thank heaven for little girls

The kid, although she's only 9, is a big One Direction fan, so Friday found us at their concert film/documentary, One Direction: This is Us. The movie took the #1 spot in the U.S. on its opening weekend, but has since dropped a few notches. No surprise,  it opened huge in England and was #1 at the British box office.

The boys, L-R: Louis, Liam, Harry, Niall, and Zayn

This is Us follows the boys — Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson — on their first big worldwide tour to promote their second album, Take Me Home. There are some short background scenes featuring the boys' beginnings as contestants on the British X Factor television talent competition in 2010. The five guys started out as solo contestants, and were all about to be eliminated when guest judge Nicole Scherzinger (of The Pussycat Dolls) suggested they might work well together as a band. After two weeks getting to know one another the boys became friends and One Direction (the name was suggested by Styles). One Direction eventually came in third, but with Cowell's backing (Cowell was their mentor on the show, and they quickly signed with his record label Syco Records), and viral social media support, the band was on their way.

Interviewed for This is Us, Simon Cowell seems as surprised as the boys at how quickly they became popular with the fans. What makes One Direction so appealing and This is Us more entertaining than a similar effort from Justin Bieber, is that sense of surprise and wide-eyed wonderment that still hovers over the group. The audience watches them travel to the U.S., Japan, and other foreign locales, the boys thrilled at their good luck and their first opportunity to see a world not just beyond where they grew up, but away from the endless publicity/recording loop they have been living for the past three years. Their families all confirm that home visits taken during a short break in the tour is the first time the boys have been back home since being on X Factor.

This is Us works best for the little girls who make up their biggest fan base, who will thrill at every bit of business from their favorite heartthrob, including scenes of the boys clowning together on and off stage. It's not exactly Help! or It's A Hard Day's Night, sadly. An opportunity missed by director Morgan Spurlock, who just basically points the camera at the boys and lets them sing or amuse each other and the audience. For parents who have been dragged along for the ride there are some interesting little sound-bytes — most of the boys realize that their ride at the top will be short-lived. They'd like to be remembered for some good songs, certainly, but mostly they hope that their friendships will endure and look forward to a normal future, with wives and kids. The boys seem tight, and to really enjoy each other's company. As much as they promote a "one for all, all for one" attitude, whether in the doling out of lines to sing in their songs, or when posing for the cameras, it is undeniable that Harry Styles does seem to stand out a bit from the crowd of five. He is the only one of the bunch who says that he wants to be doing what he's doing forever, until he's "old and wrinkled, like Keith Richards."

Harry clowns around, back at the bakery where he worked before he hit it big

It will be interesting to see if Styles can pull it off. At the moment, the only member of the band who plays an instrument is Horan (guitar). Most of their songs (like most recent pop music hits) seem to be written by committee. Take Me Home features songs penned by hit-makers like British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran ("Lego House"), Dr. Luke (“Party in the USA”), Shellback (“Moves Like Jagger”), and Toby Gad (“Big Girls Don’t Cry”) and the trio Rami Yacoub, Carl Falk, and Savan Kotecha, who co-wrote One Direction's first huge hit “What Makes You Beautiful” and have co-written many songs, including the first hit off Take Me Home, “Live While We’re Young.”

Thanks to Apple TV and VEVO the kid can take the fun and energy of This is Us (they boys never seem to stop laughing or moving) and keep it going back home by watching One Direction videos. She can dance along with her favorites every night (or as many nights as her poor mother can stand) as the multiple videos stream by. She of course has a favorite, Louis. That's the genius of boy bands since their earliest days. The more cute faces in an act, the more fans can pick their favorites. Since girls first oohed and ahhed over John, Paul, George, and Ringo, little girls have wanted to say "He's my favorite," or "He's the [smart, sensitive, cute] one." Fill in the blank yourself, for whichever favorite dude fits the description. This stereotype of each band member bringing a specific "skill" to the table has caught such hold that even the boys in the band now are describing themselves that way, such as one little video interview snippet we saw on VEVO where Zayn (I think) described himself as "The quiet one."

