TV with MeeVee

How Wholesome Is "High School Musical" Anyway?

Shows like "High School Musical," "Zoey 101," "The Naked Brothers Band," and "Hannah Montana" have gotten a lot of love from parents and young viewers in the past couple of years. They're not very dirty, which is a real relief to parents, but they also don't talk down to kids. Wholesome entertainment isn't much good if it isn't actually entertaining, and the latest explosion in youth media seems to do a pretty good job of satisfying everyone.

But how wholesome are they, really? And can they satisfy absolutely everyone? OneNewsNow, a media outlet sponsored by the American Family Association, investigated, and found that "High School Musical" mentioned such works of the devil as evolution and yoga, and included hand-holding, lingering glances, and even kisses between unmarried couples. And of course, it also features dancing.

Similarly, while the other shows get praise for not including sex and nudity, they still show boys with their shirts off where the story requires it, and you can see the legs, arms, and even necklines of young ladies. And we all know that "Zoey 101" star Jamie Lynn Spears is both unmarried and pregnant. It would be one thing if she'd gone into hiding or had a secret abortion, since she could continue to be a good role model by lying about her sexual activities, but for some reason she's insisted on continuing to exist.

In other words, if your child ever grows up or learns about the outside world, you are definitely going to go to hell. So, don't let them out of your sight and don't let them near a television.

Ratings 101: Big Tune-In For Jamie Lynn

Not a huge surprise, this, but E! Online reports that, in their very carefully chosen words, "'Zoey 101' is pregnant with viewers." C'mon, you laughed. The cliffhanger season finale of Jamie Lynn Spears' Nickelodeon sitcom last week scored the show's highest ratings ever. With 7.3 million viewers, "Zoey 101" was the second-ranked program in all of television last Friday night, broadcast or cable. Only NBC's "1 vs. 100" attracted a larger audience.

Now it's likely that the show would have done pretty well just because of the season-ending-cliffhanger thing. But no way does it get to this kind of number without a whole lot of folks who tuned in because Spears has turned up pregnant at 16, briefly eclipsing her sister's tabloid notoriety. (Britney got back on top by the weekend, but that's another story.)

There's a lot of fodder here for discussion about the nature of our society, our feelings about celebrities, and the end of any kind of special protection for underage stars. (You will be tried as an adult.) But one thing seems certain. This ratings triumph ends any doubt about whether Nickelodeon will air the upcoming final season of "Zoey 101" despite the star's delicate condition.

Hannah Montana, Jamie Lynn Spears And JoJo: Let's Get Teen-y

Teenagers are not just big business but gi-normous. And there's lots of news from the youth front in Hollywood...

• The opening spot on the Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana tour has been an awesome launch pad for the career of the Jonas Brothers. They've signed a deal with LiveNation to headline they're own tour beginning soon after this month's end to the current gig. (Buddy TV)
• By the way, word is that Joe Jonas may be dating teen pop sensation JoJo Levesque. (Boston Globe)
• "High School Musical 3" will start shooting in Utah in April. About seven weeks of shooting are scheduled to begin April 21, with the movie hitting theaters - not TV - later this year. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• And - SPOILER ALERT - here's a recap of Friday's season-ending cliffhanger episode of "Zoey 101," starring Jamie Lynn Spears. Fans were left wondering just how things will work out between London-bound Zoey and her "best guy friend" Chase. Everyone else is left wondering whether Spears' pregnancy at 16 will affect the fate of the fourth season of the show, already shot and due in February.