new mexico

(S01E06) No, no, no ... not Bonanza with the Ponderosa! Hop Sing could always cook up a fine feast and the Cartwrights never fussed about hard labor. The episode title refers to Bonanza City, New Mexico. You know -- 40 days, 40 kids (well, 38 kids now and almost three weeks less), and no adults. Well, they say no adults, but believe me, it's the adults putting everything in motion.

But it is indeed the kids of Kid Nation who make this show worth watching. It's the kids who, by being themselves, bring me entertainment each week.

Oh, but Bonanza City is indeed disgusting. Or, it was before the adult push of the week.

(S01E05) Is it me or was there really not much to get up in arms about this week on Kid Nation? No killed animals, no steer taunting, no religious rivalry, no bullying. What's this show coming to, eh?

Well, there was a smattering of bad behavior, but we're talking kids here. Some of these kids could be teensy adults, y'know. A lot of them certainly are more worldly than I was at their ages. And, the show reminded me that I should really study up on the chronological order of US Presidents. I definitely know the ones in my own lifetime, but I surely would put Taft in the wrong place.

(S01E01) After all of the controversy, CBS aired its premiere episode of Kid Nation tonight. Much ado about nothing, I say! Not that the show is nothing. I found it interesting and refreshing from so many of the other shows on the air these days. Well, at least the shows in the reality genre.

After all the brouhahas about child labor, child abuse, crying children ... well, to me, this didn't quite live up to all the controversy surrounding it. Instead I found it to be the kind of show both children and adults can watch together. Although it's touted as "40 children, 40 days, no adults" -- the kids themselves say there were more adults than children on site. Perhaps that doesn't speak much for the "reality" aspect, but the safety issues seem well-covered.

As if allegations of abuse and breaking child labor laws wasn't enough, now producers of CBS's new reality show Kid Nation are facing another charge: faking some of the show.

Parents of some of the kids involved with the show have secretly told the BizParentz Foundation and A Minor Consideration (the organization run by former Donna Reed Show star Paul Petersen) that their kids were not only asked to repeat and re-film some scenes of the show, they were actually fed dialogue to say during certain scenes. The parents say that crew members have confirmed the coaching.

Of course, this isn't a new charge. TV shows like Survivor and some of the dating shows have been accused of this in the past as well. I think this will only be surprising to people who actually think that reality TV is actually "real."

[via TV Tattle]

The other day we told you about one of the parents of a Kid Nation kid filing a complaint with New Mexico officials, alleging child abuse and unsafe conditions during filming. But just what kind of contract did these parents sign to get their kids on the show? The Smoking Gun has the answer.

As TSG summarizes: "parents of minors in Kid Nation, the controversial new CBS reality show, signed away their rights to sue the network and the show's producers if their child died, was severely injured, or contracted a sexually transmitted disease."

(Sexually transmitted disease?! I guess they were covering every possibility, eh?)

The show hasn't even debuted yet, but there's already controversy (though we thought one might be coming).

A parent of one of the kids on the new CBS Survivor/Lord of the Flies reality show Kid Nation has filed a complaint with New Mexico officials saying that the kids on the show were neglected. She says that one girl had her face burned by hot grease (she was cooking) and that other kids needed medical help after accidentally drinking bleach.

"Furious George": George Bush and deadlines are not very good friends. Resident Expert John Hodgman stopped by to talk about "executive privilege". I felt like I haven't seen Mr. Hodgman in forever. The void in my life has finally been filled, if only for the moment. I really liked the Garfield joke and "What? Too soon?"... The secretly recorded audio was wonderfully done, as well.

Reality television has entered the worlds of talent, travel, and marriage. Now, it's crossing over to religion. TLC is following five men of varied backgrounds and faiths at a spiritual crossroads as they search for answers to the big questions. The name of the program is The Monastery, because it's set in a New Mexico monastery where the men lived for six months. The ten-part series airs this fall.

TLC producers insist it's not a "reality show" because they haven't created any traps for the participants to fall into. Show creators just wanted to explore how regular people can find a way to live a meaningful life.

A family from the Mescalero Apache tribe is suing the producers of the Steven Spielberg television series, Into the West. The family claims that their daughter's hair was cut without permission and without regard for tribal customs. The girl, 8-year old Christina Ponce, had her hair cut up to her chin to make her look like a Native American boy. The Mescalero tribe forbids cutting a girl's hair before she reaches puberty, when it should be waist-length for a Coming of Age ceremony. Ponce's parents are suing for $250,000 for emotional distress and $75,000 in damages. The girl was cast in the role after her parents responded to a casting call in New Mexico last March. Into the West aired on TBS TNT last summer.

Chalk this one up as a win for logic. The New Mexico state judge that originally granted the woman suing Letterman a temporary restraining order has overruled himself and lifted the restraining order.

This is really good news. The restraining order was one of the more baffling court rulings in recent years.

Now, if someone wanted Leno to stay away from them, I would completely understand. 

Remember when David Letterman had that nutcase running around his house, claiming to be Mrs. Letterman? Well, looks like he's got another nutjob in love with him. Except now, she's actually got the courts on her side! A New Mexico judge has issued a temporary restraining order against Dave, ordering him to not only stay nine feet away from local resident Colleen Nestler, but to no longer, as she puts it, "think of me, and release me from his mental harassment and hammering."

This woman has claimed that Letterman is expressing his desire for her through code words, signals and eye gestures. One such code word? Oprah, as in "Marry me, Oprah."

Letterman's lawyers are trying to get the order rescinded. He should also seek money from the state court in Santa Fe, too, because the fact that the judge even bothered to listen to this woman is costing Dave a LOT of money.