The boys of One Direction seem nice enough. They're not exactly squeaky key clean, but they're not the Rolling Stones either. It's easy to make fun of their pop confection songs, but the bottom line is the songs are catchy, and the kid loves them. What's wrong with that? Not everybody has to be a Bruno Mars or John Lennon. The guys can't really dance a lick — they say as much themselves in This is Us, and try to give their dance instructor a hard time. Their lack of dance moves is one of the other refreshing things about the band. Unlike other boy bands or current pop acts there seems to be no interest or attempt on their part to learn the de rigeur choreographed cheerleader-type dancing which dominates pop music. There's no coordinated attire, either. They just look like cool guys in cool jeans and t-shirts. They may sing love songs, but their sensibility is more rock 'n' roll than hip hop or bubblegum.

The boys hang out together during filming, on a camping trip

Who knows who these guys will turn out to be. Hopefully, not another Justin Bieber, who was a favorite of the kid a few years back. She has since moved on, just like Justin has moved on from his squeaky clean image. Success puts a lot of pressure on these young kids. The industry isn't designed for youth or innocence. Except to capitalize on them.

I have to hand it to Simon Cowell, who certainly knows how to put together a successful musical act. I suppose my daughter and her generation will smile one day as they remember how they once swooned over these guys like my friends and I might have over Shaun Cassidy or Andy Gibb. Those were the days.

this is justin bieber

Article first published as TV Review: This is Justin Bieber on Blogcritics.

TLC premieres a special presentation featuring teen music sensation Justin Bieber, This is Justin Bieber, tonight, December 21 at 9 p.m. ET. Part holiday special, part mini-documentary, the special offers a glimpse into Justin's madcap touring schedule, as well as incorporating some biographical footage fans may recognize from his feature-length concert movie, Never Say Never.

Bieber first came to attention in 2008 after his mother posted videos of him performing songs on YouTube. Manager Scooter Braun introduced him to his idol Usher, who immediately wanted to help manage his career, and he was soon signed to Island Records with L.A. Reid. In just two short years he has become a major pop success story, including albums, videos, television appearances, and film. He is now poised to premiere his very first television special.

In This is Justin Bieber Justin performs several acoustic versions of songs from his recently released holiday album, Under The Mistletoe, including "Mistletoe," "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and his own hip-hop influenced version of "The Little Drummer Boy," "Drummer Boy," with help from British rapper Tinie Tempah.

The special was filmed during a visit to London. Exhausted from coming off a multi-city tour, but always willing to please his fans, Justin is toured around London in a double-decker bus. Host Reggie Yates (Top of the Pops, Dance Factory) shows him all of the top tourist sights of London, but also takes him to perform for fans at a busy mall, light a giant Christmas tree, and visit the Chelsea Football Club, which is lots of fun for Justin, who gets to meet players Frank Lampard and Fernando Torres and even kick a few balls with them around the field. There are definite perks to being a multi-platinum-selling teen pop star. But the power of his popularity really comes through when he visits a teen cancer ward and lights up the faces of the residents as if they were front row at his concert.

There is plenty of music in the hour-long special, too. Fans will be pleased to hear live versions of favorite tunes like "Never Say Never," "Pray" (seated at a grand piano), and his cover of Usher's "You Got it Bad." This is Justin Bieber is a new sort of holiday special. Clearly inspired by The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night, it shows how pop idols are still an important part of young girls' lives and obsessions.

Justin ends the show with his biggest hit, "Baby," closing with an energetic drum solo, a huge smile on his face. Part of his appeal is that he seems to be having as much fun as his fans, which comes through loud and clear in This is Justin Bieber.

Related articles

• TV Review: This is Justin Bieber (blogcritics.org)

the little girls understand

Article first published as Movie Review: Justin Bieber: Never Say Never on Blogcritics.



I was telling myself that taking my daughter to Justin Bieber: Never Say Never in 3D was proof of my undying love for her. And I do love my kid. But truth be told, it was actually entertaining, even for a mostly uninitiated adult. Bieber has a natural musical talent and his family has been videotaping him from an early age, so the filmmakers found it easy to supply the documentary evidence. The film was directed by Step Up 3D's Jon Chu, but only the concert scenes had any real 3D action, with the rest of the film containing documentary-style clips or interspersed with the family's fuzzy-quality home video. The episodic 3D actually works, as the moments when Justin reaches out to the audience give the little girls a surprise and an extra opportunity to squeal. And there were some squealers in the audience, as well as some dancing in the aisles towards the end. Ah, youth.

