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Friday, April 24, 2009

The Drama Queen Network

Mac says if - on TELEVISION- a woman is raped and molested and physically abused then stalked, and is a drunk or one who abuses pills and huddles in a shower crying, then it must be a made for TV movie on Lifetime. And while his example may be a bit to the extreme, I also thinks he has a point.

And for those of you who like Lifetime movies, then that's cool with me- entertainment for everyone, I say- so please, no hate mail about my ANTI Lifetime movie stand- please? So, that being said...

Around our house we have always made fun of the "high drama" and bad acting and "after school special" like quality of the movies on Lifetime. No, not all of them could be described that way, but LOTS of them can... and they are often cheesy, overdone and just plain... well, bad. Bad acting, bad scripts, bad bad bad.

But while subbing on this half day of school, for 2 periods, I learned of a new use for Lifetime Movies.

I was in a health class and the teacher left a movie for me to show. I popped the VHS tape in and bam- it was a Lifetime movie called Mom at Sixteen. Really. A Lifetime movie in a high school health class. As if subbing isn't tough enough, but now she makes me show a Lifetime movie? I got the giggles. There were boys in that class who were not what I would call impressed by this either. So, the kids watched the movie- and had to TAKE NOTES OVER IT! They were studying teen pregnancy/ STDs/ Sex in class and it did suit the purpose, but still... a Lifetime movie? I guess it was no different than when I was in high school and the same teacher showed us After School Specials to prove her points.

So the next class rolls in. It's an all girl's PE class who was having "health" day. And they were studying eating disorders. So in went the VHS tape- and it was another Lifetime movie, only about a teenage girl with bulimia. Oh. My. Goddess. I had another attack of the giggles.

And what was bad about the second movie, the bulimia one, was that the girl with bulimia had a boyfriend. Bulimiagirl's BF kissed her BFF at a party one night and half of the the students in my class were enraged that he cheated on her. The other half thought Bulimiagirl deserved it because she was a bitch to her BF. Oh. My. Goddess. I mean, Bulimiagirl is under huge stress, her hair is falling out, there is an obvious change in her mood and temperament and health and family problems because of her eating disorder but the girls in my class were pissed off over the "love triangle" aspect which lasted for about 3 minutes. Do you think the point was lost on these girls?

I told Mac about it today- and you know what he thought? He said making students watch Lifetime movies in class was a form of corporal punishment.

Cruel. Oh so very cruel.

Save the drama for your mama,
Mags

3 comments:

Curley said...

Very funny indead, but I seem to recall the girls back when I was in high school(a millennium ago)were more concerned about their BFF's love life than if they were running to the restrooms right after lunch. I also remember the same few girls passing the same few boys back and forth like a favorite toy.

Anonymous said...

Hey, trip was great! My computer died. I'm at the library. Will email you wnen I am up and running. Sorry about Sam. Hope you are okay.

Later.........

Patti

Anna said...

oh boy. I do hope there was actual lessons and dialogue in these classes other than relying on the lifetime movie. All parents need them instead of talking to your children or loved ones you just bring them in to "talk" get a bowl of popcorn and pop in a lifetime movie of the subject.

all problems solved..lol