2004 PIXI AWARDS

Action for Media Education is pleased to announce the 2004 PIXI Awards, honoring quality family programming. TVís real treats of 2004 and a few tricks on watching TV! (See below)

AWARD CATEGORIES:

CURIOSITY AND LEARNING

WINNER:  ìDinosaur Planetî  DISCOVERY CHANNEL
Die-hard dino-fans of all ages were treated to meeting twenty species of dinosaurs, flawlessly animated, in their own situations as huntersóand hunted. If you missed it, several denizens of dinosaur planet can be found at discovery.com, along with enough classroom activities and lesson plans to fill a cyber crater. And that is true of every winner in this category.

WINNER:  ìHistory Detectivesî  PBS
In ìHistory Detectives,î teams of kids solve mysteries, investigate local folklore, and dispel myths in communities across America. ìPuzzles from the pastî can have contemporary, kid-driven solutions. (Good news: this excellent show will return for another season next year.)

WINNER:  ìCyberchaseî  PBS
This animated adventure series features a team of kids on missions in cyberspace. To accomplish each mission, characters use math skills and problem solving to move the episode along. Result: math is a blast.

WELLNESS

WINNER:  ìLook Before You Eatî  ìNICK NEWS,î NICKELODEON
Healthy eating is all about choice. In a program that examines how kids decide whatóand howóto eat, ìNICK NEWSî offers observations and kid-to-kid solutions, urged on by chef Emeril Lagasse, who shows host Linda Ellerbee and studio guests that healthy food can taste great.

WINNER:  ìMiracle Runî  LIFETIME CHANNEL
Mary-Louise Parker (ìAngels In Americaî) turns in another outstanding performance as a single mom who learns that her seven year old twin boys are autistic. Based on a true story, this program offers an informative, sensitive look at this baffling diagnosis. This motherís extraordinary saga underscores her determination to define her sonsí lives not by their disabilities, but by their gifts.

GLOBAL AWARENESS

WINNER:  ìKeeping Faith: Muslim Kids in Amerca,î  ìNICK NEWS,î NICKELODEON
Theirs is a unique perspective in a post-9/11 world, and Linda Ellerbee gathers young members of the Muslim community to explore the difficulties of communicating with and relating to the western world. The poignant friendship between two girlsóone Israeli and one Muslimóhelps make this program the powerful and hopeful testament it is.

ADOLESCENT ATTITUDES

WINNER:  ìDe Grassi: The Next Generationî  NOGGIN
This live-action program features the continued trials and tribulations of teenagers at the recently refurbished DeGrassi Community School. (Some of the original DeGrassi High are now parents and teachers themselves.) The Canadian cast of talented young actors covered topics like family violence, date rape, eating disorders, loss of a family member, blended families, and the issues of trust and friendship among the junior high crowd. It doesnít preach to its target audience, which is one of the many reasons that a recent poll showed that kids show up to learn at DeGrassi all year long. Real. Informative. ìDeGrassiî is destination TV.

WINNER:  ìRadio Free Roscoeî  NOGGIN
ìRFR,î as itís known in so many households, follows the lives of four high school students who have established their own radio station at schoolóbut use on-air aliases to keep their identities secret. As the RFR kids cover their own student body election, and other student issues, interesting and important parallels to teenage viewersí lives are drawn. Like ìDeGrassi,î the show engages without lecturing or getting judgemental, as some of the characters deal with jobs, getting ready to leave home, and other issues close to teenage hearts.

WINNER:  ìOíGradyî  NOGGIN (Animated)
Nogginís first animated series is a comedic look at high school lifeóincluding relationships, academic challenges and ìthe weirdness,î a bizarre phenomenon that afflicts their town. (Examples: one day, everyone in the school slowly morphs into cats. Watching the high school principal try to do crowd control at a student assembly while simultaneous coughing up a hairball is worth at least one trip to OíGradyís halls.) Think: an animated version of ìFriendsî meets ìTwilight Zone.î The four lead characters are quirkily drawn and flawlessly voiced. The writing is dead-on and dazzling. (The second season, now underway, is even funnier than the first.)

CULTURAL CELEBRATION

WINNER:  ìMe, Americaî  ìNICK NEWS,î NICKELODEON
Celebrating Hispanic ethnicity, from a youthful perspective.

