Photo Credit: George Arriola

There are very few television shows that can stand up to the age-split test in our house. Avatar – The Last Airbender, on Nickelodeon, is one can hold a six-year-old and a thirteen-year-old spellbound (with parents glancing in from the background). So it’s very good news that the live-action movie being developed by Paramount Pictures and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, is scheduled to be released this summer.

An interesting controversy has developed around this movie that, to me, demonstrates both the wide appeal of this story, as well as the power of the fan and social media. A group of adult fans of the show were outraged when the movie’s cast was announced and all four main characters were cast as Caucasians. In the casting sheets, these four characters were specified to be Caucasian, while the extras were specified as ”any ethnicity except Caucasian.” (In addition, extra candidates were asked to appear in their native garb.) Fans mobilized under the banner “Aang Ain’t White” to bring to light how this trend in movie casting. The group initiated a letter-writing and media campaign and had some success: the part of Zuko was recast with Dev Patel, star of Slumdog Millionaire. (It should be noted that in most of the movie Zuko is an enemy.) You can read a complete chronicle this effort and an analysis of fan activism by the brilliant Henry Jenkins here.

This controversy would be great conversation fodder for a family. How do kids see race? What have they noticed the Eastern culture in Avatar – The Last Airbender? Would it seem strange to them to see Caucasian actors for these characters? What other movies are cast with kids of color?

Finally, good news for fans: Paramount describes the movie as “the opening chapter in Aang’s struggle to survive.” Which can only mean one thing: sequel.

Photo credit: billaday

A recent survey by Common Sense Media shows that 35 percent of students use their cell phones to cheat on tests. Here’s how they do it:

Happily, teachers and administrators are well aware of this problem and are attacking it head-on. Solutions range from creating a unique grade for cheating (FD), which stays on the student’s record for two years, to designing tests to be more process-oriented. You can read the full discussion at HigherEdMorning.com.

Photo credit: enfad

What’s will be on your kids’ holiday wish lists this year? This week Nintendo announced games scheduled for release this fall.

Highlights include Wii Fit™ Plus (Oct. 4) and New Super Mario Bros.™ Wii (holiday 2009). These games will join the current hot seller, Wii Sports Resort™, which comes with the precision-control Wii MotionPlus™ accessory. In the portable games category, Pokémon™ Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (Oct. 12), Style Savvy™ (Nov. 2) and The Legend of Zelda™: Spirit Tracks (Dec. 7) in addition to the just-released Mario & Luigi™: Bowser’s Inside Story, all playable on both Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi systems, will no doubt be bestsellers.

Here’s the full list.

WII
2K Sports
NHL® 2K10 – Sept. 15
Baseball Blast! – Sept. 28
NBA 2K10 - Oct. 6

2K Play
Dora the Explorer™: Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom™ – Fall
Ni Hao, Kai-Lan: Super Game Day - Fall
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey™ Circus – Fall

505 Games
My Ballet Studio - November
Baby and Me - November

Activision Publishing, Inc.
Animal Planet Vet Life – Sept. 15
Marvel™: Ultimate Alliance 2™ – Sept. 15
Cabela’s Big Game Hunter 2010 – Sept. 22
Rapala We Fish – Sept. 22
Bakugan® Battle Brawlers ™ - Oct. 20
iCarly™ – Oct. 20
Madagascar Kartz – Oct. 20
Mountain Sports – Oct. 20
Hidden Mysteries Titanic – Oct. 27
Barbie™ and the Three Musketeers – Oct. 27
Jurassic Hunter – Oct. 27
DJ Hero™ – Oct. 27
Chaotic™: Shadow Warriors – Nov. 10
Hot Wheels™ Battle Force 5™ - Nov. 10
Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare®: Reflex – Nov. 10
Tony Hawk®: RIDE™ – Nov. 17
Band Hero™ – November
Guitar Hero® Van Halen® – Dec. 22

Aspyr Media
My Baby and Me - Nov. 17

Atlus U.S.A., Inc.
101-in-1 Party Megamix™ - Oct. 27
Trauma Team™ – Spring
Shiren the Wanderer™ – Spring

