Television Review: CW Now
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this magazine-type show -- which
covers the latest trends in beauty, fashion, and entertainment
-- is likely to leave teens anxious to get their hands on the
featured clothes, games, gear, and more. The series heavily
promotes some items (including video games like
Halo 3). Aside from the commercialism, most of the
content is on the mild side, though there is some sexual
innuendo. Some will go over young viewers' heads, while other
products and/or services are more suggestive (trendy chastity
belts, for example).
Families can talk about trends. Who decides what's "hot" and
what's not? Why do some trends return, while others disappear
forever? How does the media influence what's popular and
desirable? Do you want any of the things that were featured on
the show? Why or why not? Do you think advertisers have any
influence over what products and services are featured on the
show?
CW NOW is newsmagazine-style series that gets viewers up to speed on the latest trends from all over the world. Hosted by Tanika Ray, Chris Balish, J. Boogie, and Chi-Lan Lieu, each episode is a whirlwind of styles and crazes in beauty, fashion, music, technology, travel, and entertainment.
Stateside trends featured on the show have included fun fashions, 24-carat-gold facials, and massages with non-venomous snakes. Viewers also get to see cutting-edge products and styles from across the globe, including using cell phones to pay for purchases and creating security systems that scan people's veins. The series also introduces new vocabulary used to describe the hottest fads of the moment, defining words like "skurban" (urban fashion meets skater style) and "acuapparel" (clothing that stimulates acupressure points) to help the less-hip keep up with a hectic, trendy world.
Viewers are invited to visit the show's Web site to get more information on the featured products and services. They can also vote for the outfit they want Tanika to wear on the following week's show, giving them the chance to be trend-setters themselves. CW Now doesn't do much besides spotlight new products and marvel at some of the more lavish and outlandish luxury services available to celebrities and others who are willing and able to pay for them. But it will certainly be attractive to teens who like to be on the cutting edge.
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