53) Fame

Title:  Fame

Writer:  Allison Burnett

Producers: Mark Canton, Gary Lucchesi, Tom Rosenberg & Richard Wright

Director:  Kevin Tancharoen

Year:  2009

Plot:  Based on Fame 1980 by Alan Parker, Fame follows the students of New York City High School of the Performing Arts.  Students are selected through auditions in music, theater, and dance.  Students come from all walks of life to spend four years becoming the best they can be at their performing art.  The movie focuses on students from each performing art as they learn to challenge themselves and put their talent to the test.  Viewers will see the students fall in and out of love, create new friendships, and find their true identities. 

Review:  I grew up watching the original and was very weary of the remake of such an awesome and original film.  The new version of Fame does not live up to expectations.  I found the storylines hard to follow.  The new movie tries to include too many different story lines, rather than focus on just a couple select few.  The issues that the characters have to deal with are also downplayed in the remake.  The dancing has been updated to follow more a contemporary flow.  The music department is barely covered in the new movie.  The focus of music is in the chorus and through two characters that are trying to get a record deal.  The theater scenes are very close to the original scenes.  However, the characters seem much younger than the original version.  Tweens will enjoy the concept of Fame and like the music; however, they will be lost with the continuous back and forth between characters.  This movie could have benefited from a bigger focus on select main characters.

Genre: Movie/Musical/Drama

Interest Level: ages 9 and up

Related Shows: High School Musical; Bandslam; The Princess Diaries

Starring:

Students

Kay Panabaker as Jenny Garrison

Collins Pennie as Malik Washburn

Asher Book as Marco

Paul Iacono as Neil Baczynsky

Naturi Naughton as Denise

Anna Maria Perez de Taglé as Joy Moy

Paul McGill as Kevin Barrett

Kherington Payne as Alice Ellerton

Walter Perez as Victor Tavares

Kristy Flores as Rosie Martinez

Teachers and staff

Debbie Allen as Principal Angela Simms

Charles S. Dutton as Mr. Alvin Dowd

Bebe Neuwirth as Ms. Lynn Kraft

Megan Mullally as Ms. Fran Rowan

Kelsey Grammer as Mr. Joel Cranston

Movie Website: http://www.mgm.com/view/Movie/630/Fame-(2009)/

52) Good Luck Charlie: Season 1

Bibliography: Baker, P & Vaupen, D (Creator); Baker, P, Staley, D & Vaupen, D (Producers); Good Luck Charlie; Disney Channel; Original Run Date April 4, 2010 to Present.

Plot:  The Duncan’s are a family living in Denver, Colorado.  They have four children, PJ the oldest, Teddy the only daughter, and Gabe the youngest son.  They have just added a fourth child to their family, Charlie a baby girl.  The show follows the family as they adjust to the addition of a fourth child.  The mother, Amy, is a bit of a showoff and often gets herself and Charlie in trouble with other mothers, Gabe is against the idea of having to help care for Charlie and often find himself in sticky situations, PJ finds that having a baby sister can benefit him for good, and Teddy is so happy to have a sister that she has created a video diary to show the situations that Charlie may find herself in as a teen.  The Duncan’s are very eccentric but at the end of the day they couldn’t be happier with the family they have.

Review:  The first season sets the stage for the various personalities that will be shown throughout the series in the Duncan family.  PJ is the oldest sibling and he is portrayed as not very smart.  The show often highlights PJ’s naivety and makes it seem like he is not mature enough to be the oldest sibling of the family.  Gabe is also shown as quite immature.  In most episodes, Gabe is up to something and finds himself in several sticky situations, like when he has his first crush and decides to tell her that his parents are also divorced.  Teddy is a good student and is trying her hardest to set a good example for Charlie. 

Overall, I think this is a good show for families to watch together.  It shows the different dynamics of a family system. 

Genre: Humor/Coming of Age

Interest Level: age 8 and up

Related Shows: iCarly; Victorious; Shake it Up; How to Rock

Characters:

Teddy Duncan – protagonist, big sister

PJ Duncan – oldest sibling, absent minded

Gabe Duncan – third child, a troublemaker and prankster

Charlie Duncan – the fourth child, baby

Amy Duncan – mother, works as a hospital nurse

Bob Duncan – father, works as a bug exterminator

Awards:

British Academy Children’s Awards for Best TV Show in 2011

Official Website: http://tv.disney.go.com/disneychannel/goodluckcharlie/

51) VicTORIous: Season 3

Bibliography: Schneider, D. (Creator); Schneider, D., Bell, W., & Weiner, R. (Producers); VicTORIous; Nickelodeon; Original Run Date March 27, 2010 to Present.

