Teen girls and sports
Guest Post By Jane Schonberger Chief Content Officer, PrettyTough.com, WomenTalkSports.com 
 

There’s a revolution taking place and it’s happening virtually anywhere sports competition can be found. A talented squad of female athletes are stepping up big time and competing in all age brackets and levels. Their gear includes sticks, balls, motorcycles, skis, and boards. They ride bulls and bucking broncos. They surf 20 foot waves, dunk basketballs and shred ramps and rails. And if they have to beat the boys to do it – they will.    

As the parent of a female athlete, you may be called on as cheerleader, chauffeur, confidant, captain of the booster club, or coach. You may also be called upon to foot the bill for uniforms, refs, tournaments, registration fees, private training, and more. Is it worth it? You bet. Research shows that girls who are involved in sports benefit in a variety of ways:

    * Higher Self-Esteem
    * Better Grades
    * Better Body Image
    * Less Likely to do Drugs
    * Increased Physical Fitness
    * Better Time Management Skills

To honor all the girls who love to play hard, compete, and succeed, we established Pretty Tough several years ago as a media and lifestyle property that provides high-quality, specialty content and products for young female athletes. Our brand empowers and motivates young women to embrace their femininity and athleticism while encouraging them to lead active, healthy lifestyles. 

The time is absolutely right to depict female characters who are pretty AND tough. Through a popular website and best-selling young adult book series (Razorbill/Penguin) we are able to provide role models that show a young woman’s femininity and desire to play hard and be strong can co-exist. With the Pretty Tough novels (and upcoming web series), girls meet realistic characters involved in high stakes situations on and off the field. We want to draw attention to the strengths girls possess and inspire them to feel beautiful because of their incredible abilities. 

So if your daughter is a game-changer who is fun and fearless, shows spirit and strength, likes to make things happen and live life to the fullest, check out PrettyTough.com. Whether you’re looking for information or inspiration, you’ll find entertaining and educational resources that encourage girls to achieve their goals, whatever they may be.

Ways to support your daughter's athletic interests

Coach: Volunteer to be a coach for a youth or rec team.

Watch Sports on TV Together: Make an effort to watch women’s sports on television together. Expose your daughter to new events and heroines while teaching yourself that there’s more to sports TV than Sports Center.

Educate Yourself: Learn about gender equity in sports. Applaud local programs if the girls are being treated fairly, educate yourself and advocate on the girls behalf if they are not.

Give the Gift of Sport: For birthdays and holidays give your daughter new inline skates, a skimboard, a basketball, private coaching lessons, or her favorite female athlete’s jersey.

Take Her Out to a Ball Game: Take your daughter to professional and collegiate women’s sporting events. Support the athletes in the NCAA, WNBA, WTA, WPS, etc. The girl power showcased might inspire her to set new goals.

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Two Weeks. Only Two Episodes. And Lone Star was a critically acclaimed show. Fox didn't dump a show that everyone agreed didn't belong on the air to begin with. They dumped a quality show because viewers didn't find it in TWO Weeks!

How many hit shows were not found by viewers for a year or more? Family Ties, Cheers and Seinfeld to name just a few. However, these were all sitcoms that had no stars in them when they began so they were probably fairly inexpensive to keep on the air. Lone Star is not only an hour long drama, but looks like a fairly big budget series to boot. So it is no surprise that it all comes down to money. But TWO weeks?

And this is my frustration with the entertainment industry and their rush to declares hits and misses. Opening weekend box office is everything for movies. After a bad opening weekend a movie will be pulled from theaters before you can blink an eye. Do movie and television executives have the attention span of 2 year olds?

Once upon a time the public was given the chance to find what they liked over time. Sometimes word of mouth is still in person, and is a bit slower than online. A few people tell a few people and they tell a few people and word grows slowly.

At least for movies, they have a second life on DVD, Blu-Ray and streaming to your computer. The only possible second life for a show cancelled as quickly as Lone Star would be for a cable channel to pick it up. And speaking of cable, the number of viewers that Lone Star had would have been fine for cable. That probably is where it belongs anywhere, it was the only new show this season that was somewhat different and creative. Networks don't want anything to do with that craziness.

I heard talk that FX is considering picking up Lone Star. If this is true, please do so. It will win tons of Emmys and make everyone at Fox jealous. And it will give the viewing public time to find it. And that is really what it is all about.

