Round-faced and multitalented-he broke in as a teenage actor on the 1986 ABC series “Head of the Class"-Schneider was picking a new cast for season seven of “All That.” The show, which he co-created, has become something of a talent incubator at Nickelodeon, making stars out of Amanda Bynes, Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell, among others. Lisa’s big break came a year ago from writer-producer Dan Schneider. So when young performers are plucked from crowded casting rooms for plum jobs, little is left to chance. Nick and Disney Channel executives say they have only a few dozen full-fledged child stars each, sifted from about 35,000 child members of the Screen Actors Guild.
FAT GIRL FROM ALL THAT NICKELODEON HOW TO
Nickelodeon and Disney Channel, which supply a major share of programming for the up-to-12 demographic, also nurture, package and deliver young stars to your home in a process that hums with efficiency.Īnd so Lisa has not only taken countless hours of singing, dancing and acting lessons, she’s even taken a course on how to be a child star-a series of workshops and classes on how to act professionally, deal with production crews, talk to the press and handle crowds of her eager young fans when she’s spotted in public. Lisa is a product of one of television’s two big child-star factories. Of course our future will not be so cleverly edited or set to a hip-hop beat, but this mostly feel-good special should at least allay any immediate fears of impending doom at the hands of the next generation.Every Saturday night, about 3.3 million viewers tune in to “All That” to watch Lisa’s characters-the coffee-wired talk-show host Kaffy and the funereally gothic Claudia-cavort in an ensemble of child comics along with guest stars such as Britney Spears and Frankie Muniz.
There’s even talk of a superhero named Bananaman. Then there’s the young girl who wants to create a machine to make little brothers disappear. There’s a kid from Romania whose main objective is to own 1,000 cats. “Nickellennium” is not all serious stuff, however. Another reminds adults to remember our dreams now that we have acquired the power and strength to make them come true. One girl theorizes about changes in social ideals, hoping that some day fat people will grace the cover of Vogue. Technology is a big topic, as is the environment. Ishma, a young African-American, talks directly of the racial discrimination he’s experienced: It causes “a throbbing kind of pain and makes you cry.” As a result, there won’t be as much satisfaction in doing simple things.” They don’t mince words nor dance around sticky subjects.įor instance, Carlotta, a young girl from Italy, theorizes, “There will definitely be advances in technology and everything will be much more efficient. Viewers may not find the topics or even the predictions revolutionary, but what is particularly astounding is the eloquence with which kids from all over the globe express themselves when treated with a certain respect. Schaffer should be commended for artfully tackling a project this big in scope and for representing as many as 10,000 children from around the globe.Īlthough some of the interviews occur in studios and in staged segments, Schaffer’s real skills are evident in the many “on the street” discussions, where almost all of the subjects are at ease with the camera, no matter what the country. Whether it’s worth nonstop viewing depends on how intensely you are celebrating the new year. Docu is quite entertaining, although at times a bit pandering (there is 24 hours of this stuff).
In it, kids discuss a wide range of subjects, including their predictions for the new millennium. But it’s brought thoughtfully to life by helmer Linda Schaffer, who directed “Homeward Bound” for AMC and “American Dreamers” for TNT. This global event, featuring print and Internet tie-ins, is the brainchild of Nickelodeon president Herb Scannell.