spectacular

'Spectacular!' on Nickelodeon


few random observations on Nickelodeon’s “Spectacular!" made by two experts in the genre:"It's got really good songs. Like real songs, that you hear on the radio."

"That girl who plays Courtney [Tammin Sursok] is way better than Vanessa Hudgens because she's pretty and she can act.""It is totally better than 'Camp Rock.' ""Why do they always have to have a mean pretty girl in these movies?""The guy who plays Nikko [Nolan Gerard Funk] seems cooler than Troy, but I still think Zac Efron will do better in his career."OK, OK, maybe that last is an indication that having a mother who is also a TV critic is not without consequences. But being on the backside of 10 and 8, my two older children are part of the post-"High School Musical" generation, and I have to say I agree with them on pretty much every point. Everyone is going to call "Spectacular!" Nickelodeon's answer to the Disney franchise, and in a way it is. But the success of "HSM," "Camp Rock" and, to a certain extent, "Hannah Montana," the Jonas Brothers and even Nick's own "The Naked Brothers Band" simply marks a return of the old-fashioned, small-town musical that once ruled the big screen. You know, the ones in which a girl and a guy (often played by Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney) saved something or other by puttin' on a show. Salvation through music, good hoofing and communal effort.