light users are the 17% of young people who consume less than 3 hours of media a day.)

Black and Hispanic children spend far more time with media than White children do. There are substantial differences in children’s media use between members of various ethnic and racial groups. Black and Hispanic children consume nearly 4½ hours more media daily (13:00 of total media exposure for Hispanics, 12:59 for Blacks, and 8:36 for Whites). Some of the largest differences are in TV viewing: Black children spend nearly 6 hours and Hispanics just under 5½ hours, compared to roughly 3½ hours a day for White youth. The only medium where there is no significant difference between these three groups is print. Differences by race/ethnicity remain even after controlling for other factors such as age, parents’ education, and single vs. two-parent homes. The racial disparity in media use has grown substantially over the past five years: for example, the gap between White and Black youth was just over two hours (2:12) in 2004, and has grown to more than four hours today (4:23).

Big changes in TV. For the first time over the course of the study, the amount of time spent watching regularly-scheduled TV declined, by 25 minutes a day (from 2004 to 2009). But the many new ways to watch TV–on the Internet, cell phones, and iPods–actually led to an increase in total TV consumption from 3:51 to 4:29 per day, including :24 of online viewing, :16 on iPods and other MP3 players, and :15 on cell phones. All told, 59% (2:39) of young people’s TV-viewing consists of live TV on a TV set, and 41% (1:50) is time-shifted, DVDs, online, or mobile.

“The bottom line is that all these advances in media technologies are making it even easier for young people to spend more and more time with media,” said Victoria Rideout, Foundation Vice President and director of the study. “It’s more important than ever that researchers, policymakers and parents stay on top of the impact it’s having on their lives.”

Popular new activities like social networking also contribute to increased media use. Top online activities include social networking (:22 a day), playing games (:17), and visiting video sites such as YouTube (:15). Three-quarters (74%) of all 7th-12th graders say they have a profile on a social networking site.

Types of media kids consume. Time spent with every medium other than movies and print increased over the past five years: :47 a day increase for music/audio, :38 for TV content, :27 for computers, and :24 for video games. TV remains the dominant type of media content consumed, at 4:29 a day, followed by music/audio at 2:31, computers at 1:29, video games at 1:13, print at :38, and movies at :25 a day.

High levels of media multitasking. High levels of media multitasking also contribute to the large amount of media young people consume each day. About 4 in 10 7th-12th graders say they use another medium “most” of the time they’re listening to music (43%), using a computer (40%), or watching TV (39%).

Additional findings:

* Reading. Over the past 5 years, time spent reading books remained steady at about :25 a day, but time with magazines and newspapers dropped (from :14 to :09 for magazines, and from :06 to :03 for newspapers). The proportion of young people who read a newspaper in a typical day dropped from 42% in 1999 to 23% in 2009. On the other hand, young people now spend an average of :02 a day reading magazines or newspapers online.

* Media and homework. About half of young people say they use media either “most” (31%) or “some” (25%) of the time they’re doing their homework.

* Rules about media content. Fewer than half of all 8- to 18-year-olds say they have rules about what TV shows they can watch (46%), video games they can play (30%), or music they’re allowed to listen to (26%). Half (52%) say they have rules about what they can do on the computer.

* Gender gap. Girls spend more time than boys using social networking sites (:25 vs. :19), listening to music (2:33 vs. 2:06), and reading (:43 vs. :33). Boys spend more time than girls playing console video games (:56 vs.: 14), computer games (:25 vs. :08), and going to video websites like YouTube (:17 vs. :12).

* Tweens and media. Media use increases substantially when children hit the 11-14 year-old age group, an increase of 1:22 with TV content, 1:14 with music, 1:00 using the computer, and :24 playing video games, for total media exposure of 11:53 per day (vs. 7:51 for 8-10 year-olds).

* Texting. 7th-12th graders report spending an average of 1:35 a day sending or receiving texts. (Time spent texting is not counted as media use in this study.)

The report, Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds, was released today at a forum in Washington, D.C. that featured the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, media executives and child development experts. The report, related materials, and a live webcast are available online at http://www.kff.org/entmedia/mh012010pkg.cfm

Little Airplane Academy will be offering an intensive three-day workshop in February 2010. Participants will learn the fundamentals of creating a preschool series from pitching through writing, character design, directing and producing both live action and animated shows.