Capcom® Entertainment, Inc.
Spyborgs™ - Sept. 22
Resident Evil®: The Darkside Chronicles – Nov. 17

City Interactive USA, Inc.
Chicken Riot – November
Combat Wings: The Great Battles of WWII – January
Art of Murder - March

D3Publisher
Family Party: 30 Great Games™ Outdoor Fun – Sept. 22
Astro Boy®: The Video Game - Oct. 20
THE SECRET SATURDAYS™: BEASTS OF THE 5TH SUN – Oct. 20
BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE™: Vilgax Attacks – Oct. 27
Kamen Rider Dragon Knight - Winter

Destineer
We Wish You A Merry Christmas – Oct. 13
Buck Fever – Oct. 20
Alien Monster Bowling League – Oct. 27
Marines: Modern Urban Combat – Nov. 3
Satisfashion – Nov. 17
Rec Room - Nov. 17

Disney Interactive Studios
Disney Sing It: Pop Hits – October
Princess and the Frog - November

Electronic Arts
MySims™ Agents – Sept. 22
Dead Space™ Extraction – Sept. 29
Spore™ Hero – Oct. 6
CHARM GIRLS CLUB™ Pajama Party – Oct. 20
SimAnimals™ Africa – Oct. 26
LITTLEST PET SHOP™ FRIENDS - October
NERF 2: “N-Strike”™ Elite – October
HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT 2 – October
FIFA 10 – October
Need for Speed™ Nitro – Nov. 17
EA SPORTS Active™ More Workouts – November

Knowledge Adventure
JumpStart® Escape from Adventure Island - Nov. 1

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
Walk It Out! - October
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories – November
Storybook Workshop – November
Karaoke Revolution - November
Ultimate Party Challenge - November
DanceDanceRevolution Hottest Party 3 - November
pop’n music - November
Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 – Q4

LucasArts
Star Wars® The Clone Wars™: Republic Heroes™ – Oct. 6
LEGO® Indiana Jones 2™: The Adventure Continues – Fall

Majesco Entertainment
Our House: Party! - Sept. 22
A Boy and His Blob - Oct. 13
Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2010 - Oct. 20
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel – Dec. 1
The Daring Game for Girls - Holiday

Mastiff
Shimano Xtreme Fishing – Sept. 29
Remington Great American Bird Hunt - Oct. 27

NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc
Dragon Ball®: Revenge of King Piccolo – October
Food Network: Cook or Be Cooked – November
We Cheer™ 2 - November

Nintendo
Wii Fit Plus – Oct. 4
New Super Mario Bros. Wii – Holiday

Playlogic
Sudoku Ball Detective - Sept. 22

SEGA®
Wacky World of Sports™ - Sept. 22
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games™ – Oct. 13
Planet 51 – Nov. 17
Jambo! Safari:™ Animal Rescue – Q4
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing™ - Feb. 10
Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll™ - Early 2010

SouthPeak Games
My Baby First Steps™ – Holiday
Sushi Go Round™ – Holiday

Square Enix
FINAL FANTASY® CRYSTAL CHRONICLES®: THE CRYSTAL BEARERS® – Dec. 26

Storm City Games
The Island of Dr. Frankenstein - Oct. 6
Vegas Party – Oct. 27
Bermuda Triangle: Saving the Coral – Nov. 9

Tecmo
Family Fun Football™ – Sept. 29

THQ
The Biggest Loser - Oct. 6
Cars Race O Rama – Oct. 13
Marvel® Super Hero Squad™ – Oct. 20
WWE® SmackDown® vs. Raw® 2010 – Oct. 20
SpongeBob Truth or Square – Oct. 26
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader: Game Time – Oct. 26
World of Zoo™ – Oct. 26
All Star Cheer Squad™ 2 - Oct. 27
Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter - Oct. 27
Daniel X - Jan. 12
World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars - Feb. 2