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We all know Tony Danza as an actor from Taxi and Who's The Boss. Many of us also know that he was a professional boxer before he went into acting. But who knew that his original goal was to be a teacher and that he earned a bachelor's degree in history education. Last year, Tony Danza had the opportunity to see if he had what it takes in a job much harder than boxing and acting, teaching in an large urban high school. It is all captured on Teach: Tony Danza airing on A&E.

Tony Danza becomes a full-time teacher at Philadelphia's Northeast High School and is given a 10th-grade English class with 26 students. He also helps coach the football team. All I have seen is a preview for the first episode, and it is not smooth sailing at first.

While you would think his celebrity would help him break the ice; not even close. Most of the students never even heard of him. Taxi and Who's The Boss were before their time. The parents concern that he doesn't know how to teach has rubbed off on the students. Danza is so nervous that this looks like the hardest and scariest job he has ever had. He even has trouble relating to the football team. Things can only get better from here.

Why is Tony Danza subjecting himself to this?

“Teaching is something I always wanted to do.  Getting the opportunity to do it at Northeast High School and seeing the difference a teacher can make was really a dream come true. I hope the series shows what it’s actually like to be a teacher in a public school in America, and shines a light on some of the problems facing us all as we try to educate our children.  I also hope it might inspire other people to think about how they might help.”

Teach: Tony Danza is produced for A&E Network and will run on A&E beginning October 1 at 10pm ET/PT. The series of seven one-hour episodes is an interesting look at the teaching profession, yet more fun to watch because we know the teacher, our old friend, Tony Danza.

See also:   
Lifetime Movies Airs Tiffany Rubin Story - Dramatic Film and Documentary
Alyssa Milano Stars in Lifetime Movie Sundays at Tiffany's
Heart Gallery NYC - Unique Program Finds Adoptive Parents for Foster Children

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Who doesn't like to grab a water bottle when they are on the run, especially on a hot day. The problem is that plastic water bottles are terrible for our environment. Most plastic bottles are never recycled and end up in landfills, adding to our landfill crisis.

Here are two great solutions - you can have your bottled water and drink it too (and not hurt the environment):

1. Ciao Water - Ciao bottled water uses a special bottle that is 100% biodegradable, recyclable, landfilled, renewable and reusable. The bottles are made with a revolutionary technology that causes them to biodegrade. Last November Ciao won the Best New Green Product Award at the International Hotel and Restaurant Show. "The beauty of its solution, says Carolyn Koss, CEO of Ciao Inc., is that the bottle can be reused, recycled and lanfilled and will biodegrade in all of these environments." Located in Boulder, Colorado, the company uses water from local aquifers.


COMMERCIAL CIAO WATER from david rasura on Vimeo.


2. Filtrete Water Station - This is a water filter that, instead of attaching to a pitcher, attaches to a bottled water station. Four BPA free bottles are included and fit into the station. You run tap water through the filter and you wind up with filtered water in 4 reusable, dishwasher safe bottles that you can now store in the refrigerator. No need to throw away bottles. And no need to buy water. Each filter last approximately three months, with a change indicator letting you know when it is time for replacement.

Hopefully, with great options like Ciao and Filtrate, we will be able to start ridding our landfills of water bottles soon. And we will also be drinking great tasting water.

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The stories are all over the newspapers. The younger generation known as GenY, Millennials or Digital Natives do not want to grow up and become adults. I have found three excellent books that explore the reasons why, and what we as parents can do to ensure that this next generation grows up to lead happy and healthy adult lives.

1. Generation iY: Out Last Chance to Save Their Future (Dr. Tim Elmore and Dan T. Cathy) - Athough GenY is basically considered those born between 1984 and 2002, this book focuses on what the authors call GeniY, those born after 1990, or those who have literally grown up online. They have never known a time where they have not been completely connected. Some of the reasons GeniY is having problems are:

•  Too Connected - Resulting in not enough time alone to discover who they are, harming their face-to-face people skills and harming their listening skills?
•  Overprotected - "Safety has often been allowed to trump growth" leading to this generation having trouble developing strong independent coping skills.
•  Overserved - GeniY has an overinflated idea of their own importance and now feel entitled to special treatment even as they enter the adult world. No other generation of parents has spoiled their kids the was this generation has. Will this GeniY become impatient, demanding, self-centered adults?

Generation iY: Our Last Chance to Save Their Future, goes on to define the different parenting styles and practices that created this generation and the problems it faces. "Typically, iYers have been raised to be consumers and many have not matured to become contributors", says Elmore". The book does outline the guidance they will need to succeed in today's workforce.

