Granny Ranny's Coming Attractions

The game I am writing about is Ben 10: Alien Force and the reason I think it would be a great balance to a roundup of scarier adult fare is that it’s one recommendation you can make that is family-friendly, but certainly is appropriate to Halloween, as the game hinges on the fact that Ben Tennyson, the game’s here, can transform into several alien creatures—not unlike a kid putting on a monster Halloween costume, except for Ben, transforming into aliens gives him incredible powers!

Ben 10: Alien Force is based on Cartoon Network’s hit television series of the same name and, like the series, takes place 5 years after the events of last year’s game and television series, Ben 10: Protector of Earth. Last year’s Ben 10 game was an enormous success, surpassing 1.7 million copies sold worldwide, and recently achieving “Greatest Hits” status on the PlayStation 2.

Ben 10: Alien Force comes out from D3Publisher during Halloween week, shipping to stores October 28. The game is for Wii, PlayStation 2, PSP and DS.

Parents have complained about in appropriate sexuality in the media for decades. The latest offerings in television, movies, video games, the entertainment press and even cartoons elevate this concern to a whole new level. American culture seems to be spinning out of control, and today’s “role models” present parenting challenges unlike those faced by previous generations. Sexy content is marketed aggressively to children and, without the emotional sophistication to understand what they are seeing, kids are getting into increasing trouble emotionally and socially.

Jean Kilbourne, EdD, internationally known expert on media and culture, will discuss the effects of sexualized media and advertising on children, and what pediatricians and parents can do to combat this problem. Dr. Kilbourne will explore these issues in an illustrated and entertaining format during a plenary session, “So Sexy So Soon: The Sexualization of Childhood,” slated for 11:55 am on Saturday, October 11, at the national meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics in Boston. Dr. Kilbourne is an award-winning author and documentary filmmaker, and a popular lecturer at colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada.

Big Idea’s 3-2-1 Penguins!® are back in action with the arrival of all new episodes this fall on the quboÒ children’s programming block beginning this Thursday! Now entering its third year on broadcast television, this wildly popular and highly anticipated series continues to boost Nielsen ratings as a top-rated show on qubo’s groundbreaking bilingual, multi-platform educational and entertainment network. Also returning as part of the fall lineup is Big Idea’s VeggieTales®, one of qubo’s top perennial favorites to round out the schedule. Both 3-2-1 Penguins and VeggieTales are properties of Big Idea, Inc., an Entertainment Rights group company.

3-2-1 Penguins!® Synopsis: Buckle up for all-new interplanetary adventures with Jason and Michelle, a pair of seven-year-old twins, and their four out-of-this-world penguin friends – Zidgel, Midgel, Fidgel and Kevin. New episodes debuting this fall find this space-travelin’ crew getting into all kinds of capers including a courtroom drama set in a futuristic chicken coop, a stranded spaceship and the perils of a newly discovered wormhole. Each episode is filled with important lessons and values such as not passing judgement too quickly, helping the helpless and being kind to others.

Start your television and rev up your excitement this fall, because a comical cast of canine friends is bringing high-octane fun to qubo this October with the world television premiere of TURBO DOGS. This new innovative 3-D CGI animated series debuts on qubo’s broadcast blocks on NBC, ION Television and Telemundo (**see network specific airtimes listed below**) on Friday, October 3 and Saturday, October 4 and follows the hilarious antics of Racerville, a wacky dog-filled community that’s wild about racing. TURBO DOGS features colorful canine characters who take children on an accelerated adventure filled with comedic high jinks, and fast racing action. TURBO DOGS will also air Sundays on qubo Channel.
Racerville is a world filled with dogs of all different shapes, sizes, temperaments and pedigrees – a lot like the human world! Only a paw-ful of Racertown’s dogs are Turbo Dogs: Dash, the selfless, enthusiastic competitor; GT, the natural-born mechanic who can build an engine from a leash, a collar and empty dog food cans; Mags, the less-than-girlie poodle; Strut, the dashound who always tries taking shortcuts that backfire; Stinkbert (aka “Stinky”), the dog who spends as much time rolling around at the garbage dump as he does with friends; and Clutch, the good guy with a penchant for klutziness. The rest of the community holds down “normal” jobs. There’s a Highway Patrol Dog, a TV Announcer Dog, a Concession stand Dog, avid Fandogs, and even a Master Mechanic Pit Crew Dog, to name a few. What brings this canine-based community together faster than a turbo-charged engine is their shared passion for motor sports. While TURBO DOGS features captivating storylines and non-stop fun – its emphasis on friendship, fair play, and teamwork, will help kids zoom away with somevaluable ‘rules of the road.’

