Disney Channel? Get a Clue.

So, the other day I was lounging around with my seven year old sister (as I often do) and we were watching the Disney Channel (also as I often do) when I came to realize something. There's this trend I see in children's television. Well, it's a trend not only IN children's television, but I find it most disturbing in that category. I really could care less what adults watch. They're older and presumably wiser. Anyway, getting to the point, the trend I noticed was this OBSESSION with celebrity life seeping into these kids' shows and movies.

I don't know why this irked me so much but it did. Just think about how many children/teen shows are out there that have something to do with fame of some kind. There's "Hannah Montana," of course, but there's also iCarly where Carly (the main character) gains popularity through a web show. She even goes to award shows and gets sponsors and meets celebrities. Then there's "Sonny with a Chance," an entire comedy, based on the backstage life of working on a television show. Oh, and how can we forget "Jonas"--the Jonas Brothers' show where they play...you guessed it, insanely famous popstars! And if that wasn't enough, the Disney Channel came out with an original movie recently titled "Starstruck" that I caught the other night with my sister. It centers around a famous singer and depicts him dealing with tabloids, the paparazzi, screaming fans, and how his life is oh-so-hard.

Now, this whole fascination with the life of the rich and famous seems harmless and fun. No violence, no inappropriate sexual content, not even any harsh language. But, what bothers me about this whole trend is the concept. Entertainment about the entertainment industry? What? Why is that so popular? Why would kids want to see stuff about celebrity life? What makes it so fascinating? Obviously, it's a sort of escapism for adults. Something they can watch and fantasize about, knowing it's just mindless fun and something that holds no real value. But, kids? What are they learning from these shows? How to be true to their fans? How to handle tabloids and the press? I wouldn't mind ONE show about being a star and handling fame...but it's EVERYWHERE. And none of them have any substance to them or pertain to real life at all. Why not create shows kids can actually RELATE to? Shows that depict problems that they go through on a daily basis. That way, they get something out of watching T.V. and don't turn into fame-obsessed, tabloid-reading, E-news-watching zombies when they grow up.