In the last days of their summer vacation, some animated high school students have assembled backstage at a WTTW studio. The teenagers sit in their hippest back-to-school outfits around long folding tables occupied by the station’s fund-raising telephones. They’re waiting to audition for slots on “Screened by Teens,” a new segment to be featured on WTTW’s nationally distributed show Sneak Previews–returning to the air after a one-year hiatus. A press release quotes cohost Jeffrey Lyons: “Sneak Previews concentrates on the issue at hand–is the movie under discussion worth the viewers’ time and money?” On a recent Saturday afternoon Lyons added, “Most adults stay home on Saturday night. As long as the majority of the movie audience on a Saturday night is teenagers, then that’s where the money goes.” And to help teenage consumers decide where to spend their leisure dollars, who better to guide their taste than other teens?
“Oh right. On what planet is this a good movie about families?”
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Not everyone saw that film, so one panel talks about Sleeping With the Enemy.
“No, he was obsessed with her.”
“It really shows how ‘romantic’ that kind of a relationship is.”
“There are some teenagers out there who are just shallow enough for this movie to appeal to…”
Ceaser touts the show’s on-air talent. “They have a freshness about them from a certain lack of experience. So they can’t relate to the mid-life crisis of Billy Crystal’s character in City Slickers–and frankly neither can I.” She continues, “They have a slight cynicism I really like. Even though they accept things, they have this edge. These are real bright kids. They’re not going to be easy on films. I really enjoy hanging out with them. They really crack me up. But I’m glad I’m not 16 anymore.”