“qubo will go full throttle when TURBO DOGS joins our schedule in October,” said Rick Rodriguez, president and general manager, qubo. “Not only will this original new series about racecar-driving dogs appeal to both boys and girls, and even their parents, it’s also perfectly geared towards qubo’s mission of delivering high-quality family entertainment that promotes literacy and pro-social values.” Added Deborah Forte, President Scholastic Media, “Scholastic Media is committed to bringing quality programming to children and families – and we are delighted to be able to deliver TURBO DOGS to qubo this fall. The show’s ability to uniquely portray teamwork, friendship and community, while at the same time deliver great stories and endearing characters contribute to making this a terrific family entertainment experience.”

TURBO DOGS is based on award-winning author-illustrator Bob Kolar’s picture book, Racer Dogs. TURBO DOGS is provided by Scholastic Media and is a CCI Entertainment/ HuHu Studios production. Executive producers are Arnie Zipursky (CCI/Can), Trevor Yaxley (HuHu/NZ), Rodney Macdonald (HuHu/NZ) and Jef Kaminsky (Scholastic/US). Producers are Kristine Klohk (CCI/Can) and Trevor Yaxley (HuHu/NZ).

BROADCAST NETWORK SCHEDULES FOR TURBO DOGS:

TURBO DOGS premieres on ION Television on Friday, October 3 and will air weekly on Fridays at 3:30 PM (ET)

TURBO DOGS premieres on NBC on Saturday, October 4 and will air weekly on Saturdays at Noon (ET)

TURBO DOGS premieres in Spanish on Telemundo on Saturday, October 4 and will air weekly on Saturdays at 8 AM (ET)

TURBO DOGS premieres on qubo Channel on Sunday, October 5 (at 9:30 AM, 3:30 PM, 9:30 PM, 3:30 AM ET)

I am so excited about our upcoming KIDS FIRST! Best Day and Awards Celebration, Saturday, October 9th at the Academy of TV Arts & Sciences in Los Angeles. Beginning at 10 a.m. and continuing until 5:30 p.m, we are premiering three new films designed for a tween/teen audience, plus announcing the first, second and third place winners in 30 plus different categories. Plus, we have an awesome group of talent scheduled to appear: Emily Osment from “Soccer Mom,” Brittany Curran from “The Adventures of Food Boy,” Aria Wallace from “Roxy Hunter: Myth of the Mermaid” and Kay Panabaker from “Moondance Alexander” “Prince and the Pauper.” Plus, last year’s Palmer-vision award recipient and ventroloquist, Mallory Lewis will be there to enterain along with her puppet Lamb Chop. Here’s a summary of our schedule:

10:00 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.

Welcome and presentation of KIDS FIRST! Best Awards

10:50 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Premiere screening of “Adventures of Food Boy,” starring Lucas Grabeel. Brittany Curran,and Kunal Sharmaare scheduled to appear.

12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Premiere screening of the new film, “Soccer Mom” starring Emily Osment who is scheduled to appear.

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Continuing presentation of KIDS FIRST! Best Awards

3:00 – 4:30

Premiere screening of the new film, “Roxy Hunter: Myth of the Mermaid” starring Aria Wallace who is scheduled to appear.

4:30 – 5:30

Continuing presentation of KIDS FIRST! Best Awards

For more details and tickets go here.