Sunday, May 17, 2009

iCan't Stand iCarly

Not only is it a mediocre show with poor writing and bad acting, but iCarly sends out a bad message to young kids.

In the show, best friends Carly and the tough and gross Sam (short for Samantha, I assume) do live webshows that are supposed to be funny while their pathetic friend Fred, who is one of the many boys who have a crush on Carly, produces the show. Their brand of humor is totally random and nonsensical. If you're into that kind of stuff, great. But I feel like it's just weirdness for the sake of being weird. They have a segment called "Random Dancing" in which they just dance randomly as the name implies. How is that funny? Maybe if they danced in a funny way it would be entertaining. Maybe if they dance well it would be entertaining. They also have stupid skits. One was about some sort of space cheerleader. Another was about a girl who thinks a guy's mustache is a squirrel.

I would be okay with all the weirdness if my sister weren't copying everything she watches on T.V. She's like a parrot. I caught her repeating lines from a J.G. Wentworth (a company that gives out loans) commercial. "It's my money and I want it now!"

Let's start with the name of the show. Why are they promoting Apple?

What really ticks me off is how these weirdos make fun of people who are just as weird as they are. Spencer's (Carly's older brother and guardian) strange antics include owning a ostrich, owning a collection of crazy socks, swimming in a giant coffee cup and making tacos filled with spaghetti. Sam has bad hygene, violent tendencies and a mother who neglects her. Fred is a mama's boy, a geek with a crazy, overbearing mother. Yet when a chubby kid takes off his shirt and dances around, they all run out of the restaurant because they are weirded out. I feel bad for the kid who plays the chubby kid, Gibby, because the writers make him take off his shirt frequently. I can't believe they would exploit his physique like that. That boy may have self-esteem issues later on in his life.

Another instance is when they have freakshow segments on their show. Once they had a little kid come and drink blended food. I think it was a spaghetti smoothie. The "freaks" are treated with as much respect as those "freaks" exploited in the circus.

In one episode Carly dates a bad boy with a pretty face. The fact that my sister watches this pubescent girl suck face with a delinquent makes me want to bang my head on the keyboard repeatedly. Carly is attracted to bad boys. Then she starts sneaking around to make out with him. Are we still talking about a kids' show here? Then, when she finds out that he is an avid collecter of pee wee babies, she dumps him. I mean, just because he has an unmanly hobby? Just because it's weird? Thanks for teaching my sister how to be shallow and a hypocrite at the same time, Nickelodeon.

The fact that a show about a web show doesn't explore issues with internet safety is unsettling. Wouldn't Carly regret posting videos of herself sticking things up her nose while wearing a coconut bra a few years from now when she needs a job?

What do you think about iCarly and other recent TV shows?

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