Is your child the next Master Chef Junior?

I got this request from Master Chef Junior, and I had a weird feeling, and a realization that I am not sure how I feel about exploiting children on behalf of reality television. 

Yes, I know, I have a dad blog, and on some level, I'm exploiting my child as well, but I think there are some big differences.  My audience is tiny in comparison, and my son is not really the feature of my blog.  He's of course what made me a dad, and I tell my fair share of embarassing stories and videos about him,  but he's not  the front and center of every post.  Also the potential for failure/ridicule is relatively low. And any money my "production" makes goes directly into feeding my son and keeping him in speedskates.  Can we say the same for Master Chef Jr? 

Nevertheless, people love the show (we watch it too) so I decided I'd pass along the request for MasterChef Junior.  (Please ignore if you like!)

I am pretty sure we won't be attending with my son, but he mostly doesn't like to cook, so we're good.

And who knows, maybe your kid IS the next MasterChef Jr. and will be propelled to fortune and fame.  (If so, I want 10% for the tip!)

Here's the notice that I got from MasterChef Junior Casting:

FOX's #1 Hit show, MasterChef Junior, is now casting Kids who like to cook who have passion, potential and personality. The MasterChef Junior team is going to be in CHICAGO on JAN 13th
If you know any kids who are into cooking send their parents to
www.MasterChefJuniorCasting.com 

These casting calls are a lot of fun and very lighthearted! Everyone leaves feeling like a winner! Plus your kids can try out with friends if they want!

They are looking for kids of all skill levels in the kitchen so don't be discouraged by what you see on TV. MasterChef Junior is all about learning & growing into an amazing cook!

In addition to the open call on January 13 in Chicago, they have other open calls in other cities:

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 16, 2017 9am to 5pm STEWART HOTEL NEW YORK  371 7TH AVE, NEW YORK, NY 10001

SAN ANTONIO, TX - DECEMBER 16, 2017 9am to 5pm HYATT REGENCY SAN ANTONIO 123 LOSOYA ST., SAN ANTONIO, TX 78205

CHICAGO, IL - JANUARY 13, 2018 9am to 5pm SOFITEL CHICAGO 20 E CHESTNUT ST, CHICAGO, IL 60611

ATLANTA - JANUARY 13, 2018 9am to 5pm
FOUR SEASONS HOTEL ATLANTA 75 14TH ST NE, ATLANTA, GA 30309

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 20, 2018 9am to 5pm
W HOLLYWOOD HOTEL 625 HOLLYWOOD BLVD, LOS ANGELES, CA 90028

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 20, 2018 9am to 5pm
DOUBLETREE BY HILTON HOTEL PHILADELPHIA CENTER CITY
237 S BROAD ST, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19107

And if for some reason you can't attend the open call, you can still make a video and apply online. For more information and the complete set of rules to follow, visit the URL

http://www.masterchefjuniorcasting.com/how-to-audition

Violence is a Disease.

Game of Thrones has it right:  

"Violence is a Disease. You don't cure it by spreading it to more people."

Of course, that's said on one of the most violent shows on television.  So there's a fair bit of irony in that.

Ian McShane plays a former soldier turned septum who has renounced violence.  He tries to take one of the most feared warriors (Sandor Cleggane, the Hound) into giving up his sword.  Sadly, things happen, and the Hound picks up a new weapon of mass destruction (the axe)

McShane is wonderful in this part, but of course is doomed.  In Game of Thrones, pacifism is not an option.

I'm hoping that in real life as we know it today, we have more of an option.

With the recent murders (cops killing suspects, terrorists killing cops) we are at a very tense point.  We need to ease the pressure down.  Nothing will be solved by amping up the weaponry and the violence.

There is no doubt that #BLACKLIVESMATTER, but violent revolution is not the answer.

Here's a link to the scene from which the quote is taken:
https://youtu.be/Med_pNazwEY?t=7m30s  Watch the whole video if you want to see Ian McShane's rise (and fall) on Game of Thrones.

The Man With The Yellow Hat is a TERRIBLE parent

From The Complete Adventures of Curious George

I've always thought that parents from classic children's books are in general, terrible.  Especially the books that end up as television shows.

Max and Ruby's parents are apparently non-existent.  Their friends have pretty good parents, but the only parental figure you ever see that belongs to Max and Ruby is their over indulgent grandma, who loads the kids up on sugar, let's them take public transportation by themselves,  and let's Max drive her car.  Well, there is the creepy Brownie leader, but let's leave her for another day.

Charlie Brown's parents speak in an unintelligible mumble, and also seem to be primarily absent as their child goes through some heartbreaking activities, sure to employ a barrage of therapists as an adult (and believe me, it will cost a lot more than 5¢!)

And the Simpson's-- well, never mind. You get the point.

And then we come to Curious George, who must set some kind of record as a negligent parent.  Every book/episode, he leaves his monkey/kid alone, telling him not to get into trouble.  Where does he go?  What does he do?  Is he a drug dealer?  Sex addict?  Or just the worst parent ever?

Well, A stay-at-home-dad had a brilliant idea, to create a blog as if The Man with the Yellow Hat was a dad blogger.  He tells the stories of his gross ineptitude as a parent, but from his point of view, he's a great parent. The blog has just started out, but so far it's HILARIOUS.

Here's him on George (dubbed Geo) and how he got him.

I'd had some friends who had done adoptions so I knew the kind of struggles that could entail. Luckily I found a region that was eager to facilitate a quick adoption. I don't want to share too much about where that was, but it was a poorer less developed part of the world. So much so that air travel there wasn't an option, so I went by ship. 

From The Complete Adventures of Curious George

When I arrived I found Geo happily playing in a tree. He was wary of me of course, but that's expected. To tell the truth I don't know if he'd ever seen a white person before. I had done some reading and I knew that I could get him to feel more comfortable if I left him something to play with and then sort of backed off and let him have some space. He seemed really into my hat, so I laid it down and let him check it out. Then I put him in a burlap sack and carried him back to the ship.

 

(I had some yahoo in a parenting chat group tell me this isn't how adoptions are supposed to work. She said this seemed more like a kidnapping and she was going to try to get the authorities to trace my IP address. Whatever lady. Trolls gonna troll I guess. I mean look, if someone wanted him I don't think he'd be out wandering the jungle unsupervised. Duh. Also I heard he was one of seven siblings who had faced homelessness and a house fire, so I'm totally doing this family a solid.)

 Do yourself a solid and subscribe to this blog pronto: http://dadwiththeyellowhat.blogspot.com/