Top O’ The Mornin’
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Hunter brought in a project to school he has been working on for a while. A leprechaun trap! I can’t wait to see how it went over. As we unloaded it from the back of the van his friends were all so curious about this contraption he was bringing to class. He built it from cardboard boxes, bits and pieces of things around the house and a few Irish decorations he bought at the craft store. Very fun! Hunter loves building things and for a while he wanted to do a breakfast making machine. As he was describing what he wanted it to do, I had a flash of familiarity and we went to youtube to watch this classic sequence from Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. I don’t know how my kids had gone so long never seeing it, since it is quoted so often on their Dad’s side of the family. After seeing this clip we dug it out of the dusty VHS cabinet and watched it after homework the next day. They loved it, and are starting to work their favorite quotes into everyday conversation. Just like their Daddy…
For Art or Money?
When it comes to movies I have always been perplexed by how this industry operates. On the one hand it seems like it’s all about making money, but on the other hand it seems like it’s all about artistic expression.
From an economic standpoint, I don’t understand why the movie makers are so resistant to edited versions of their films. Companies like Clean Flicks, that would buy the original versions of movies and edit out the offensive content, were shut down for successfully filling a niche in the market that wasn’t being filled. There is clearly a market for edited versions, so why aren’t the production companies releasing edited versions on their own? They will release “un-cut” versions with extra content, so why not work in reverse? And how does buying a movie at full price and taking out what you don’t want differ from buying a Vera Wang wedding dress and having it altered to suit your taste? “I love this dress, if only I could shorten it and take off some of these beads…”
One argument is that it would be confusing for consumers. We manage to choose between widescreen or full screen DVD options, and I bet we could manage a choice between the PG-13 (or even PG) and R version of a film. This would only increase the size of their market- R fans could still buy R, and those who would have passed on the movie will now buy the edited version. We see other industries do this: Gap has it’s more affordable version in Old Navy. Pace sells salsa in both hot and mild. A Honda Civic is made in different models: DX, LX, EX, and consumers pick the model that best suits their preferences.
CBS recently reported that PG movies with little to no cursing make a lot more money than those that have a higher level of cursing:
“The reality is that profanity, within PG, is the big demarcation between box office winner and box office loser,” research and marketing director Dan O’Toole said at ShoWest, a conference where studios unveil upcoming movie lineups.
“Parents are choosing PG films for their kids that have very, very low levels of profanity. We’re talking one-third the level of the average PG film,” he said.
In spite of this information, we see very few PG movies without some form of crass content. So if money isn’t the motivator, is movie making all about artistic expression? Although I enjoy movies like Oceans 11, 12, and 13, they were obviously made for profit more than anything else.
Read MoreYou Can Pick Your Friends…
You can pick your friends,
And you can pick your nose,
But you can’t can pick your friend’s nose.
I’ve got a ton of new pictures in the gallery, so take a look to see what else we’ve been up to.
Read MoreBrite Music Review
When I was young we loved to listen to the Safety Kids on tape. I think there was only one in the series back then, and now it’s known as Personal Safety. The tape started with a club meeting of some kids and they discuss the importance of learning your phone number, staying safe from strangers and people who try to invade your privacy, and never going out alone. The topic is a fairly common one when discussing safety with kids, but by having the lessons taught by children and through songs, I was more easily sucked into the topic and able to remember the songs that went along with them.
My mom came across the tape when Hunter and Emma were toddlers and gave it to me. They loved it just as much as I did. We played the tape over and over until it started to sound weird and distorted. Several months ago I ordered Personal Safety on CD and discovered that there are also two more in the series, Stay Safe From Drugs, and Protect Their Minds. We have loved all three CDs and know all of the songs by heart. I have already heard the kids talking about why drugs are bad at times when we’re nowhere near the CD, and I had to laugh when someone brought up the evils of pornography in church and Emma looked up at me bright eyed and said, “pornography!” She was excited to know what the word meant now. We also have another CD called Show a Little Love that has some really good songs. Here are some clips of our favorite songs:
Personal Safety: Yell and Scream, The Telephone Song
Stay Safe From Drugs: All You Gotta Say is No, Go For a Natural High
Protect Their Minds: I Want to Have Clean Thoughts, See No Evil –the link is broken on this one 🙁
Show A Little Love: Show A Little Love, Never Tell A Lie
Read MoreI Get Paid for Blogging
You may have noticed a new addition to my blog. The big ad banner on the right… Yes, I am now a member of BlogHer, a directory and community of bloggers with an emphasis on blogs written for and by women. I earn a sort of commission based on the number of page views and clicks my blog receives. Rob has been helping me with getting the ad situated. Let me know if things look crazy on your computer. We’re trying to get it so that it sits to the right and doesn’t interfere with the links and things in the column next to it.
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