I am still swooning from all the creative inspiration that I found this year at the PBS Annual Meeting. The PBS Kids VIPS were guests of PBS so that we might bring our readers more information on new AND tried and true programming on our favorite station! Very exciting this year is Mando, the new man (or should I say hombre) on Sesame Street, aka Ismael Cruz Cordova. I feel so lucky to have access to the people who embody these wonderful programs – here’s a clip of a little get to together I had with Rosita and Mando just after Mando’s debut. You can see how bad my Spanish really is.
I also found the introduction of Peg + Cat, a very artful new show with a female heroine that promotes math learning, to be particularly exciting, as I loved the combination of the illustrative aesthetic and mathematical thinking, along with some very fun original songs. We were also able to spend some time with the creators, Billy Aronson and Jennifer Oxley, who are literally TITANS – their individual bios include such classics as Beavis and Butthead and The Wonder Pets. They were incredibly generous with their time to discuss how the program developed, and I adored how they are so smart AND silly at the same time. Check out this clip of their new show, debuting this fall.
There was more than I can possibly explain, but spending time in Miami was a great way to start the summer – I had some GREAT dinners and terrific conversations with my fellow VIPs and can’t wait to see them (and the Fountainbleu) again.
Tomorrow morning PBS Kids will premiere Ready Jet Go!, its rocking new show from the creators of Dinosaur Train, complete with songs that make you want to dance and cool science facts from a real FEMALE NASA scientist. I first became aware of the show last spring when I attended PBS Annual Meeting in Austin. I was thrilled to meet creator Craig Bartlett, because Dinosaur Train was The Critter’s favorite for two years of his eight year life. I can recall Critter and I snuggling up to watch and singing the songs that didn’t bore or irritate me. I marveled at how he actually would retain the knowledge that I would have had a hard time grasping in college, due to the great writing and the interstitials with Dr. Scott the paleontologist. It was obvious to me that Ready Jet Go! would have the same effect, as I could not get the theme song out of my head. This is a good thing, because it may have FINALLY taught me all the planets in the solar system.
During our visit to NASA last summer we met up with Amy Mainzer, an actual rocket scientist who performs experiments on Ready Jet Go!, and were amazed at how cool (and un-selfconsciously gorgeous) she is. I am now always thinking that if I had known Amy and Craig back in my barely-passing-Astronomy college days, I probably would have aced the class. I have now watched Amy create a comet with her own two (heavily gloved) hands with every day materials, and listened to Craig perform new songs from the show that made me want to party down, even if it was 8:30 AM with no alcohol involved.
Produced by Wind Dancer Films, “READY JET GO! follows two neighborhood kids: Sean, who has an all-consuming drive for science facts, and Sydney, who has a passion for science fiction and imagination. They both befriend the new kid on their street, Jet Propulsion, whose family members happen to be aliens from the planet Bortron 7. Together, they explore our solar system and the effects it has on the science of our planet, all while learning about friendship and teamwork along the way.”
Speaking with Executive Producer Dete Meserve at PBS Press Tour where the comet making and booty shaking was instigated, I find that she also is all about bringing science experiments into real life. She shared that at a recent dinner party in her home a question about gravity prompted moving the party outside to test theories. I confessed to her that my college GPA was dragged waaaaay down by the fact that I could never pass a science, causing my friends to band together to drag me through Astronomy 101 and 102 so I could finally graduate. If only I’d been taught to think about science as fun early on the way The Critter is being taught, I’d have been spared all that stress!
You may remember seeing a picture of me with super sibs David and Adam Rudman of Spiffy Pictures from PBS Annual Meeting. We were there talking about their latest gem for PBS Kids called Nature Cat. You may not recognize them right away, because David is usually busy performing as Cookie Monster and Adam is usually writing half of the kids’ shows on television. In fact, they both have had incredible award winning careers steering some of the most beloved children’s entertainment on record. When I first viewed trailers from Nature Cat, I was immediately struck by how the voices were SO hilarious and characterful – something one doesn’t often find in these days of having celebrity voices in animation. I really get aggravated by all the current films that use recognizable straight voices of pop stars and film actors for animated characters while there are those actors who strive to master the voice. While Nature Cat may use some famous talent that you might find on a late Saturday night, including Bobby Moynihan, Kate McKinnon (her Squeeks is my favorite), Taran Killam, Kate Micucci, and Kenan Thompson, these comedic actors have obviously fully embraced their animated manifestations and created characterful voices that make the show absolutely hilarious! I commented to the brothers that I was thrilled by the voice talent, and they seemed so glad that this wasn’t unnoticed, as they grew up on Looneytunes, SchoolHouse Rock, and Fractured Fairy Tales just like I did. The shows were funny because the cartoons were fully developed personae, and we had no idea what the person behind the voice looked like.