2. The iConnected Parent: Staying Close to Your Kids in College (and Beyond) While Letting Them Grow Up - (Dr. Barbara Hofer and Abigail Sullivan Moore) - Up until about ten years or so ago, when teenagers went away to college, they were on the path to independence. They said goodbye to their parents, and spoke to them once or twice a week (pre-cell phone era). Students made their own decision about classes and social life and called home about money or things the parents needed to be involved. It was a great bridge to independence between high school and working.

Now, things could not be more different. Most students call their parents at least once or twice a day. But it is not the amount of times that is worrisome, it is what they are calling about. The authors of the iConnected Parent document students calling parents about everything; they want instant answers to everyday questions. They are not gaining the ability to make decisions. Examples of phones calls from students include

•   My roommates boyfriend is here too much, what should I do?
•   Can you edit my paper tonight, it's due tomorrow?
•   What setting should I use to wash my jeans?

Parents are just as bad, calling their students to remind them to hand in papers and even phoning professors and choosing their child's courses. How is a teenager ever going to become an adult if this type of behavior is going on? The iConnected Parent is a much needed guide for helicopter parents of college students or soon to be college students.

3. Emptying the Nest: Launching Your Young Adult toward Success and Self-Reliance (Brad E. Sachs, Ph.D) - This book is clearly aimed at parents whose children are already young adults, out of school and are ready to be out on their own. Dr. Sachs puts some of the blame on the job market for the difficulty today's youth has on leaving the family home, however emotional dependence does play a large role also.

Dr. Sachs is a family psychologist and the book is written with the warmth of one. He helps parents understand the issues that might interfere with a healthy departure. He counsels parents on how to address the conflicts that come up when young adults can't leave home or return after leaving. Emptying the Nest will also help parents deal with the departure of their children.

Although these three books deal with similar topics, they are completely different in tone and age. Generation iY is a very harsh look at parents and the generation they produced and talks mostly about teens. Emptying the Nest is at the other extreme, a warm compassionate book and discusses young adults. The iConnected Parent, is somewhere in the middle in tone and is about college kids. I hope that one of them will be right for you.

See also: 
3 New Inspirational Books for Holiday Gifts
How to Bring Out the Best in Your Teens and Add Peace to Your Home
10 Signs You Are A Helicopter Parent

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I recently attended the 2010 NY Games Conference, an event in which influential decision makers in the digital media industry gather to network and share ideas about the future of games and connected entertainment. The conference was organized by Digital Media Wire, a publisher that also puts together the Digital Music Forum, Future of Film Summit and Future of Television Conference.

While many of the sessions were of interest to those in the gaming industry, one session that intrigued me was the panel on Transmedia. Transmedia is taking one story and telling it across many media platforms. So, instead of just coming up with a screenplay and making a movie, that same story will be also told through a video game, a comic book and possibly other forms of media. We've already seen this with Lost, True Blood and Avatar to name a few examples.

A good question was raised during this discussion. What is the difference between what was called "synergy" in the 90s and what is now "transmedia"? The synergy they were talking about was when, to help promote a movie, the company would sell related toys or books. Here is how the panel differentiated the two:

• Synergy - Done just to make more money. Quality wasn't of uppermost importance. Exploiting the media window.
• Transmedia - Done to enrich the world of the story and the characters. Expands the creative output. Done for the fans.

Transmedia shares a lot with fan fiction, fans creating their own stories based on the characters in television shows, books, movies, etc. Communal storytelling is a big part of transmedia. Henry Jenkins wrote about transmedia storytelling in his 2006 book, Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide.

The panel all felt that transmedia storytelling will be the wave of the future and all forms of media will be involved. An example might be characters from games being downloaded to your mobile phone app for you to make changes and transport them back to the game. One of the biggest challenges in transmedia is that all of these different forms of media production have very different timelines, so getting them ready at the same time, if that is the goal, can be a difficult one.

Going through my email later that night, I found a press release from Warner Bros. with this "Warner Premiere today announced it is creating two live-action, multi-platform digital series with top Hollywood talent.  Warner Premiere continues to be committed to developing cutting-edge content for a new generation of consumers who fluidly watch content on multiple screens. Both these series capitalize on the flexibility of digital platforms to both present unique stories in short bites, and to also offer viewers additional complementary content that further flushes out the stories’ mythologies and characters’ backgrounds...The first titles produced under this agreement will be the futuristic survival tale H + from blockbuster Director / Producer Bryan Singer, and Aim High, the High School action, thriller from multitalented Producer and Director McG."