Plot: Teenager, Tori Vega has recently been accepted to the Hollywood Arts High School, a high school for teens interested in the various performing arts fields.  The show follows Tori as she finds her place at Hollywood Arts.  The show shows Tori’s various crazy adventures and interactions with the different students at Hollywood Arts.  Tori’s friends include Andre, a musical prodigy, Robbie, a ventriloquist, Jade, a mean girl who has a love hate relationship with Tori, Cat, a naïve and sweet spirited girl, and Beck, a musician.  In season three, the friends have all found their place in their social group and they must also deal with the breakup of Jade and Beck’s relationship. 

Review:  In the third season, the group is older and has been friends for some time now.  Even though Jade and Beck breakup in the third episode, the group dynamic does not change or even shows that the breakup has any effect on them.  Tori is the leader of the group and I wonder if any of them would be friends if she had not come to Hollywood Arts.  The characters are all very different, which is refreshing to see teens being friends despite these differences, but there are still the stereotypes.  Jade is extremely mean spirited and even though she hangs around the group, she treats Tori and Cat as if they are no more than minions that she deals with regularly.  Cat is portrayed as nothing more than a dumb pretty girl.  I wish that producers would stop casting this character.  It does nothing to promote teen and tween girl’s self worth.

Tweens and teens love this show.  While it is humorous to see the different situations that the group gets into, I feel that the main pull of this show is the music.  Both Tori and Andre are very driven in their desire to be singers and the show highlights this in several episodes.  Otherwise, the show does nothing to inspire girls’ to be more than the popular one, the dumb one, or the mean one.

Genre: Humor/Coming of Age/Musical

Interest Level: age 10 and up

Related Shows: iCarly; Victorious; Shake it Up; How to Rock

Characters:

Victoria Justice as Tori Vega – the main character

Leon Thomas III as Andre Harris

Matt Bennett as Robbie Shapiro

Elizabeth Giles as Jade West

Ariana Grande as Cat Valentine

Avan Jogia as Beck Oliver

Daniella Monet as Trina Vega

Awards: Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite TV Show in 2012 

Official Website: http://www.nick.com/shows/victorious

50) Boyslife.org

Boyslife.org provided by Boy Scouts of America

Summary:  Boys’ Life is the official magazine of the Boy Scouts of America.  The magazine publishes two magazines each month aimed at the different demographics of Scouts.  The first edition is suitable for Cub Scout members, while the second edition is suitable for older Boy Scouts starting with the second year of Webelos.  The first edition was published in 1911 by George S Barton.  It was made the official magazine of the BSA in 1912.  The magazine features content on Adventure Stories, technology updates, video game information, and comics.  Boyslife.org also provides supplemental information to the magazine, including Joke of the Day, photos and videos. 

Review:  When I first pulled up boyslife.org, I felt immediately lost.  The site does not feature any articles.  Instead there is a box at the top with words in different fonts that are actually links to the material on the site.  The information that is covered on the website includes jokes, games, outdoors & gear, videos, photos, contests, and other “fun stuff to do.”  There is also a poll available.  Further down on the website, viewers will find five blogs on games, news, scout gear, scouting, and Pedro’s Mail.  The jokes are provided by scouts and allow users to write comments on the numerous jokes available.   The photos section features photos of scouts doing everyday things such as playing soccer, camping and crafting.  The video section provides videos of exercises, author webcasts, and science exploration.  A Hobbies & Projects section provides information on crafting and excelling in school.  After the getting past the homepage, the navigation of the site is quite easy.  The site also provides great information for boy scouts to use to gain their badges and have fun with gaming and jokes.  This is a great site for boys.

Genre:  Website

Interest Level:  ages 6 to 18

49) Girlslife.com

Girlslife.com provided by Girls’ Life Acquisition Co.