During the three day course, participants will get an overview of every step in the process of making a preschool series, from pitching through writing, curriculum development, directing, music, legal and production. The course covers both live-action and animation and features a team of accomplished preschool TV veterans and network executives.

How To Make A Great Preschool Series (New York)

When: Three-Day Intensive February 13 through February 15
Where: 207 Front Street, New York, NY 10038
How much: $1500 (there is no fee to apply)

For questions, please call 212-965-8999 or email: melinda@littleairplane.com

At its Midwinter Meeting in Boston yesterday The American Library Association (http://www.ala.org/) unveiled its top picks for books, audiobooks and video for kids and young adults, including medal and honor winners for the Caldecott, King, Newbery and Printz awards, among others. Medal winners and honorees are selected by judging committees of librarians and other kid’s literature experts.

* Randolph Caldecott Medal - distinguished American picture books for kids: The Lion & the Mouse; illustrator/author Jerry Pinkney (Little, Brown and Company Books for Young Readers)

* Michael L. Printz Award - excellence in young adult literature: Going Bovine; author Libba Bray (Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House)

* Coretta Scott King Award - recognizes an African-American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults: Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal; author Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrator R. Gregory Christie (Carolrhoda Books, a division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.)

* Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award: The Rock and the River; author Kekla Magoon (Aladdin, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division)

* Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award: My People; illustrator Charles R. Smith Jr., author Langston Hughes (Ginee Seo Books, Atheneum Books for Young Readers)

* Coretta Scott King - Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement: Walter Dean Myers - author

* The Pura Belpre Award honors Latino author and illustrators celebrating Latino culture: illustrator award - Book Fiesta!: Celebrate Children’s Day/Book Day; Celebremos El dia de los ninos/El dia de los libros; Illustrator Rafael Lopez, author Pat Mora (Rayo, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers); Author award - Return to Sender; author Julia Alvarez (Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books)

* Schneider Family Book Award - books with artistic expression of the disability experience in three age groups: Kids 0-10 years old: Django; author/illustrator Bonnie Christensen (Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press); Tweens 11-13: Anything but Typical; author Nora Raleigh Baskin (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers); Teens 13-18: Marcelo in the Real World; Author Francisco X. Stork (Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic)

* William C. Morris Award - book written by a first-time author for young adults: Flash Burnout; author L.K. Madigan (Houghton Mifflin, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

* Odyssey Award - excellence in audiobook production: Live Oak Media - producer of the audiobook Louise, the Adventures of a Chicken; author Kate DiCamillo, narrated by Barbara Rosenblat

* Theodor Seuss Geisel Beginning Reader Award - distinguished beginning reader book: Benny and Penny in the Big No-No!; author/illustrator Geoffrey Hayes (Toon Books, a division of RAW Junior)

* Margaret A. Edwards Award - lifetime achievement in writing for young adults: Jim Murphy - author

* Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award - distinguished informational book for children: Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream; author Tanya Lee Stone (Candlewick Press)

* Andrew Carnegie Medal - excellence in children’s video: Paul R. Gagne and Mo Willems of Weston Woods, producers of Don’t Let the Pigeon’s Drive the Bus!; based on author/illustrator Willems’ book of the same name; narrated by Willems and Jon Scieszka with animation by Pete List.

For a complete list, go here: http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2010/january2010/ymawrap2010.cfm

Hockey player Derek “The Tooth Fairy” Thompson (Dwayne Johnson) is a big, tough guy whose pro career fizzled but who continues to please crowds by being the heavy for his minor team. While he’s got an attractive girlfriend (Ashley Judd) with two kids, he has a very bad attitude and tends to rain on everyone’s parade, particularly those of children with big dreams. To teach him the error of his ways, he is summoned to Fairy Land (presided over by Queen Fairy Julie Andrews and helped by wizened Billy Crystal) where he sprouts wings and learns he must perform the job of Tooth Fairy for 2 weeks. Crazy antics ensue, with the man suddenly sprouting wings at inopportune times and having a nightmarish time trying to fulfill his sentence. In the meantime, he begins to bond with the girlfriend’s son, who is himself suffering a crisis of confidence. Eventually, both man and boy learn to believe in the power of dreams, build confidence through hard work and determination and open their hearts to love of self and others.

