"Parents" real stars of "American Juniors"
PUSSSYKATT
-------------------------------
'AMERICAN JUNIORS" has found a gimmick not yet exploited by the other kid-
talent shows: Wacko parents. And the gimmick works - but only up to a point.
"AJ," which premiered last night, is Fox's new "American Idol" summer spin-off.
(It's made by the "Idol" producers.)
This week and next, the program is showcasing the auditions held in several
cities over the past few months in which hundreds of kids participated.
In three weeks, the competition will begin in earnest.
Based on last night's premiere, it's obvious that the parents are as much the
focus on "AJ" as their kids.
And it's not a pretty sight. Some of the parents are just having fun. Win or
lose, they're plainly proud of their kids.
But then there are the ugly ones who push their kids into contests like this,
or have tantrums when their kids are booted for having no talent.
While the parents' antics are entertaining initially, they wore out their
welcome as the show stretched into its second half-hour.
In interview segments, little girls faced a camera and told of their ambitions
to become billionaires.
After a while, the show began to feel creepy, in a JonBenet Ramsey kind of way.
Some of the moms bragged about how they've been dragging their young daughters
to those icky beauty pageants practically since the day they learned to walk.
Not surprisingly, their daughters were decked out in outfits that were far too
grown-up, and singing songs and dancing in ways that were far too suggestive.
In the end, the emphasis on the evil stage moms undermined any sense of fun the
show might have had.
As proven earlier this spring on "America's Most Talented Kid," the delightful
children's' talent series on NBC, it's the parents on shows like these who
should be seen, but not heard.
"American Juniors"
Tuesday nights at 8 on Fox
* * *
By DAVID HINCKLEY
NY DAILY NEWS CRITIC-AT-LARGE
Just for the record, that Fox has gotten big ratings for the money it has spent
hyping "American Idol" doesn't make the show more than it is: amateur night
with a bigger payoff and expensive packaging. With all due respect to Kelly and
Ruben, the phrase "idol" is a little overstated - as, I suspect, is the breezy
assertion of host Ryan Seacrest at the opening of last night's youth-division
spinoff, "American Juniors."
"We will find the best young talent the country has to offer," he said.
Maybe.
But in fact, the producers seemed to hedge their own bets on this premise all
night. For one thing, they included enough zany moments from the audition
process that "American Juniors" at times seemed to owe as much to "America's
Funniest Home Videos" as its nominal parent.
Actually, you can also find considerable DNA here from Art Linkletter's "Kids
Say the Darndest Things" - like the 6-year-old who says students at her school
claim Britney Spears is gay.
Anyone who expected "American Juniors" would do a 180-degree turn from
"American Idol" and treat its hopefuls with gentle respect doesn't understand
how networks get ratings on TV.
The barbs actually are softer, but the producers positively salivate over the
most obnoxious stage mother they found during auditions. We see her at least
four times, complaining about her daughter not being selected while the tired
child uncomfortably fools with her hair.
The grownups have no monopoly on being served up for our entertainment. We get
to watch some of the rejected contestants cry. Other times, they just mug for
the camera, which would be old-fashioned fun if it didn't still conjure the
occasional disturbing image of JonBenet Ramsey. This was her gig, too.
"American Juniors," needless to say, doesn't spend a second on the idea that
this quest for stardom could be bad for children, or that the children aren't
having an awesome time.
The ultimate goal of "American Juniors" is to pick five youngsters who will
become an instant teen band - the O-Town trick. So at some point, presumably,
we will stop seeing entrants who were merely cute or merely funny or merely had
goofy parents. We will see the ones Seacrest has promised us have "the most
talent in America."
We would deserve it, too. But you can't always get what you want - a song that,
based on what we saw last night, some finalist will probably try to sing.
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pushing their Jon Benet Ramsey look-a-likes.
--
"You people! If it hasn't been made into a movie, it's not worth
knowing about, is that it?"-- Metatron (Alan Rickman), DOGMA
The One
news:9v-cnfiND6W...@giganews.com...
> I would have loved to have seen Simon Cowell address some of those moms
> pushing their Jon Benet Ramsey look-a-likes.
>
I know! Did anyone see the 6-year old in that blue leopard print midriff
top??? I could not BELIEVE a parent would actually dress her young child
like that!
Regina
--
Remove the "nospam" from my e-mail to e-mail me
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"I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,
And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker,
And in short, I was afraid."
--T.S. Eliot
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