Sesame Street is gearing up for its 40th anniversary season in a big way. Not only is Big Bird featured on the Google Doodle today, but the show is saying it will be "updated" for the anniversary season, which starts Nov. 10.

The new season will reportedly feature lots of celebrities, including First Lady Michelle Obama.

It's funny -- as much as kids love Sesame Street, I think they also reject it pretty quickly as they reach the age of, say, 5.

Mine aren't even willing to be nostalgic about it. In fact, to tease them every once in a while, I talk in Elmo's voice and ask them to pleeeeeze come back. They have a great time running away from "Elmo" and up to their Pokemon cards and R.L. Stine books.

(Associated Press photo)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 9:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (24)
Categories: Television
        

The day after the most boring Jon & Kate show yet comes the news that Michelle Duggar, of the TLC show "18 Kids and Counting," is pregnant with her 19th.

It made all the moms around here cringe -- how could anyone possibly take care of all those children?

But then I thought about a family of 10 I interviewed several years ago for a story on motherhood. The parents were very organized, so that the older kids did lots of helping, and often watched the younger ones. Things ran much more smoothly than they did in my household of four.

The mom told me her craziest times were when she was alone with just the youngest two or three kids. So maybe there's something to having a really big family.

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 2:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Television
        

Tonight on John & Kate Plus 2 watch Jon & Kate Plus 8, Kate takes her boys out west, to Wyoming.She even wades into a chicken coop in high heels.

Kate S.: I feel that she's wearing inappropriate shoes on purpose.

John: So she can complain about girly girl moments?

Kate S.: Yes.

Meanwhile, Jon is home with the girls. They are catching bugs. Jon altruistically reminds them that all the bugs and worms should "return to nature" at the end.

Kate is back out west, riding ATVs with th e little guys.

Jon: "Kate is not wearing a helmet. Obama got so much grief, she should get grief."

Kate S.: "I agree."

Kate has changed from heels to boots, with a cowboy hat thrown in. But she belies her obsessive-girly ways by telling the head cowboy that "screaming is like breathing to me."

Meanwhile, there is a gratuitous close-up of horse poop.

John: "Highlight of the trip!"

Jon takes the little girls to the dentist. Now there's a fun job. Leah has two cavities, and Alexis is jealous because she only has one. Jon thinks that's funny.

Kate S.: I love that Jon thinks cavities are 'hilarious.'

Back out west, Kate mentions this trip has been 'paparrazzi-free,' which means "everything in the world." And the boys have adopted a cat who seems to be living in their cowboy hats. Uh-oh, now the cat is running away.

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 9:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The search term "babies on skates" is tearing it up on Google Trends right now as a result of this might-be-amusing, might-seem-creepy ad:

I must say I found myself laughing at the computer-generated skater tots, just as I crack up at the E*trade commercials with this jaded "baby":

Why it's funny to me, I don't know. I'm in no hurry for babies to grow up; since mine are now 6 and 8, I'm already missing their infant selves.

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 12:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Television
        

Tonight Jon & Kate Plus 8 finished their two-part crossover series with the stars of "American Chopper." John & Kate Plus 2 did not watch the first part. They learn that the "American Chopper" guys are here to help Jon design a bike of his own because….well, just because he’s Jon.