Is the future of entertainment already here?

To keep up with transmedia projects, follow the Transmedia Tracker Blog. I thank them also for the wonderful graphic above.

The speakers on the transmedia panel were:
Jeff Gomez, President, Starlightrunner
Allen DeBevoise, Chairman & CEO, Machinima.com
Danny Bilson, Exec. VP, Core Games, THQ
Frank O'Connor, Franchise Development Director, Microsoft Halo
Moderator: Ted Cohen, Managing Partner, TAG Strategic


See also:
Sony Virtual World Free Online Games for Teens and Tweens

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This is an update of the 7/23/2010 article Pop Culture Classic Etch-A-Sketch Toy 50th Anniversary and Contest.

Parents of teens today, that are buying their kids Magna Doodles and similar devices, all grew up owning an Etch-A-Sketch. Released in 1960, the Etch-A-Sketch was beloved by Baby Boomers all over and is probably just as much a part of our toy pop culture history as hula hoops and monopoly.

Even with the competition of toys like Magna Doodle, Etch-A-Sketch is still a very popular toy, sold by the Ohio Art Company. More than 150 million units have been sold since 1960. This year, 2010, Etch-A-Sketch and the Ohio Art Company are celebrating their 50th anniversary.

After all these years, a new version of Etch-A-Sketch has been developed and is on sale. Etch-A-Sketch Glow Sketch allows kids to draw with yellow, green and red colors and has seven different light effects. While parents might still love their old classic gray doodles, kids might get more of a kick out of the day glow colors and flashing lights.

Do you still have an Etch-A-Sketch? Have you ever bought one for you kids, or better yet, handed down your childhood toy to them? True classic toys never go out of style. And updated toys like Etch-a-Sketch Glow Sketch might help a new generation discover them.

See also: uDraw Game Tablet for the Nintendo Wii

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This is the last of a series of eight posts I have been writing on teens and money. With all the lessons that teens and young adults must learn, it really all comes down to being responsible. Just as we try to teach them, as they get older, to be responsible when they drive, drink or have sex, they need to become financially responsible also.

American Express has two excellent websites for college students and young adults to learn financial responsibility:

1. Junior Achievement/American Express Personal Finance Center - I've mentioned this site in a few of my other teens and money posts. It can be accessed from the American Express PASS website. One very important area covered there that we never discussed is credit, credit cards and interest. This is an area that can be the downfall of many young adults and it is urgent that they understand.

2. Currency - A new website from American Express to help young adults and families with big decisions, planning & savings, and spending. The website consists or blogs, lessons and coursework. Some topics currently on the site are:

• Managing student loans
• Currency 101: What is Planning & Savings
• Buying your first car, without the headaches
• 4 tips for going back to grad school
• Secrets of extreme savers

In August, I signed up my son (a college student with spending issues) for the American Express PASS card so that I could evaluate it while writing this series of posts for American Express. It has been working out wonderfully. Both of us can monitor every transaction he makes online and can easily check his balance. I get email alerts when his balance gets low. He can use the PASS card as both a credit and debit card, so I only have one place to keep track of. And there is an ATM limit of $200 per week.

The best part of the PASS program is that it helped my son and I discuss his spending issues. As we went through the PASS website, we looked at the Money 101 page and talked about many of the issues I wrote about in the teenagers and money series of posts. He hasn't changed overnight, but at least we understand each other now and things are getting much better.

For more information or to sign your teenager or young adult up for the PASS card, go to the American Express/PASS website. To read the other seven posts in this series, click Money on the Labels widget in the middle sidebar.

Full disclosure: I am working with American Express on this series of blog posts about the PASS card and I am being paid for my writing. However, my son is using the card and everything I write about our experiences is authentic and my thoughts on the program are real.

See also: Is Your Teen Ready For a Credit Card?

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I attended a preview screening at the Paley Center for Media of the pilot episode of Blue Bloods, which will premiere on television this Friday night, 10/24, at 10pm ET on CBS. After the viewing, all the cast leads, Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes and Len Cariou and the writers and producer took the stage and spoke about Blue Bloods.

Blue Bloods is a drama about a family of New York City cops. It is filmed in New York, and as the cast said repeatedly, New York is a main character in the series. The pilot episode opens with New York, New York playing loud and clear.