Summary:  Girls’ Life magazine first hit newsstands in August of 1994.  It is currently considered as the #1 magazine for ten to fifteen year old girls.  Girls’ Life and Girlslife.com contains information for tween girls and advice on academic success, peer pressure, time management, stress-relieving ideas, and self-esteem.  Currently the topics covered in the magazine can be found online at girlslife.com.  The website offers a penpal program, games, and discussion boards.   Girls’ Life is the recipient of multiple Parents’ Choice Gold Awards and multiple The Parent’s Guide to Children’s Media Awards.  It is also the choice magazine of Girl Scouts of America and the official book for Take Our Daughters to Work Day. 

Review:  When I first logged onto girlslife.com, I was bombarded by zooming advertisements and requests to subscribe to the magazine.  Changing pages also allowed the advertisements to zoom onto the page.  It wasn’t until I registered with the website that I was able to get rid of the advertisements.  The pages are very busy with a three column setup.  The left column advertised books published by Girls’ Life, Twitter and Facebook updates, and selected beauty product links.  The main column provides links to the day’s top articles.  The right column features polls, beauty videos, and featured giveaways.  The top of the webpage offers links to the different topics that Girls’ Life focuses on, including, guys, advice, entertainment, style and health & fitness.  Each top link sends the viewer to articles on each topic.  The website is very busy but I think it is good for tweens since they need things to catch their attention.  Navigating the website is very easy and finding an article on what you are looking for is quite simple.  The website says that it is appropriate for girls ten and up, but I feel that some of the topics are a little old for younger tweens.  I would suggest that parents wait until their tweens have hit junior high before introducing them to this website.

Genre:  Website

Interest Level:  ages 10 to 15

48) Grzimek's Animal Life

Grzimek’s Animal Life provided by Gale Cengage

Summary:  Grzimek’s Animal Life is a large encyclopedia of animal life provided to libraries as a subscription database.  Grzimek’s was originally published as a thirteen volume set in German.  It was translated to English in 1975.  As of 2009, the encyclopedia has been available online offered by Gale Cengage.  The encyclopedia covers over 4,000 species with information on evolution, habitat, behavior, and range.  The database is updated regularly by worldwide experts.  Users are able to view photos and videos.  The database provides audio tracks to help users learn pronunciations.  The database can be translated into eleven languages and has the ability to read the articles to users.   This is a great database to learn more about the animals in our world.

Review:  This is a great research database.  The encyclopedia provides tons of information on different animal species.  Students assigned research projects or just wanting to learn more about the animal world will love this database.  The homepage contains a large search box that is easy to find.  Users will also find the top articles featured on the homepage.  There are boxes on the left hand side that will lead users to different animal species, such as mammals, reptiles, fish, ect.  If the user is merely browsing, these boxes will be helpful in learning more about each animal species. 

Once a user types in an animal in the search box, they are directed to a list of articles associated with that animal.  The first item listed is usually the encyclopedia entry.  The entry describes the animal and provides information about the animal’s behavior, diet, and conservation status.  There is also a globe that shows users where the animal lives.  The page also provides photos, illustration, and videos on the animal.  This is a great resource for teachers and students. 

Genre:  Subscription Database

Interest Level:  ages 9 and up

47) Culturegrams Countries

Culturegrams provided by ProQuest

Summary:  Culturegrams is an online database aimed at children looking to learn more about the world around them.  Culturegrams offers information on countries and states.  Users are able to gain a true understanding of different cultures.  The database goes into details of everyday life, holidays, and demographics.  The country version covers over 200 countries with focus on language, personal appearance, greetings, family, and life cycle.  The states version covers the US and 13 Canadian provinces with focus on history, diversity, economy, and recipes. The database is user friendly and a great resource for students looking to find out more about the states and many countries.

Review:  This database is a great resource for any student assigned a research project on a country.  The database is very user friendly and gives great information about each country.  From the homepage, users are able to select a country from the dropdown box or chose a continent on the map.  There is also a search box, however, the box is very small and hard to find.  Once you are taken to the countries page, the page lists a few facts and then provides links to all of the additional information.  The main country page offers a picture of the country and the country flag.  A user is able to select to view these items in different formats such as outline or physical.  The countries page offers definitions, interviews from citizens, and a photo gallery.  Users will appreciate the amount of information that they receive  on each country in this database.

Genre:  Subscription Database

Interest Level:  ages 9 and up