Watchmen

To my husband Tim's dismay, I am not an 'adventure' movie chick. In fact I refuse to watch 24 because it is all suspense. Nor am I a comics fan. Thus, I was not thrilled to see Watchmen. However, I killed two birds with one stone--I was able to tune into teens as well as accompany Tim to a movie of his liking (as opposed to the usual chick flick).

When we arrived at the theater I was concerned that teens would not be able to see Watchman as it was rated R. Who was I kidding though? Of course teens were able to finagle into the movie (I don't think the ticket sellers cared anyway). The theater was packed with high-schoolers. I know because of their young faces but there were also other clues...such as the comment "This movie sucks!" during the playing of the film.

Not too surprising to me, I did not enjoy the film. Aside from the boisterous critic, many teens did seem to enjoy the film as I heard rumblings of "Yeah, it was good" as we filed out of the theater after nearly three long hours.

I think many teens, particularly males, enjoy this film because it brings a popular comic to life, is chockful of fight scences and gore, and has serious female nudity (there is male nudity as well).

Overall I think any excuse to get out of the house and hang out with friends would appeal to teens, no matter what the movie is.

TeenVogue

Since I read a more traditionally male oriented magazine last week, I picked up a magazine geared more towards teen girls this week.

This week I read the Dec/Jan 09 issue of TeenVogue. I remember devouring CosmoGirl and Seventeen magazines when I was a young teen and can easily see why teen girls today review this magazine.

TeenVogue is very fashion-oriented. Several articles offer advice on the latest "trends" in clothes, shoes, and make-up. There was another article that showcased how to make your own fake fur coat! Additionally, there are numerous fashion ads throughout the magazine. There were many young celebrities (think Kristen Stewart, Hayden Panettiere, etc.) showcased in the mag as opposed to the older crowd (Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Aniston, etc.).

Besides fashion, TeenVogue also had many articles that seem to be of great interest to teens. One article, "Hot Topic: Embarrassing Parents" surely hits home to many teens. I found the article to be funny as well as probably reassuring to many teens. I think this magazine will stay in business for quite a while.

Skateboarder Magazine

This week I explored Skateboarder magazine. I was surprised by how entertained I was by this mag's content (since I'm not a skater). I found myself caught up in reading all the interviews and can easily see why YAs enjoy this mag.

There was an "Either/Or" page where the interviewee picked between two choices. Chad TimTim (the interviewee this month) said "It's gotta be snoop!" for "Snoop Dogg or Warren G". Another interview offered love advice--"Don't be scared with girls, just go for it. What's the worst that could happen?" There were many other columns that were easy to read and entertaining. For instance, the article titled "Face Off" pitted two skaters against each other to answer questions and the one with the most correct answers wins.

I think teens (particualrly boys) suscribe or check this mag out because it has very down-to-earth qualities. For example, when Josh Kalis described what he does in Grand Rapids, he wrote, "I really don't know what this bar is like on a daily basis, but Friday nights on the second floor are dope." Plus, the mag is loaded with awesome photography depicting various skateboard stunts. Another appealing aspect of this mag may be it's "bad-boyness" because there are quite a few swear words littered throughout the mag.

T.I.

Today I listened to T.I.'s Paper Trail CD. I have to say that I am not really into rap, but I found myself humming along to the chorus of many of T.I.'s songs. While I am not a huge fan of T.I., I do also respect the community service projects he has been involved in (he has several videos relating to the seriousness of gun violence on his offical website and you can pruchase a t-shirt designed by T.I. with the proceeds going to Urban Farming and the K.I.N.G. foundation).

I think teens like T.I. for several reasons. First, he is hip and now. He has appeared on many award shows, has his own show and he has done collaborations with many artists (Justin Timberlake, Snoop Dog, and Akon). T.I. has also started a clothing line and many of his songs are played often on the radio and tv. Also, I discovered that teens (or any fan for that matter) can have a very hands-on role on T.I.'s website. You can become a member, post videos, leave comments, post photos, join a group, etc. When fans feel like they are involved, I think they become loyal followers.

The NEW 90210

Adventure 2 into the teen world...watching the new 90210!!!

After watching this week's episode, I can see why today's teens watch this show and ones like it. Who doesn't love boyfriend/girlfriend/friend drama and betrayal? Soaps are just the "adult" version. Obviously these are time-honored themes because I can remember devouring the same topics during shows like Dawson's Creek and Seventh Heaven. This new crop of teen shows just seems to be a little more scantily clad. Seriously!? I could not dress like Annie in my high school!!!

I really see the value in staying in touch with TV shows that are popular with teens. These shows keep you in the loop with common phrases and fashion at least. Plus, forget bills and mortgages!, shows like 90210 remind you about the issues that teens feel are paramount in life. : )

Week one: teenspot.com

Today I discovered that in addition to facebook and MySpace, there is another social network called teenspot.com that it used by teens.

The format resembles MySpace. One feature I found really interesting is the ability to leave a "voice comment" on an individual's page, somewhat like a voice mail. Other features that seemed to be used were the chat and message boards.

The chat room with the most people in it (563) was on titled, "Singles". I didn't realize how interested teens were in finding boyfirends/girlfriends....if that is the goal of that chatroom.