Kate G. talks on the couch about watching "American Chopper."
Kate S.: “Do you think Kate really watched "American Chopper?”
John: “In ‘days gone by.’ At least she gets to stretch out on the couch now that Jon’s not in the picture.”
Biker Paul Senior is impressed with Jon’s interest in the bike being built for him. The Gosselin children, meanwhile, aren’t much of a focus of the show.
Kate S. “So what do you think is going on with the kids lately?”
John: “They’re raising themselves. As long as Jon and Kate are having fun.”
Kate S: “That is what it’s all about, right?”
Kate G. talks about how much fun it was to have the bikers around to help entertain the kids. “I’d keep ‘em if I could,” she says.
John: “They’re thinking, ‘Why are we here?’” And why were the biker guys riding away in a minivan?”
Jon is seen at the bikers’ shop to help finish work on his new bike. He says as soon as he got there “they put me to work right away.” He is then seen being wheeled around on a cart. He gets some friendly shoves from Paul Senior.
Kate S.: “Even when they’re apart, Jon gets hit.”
Jon muses that this is the first time in a long time that he’s gotten to do guy things, and complains about living in a house with six women (and three sons).
Kate S.: “So do you feel you have a need to do guy things? Like that?”
John: “No. ‘Cause raising a family’s a guy thing.”
Kate S: “Yeah, right.”
John: “I think you need time to do your own thing, but it’s not necessarily building a chopper.”
Kate S.: “What would you do, if you had these limitless resources?”
John: “Follow Springsteen.”
Kate S. “That won’t work, because I’m coming too.”
Kate G. thinks the pink scooter the American Chopper guys made for her is a “mess.”
Kate S.: “At least she’s donating it to charity.”
Biker Mikey and Kate G. go to the spa.
Kate S. “Again, I ask, where are the children?”
John: “Being taken care of by their army of nannies. I guess the kids just aren’t that interesting.”
Kate S.: “I wouldn’t say this was.”
John: “Thing is, daily life isn’t all that interesting. You’ve got to manufacture things.”
Kate G. is seen taking her pink scooter to donate to the Ronald McDonald house, along with the kids in matching outfits.
Kate S.” Oh, there are the kids!”
Kate G. admonishes the kids about the horn one more time. Then she makes a point of telling the Ronald McDonald employee that she rode the scooter.
John: “She actually rode it, so it’s gone up 10 percent in value.”
Jon G. sums up the episode by saying, “I built the bike, I built relationships…”
John: “That’s the problem. He’s building too many relationships.”

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 10:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (39)
        

On tonight’s episode: Kitchen envy.
John thinks the opening scene is already anti-Jon, when Kate asks Jon if he even knows where the oven is.
John (to Kate G.): "Like you cook three meals a day."
Kate S.: "It's Emeril!
John: "So they're making chili mac for 8 kids? Can you imagine the aftermath? "
Kate S.: "Well, they're already talking about the bathroom."
John: "Don't light a match!"
Scene: The kids are snapping off the ends of fresh green beans.
Kate S.: "They're working with vegetables!"
John: "How would green bean casserole go over in our family?"
Kate S.: “Not. Well.”
Kate S.: “Now what do we think of Jon and Kate cooking together?”
John: “Probably the first time they've done it. Although it is a sin to have a kitchen like that and not be cooking in it constantly. That is the kitchen I want."
Kate S. "Are you saying our kitchen isn't good enough?"
John: “I’m saying you cannot have more than one person in there at a time. Especially with sharp knives.”
During a commercial break:
John: "Do we have any Sonics near us?"
Kate S.: "Why do you ask?"
John: “It just looks so...inviting.”
Kate S.: “I think the product placement is working.”
John: “We could go there and have witty conversations.”
Kate: "Is this your answer to the Obama date night?”
John: “In this economy? Yes.”
Scene: They show a "favorite moment" for the 100th episode.
Kate S.: “Are you kidding? A favorite moment is when a kid has an accident? How messed up is that?”
John: "I guess a lot of people liked it."
Scene: Back to the cooking...
John: "So they're doing a group dinner here. What are they missing?"
Kate S.: "I give up."
John: "Wine!"
Later:
John: "She hit Emeril! With a spatula!"
Kate: "You seem to think Emeril is some kind of god."
John: "There are issues with her hitting Jon. She may be a hitter. Let's hope she's not a biter."
Kate: "Hot sauce? Yikes."
John: “I see bad things coming.”
Kate S.: “Talk about your accidents...”
John: “I want to see if they actually eat this chili mac.”
Scene: The kids eat the chili mac.
John: “They like it. They even use their napkins. We're failures!”

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 10:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: John & Kate Plus 2 watch Jon & Kate Plus 8, Television
        

Tonight, John & Kate Plus 2 watched Jon & Kate Plus 8 -- again. Here's a partial recap of the John & Kate reaction to the Jon & Kate show (find a fuller account at Reality Check):

Scene: Jon is staying home with the kids, wearing a backwards baseball cap and serving a meal at a spotless table with tulips artfully arranged in the middle.

