I haven't been a kid for at least a year now, but from what I remember about childhood, animals rocked. Adventures were awesome. And getting dirty was just part of the day. So I was a little surprised to see National Geographic Kids pimping some video about kids asking movie star Jack Black about "his take on the environment, politics, Kung Fu." As if any kid in America puts her fist to her chin and wonders: "Gee, mom and dad have a lot to say about global warming, but I wonder what Jack Black thinks?"
Please.
This cross-promotional movie pimping has gone too far. Jack Black has some insipid looking movie out about a panda bear that knows kung fu and really, truly believes in himself, so you just know everything is going to turn out OK in the end. Well, somehow the movie marketers got National Geographic Kids to do a "promoducational" video with Black, and it's just horrible.
Look, I don't want to get all Cassie on NGK (oh, Cassie -- we kid because we care) but seriously, people. You make shows about animals, about underwater photography, about naked tribal women in Africa. Kids don't need some dumb ass digital fighting panda to make our planet cool -- it already is. If you want kids to get more interested in your shows or the adventures that can be found in the world around them, play your theme song 24/7. That thing still gives me chills. But don't sell them short with your crass commercialization.