The film is structured like pretty much every rock documentary. Some "origins of the band" material (in Bieber's case, maybe more baby photos than most), a crisis (what will the doctor say about his vocal chords?), celebrity endorsements (Usher, Snoop Dogg) and plenty of concert footage. It's interesting that Bieber has come up at a time in pop music when he can fully embrace all musical genres, including hip hop, yet not be another Vanilla Ice. Stars like Usher and Ludacris not only endorse but embrace the kid. His personal road to stardom is also cleverly contrasted and combined with other young stars like Miley Cyrus and Jaden Smith, who got their careers jump-started through nepotism and the Disney machine.

I can't say that any of the songs stayed with me except "Baby," but that's probably because I had heard it so many times before. I'm not sure why synchronized cheerleading dance moves are still de riguer for every popular musical artist—isn't anyone else as sick of that as I am yet?—but Bieber dances and  moonwalks cheerfully and the little girls go wild.

As much as Bieber owes his fame to the power of social media and young girls' allowances, it was surprising to me to learn how much anti-Bieber buzz there is to be found on media sites, both in articles and comments. And that's even before the Rolling Stone interview came out, with questions that seemed set up to make the kid trip over himself. Seriously, does anyone, apart from his core audience, who are probably not Rolling Stone subscribers, care to hear a seventeen year-old's political and cultural opinions?

It's hard to understand why so many people's panties get in a twist about this kid. He's talented, he's cute, and he's completely age-appropriate for his demographic. Why do adults feel that girls are plain silly or crazy to like him? They obviously don't know or haven't recently spent much time with little girls, who are plain silly and for the most part, like things that are pink and glittery and cute. Bieber is all of the above. There's nothing wrong with girls having crushes on a "safe" idol. They're not ready for much more at their age, and as their idol grows, so will they. They will either grow out of him, or grow with him. Bieber's in a similar situation to a young Michael Jackson. Jackson and his fans grew up together. Bieber could either follow in his footsteps or, if the pop idol scene wanes for him, he is talented and driven enough to become a producer or some other music professional. After watching this film it is clear that he's definitely going to be in the music business for a long time.

The kid smiles a lot, but his puppy-dog cutes can't hide the fact that he is very driven and dedicated. Footage features a young child barely big enough to sit on the drum kit stool, intermixed with street corner busking in Canada, and current-day dance-move rehearsal in front of the mirror before a show. It's all the same kid, trying to perfect his moves, going for brass ring after ring. As much as the film tries to give a step-by-step of how Bieber broke through to the big time, it might gloss over the sheer ambition that is matched with the talent. Yet he still seems a pretty normal kid. Sure hope he stays that way.

Related articles

• Justin Bieber's 'Never Say Never' Will Be Re-Released With Additional Footage (mtv.com)

babawawa

I'm not sure that I would term anyone Babs featured on her back-to-back specials last night as fascinating, except maybe Betty White, who got short-shrift. And why was Walters's post-script such a blatant plea for sympathy, that "it was so hard for her to do two specials in a row?" No one is forcing you ...

Let's start with Oprah, who at least got an hour, (or much less, considering all the commercial breaks). I liked it when Oprah said that having celebrities on her show was not her favorite thing, as they were mostly there to sell product—a new movie, book, whatever. Of course her sitting down with Barbara Walters was just one big ad for her new television network. Irony ...

I don't watch Oprah, as the television doesn't go on around here during the day during the week. But I've seen plenty of her shows in the past. I love how she literally puts her money—and lots more than I realized—where her mouth is. And I don't just mean the crazy give-aways, although that's part of her obvious desire to give back to her fans. I love her love of books and reading. I think that she is extremely smart and that her new network will be very successful. I also think she is down-to-earth while at the same time being incredibly full of herself. OK, she's a little fascinating.