My Critter and I just screened the first three episodes of Nature Cat, and we loved it. You can see the show Wednesday November 25th on your local PBS station right after the also brand new and awesome Wild Kratts Christmas Special – LA folks can find it on PBS SoCal. I’ve linked to some really cool activities you can do with your own two legged critters in the thumbnails too. Looking forward to calling this one a classic!
I love that my married life and motherhood have begun to have annual traditions. The springtime months are always a whirlwind – April brings Easter and My Perfect Husband’s birthday with the Critter’s birthday immediately after, then Mother’s Day, and then I travel to a different city every year for the PBS Annual Meeting. I always am energized by the wonderful networking and programming I am able to preview, and the fun I have with my fellow PBS Kids VIPs and friends from PBS SoCal. It’s also become a tradition now that my Mother’s Day gift to myself is to take some extra time off and explore the city after the meeting has ended.
When I discovered that this year’s meeting would take place in Austin, Texas, I immediately thought GIRL TRIP! I had just reconnected with my best best best friend from high school (thank you Facebook), and she lives in Austin. My BFF Debra, who was my first roomie here in LA is now happily married and living in Houston, so I announced we would get together as soon as my meetings ended.
A huge thank you to the folks at PBS and PBS Kids for making our visit completely awesome! In the realm of tradition, our PBS Kids Very Involved Parent group have now attended three Annual Meetings, and now here we were at the fourth – we now have connected as friends and had a terrific time catching all the moments together – the highlights this year included: a special performance at the venerable Austin City Limits by the up and coming Peterson Brothers, hilarious and inspirational breakout sessions with the creators of the latest PBS Kids programming Ready Jet Go! and Nature Cat, and a fun informative cook’s tour of the pristine new Whole Foods Market. I learned (and ate) more in these few days than I have room to share, but stay posted for a more information as the premieres of the new shows come nigh, and a trip to the JPL with the folks from Ready Jet Go!
I hugged goodbye to all my VIPs and before I knew it Bianca was there to pick me up, just like when we were in high school! We talked so much and caught up on the last twenty years, and it was like no time had passed at all. We talked kids, husbands, history, food, drinks, politics, fashion, and I don’t know what else over lots of great food in several different locations. I got to meet her super creative smart kids and see where she lives, and it was all good. She is still a raving beauty who can make me belly laugh, and I can’t wait until our next rendezvous.
Debra rolled in from Houston on Friday afternoon, giving me a chance to lie around binge watching Grace and Frankie, (which was perfect, considering that it’s a show about old friends), and then get my act together, because she was looking fabulous from H-town. We figured out that we have now been friends for twenty years! It’s hard to believe that so much time has passed since we were roommates near the Farmers Market for my first summer working for Wilson and Associates – we were instant gal pals and have never wavered in supporting and cheering one another on, and it was so good to be together in this funky fun town to do nothing but gab, eat, drink, and take in local culture. Taking pity on me as a mom who has to keep up with everyone’s schedules, Deb had sussed all the cool stuff to do, so all I had to do was be ready to go, and go we did. She found some terrific hot spots for us to do our apps and cocktails thing, and some fantastic music venues that took me back to my college days of hitting the Subway Lounge and the Delta Blues Festival. We even managed to do a power walk and do a little shopping. I have to say that Austin is a really cool place – great culture, sophisticated quality dining without pretense, and an all around good time, in fact, I really want to go back as soon as I can! Check out my photos to see some of our highlights and for information on the venues – it was a perfect place to have me-time with my girls and come back to Beverly Hills revitalized.
Thank you again to my sweet friends and the wonderful staff at PBS Kids for making this such a special trip – next year: Chicago! I have to get on Facebook and see who I know there…
Oh hello there – I’m in Austin right now attending PBS Annual Meeting. There’s SO much more great programming coming this year! I will share more soon, but for now listen to this awesome ditty from the new PBS Kids series Ready Jet Go! performed by the folks who brought you Dinosaur Train. This will stick in little minds like the Schoolhouse Rock of your childhood. I really wish I’d had this to help me through Astronomy 101…
Fall is my favorite time of year – I’m starting to learn that there’s a certain amount of hullabaloo that the Critter and I have to go through the first month of school and once we get the hang of everything in his new grade, including all his extracurricular activities, teacher meetings, open houses, volunteer scheduling, crafting and wardrobe finessing, it’s time to party. It starts with my birthday and our anniversary at the beginning of October, and then we are back to back holidays until New Year’s Day! When I sat down to write about how excited I am that ODD SQUAD is premiering today on PBS Kids, I realized how much stuff we’ve been up to recent days. It seems like a week ago that I was at the PBS Annual Meeting learning about the new show, thinking that November is so far away, and now it’s here, just before Thanksgiving. Santa sneaked into the ‘hood on Sunday, so it is ON!