If  you are thinking that there are already too many police shows on the air, that is what I thought until tonight. Blue Bloods differentiates itself by being more about a police family than a police show. Tom Selleck, the patriarch of the family and a widower, is the police commissioner and Len Cariou is his father. Wahlberg, Moynahan and Estes are Selleck's three children, the two sons are cops and his daughter is the assistant DA. The family dynamics are a joy to watch.

Glimpse a short preview of Blue Bloods here:



The acting of the ensemble cast is brilliant and very real. The writers previously worked on the Sopranos and the similarity in the two shows is the way that the profession is humanized. I don't usually like watching shows about organized crime, but I was a Sopranos fan because of the family part of it. That was also how I felt about Blue Bloods. It is so much more than just another police procedural. More than anything it is about family bonds.

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Why must you watch Community on NBC this year? The ratings were not great during its first year. However, many people never gave Community a chance because of competition from Flash Forward, Survivor and Vampire Diaries, all airing on Thursdays at 8pm. This season, The Big Bang Theory will be competing for the same viewers. However, I guarantee, that if you try it out, and get to know the Community characters, it will become on of your favorite television shows.

Here are the reasons you will love Community:

1. Pop Culture references - if you are a pop culture fan, Community will become your favorite TV series. This show competes with Family Guy, The Simpsons and The Gilmore Girls for pop culture references. Entire episodes are sometimes based on a movie or genre. See this slideshow that Television Without Pity put together of their Favorite Community Pop-Culture References.

2. The plot - A varied group of people come together in a study group at a community college. The community college is key. The characters are various ages and races. This is not a typical college story. Check out this Greendale Community College Website.

3. The cast - Joel McHale (Talk Soup) as a suspended lawyer (his degree was from Colombia, not Columbia University) leads the fantastic ensemble cast made up of Chevy Chase (never funnier), Gillian Jacobs, Danni Pudi, John Oliver, Ken Jeong (The Hangover), Donald Glover, Yvette Nicole Drown, Alison Brie and Jim Rash.

4. Connecting with your Teens - This is a fantastic show for parents and teens. The study group brings together a few traditional college age kids with people in their thirties through sixties and many of the plots are about them bonding. This is also a television series that teens will love and adults will also. My sons and I talk about Community regularly. Our favorite episode - "Modern Warfare", better known as "The Paintball episode" - watch it, will be yours also.

I know there is a good chance that you already watch something at 8pm on Thursday nights. Please record it or watch the other show online. The second season of Community begins 9/23 on NBC with guest star Betty White. Please watch it and let me know what you think. If you have time, watch a few episode's of season one online on NBC or Hulu to get ready. Enjoy.

See also: Top 10 TV Series With Pop Culture References

 

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The Social Good Summit, hosted by Mashable and the 92Y,was held today at the 92Y in NYC. During the rest of the week, the same partners will host a Digital Media Lounge at the 92Y for journalists, bloggers and NGO representatives to watch and participate in UN Week. Much of this will be made possible with help from Skype.

For the few of you that still don't know what Skype is, it is software that enables anyone with a free Skype account to make free video and voice calls, instant messages and share files with anyone else with a Skype account. Calls can also be made from Skype to landline and mobile phones at a very low cost.

What many of you might not have realized is that Skype is used for much more than just talking to friends and relatives. Today, during the Social Good Summit, Skype provided a connection to bring in CNN Hero, Doc Hendley, the founder and president of Wine to Water, a non-profit aid organization focused on providing clean water to needy people around the world. He spoke to the Summit, from Haiti, through Skype.

Skype got involved in the Social Good Summit because they had been in ongoing talks with the 92Y about ways that they could work together to bring speakers from all over the world to the Y. This week, at the Digital Media Lounge, they will Skype in to the Y in-person and high-level briefings digitally through a direct connection from inside the UN HQ. Interviews will also be enabled.

Was this a one time thing? Has Skype done anything else to help the social good? YOU BET! Here are but a few examples:

1. Peace One Day - Skype supports Peace One Day in its goals, which is to inspire a generation across the globe to become the driving force behind he vision of a united and sustainable world. A free Global Education Resource was developed for teachers and 12 -18 year olds. Skype supports the Intercultural Cooperation lesson which is designed to encourage positive conversations among students from around the world about making the world a better place.