You can never completely quash gay rumors. For whatever reason, being publicly labeled or identified as gay still seems to be the ultimate gossip. It's a shame that Oprah has to "authenticate" her two closest relationships, but she treated Barbara's intrusive questions honestly and with grace and a little bit of shocked outrage. She's straight, America. Get over it.

What I found even more intrusive than the gay fol-de-rol was Barbara's needling questions about why Oprah didn't become a parent. What was the purpose of those questions, if not to make Oprah feel bad or defensive? Why should we know what her private decisions on that subject might be? She and her partner made a choice, just like they made a choice to not marry. Why, almost eleven years into the 21st century are we still trying to publicly shame people or feign surprise when they don't walk the most familiar paths in our society?

Barbara implied that she was somehow superior to Oprah, as she had a child—but then admitted her daughter was not always happy with a mother who put career first—and then, even more strangely, told O to call her if she ever needed advice in that area, as if she still might choose a path to motherhood. Talk about a lack of self-awareness. I think Oprah will no longer be idolizing Barbara ... I'm a mom, raising my child on my own, but I don't feel the need to compare myself to others by my status. I'm not superior to folks who haven't had a child. Nor am I inferior to families with two parents. I have encountered those outdated attitudes and prejudices. I guess I'm a little shocked that someone with Oprah's bucks and position in society still has to put up with that shit too.



I'm not sure if it was conscious on Walters's part or not, but parenting seemed to be a subtext for many of the brief segments in the second hour—"the most fascinating people of 2010." Uh huh. One of the better interviews was Justin Bieber. Yes, Bieber. Raised by a "very strict" single mom, the kid was completely at ease and charming with Walters. In fact he was the only one who seemed to shake her out of her View persona. He is obviously talented. Whether he becomes more than just this year's sensation remains to be seen, but he looks to have a strong foundation at present.

Betty White could gave easily been devoted the whole hour. Why not talk about her long career in television or why an almost ninety-year old lady struck a chord with so many people this year? In our youth-obsessed culture? No, Barbara just asked her if she was still getting any. Looking for some tips? Sandra Bullock didn't fare much better. Here would have been an opportunity to really talk to a woman who has hit the heights and the depths in a short time-frame. A new mom, going forward on her own. But it was a gloss not even worthy of People or InTouch. Jennifer Lopez will be a judge on American Idol. This is fascinating? Why? No reason was given. Why not interview Simon Cowell about why he had enough? What I took from this—JLo's kids are adorable.

And then there was Sarah Palin. I'm no fan, and certainly no supporter, but it was strange to me to see Barbara suddenly put on her interrogator's hard-hat with Palin, when everyone else got the fluffy approach. Walters's dislike became increasingly evident throughout the interview and that was not exactly fair or even good television.

I still don't get a certain segment of America's fascination with this woman and her brood. The naked ambition of her husband was unpleasant to watch—"Yes, I would like to see her as President," stated while he was perched on the arm of his wife's chair, but he couldn't even take off his stupid baseball cap in front of two ladies and on national television. I can only hope and pray that he is seriously deluded. The only fascinating aspect of the interview was trying to figure out why Palin seemed so pissed off. At everybody, all the time, who might, well, piss her off. I try to keep an open mind, but they both just sounded like rubes. People who don't know how to behave properly in public. And certainly not people I would trust to speak for me or for anyone. Their unprofessionalism is more than a little shocking after all this time in the spotlight that they relentlessly pursue.

The rest of Barbara's victims are hardly worth mentioning. The cast of The Jersey Shore (a little bit of a shark jump here, dontcha think?), Kate Middleton (hardly a scoop), LeBron James (who will likely be far more fascinating next year), Mark Zuckerberg—was there even an interview there? He might be fascinating, but you'd never know from this show. At the end she did pick someone newsworthy in her choice of General Petraeus as her most fascinating person of the year. He was certainly the subject of most substance, but it pains me to think of what he is trying to do in Afghanistan being called "fascinating."

I'm not sure there is a place for these silly sorts of shows anymore. The Internet can send a meme around in seconds, with much more interesting lists and choices made by people from around the world. We all have opinions. Why are Barbara's and her staff's any more fascinating than ours? Go on, meme it out. Your most fascinating people of 2010. And then Barbara won't have to work so hard. Or complain about it.