Looking over these photos I am incredibly grateful for my life as a wife of a GREAT guy and mother to a force of nature. That my profession led me to Beverly Hills where I could meet people who would invite me to experience amazing things like to work with PBS Kids, to hang out with Tim Minchin before previewing Matilda, to go to THE premiere of Dumb and Dumber to, to be tapped as part of the new Netflix Stream Team, to be able to call fabulous creative people my friends who inspire me like Shannon Colleary and Susan Lambert, spend time with my bffs poolside on a rooftop with a view of the city, to be confident that my child is in a wonderful school with caring awesome teachers who will dress like characters from Alice in Wonderland, and last but not least I am grateful my mom is here to celebrate her birthday and Thanksgiving with us.
Here’s hoping you and yours have a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING – I know I am counting my every blessing.
I was one lucky mommy today – I was one of the first people to see the newest character on Sesame Street here at the PBS Annual Meeting! A huge search was undertaken to find the perfect person to join the cast and Ismael Cruz Cordova is THE guy.
I got to talk to Ismael after this adorable performance about Spanish words that sound alike and I can see why he was chosen. I will post ALL about it soon – enjoy the video of Mando and Rosita and all will be revealed when I get back to the ‘hood.
One of the best parts about having a kidlet is having the legitimate excuse to immerse myself in kids’ stuff, to which I have admitted an addiction. I think back on summers in Gulfport Mississippi, where my parents’ office was located across the street from the very glamorous (really!) Gulfport-Harrison Library. I would spend hour upon hour reading every book in the children’s section, proudly watching the librarian make a new hashmark by my name each time I reported to her that I had read another. The books would take my mind near and far, teach and entertain me, and broadened my mind to wanting to learn more.
The love of reading and learning was also supported by shows on PBS like the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, The Electric Company, and Sesame Street – even though it was television programming, the number one theme was that if you can read you can learn, and if you can learn, anything is possible. The more things change the more they remain the same. Now I have a preschooler embarking on the summer before kindergarten. I want him to read, to learn, and to enjoy it the way I always have. He has lots of wonderful books and tons of cool online resources to help me teach him.
As a PBS Kids VIP I attended the PBS Annual Meeting last month and was thrilled to be able to preview the newest program called Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. I was whisked from LAX to Denver for a whirlwind trip where I was also able to gather with folks from PBS Kids / PBS, meet the other PBS Kids VIPs, and get another visit with my kids’ TV idol Angela Santomero. Angela promised that Daniel Tiger, the “child” of the Fred Rogers Company and PBS Kids has enough lovey-love and cuteness to melt the coldest heart, and will also teach preschoolers how to cope with emotions and have empathy for others. It really was inspiring to be able to see her speak to a huge crowd of people who grew up with Mister Rogers Neighborhood who were all excited to see how the themes from our beloved “neighbor’s” lessons would translate to the new millennium. The trolley, red sweater, sneakers, the Land of Make Believe, and the sweet characters are all still there, but this time all in animated form, since there is no way to replace Mr R. The real Mrs. Rogers was there too, and I got to give her a hug and tell her how my son watches Mister Rogers just like I did and how happy I am about the new series.
There’s a reason PBS Kids programming survives and thrives after all these years. It’s still made by people whose mission is to change lives, one house at a time, and that everyone can afford to watch – it’s still public and reaches 99% of all homes. I left Denver energized, looking forward to seeing Daniel again on Labor Day, and ready to host a little summer kick off party of my own, with the help of PBS Kids, iVillage, and Scholastic. Last Friday I had a Summer Reading Party at the Critter’s preschool support literacy through the iVillage PBS Kids Summer Reading Community Challenge. We read books, colored printable pages, took fun photos, and watched PBS Kids programming. All good Beverly Hills events end with a goody bag, and this was no exception – the wee ones took home discount coupons, notebooks, bookmarks, tatoos, sticker sheets, activity story sheets, and reading charts that parents can use to encourage reading all summer.
I have been keeping some great news under my hat until I could do a proper announcement. See that little button over there to the right on my home page? I was recently asked to be A PBS Kids VIP! I have been a fervent supporter of all things PBS, and now that I have the Critter, the educational programs of PBS Kids have enriched our lives so much. My new designation as a “VIP, or Very Involved Parent”, is basically a backstage pass to the wonderful resources including programming, apps, tools and toys that the teams at PBS Kids successfully produce time and time again. I will, of course continue to share news and information with y’all about all the stuff we love and great news and events, including attending the PBS Annual meeting, where I’ll learn more (and share with you) about how the folks at PBS Kids continue to deliver wonderful educational moments for our children.
