“Episode #15 of “GINA D’S KIDS CLUB®” ‘Let’s Get Fit,’ dissects the fears kids have about not knowing what is right to eat and not knowing what is important about exercising. Amidst so many distractions to children in today’s world, it is no wonder it takes the medium of television, and therefore those at the executive level of the networks, to remind parents they can’t be there with there children 100% of the time. School time, play time, and even family time loom as instances children can be drawn to food that may not be the best for them to eat. Episode #15, of “GINA D’S KIDS CLUB®” ‘Let’s Get Fit’ answers tough questions such as ‘What is nutrition?’ What are some good snacks and vegetables to eat?,’ ‘Why do our bodies need exercise?,’ ‘What is staying fit?,’ ‘What kind of food is good food?’ and does so in a playful, wholesome, joyful manner which makes one proud to own a TV set.
Considering we are in an age were childhood obesity has gotten out of hand, networks are forever challenged how to address childhood obesity without sounding ‘preachy’ and, by that, tuning it’s viewers out. Not exactly what television networks need to have continuing as a thorn in the side. The answer? It’s not inter-network competition. Instead, it is more networks being accepting that the Gina D’s Kids Club Episode #15, ‘Let’s Get Fit’ has hit a moral nerve. One that makes one think, ‘we can work together to solve this tough issue.’ How? Have friend to the business, Raven Moon Entertainment, Inc., get involved.
One sure fire way would be a consortium of most networks which run one or two Gina D. public service announcement (PSA) made from clips from episode #15, ‘Let’s Get Fit.’ The part of the song, ‘Let’s Shape Up,’ at the five minute and eighteen seconds mark, 05:18, to the 05:48 mark (only 30 seconds) has a genuine, endearing, adorable approach, and succinct words which ring so true and should be made into a nationally televised public service announcement (PSA) unto itself endorsed by National Association for Health and Fitness (NAHF).
This portion of the song begins with dancercising children at the center of the stadium singing ‘You Should Try it,’ and then goes to Gina D. singing the line, ‘Let’s shape up. Try to do without that ice cream cup. I know that you will think it is such a treat, very sweet. But you’ll get bigger if you don’t watch your figure.’ As she sang these lines, she was backed up by the threesome of animated singers called the Transistor Sisters who are shown up on the stadiums big screen singing the ever so inspirational, ‘oooohhh, oooaaa-ooo’ that threads through (the song, ‘Let’s Shape Up’).
The most important four words in the song ‘Let’s Shape Up, are ‘try to do without’ because those four words lead the audience to know the compassion behind the song first. These four simple words place the accountability back in the child’s hands and the responsibility in the parent’s hands.
One can only think that Raven Moon Entertainment, Inc. producers, Joey & Bernadette DiFrancesco and writers are trying to engage children like no other time in television history: by asking them to help their parents and themselves by following the tips in the episode ‘Let’s Get Fit.’
A second portion of the ‘Let’s Shape Up’ song worthy of being made into a commercial aired on all networks (to reach children), and should be taken un-edited from Episode #15 is at the 05:55 mark to 06:30 mark. Granted, this section of the song is only thirty-five seconds, it sounded like it should be a hit song playing on the radio. At 05:55, it begins with Gina D’s voice synthesized singing the line, ‘Let’s shape up. You’ll be the one your friends imitate.’ Soon after, the line ‘Just push the chips and candy far away from you’ brought chills down my spine.
It is not too often I want to play a DVD and scan to the same part to play over and over and over as I did with the ‘Let’s Shape Up’ song. I am no spring chicken but had to get up to dance to it. It would have been more a feat to get me to do that with others in the room. Alone, I was compelled to jumping- in -place in tandem with those on the screen.
More people ought to realize if this episode (#15, ‘Let’s Get Fit’) has such an impact on adults, it should be available on every network for children of all ages to be influenced by.
It’s time for networks to lay down its competition armor and call it an even playing field because no station has the one answering the level of outreach necessary to tackling the nation-wide childhood obesity problem.
The responsible thing to do is for each and every network, not just a select few, to realize childhood obesity is a shared problem and realize too that the readiest way to reach children in front of televisions sets is for the history of the problem to compel networks to co-sponsor air time to play future National Association for Health and Fitness (NAHF) endorsed television public service announcements (PSA’s) with excerpts from the ‘Let’s Get Fit’ episode (#15) as a way to fight past the many distractions on the plate of today’s child.”
Salvador SeBasco, Literary Director and host of THE INSIDE VIEWTM
broadcast, book critic, on staff with a CNN affiliate station KNLE, Austin, TX.
September 7, 2007
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"Gina D's Kids Club" Will Be Airing
