Article about Elmo and Ricky Gervais

[ISNorden]

Hello everybodeee!

I saw that clip on youtube, the actual clip I mean....not the article. I laughed so hard I nearly fell out of my chair. It was so great to see Sesame Street actually acting like....well........Sesame Street! Like when Kermit and Grover used to get into all kinds of silliness, or when Mr. Johnson ( ho ho ho.....lol Grover) would have all sorts of problems and yell. Or even the old grumpy grouchy Oscar. Besides, I loved that hard rock " NA NA NA NA NAAAAAAAA" part.

NA NA NA NA No kidding! As often as I've complained about Elmo dominating the show, I was glad to see him act like his old watchable self in that clip. However, Mrs. Freedman completely missed the point of the song--as several comment-writers have already stated. The "lullaby" framework wasn't meant to put Elmo or the viewers to sleep; it was chosen because the English language has a lot of familiar N-words associated with sleep and bedtime. The loud/quiet contrast, besides adding some non-sequitur humor, emphasizes the N-sound and helps the real lesson sink in. (I just wish Ricky and Elmo hadn't wasted so much time talking about celebrity status; that felt more like a Word on the Street segment than a proper intro to the song.)

By the way, Mrs, Freedman ought to check out the huge "What sketches scared you as a kid?" thread in the Classic Sesame Street section. If she needs proof that a few frightening kidvid moments won't traumatize her son for the rest of his life, we have it!

 

[APRena]

Okay, so if there were no comments about it, WHY are they making it an issue? "Didn't share our reaction..." A very good sign you're WRO-- needlessly overthinking it. Good for PBS for not giving in to them.

Just because something may have scared *your* little darling doesn't mean it should be whined about over the Internet. It's not going to change anything, no matter if you set up a petition to get whatever it is banned from television/the universe. Much worse "scary" things exist in the world, are you going to blog about all of that, too?

 

[Drtooth]

Just because something may have scared *your* little darling doesn't mean it should be whined about over the Internet. It's not going to change anything, no matter if you set up a petition to get whatever it is banned from television/the universe. Much worse "scary" things exist in the world, are you going to blog about all of that, too?

Here's the thing. Re-read the blog. it says NOTHING about her kid being scared by it.

Ricky Gervais' Dec. 22nd appearance on Sesame Street is getting plenty of positive reactions online, calling it "the best thing he has done in recent years." However, after watching his celebrity lullaby, we were just as shocked as Elmo.

The British comedian and the fuzzy redhead share some adorable banter as they discuss Gervais' celebrity status. The song begins with clever rhyming and a gentle tone (who knew Gervais had such a great voice?).

But when the chorus comes, it's a different story, with Gervais launching into an unexpected screech. Elmo is jolted out of bed, twice, scared and frazzled. At the conclusion of the nightmare-inducing song, Gervais offers Elmo a cup of soothing warm milk but the damage is already done, with the poor puppet's hair standing on end.

According to the people counters at the Public Broadcasting System, viewers didn't share our reaction. "As of today, Viewer Services didn't receive any comments of note from parents regarding that episode," PBS spokesperson Jake Landis tells ParentDish.

How that can be is beyond us. Kids need images of trustworthy grown-ups, especially as they're relaxing at bedtime. If this skit were made for adults, then maybe we'd find it funny. But as entertainment for children, it's just kind of weird.

You missed the boat on this one, Sesame Street.

Nothing about "My kid was frightened" or "My kid has a problem with it." I get "I'm a blowhatrd media watchdog that overthinks and over reacts and thinks kids need to be coddled to an extreme"

Read the comments. They all rip the author pretty good, saying what killjoy moron she really is.