This week, the anti-bullying documentary “Bully” was at-last granted a PG-13 rating, instead of a more restrictive R rating. “Initially, the anti-bullying documentary was given an R for language by the Motion Picture Association of America,” says an article in the Detroit Free Press. “That prompted a battle for a lower rating that drew the support of high-profile actors, pop stars and politicians.” The rating wasn’t just changed because of the public outcry in support of the film—some outright changes to the film were made as well: “Three expletives, all containing the f-word, were removed from the film. But a powerful scene of bullying on a school bus that includes three f-words will remain the same. Movies with more than one or two f-words usually are given an R.” Will you be seeing the movie with your family? See The Bully Project for more information. Tech-heads at Gizmodo took a long, hard look at the Withings Smart Baby Monitor, giving the high-tech, $300 monitor a rating of 3.5 stars. They liked the ease of use: You can hook the baby monitor up to your iPhone or iPad, for example, and you can also log in from anywhere to check on your baby. Dislikes? The price, and some other usability issues. Be sure to check out the full review! Speaking of iPhones and iPads, is it any surprise that the ubiquitous touch-screen devices continue to be in high demand among teenagers? And the number of teenagers with the always-connected cell phones is on the rise, according to allthingsd.com:
“The percentage of teens who own an iPhone rose to 34 percent from 23 percent in fall 2011, and 17 percent in spring 2011. Meanwhile, the percentage of those who hope to own one rose from 38 percent and 37 percent during the same time periods.”
Hairpin author Lisa Hanawalt attended (and illustrated) the yearly Toy Fair at Javitz Center in Manhattan, with some hilarious results. Our favorite? Her take on the teddy bear with living, breathing fish swimming around in its belly. Says Hanawalt: “A lot of these toys could bene?t from being workshopped with actual children.” And finally, be sure to take a look at Huffington Post for Lisa Belkin’s behind-the-scenes ponderingson the sometime challenging world of writing about parenting:
“To write about parenting, though, you use a panoramic lens, not a close up. From this perch, the logic, and knowledge, and chronology of parenting doubles back and races ahead and folds in on itself. Parents give birth, and give in to tantrums, and give away brides — all on the same page. Around here, a “child” is simultaneously 6 days, 6 months and 16 years old.”