2. Children's Hospitals - While not a formal initiative, Skype has been used by young cancer patients that are feeling well but can't go back to school because of low immunity. With Skype they can not only watch the classroom but they can participate as well.

3. Skype in Maternity Wards - Skype certified Asus Videophones have been placed in many maternity wards in hospitals in Europe so that new mothers can share the joy of their new baby and stay in touch with friends and family during this important time in their lives.

The many business and personal benefits of Skype are too numerous to mention, but the best one relating to this blog is parents and teens being able to see each other when the teenagers go away to college. And a side benefit is being able to see their dorm rooms, which if they are total slobs, might make you decide never to Skype your teens again.

Thanks to Brianna Reynaud, Senior Manager, Public Relations, for Skype, for allowing me to interview her for this article.

See also:  
Skype Mobile - Talk Free with Skype On the Go
Heart Gallery NYC - Unique Program Finds Adoptive Parents for Foster Children

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There are only three more weeks until the 2nd annual AllyKatzz Tween Girl Summit. The 2010 Summit will be held in NYC on October 10, 2010. It is an all day event for tween girls ages 8-14 and their parents. There is still room left, but it will fill up fast.

During the Summit, 250 Tween Girls from across America will join together to Speak Up, Be Heard and Change The World. During the day there will be panels, famous speakers, crafts, awards, meals, celebrities and more. On of those celebrities, Monique Coleman, of High School Musical and Dancing with the Stars, will be a keynote speaker. Her new online show GIMME MO' recently launched.

Parents and tweens will attend separate Summit sessions. Then at night, everyone reunites for the big event Red Carpet and Concert, featuring Mitchel Musso of Hannah Montana. Tiffany Thornton of Sonny with a Chance will be on hand for most of the day and will also be performing at the concert. For more information and registration go to the Tween Summit website. I will be there covering the summit, and interviewing many of the speakers. Even though I have only sons, I'm looking forward to this.

Added: Wonderful Women of Tween Summit 2010

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Or will at least give you the vocabulary to sound smarter. I could add this to my list of Top 10 Benefits of Watching Television. Be sure to keep your Dictionary.com app open while you watch:

1.  Glee: Musicals may take center stage, but Jane Lynch’s ego-maniac Cheerio’s Coach Sue Sylvester uses some advanced vocabulary to insult her enemies. The next time you run into trouble, you may want to try: “I realize my cultural ascendance only serves to illuminate your own banality.” Or perhaps, “Even your breath stinks of mediocrity.” Burn!

2.  The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: It may be about truthiness and laughs, but The Daily Show, not unlike “The Colbert Report,” holds a lexical secret: its guests. Colbert and Stewart give air time to academics who address provocative and complex topics using some of the most advanced language on TV…before they’re lampooned, that is. 

3.  Fringe: Known for its quality research, this sci-fi series uses actual science terminology in entertaining and far-fetched ways. Crack open those textbooks and prepare to expand your vocabulary on fringe science topics such as mutants, rare diseases, chimeras and teleportation.

4.  Top Chef: The Emmy-winning reality TV competition is a delectable way to develop your taste buds and vocabulary. Its user-friendly cooking terminology may help you decipher a few challenging cookbook terms of your own. TV never sounded this tasty.

5.   Sesame Street: Ask any parent whose kids watch Elmo and Big Bird and you’ll learn how much viewers of any age glean from the show, with its references aimed at both grown-ups and children. “Sesame Street” is arguably the great refresher course.

6.  Yo Gabba Gabba: Brad Pitt played one of its characters this past Halloween, confirming this fun, kitschy, live-action show is special. Infectious songs and great lessons make this show entertaining and educational.   

7.   True Blood: For such a guilty pleasure, this vampire drama offers a remarkably sophisticated vocabulary. Mythological references are rampant, but medical, historical and political references sneak in like steamed vegetables blended into mashed potatoes. Sit back, relax and let the mythical adventures take your ears for a ride.

8.    Mad Men: Alas, we have another reason, besides Don Draper’s painfully good looks and Betty Draper’s perfect execution of 1960’s fashion, to watch this Emmy-winning drama. Proper grammar, ad agency lingo and subtle historical references make this show a vocabulary-expanding experience.  

What television shows do you think make you smarter? 

List provided by dictionary.com

See also: Top 10 TV Series With Pop Culture References 

 

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Here are three new young adult novels for teenagers that are anywhere between not released yet and a year old. These YA books are on completely different topics but what they have in common their ability to interest and delight teens.