This is good, solid mainstream Hollywood family fare. Big name actors (Dwayne Johnson, Julie Andrews, Billy Crystal, Ashley Judd) appeal to parents, fantasy antics appeal to kids and the happy ending means everyone walks away satisfied. Kids will laugh at the physical humor. The audience age for this is probably 6-12, with 12 stretching it a bit. Filled with silly physical humor, hockey action and a well acted portrayal of a guitar-playing pre-teen boy who learns to believe in himself.

The humor certainly works for intended audience. While there is a bit of relatively violent action in the hockey rink, it’s no more brutal than a televised NFL football game. The heart of the film is about a man who has lost his confidence and therefore assumes everyone is doomed to fail like he has. His negative attitude and progress toward change are easily comprehendible for a youth audience. It’s a message both kids and adults can relate to and does offer some good talking points to open up a discussion with your child.

http://www.walden.com/movie/tooth_fairy/

For kids looking for ways to help in the ongoing Haiti earthquake relief efforts and express themselves about the disaster, Nickelodeon has launched a new website at http://www.nick.com/helphaiti

The website features message boards for kid discussions about the aftermath, as well as a list of organizations  (Yele Haiti, UNICEF, Save the Children, Mercy Corps, Doctors without Borders, American Red Cross, and Kids Care) that kids can encourage their parents to investigate ways to help the people of Haiti.

Additionally, Nick will be airing PSAs on Nick and Nick at
Nite encouraging viewers to get involved.

Discovery Communications-Hasbro Joint Venture President and CEO Margaret Loesch unveiled the official brand and logo for the children’s network, set to launch in fall 2010. Moving forward, the network will be known as “The Hub” and will reach approximately 60 million homes on what is currently the Discovery Kids network.

“A hub is a place where great things come together — and that is precisely what The Hub network will be when it launches,” said Loesch. “The Hub will be a fun and transformative destination that brings kids and their families together by presenting clever stories and engaging characters.”

The Hub will offer young viewers and their families novel and compelling content, ranging from new comedies and animated adventures to live-action franchises and game shows — all celebrating the core childhood concepts of fun and play. The network’s tone will be thrilling, modern and dynamic, both on-air and online. These qualities are represented by The Hub’s spiral logo, which symbolizes a catalyst of action and imagination. In addition, the network will benefit from the strong DNA of its two parent companies, Discovery and Hasbro, which share a 50/50 partnership in the venture.

“Under the leadership of Margaret and her team, The Hub will be the next great children’s media brand,” said David Zaslav, President and CEO of Discovery Communications. “The goal is to create a destination for quality content, and we are confident The Hub can become a strong home for an active and engaged audience.”

“Hasbro is a company built on play, and Discovery was founded on curiosity,” said Brian Goldner, president and CEO of Hasbro. “The Hub will have the resources of both partners as it goes about reimagining the future of children’s entertainment.”

Content on The Hub will feature rich storytelling with active, multidimensional characters and unexpected heroes. The network will tap into the best production talent in the industry for shows that will reinvigorate children’s programming. Additionally, The Hub will incorporate cherished Hasbro properties, including Transformers and My Little Pony, and popular Discovery Kids franchises such as Adventure Camp and Flight 29 Down as a part of a diverse and robust lineup of original and acquired programming. The Hub’s online home, hubworld.com, will become an entertainment destination in its own right, offering kids access to video clips, interactive games and community features that extend the experience of the network’s content.

Ms. Loesch is a member of the KIDS FIRST! National Board.

The Spy Next Door refers to Bob Ho (Jackie Chan), a square but safe next-door neighbor and boyfriend of Jillian, a single mom with three kids. She is glad to have an honest and dependable guy in her life. The kids are dead set against the relationship because he’s, well, just a big geek. When Mom needs to leave town suddenly, Bob offers to care for them, thinking it will give him a chance to make the kids like him. What no one knows is that Bob is actually an accomplished Chinese spy working with the CIA who has just worked his last job and has retired in the hopes of settling down with Jillian. The kids put Bob thru the ringer, but trouble really starts when the bad Russian guys come after Bob and the kids. Jillian breaks up with Bob when she realizes he has put her kids in danger. In the end, the kids come to his defense, the couple gets married and a new family is born.

What will appeal to a youth audience the most are the action scenes. The good guy spy, with help from the kids, fight the evil Russian baddies. There are lots of martial arts scenes but the action is almost cartoonish and we see no blood and guts. There is only scene where a bad guy gets a bloodied nose.