TOMY Corporation
NARUTO™ Shippuden: Clash of Ninja® Revolution 3 – Nov. 17

Ubisoft
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs™ – Sept. 15
Where’s Waldo®: The Fantastic Journey – Sept. 22
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles™: Smash-up – Sept. 22
The Price is Right ® 2010 Edition - Sept. 22
Family Feud® 2010 Edition – Sept. 29
CSI™: Deadly Intent - Oct. 20
Monster 4×4™ Stunt Racer - Oct. 27
Rabbids Go Home™ – Nov. 3
Academy of Champions™ – Nov. 3
Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage – Nov. 8
Just Dance™ - Nov. 17
James Cameron’s Avatar™ The Game – Nov. 24
Your Shape™ Featuring Jenny McCarthy - Nov. 24

UFO Interactive Games, Inc.
Army Rescue™ – Sept. 29
Rock Blast ™ – Oct. 20
Arcade Shooter: Ilvelo – Oct. 27
Geon Cube - Oct. 27
Smart Series Presents: JaJa’ Adventure – Nov. 10

Vir2L® Studios
Medieval Games™ – Oct. 20

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Scooby-Doo™! First Frights – Sept. 22
Where the Wild Things Are – Oct. 13
Game Party® 3 – October
LEGO® Rock Band™ – Holiday
SCENE IT?® BRIGHT LIGHTS! BIG SCREEN!™ - Holiday

XSEED Games
JU-ON: The Grudge – Oct. 13
Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga – Fall

WIIWARE

Aksys Games
BIT.TRIP VOID – Q3
BIT.TRIP series (3 additional titles) - Q4, Q1

Broken Rules
And Yet It Moves - Q4

Frontier
LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias - Q4

Gameloft
Ghost Mansion Party – Q3
The Oregon Trail – Q4

Ghostfire Games
Rage of the Gladiator - Q1

Incredible Technologies
Carnival King – Q3

Konami
Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth – Q3
Frogger Returns - Q4

Nabi Studios
Toribash – Q4

Natsume
Moki Moki - Q3
Harvest Moon: My Little Shop - Q4

Nicalis
Cave Story - Q3
Night Game - Q1
La Mulana - Q1

NinjaBee
The Amazing Brain Train – Q4

Nintendo
You, Me, and the Cubes™ – Q3
Eco Shooter: Plant 530™ – Q4

Nintendo/TPC
Pokémon™ Rumble – Q4

Press Play
Max & the Magic Marker - Q4

React Games
Archon: Classic – Q1

Taito
Arkanoid Plus! - Q3

Team Meat
Super Meat Boy – Q1

Telltale Games
Tales of Monkey Island™: Lair of the Leviathan - Q3
Tales of Monkey Island™: The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood – Q4
Tales of Monkey Island™: Rise of the Pirate God - Q4

NINTENTO DS/NINTENDO DSi

2K Play
Dora the Explorer: Dora Puppy - Oct. 26
Ni Hao, Kai-Lan: New Year’s Celebration – Oct. 26
The Backyardigans - Oct. 26
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus – Fall

505 Games
My Ballet Studio – November
Discovery Kids SpiderQuest - November
Dream Diary - November
Picture Perfect Hair Salon – November
IL2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey - Sept. 15

Activision Publishing, Inc.
Marvel™: Ultimate Alliance 2™ – Sept. 15
Animal Planet Vet Life – Sept. 15
Bakugan ® Battle Brawlers ™ – Oct. 20
iCarly™ – Oct. 20
Madagascar Kartz – Oct. 20
Barbie™ and the Three Musketeers – Oct. 27
Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare®: Mobilized – Nov. 10
Chaotic™: Shadow Warriors – Nov. 10
Hot Wheels™ Battle Force 5™ – Nov. 10
Band Hero™ – November

Aspyr Media
Fighting Fantasy™: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain – Oct. 26

City Interactive USA, Inc.
Sushi Academy - Oct. 13
Chronicles of Mystery: Curse of the Ancient Temple – Oct. 27
Animal Country: Life on the Farm – November
Party Designer - November
Art of Murder - February
Jewels of Sahara – March

D3Publisher
Astro Boy®: The Video Game – Oct. 20
THE SECRET SATURDAYS™: BEASTS OF THE 5TH SUN - Oct. 20
BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE™: Vilgax Attacks – Oct. 27
Kamen Rider Dragon Knight – Winter

