"
U.S. first lady Michelle Obama is to kick off the 40th anniversary season of the children's TV show "Sesame Street" with a segment encouraging kids to plant gardens and eat healthy food.
Obama, who is planting a fruit and vegetable garden
on the grounds of the White House, will appear in the November10 season
debut of "Sesame Street" -- the educational show for kids that is
broadcast in more than 120 countries around the world.
Producers said on Tuesday that Obama will teach the furry "residents"
of Sesame Street about the benefits of growing a garden and healthy
living, and will show children how to plant tomato, cucumber and lettuce seeds."
"Even if you can't remember a specific Reading Rainbow episode, chances are, the theme song is still lodged somewhere in your head:
Butterfly in the sky, I can go twice as high, Take a look, it's in a book — Reading Rainbow ...
Remember now?
Reading Rainbow
comes to the end of its 26-year run on Friday; it has won more than
two-dozen Emmys, and is the third longest-running children's show in
PBS history — outlasted only by Sesame Street and Mister Rogers.
The show, which started in 1983, was hosted by actor LeVar Burton. (If you don't know Burton from Reading Rainbow, he's also famous for his role as Kunta Kinte in Roots, or as the chrome-visored Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: The Next Generation.)"
"Back when ABC was airing new episodes each Tuesday night at 10 p.m., I was firmly convinced that thirtysomething
was the best show on television. I watched every week and came to
identify so closely with the show's protagonist—a Philadelphia
advertising executive burdened by the pressures of work, marriage, and
parenting an infant—that I began wearing suspenders in an effort to
imitate the character's signature look. This homage might have seemed a
touch less odd had I not been a high-school freshman at the time.
When it came to my attention that the first season of thirtysomething is at last getting its release on DVD
this week, I jumped at the chance to rewatch all 21 episodes. I
couldn't for the life of me remember why the show had so captivated my
teenage mind. And I wondered: Would I find it even more compelling now that I'd actually reached my 30s? "
"Claiming that a litter of puppies would get more legal protection, a child-actor advocate said that Nadya Suleman's octuplets are being exposed to potential dangers by her decision to allow a reality show to chronicle the next three years of their lives.
"It's dangerous. This is not safe," Paul Petersen, a former child actor himself, told TODAY's Meredith Vieira Tuesday from California. "We've got to stop this."
Petersen, who founded the advocacy group A Minor Consideration, had filed a legal petition to have an advocate appointed to look after the financial interests of Suleman's octuplets and six other children. On Monday, a judge in Orange County, Calif., granted the request and appointed an advocate, who is to file a report by Aug. 31.
Suleman's attorney, Arthur J. LaCilento, said he will appeal the decision and accused Petersen and his lawyer, celebrity attorney Gloria Allred, of "grandstanding” and being "nosy."
"Federal media regulators are looking into whether new rules should be established to require broadcast and cable channels to air more kid-friendly educational shows.
New Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski said at a Senate hearing Wednesday that he has opened an inquiry into how "the FCC can best protect children in a digital age," and said the agency will look at "new concerns and new opportunities in the new media world."
Despite the interest on Capitol Hill in protecting kids from inappropriate TV shows, Congress isn’t expected to try imposing more rules on broadcasters this year, and they are leaving it in the FCC’s lap for now.
Mr. Genachowski helped write the FCC rules passed in 1996 that require broadcast stations to air three hours of educational shows a week. At the time, those rules were extremely controversial and broadcasters fought the effort, saying that they already aired kid-friendly programming."
"This story has been brought to you by the letter S and the numbers 15
and 40. (Or, as the Count might say in his adorable Transylvanian
accent, "fivteen and forrrty--HA, HA, HA!") The S, as anyone who has
ever watched television can deduce by now, stands for Sesame Street.
The 40 is almost as easy: this year marks the 40th anniversary of sunny
days, friendly neighbors and the fuzzy creatures who live on that
street where the air is sweet. If you haven't watched recently with
your children or grandchildren, you'll be relieved to know that
impending middle age hasn't wrinkled Sesame Street all that much. Big
Bird still waddles, Cookie Monster still goes on his sugar binges and
Ernie still wakes up Bert at all hours with questions (none of them,
mercifully, about the nature of their relationship). In a world where
cultural touchstones are dropping faster than the Mets in
September--sorry, Guiding Light fans--the endurance of Sesame Street is
nothing short of a miracle.
Which brings us to that second number of the day: 15. That, shockingly,
is where Nielsen says Sesame Street ranks among the top children's
shows on the air. Some months, it does even worse. Ask a preschooler
who her favorite TV character is, and chances are she'll say Dora,
Curious George or, heaven help us, SpongeBob. We know it doesn't seem
nice to point out that the granddaddy of children's television is
regularly beaten up by a girl who talks to her backpack, but these are
desperate times. The Children's Television Workshop (now called Sesame
Workshop) produces only 26 episodes a year now, down from a high of
130. The workshop itself recently announced it was laying off 20
percent of its staff as the recession continues to take a toll on
nonprofit arts organizations. But Sesame Street is no ordinary
nonprofit. It is, arguably, the most important children's program in
the history of television. No show has affected the way we think about
education, parenting, childhood development and cultural diversity,
both in the United States and abroad, more than Big Bird and friends.
You might even say that Sesame Street changed the world, one letter at
a time. Don't believe us? Then let's imagine where we'd be if Sesame
Street never existed."
"This past Tuesday, Michelle Obama stopped by Sesame Street to
tape a Public Service Announcement with everyone's favorite muppet,
Elmo. The PSA, part of Sesame Workshop's Healthy Habits For Life
initiative, encourages exercise and nutritious eating habits, and
extols the importance of parents as healthy role models."
"Reality TV star Jon Gosselin has denied cheating on wife Kate. But he said he's sorry for creating that impression.
"These allegations are false and just plain hurtful," Gosselin said Wednesday, insisting: "I did not cheat on Kate."
Gosselin was speaking out against tabloid reports that he's had an
affair with a Pennsylvania schoolteacher. Photos of Gosselin and the
woman have surfaced in recent weeks.
The 32-year-old Gosselin did acknowledge spending time with friends
of both sexes, including the woman with whom he's rumored to be
cheating."
"The outspoken Jenny McCarthy is joining forces with TV's queen of talk, Oprah Winfrey - for, among other projects, her own talk show.
For starters, according to the Hollywood Reporter, McCarthy, 36, has already launched her own blog on Oprah.com. Friday's entry concerned PMS and sugar."
"This past weekend's SNL was "The Best Of Amy Poehler," and it
was soooo good. I almost didn't watch it because, you know, rerun, but
I was curious about how Amy's manic, childlike characters had stood the
test of time, and the answer was almost too well."