1. Prisoners in the Palace by Michaela MacColl - Fans of historical fiction, Queen Victoria, or intrigue and romance will love this. MacColl, a first time author, his written a riveting tale about a poor 16 year orphan Liza, who accepts the position of lady's maid to a young Princess Victoria in 1838. Is it possible that her changing circumstances may offer Liza the chance to determine her own fate, find true love, and secure the throne for her future queen?

Liza is a wonderfully written character, yet she is only one of many reasons that Prisoners in the Palace is so enjoyable. There is a great deal of real historical detail, so the novel is as educational as it is riveting. For ages 12 and up, to be released October 13th.

2. Spotting for Nellie by Pamela Lowell - Two teenage sisters, both high school gymnasts, get into a car accident that leaves one with a traumatic brain injury. Each short chapter is told from a different person's point of view. One of the views is even that of Nellie's brain (the injured sister). Topics such as teen drinking and peer pressure are discussed in Spotting for Nellie.

This is the second novel from Pamela Lowell, a clinical social worker, who also wrote Returnable Girl. Lowell ties in themes of guilt, morals and decision making to add a great deal for teens to think about while they are reading this novel. Ages 13 and up.

3. Fade to Blue by Sean Beaudoin - Since this is a very offbeat YA novel, I'm going to give you the description printed on the book:

Sophie Blue started wearing a black skirt and Midnight Noir lipstick on her last birthday. It was also the day her father disappeared. Or spontaneously combusted. Which is sort of bad timing, since a Popsicle truck with tinted windows has started circling the house.

Acclaimed author Sean Beaudoin's wildly innovative novel combines uproarious humor with enough plot twists to fill a tube sock. Part thriller, part darkly comic philosophical discussion, and accompanied by a comic book interstitial, Fade to Blue is a whip-smart romp that keeps readers guessing until the last paragraph.

Fade to Blue is not a conventional novel. It is a young adult novel for teens that like something different. It has comic books and goth outfits, science fiction, satire and paranoia. If you like quirky, inventive and well written books, check out Fade to Blue. Ages 14 and up.

Which of these young adult books do you think your teenager will like best?

See also:  
2 Essential Books for Parents of Teenagers
YA Authors and Musicians Take On Bullying
18 New YA Books for Teens in 2011
YA Book Review: The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball

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Teaching your teenagers how to budget money is not easy but is one of the most important things you can do for them. Although they might not actually need a budget while they are still a teen due to lack of money, they need to learn before they begin their first real job.

To teach your teens about budgeting, I would first explain to them what a budget is and show them on paper how it works. However, to fully understand how a budget works, they will have to do it with real money. Here is where you will need to take a little leap of faith with them.

You will need to give them money in advance for something that you usually dole out in increments. Their age will determine what that is. If you give your tween lunch and snack money each day, give him a week's worth at a time. For an older teen, try giving a quarterly clothing, hair or video games allowance. Now they have money that they must budget to last a certain amount of time or they won't be happy in the end.

Since you probably won't want your teenager to hold onto all that money in cash, an American Express PASS card account is a perfect place to deposit it. It is a safe and easy way to give teens money 24/7 online or by phone. If it is lost or stolen, American Express will replace the funds. And both you and your teen can easily check the account balance and recent purchases, which will help make budgeting easier. Cardholders can take out money at any ATM and also treat the PASS card as a credit card.

To get teens and young adults even more excited about the PASS program, American Express now offers special prices for PASS cardholders in the PASS/Sony Music Store. This is just another benefit for teens, in addition to purchase protection, roadside assistance and Money 101 tips.

Parents, don't forget that tomorrow, September 16th is The National Money Night Talk with Jean Chatzky and American Express.

Full disclosure: I am working with American Express on this series of blog posts about the PASS card and I am being paid for my writing. However, my son is using the card and everything I write about our experiences is authentic and my thoughts on the program are real.

See also:
Teenagers and Money - Most Important Lesson to Share?
Teens and Money: Help for Parents with The Money Talk 
Teens and Money - What about Allowance? 
Teens and Money - Understanding Needs vs. Wants 
Teens and Money - 4 Websites Teaching Financial Literacy 
Teens and Money - Cash, Credit or Debit Cards?

 

 

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I have a great post for you today - a guest post by Saul Austerlitz, the author of the wonderful book Another Fine Mess: A History of American Film Comedy.