Kate S.: "What do you notice about their house?"

John: "That it's cleaner than ours."

Kate S: "And how does that make you feel?"

John: "It makes me feel inferior. Or like they have help."

Scene: Jon goes snowboarding away from home, albeit to help a disabled boy make it down a mountain, and the appointment just happened to land on Kate's birthday.

John: "You can miss your wife's birthday for a family emergency or a work trip that cannot be avoided, but not for a ski trip. He's just trying to stay out of the house while she's there."

Kate S: "For a work trip that cannot...be...avoided?"

Scene: After the kids are shown making surprise cakes for Kate at Baltimore's Charm City Cakes -- Kate G. lovingly says they "looked like a rainbow vomited" -- the Gosselins are shown being interviewed together! on the famous couch.

Kate S. "They're back together!"

John: "And they're looking at each other! All is well."

At the next commercial break:

Kate S.: "So have you learned anything about parenting so far?"

John: "No. Well -- do not use fertility drugs."

Kate S.: "They are looking much friendlier." (Notes the couple's bare feet almost touching on the coffee table in front of the interview couch.)

John: "They must have read the contract."

Scene: Jon says, apropos of nothing, that sometimes you'll see him interviewed separately from Kate this season. Sometimes they'll be in the chair together.

John: "So it means nothing."

Kate S.: "It's all a game."

John: "Yep."

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (50)
Categories: John & Kate Plus 2 watch Jon & Kate Plus 8, Television
        

Lots of you who commented under my John and Kate Plus 2 watch Jon and Kate Plus 8 post the other day were worried about how all the marital strife being aired on the popular reality show is affecting the eight Gosselin kids.

Now, so is the state of Pennsylvania, where the family lives.

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor is looking into whether "Jon & Kate Plus 8," produced by Maryland-based TLC, complies with child labor laws. According to the Associated Press story, TLC is saying it complies with state laws and regulations when it films the show.

It will be interesting to see what this investigation turns up, if anything. But in the meantime, I can't help but wonder if it will add yet more stress to the lives of these kids.

(Associated Press photo by Carolyn Kaster)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 1:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
Categories: Television
        

Guest Dad and blogging columnist Andy Ratner wonders today about those cell-phone-minute commercials that make moms -- but, he argues, more frequently dads -- look bad.

Here's Andy:

Continue reading "Who looks worse in commercials -- mom, or dad?" »

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 6:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Television
        

Are you cutting down on cable to save money? You might be able to catch up with your favorite shows and movies online for less.

Arts+Labs, a collaboration between technology companies and the creative community, has a good list here of web sites that have free and low-cost shows for both adults and kids, including fancast.com, hulu.com, and more. 

Do any of you use these sites for family entertainment in lieu of TV? If so, what are the pros and cons? Are the kids as comfy in front of an online show as they are watching TV?

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 1:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Television, Tip Sheet Thursdays
        

I finally got a chance to catch a repeat episode of Snoop Dogg's "Father Hood" reality show on E! yesterday. In case you haven't tuned in yet, the show follows the rapper's attempt to balance his job as an entertainer with life with his wife and three children.

The show opens with Dogg singing (more or less): "This ain't the Huxtables/But we're living comfortable/And I don't make my kids eat their vegetables."

He can't keep them from scratching his Porsche, either, while he's off in New York at the VH-1 Hip-Hop awards in the episode I saw from last season. As soon as his father leaves, his 10-year-old son -- supposedly being watched by older "honorary son" Anthony -- rifles through the rapper's closet and struts around wearing something that makes him look like a Red Velvet Rabbit. The 10-year-old and his 13-year-old brother persuade Anthony to take them out for a ride in the Porsche. (Snoop Dogg's younger daughter is off with her parents in New York.)

Dogg doesn't break much of a sweat when he learns the Porsche has been towed (though he doesn't see the scratch). We don't see him speaking very sternly to anybody.

Have you been watching this show? What does it say to you about fatherhood and celebrity?

(Photo of Snoop Dogg and his wife, Shante Broadus, by Jason DeCrow/Associated Press)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Father's Day Tuesday, Screen Time, Television