WINNER:  ìMighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parksî  HBO
This outstanding documentary revisits this milestone in the civil rights historic struggle, and finds new heroes. Rosa Parksí activist beginnings, such as her stay at the Highlander Folk School, two weeks before her bus ride, are exploredóand celebrated.

WINNER:  ìIron Jawed Angelsî  HBO
With this being an election year, the importance of the story of womenís voting rights canít be overemphasized. Itís not just about marches and demonstrationsóitís about politics, jail time, hunger strikes, force-feeding, abuse--and an absolute refusal to be silenced.

WINNER:  ìSomething The Lord Madeî  HBO
In a 1930ís southern hospital, a white cardiac surgeon uses the invention of a black lab assistant to restore blood-flow to the heart of a dying child, and a medical milestone is reached. At first, all the credit goes to the surgeonóbut this true story demonstrates how the surgeon makes certain that his studentónow his friendógets the recognition he deserves. 16 million children have now benefited from this procedure--this film will touch every viewerís heart.

WINNER:  ìNot For Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthonyî  PBS
The work of these two reformers is celebrated in a unique dialogue and presentation. In an election year, THIS is ìmust-see TV.î

FAMILY INTERACTION

WINNER:  ìJoan of Arcadia,î  CBS
This excellent family drama features a teenager and her atypical family. Of course, the really atypical part is Joanís sudden ability to have (secret) conversations with God. God appears as a cafeteria lady, a cute guy on the bus, an electrician, a childóanyone at any time. Joan is then directed to follow divine instructions, like getting a job in a bookstore, trying out for cheerleadersóall with unexpected, and thought-provoking results. The outstanding cast (Joe Montegna, Mary Steenburgen, and Jason Ritter as Joanís wheelchair-bound brother) doesnít know why Joan seems to be acting strangelyóbut we do. The storylines have addressed critical teenage issues, from science projects to sexuality. ìJoanî blesses the airwaves.

WINNER:  ìGilmore Girlsî  WB
One of the smartest, best written programs on TV. It explores the relationship between three generations of strong women, with the primary focus on a thirty-something single mom who leaves her wealthy family behind to raise her baby girl, but returns to the New England village of Stars Hollow for the girlís high school years. One of the best features of ìGilmore Girlsî is the speed and wit of its dialogue. Warning: intelligent TV is addictive.

PRESCHOOL

WINNER:  ìLittle Billî (Animated)  NICK JR. NICKELODEON
Created by Bill Cosby, this gentle program looks at the world through the eyes of an inquisitive five year old child. He has typical childhood experiences, usually two stories per episode. At the end of every program, he recaps what heís learned, by talking to the audience at homeóat which point, Little Billís mom finally opens his bedroom door and asks, ìLittle Bill, who are you talking to?î Newsflash: all of us. Little Billís greeting to people in and out of the audience is ìHello, friend,î in memory of Dr. Cosbyís late son, Ennis. A series of terrific childrenís books supports the show, and honors Ennisí work with differently-abled learners.

NEW NEWS

WINNER:  ìKids Pick The Presidentî  ìNICK NEWSî NICKELODEON
This is simply the best election news program for kids. Period. (And they have been right every time since they began doing these election specials.) Eat your hearts out, pollsters.

WINNER:  ìNOWî  PBS
Bill Moyers presents an intelligent assessment of news events and important issues. High school students and their families will not only enjoy the clarity and honesty of each presentation, but will actually TALK afterwards.

WINNER:  ìReliable Sourcesî  CNN
Media columnist Howard Kurtz looks at the prism of media coverage, offering objective and provocative commentary for older students (and their parents.) In a time where spin is practically an Olympic event, this program genuinely deserves its name.

PSAíS AND INTERSTITIALS

WINNERS: NICKELODEON and NOGGIN

AND NOW THAT YOUíVE SEEN THE TREATS, HERE ARE SOME TRICKSÖÖ

Linda Ellerbee says, ìYou are smarter than your TV,î and sheís right. Here are five tricks to keep in mind when watching TV:

• TV has a point of view. Challenge it.
• TV isnít real life. Spot the illusions.
• TV manipulates. Identify its techniques and your reactions.
• TV is limited. Guess what was left out.
• TV IS A BUSINESS. Understand your economic roleóand poweróas a viewer.

(Source: Better Viewing Magazine) Stay tuned! [back to top]