Teen Pregnancy Tied to Steamy TV

Teen sex is on a downswing

(NEWSER) - Kids these days, with their sex, their sex, and all their sex. Just look at Jamie Lynn Spears and Bristol Palin—it’s getting worse all the time, right? Nope. The portion of high-schoolers who’d had sex in 2007 was 47.8%, reports the New York Times—down from 54.1% in 1991. And the infamous oral sex epidemic? Only 16% of teenagers have had oral sex but not intercourse. More»

You'll spoil it for others—and yourself: Daniel Carlson

(NEWSER) - If you've ever had a television show spoiled by live-tweeters, you'll probably appreciate Daniel Carlson's directive: "Step away from the keyboard," he begs viewers, because "live-tweeting ruins everything." Yes, he's annoyed at plot spoilers—but more importantly, he points out on Pajiba , tweeting while watching the show "negatively affects the way you experience the story." He doesn't even check Twitter while watching Breaking Bad, he points out—not to avoid spoilers, but simply because he's engrossed in the show. More»

These tropes are so overused, they're not funny anymore

(NEWSER) - If you're tired of hearing sitcom characters joke that they just threw up in their mouths or ironically comment, "That went well," after something decidedly didn't, you're not alone. On Vulture , Margaret Lyons lists 10 overused TV situations and lines she'd be happy to never hear again:

• "And by [thing], I of course mean [opposite of thing]." Lyons would say, "Chandler Bing called and he wants his ironic detachment back," except that joke is "even more overdone."
• "He's standing right behind me, isn't he?" Sure, it is plausible that in real life, a person might be caught gossiping. "But no one has ever actually, authentically said, 'She's standing right behind me, isn't she?'"

And its long run could continue for quite a while: USA Today

(NEWSER) - American Idol has dominated the Nielsen ratings for 10 seasons, and its 11th season starts up tonight. Bill Keveney of USA Today rounds up some reasons why this pop culture institution might just go on forever: More»

Modern comedies badly rehash old ideas: Times critic

(NEWSER) - If this is the comeback season for the sitcom, at least one critic wants to go wayyyy back: to Seinfeld, Mary Tyler Moore, and Leave It to Beaver. "Certainly no series introduced this fall is breaking new ground," writes Neil Genzlinger in the New York Times . He concludes that "all television jokes going back to those first flickering black-and-white images fall into one of five categories," which were executed brilliantly in the old days. Today, not so much: More»