Through the Decades: Top 10 Great American Comedies

By Saul Austerlitz

Comedy is mostly without honor. Too often, comedy is treated as the bastard stepchild of American film. Rarely nominated for Academy Awards, or accorded the respect of a thoughtful newspaper review, comedies are considered the most disposable product of an industry dedicated to producing alluring but insubstantial goods. And yet, comedy has always been one of the richest veins of American cinematic culture.

Here is a starter list of great American comedies - with one film chosen each of the past 5 decades. For a complete list of classics, see my book Another Fine Mess: A History of American Film Comedy, which has my selection of the 100 greatest American comedies ever made.

1. Dr. Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick, 1964)
Dr. Strangelove is a Cold War comedy of frustration, whose scramble to avoid nuclear calamity is repeatedly spoiled by homegrown idiocy, knavery, and right-wing quackery -- much of it in the form of star Peter Sellers, who plays three roles here. Director Stanley Kubrick once said of Strangelove star Peter Sellers, "There is no such person." Seeing Dr. Strangelove, one begins to understand. Each character Sellers played bore so little relation to the others that it was nearly impossible to believe the same actor was behind them all. Possessed with a bursting enthusiasm for the glories of the post-apocalyptic, Sellers' Dr. Strangelove is the dark angel of the mushroom cloud. Confined to a wheelchair, with an enormous upswept quiff of hair, and a single black glove, he is a lavishly ornamented peacock in a sea of buzzcuts.

2. Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)
Annie Hall (1977) had begun life as a loose-jointed mystery story before preview screenings decisively demonstrated that audiences preferred the relationship drama to the ostensible suspense plot. Even without the mystery story, Annie Hall is still two films in one: one a loose-jointed comedy in the vein of Allen's earlier Sleeper, and the other a tender romance offering the first glimmers of Allen's serious side. The looseness of Allen's earlier work is unchanged, but the Marshall McLuhan cameos, animated sequences, flashbacks, and direct addresses to the camera are now all newly relevant, puzzle pieces for Annie Hall's mixed-up jigsaw of human frailty. Annie Hall is one of the director's funniest, and most touching, films, and the addition of Allen and Diane Keaton's charming, messy, unsalvageable relationship to the template established by Bananas and Sleeper transforms Annie Hall into something entirely new for Allen: a somber comedy.

3. Lost in America (Albert Brooks, 1985)
The criminally underrated Albert Brooks takes that late 1960's classic of rebel culture, Easy Rider, and turns it inside-out for the go-go 1980's, crafting a parable of easily tempered yuppie rebellion. Distraught at the collapse of his ambitions -- he'd picked out the new Mercedes and everything!  -- Brooks' brittle yuppie convinces his wife to leave Los Angeles behind and explore the wide-open spaces of America. What they find is tragically, hilariously meager. The more delusional his characters, the happier Brooks is as a filmmaker.

4. The Big Lebowski (Joel Coen, 1998)
Looking for the missing trophy wife of a wheelchair-bound industrialist also named Lebowski, Jeff Bridges' Dude encounters the Coen brothers' broadest-ever array of screwballs and cranks: vaginally fixated performance artists, sex-offending bowlers, and wandering cowboys, drifted over from some other Wild West. The Big Lebowski is a wormhole down which one can disappear and never return. Lebowski is a marvel, being essentially a single, film-length shaggy-dog tale enclosed within an astonishingly tight script. The Big Lebowski is Raymond Chandler refracted through the perspective of a drug-addled hippie, The Long Goodbye if Elliott Gould's Marlowe had chosen not to refrain from smoking a joint with his neighbors. The Dude abides.

5. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (Adam McKay, 2004)
Like Lebowski, another bottomless treasure-trove of quotable lines. Will Ferrell's performance as a narcissistic San Diego newscaster is nothing short of brilliant, with notes of carefully honed self-absorption mingling with defensiveness, clumsy aggression, and a trace of wounded romanticism. Ron Burgundy is a marvelous caricature, half-cad and half-buffoon, the kind of guy who, when summoned onstage at a jazz club, professes surprise as he pulls a flute out of his jacket pocket. Ferrell is the ringmaster here for a glittering cast that includes Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, and Christina Applegate, his parody of oily self-assurance putting the entire film into air-quotes.

© 2010 Saul Austerlitz, author of Another Fine Mess: A History of American Film Comedy

See also: 
75 Classic Movies Teens Should See!

20 Fall Movies for Teens 2010

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