Although I have not watched every season of “American Idol,” I really enjoy the show when I do. The singing competition often showcases some great undiscovered young singers. However, there are some parts of the show I dislike. For instance, earlier this year, during the audition portion, the show sometimes focused on those who had been rejected. These singers were often crying and tried to stay away from the cameras as they grappled with a harsh reality. If you take those personal moments, multiply them by a thousand and focus on that, that show would be “16 and Pregnant.”

Although I don’t want to compare the challenges of having a child to the disappointment of being rejected from a singing competition, the feeling I had as a viewer watching the rejected singer on “American Idol” and the entirety of  “16 and Pregnant” was the same. These are personal moments and stories that should be kept that way and not aired for an audience to enjoy. 

I’ve watched a few of the new episodes of “16 and Pregnant,” which is now in its second season on MTV. Each one focused on a unique girl dealing with teen pregnancy.  The “16” website noted that every “episode follows a 5-7 month period in the life of a teenager as she navigates the bumpy terrain of adolescence, growing pains, rebellion, and coming of age; all while dealing with being pregnant.” (more…)

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With the possible exception of Roman Polanski, I suspect I might have been the only adult male over the age of 40 who watched the second-season opener of the ABC Family dramedy The Secret Life of the American Teenager earlier this week. I watched not because I am the heterosexual version of intern-trolling former Rep. Mark Foley (Maf54, where are you?), but to have some quality time with my 15 year-old son, who likes the show but can’t explain why (I suspect it might have to do with the idea that kids his age are having sex).

The show, which follows the (mis)adventures of a high schooler Amy who hooked up with a classmate at band camp and got preggers as a result, was a mini-hit last year and a mini-scandal. It’s most horrifying depredation to contemporary mores? The memento mori that is a puffy and still-largely talentless Molly “Sixteen Candles” Ringwald, who plays the lead character’s divorced mom. Like a boob-tube Ozymandias, look upon her visage and despair.

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