The heart of the film is delivered by Jackie Chan when he tells his girlfriend’s teenage daughter that family is what you make – who you love and who loves you – not just the blood that runs in your veins. It’s good advice and she grows to accept him as a potential step-father. It also helps her embrace her own family after feeling she didn’t belong.

Watching Bob trying to care for three unruly kids is truly humorous. The emotional arc of the kids letting down their defenses and allow a new man into their lives is something many kids can relate to, whether it’s happened to them or they have seen friends experience similar things.

The film is certainly derivative of other James Bond-for-kids type movies such as Spy Kids but doesn’t really add anything original or memorable. The true appeal of this film is Jackie Chan, who gracefully moves between his two identities – the super square pen salesman who lives next door, and the super cool and capable Chinese spy working with the CIA. Plus, he’s funny. That surprised us.

The siblings fight a lot and say mean things to each other but they do come around in the end. There is no profanity and sometimes Jackie Chan’s accent makes his speech difficult to understand.

KIDS FIRST! recommends this for an audience of 6-12 who will enjoy it for the humor and action.

Nintendo of America Inc. and Netflix, Inc. [Nasdaq: NFLX] today announced an agreement that will allow Netflix members who are also owners of Nintendo’s Wii™ home console to instantly watch thousands of movies and TV episodes streamed from Netflix directly to their TVs. Netflix is scheduled to go live on the Wii console this spring in the United States at no additional cost to Netflix members who have a plan starting at $8.99 a month, a Wii console and a broadband Internet connection.

The partnership between the two companies will extend the reach of content streamed from Netflix farther than ever before, thanks to the mainstream popularity of the Wii console. Wii remains the fastest-selling home console in history, and reaches more consumers than any other device that currently supports streaming movies from Netflix. In December 2009, Nintendo sold well in excess of 3 million Wii consoles in the United States. Wii is the top-selling home video game system of this generation, and as such brings the Netflix experience to a broad and diverse mass market.

“Our research shows that 86 percent of all U.S. Wii consoles are located in the living room,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “The Wii console is the social hub around which friends and family members gather to play games and have fun. Soon both new and longtime Wii owners will enjoy the benefits of Netflix – and a variety of informational and entertainment options – by being Netflix members and connecting their consoles to the Internet.”

“Our goal is to offer Netflix members as many ways as possible to watch movies and TV episodes streamed from Netflix right to their TVs and to give non-members more and compelling reasons to consider the service,” said Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings. “Joining forces with Nintendo, which has been so immensely popular with consumers since its introduction, is a very meaningful step in that direction.”

With 11.1 million U.S. subscribers as of Sept. 30, 2009, Netflix continues to expand the ways in which its members can watch movies and TV shows streamed directly to TVs via a range of Netflix-ready devices such as the Wii console. Netflix memberships start as low as $8.99 a month, and members also can receive unlimited DVDs delivered quickly to their homes. At the same time, consumers continue to demonstrate a preference for Wii consoles, which offer tremendous value, whether measured in fun games, shared experiences or the suggested retail price of just $199.99.

To enable their systems to stream content from Netflix, Wii owners will need a Netflix instant-streaming disc for the Wii console, which will be available at no additional cost to Netflix subscribers. The free disc looks and operates the same as a disc-based Wii game, and the entire user experience will feel natural and intuitive to Wii console owners. Netflix members and Wii console owners can now reserve a free instant-streaming disc by going to www.netflix.com/Wii. Once available in the spring, the discs will be delivered for free by first-class mail.

When the instant-streaming disc is inserted into a member’s Wii system, an array of movie and TV choices will be displayed right on their TV screen. These titles will be conveniently organized into a variety of categories based on members’ personal preferences and will include popular genres, new arrivals and members’ individual instant Queues. Using the Wii Remote™ controller, members will be able to choose a movie or TV episode to watch from their instant Queues or pick one directly from any of the lists. They will also have the ability to read synopses and rate movies, and will have the option of fast-forwarding and rewinding their selection.

Netflix adds another dimension to the Wii console’s diverse online features, which range from downloadable new and classic games in the Wii Shop Channel, to online multiplayer gaming with games like Mario Kart™ Wii, to video highlights and information about titles for the Wii and Nintendo DS™ systems via the Nintendo Channel™.