Destineer
Satisfashion – Nov. 17

Disney Interactive Studios
Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure – October
Disney’s A Christmas Carol - November
JONAS - November
Princess and the Frog - November

Electronic Arts
MySims™ Agents - Sept. 22
Spore™ Hero Arena – Oct. 6
CHARM GIRLS CLUB™ My Fashion Show - Oct. 20
CHARM GIRLS CLUB™ My Fashion Mall – Oct. 20
CHARM GIRLS CLUB™ My Perfect Prom – Oct. 20
SimAnimals™ Africa – Oct. 26
LITTLEST PET SHOP™ CITY FRIENDS – October
LITTLEST PET SHOP™ COUNTRY FRIENDS - October
LITTLEST PET SHOP™ BEACH FRIENDS – October
HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT 2 - October
FIFA 10 – October

Ignition Entertainment
Nostalgia – Oct. 20

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
WireWay – November

LucasArts
Star Wars® The Clone Wars™: Republic Heroes™ - Oct. 6
Star Wars Battlefront™: Elite Squadron™ – Nov. 3
LEGO® Indiana Jones 2™: The Adventure Continues – Fall

Majesco Entertainment
Our House - Sept. 22
Sideswiped - Sept. 29
Cake Mania® 3 - Oct. 13
Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2010 – Oct. 20
Cooking Mama 3: Shop and Chop – Oct. 27
My Hero: Astronaut - Nov. 3
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel - Dec. 1
Dawn of Heroes – Dec. 1
My Hero: Firefighter - December
The Daring Game for Girls – Holiday

NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc
Dragon Ball® Z: Attack of the Saiyans – November

Nintendo
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky - Oct. 12
Style Savvy - Nov. 2
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks – Dec. 7

NIS America
A Witch’s Tale – Oct. 6
Atelier Annie: Alchemists of Sera Island - Oct. 27

PopCap Games, Inc.
Bookworm™ – Dec. 1

SEGA®
Bleach:™ The 3rd Phantom – Sept. 15
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games™ – Oct. 13
Phantasy Star™ Zero - Nov. 10
Planet 51 - Nov. 17
Jambo! Safari:™ Animal Rescue – Q4
Sands of Destruction™ – January
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing™ – February
Infinite Space™ – Spring

SouthPeak Games
Montessori Music™ – Oct. 20
My Baby First Steps™ – Holiday
Sushi Go Round™ – Holiday
Crime Scene™ – Holiday

Square Enix
KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 DAYS – Sept. 29
SPACE INVADERS EXTREME™ 2 - Oct. 20

Storm City Games
Hands On! Tangrams - Oct. 13
Jewel Master Egypt – Oct. 20
Flaw - Oct. 27
Foto Frenzy - Nov. 2
Bermuda Triangle: Saving the Coral - Nov. 9

THQ
James Patterson Women’s Murder Club: Games of Passion – Sept. 15
Fabulous Finds – Sept. 21
Just in Time Translations – Sept. 21
The Biggest Loser - Oct. 6
Cars Race O Rama - Oct. 13
Marvel® Super Hero Squad™ – Oct. 20
WWE® SmackDown® vs. Raw® 2010 – Oct. 20
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader: Game Time - Oct. 26
World of Zoo™ - Oct. 26
SpongeBob Truth or Square – Oct. 26
Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter – Oct. 27
MX vs. ATV™ Reflex™ – Holiday

TOMY Corporation
NARUTO Shippuden: Ninja Destiny 2 – Sept. 15

Ubisoft
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs™ – Sept. 15
Where’s Waldo®: The Fantastic Journey – Sept. 22
The Price is Right® 2010 Edition – Sept. 22
Family Feud® 2010 Edition – Sept. 29
Battle of Giants™: Dragons – Sept. 29
Imagine® Salon Stylist - Sept. 29
Imagine® Sweet 16 – Oct. 4
Imagine® Zookeeper – Oct. 6
PETZ® PONY BEAUTY PAGEANT™ - Oct. 13
Imagine® Fashion Designer World Tour – Oct. 20
CSI™: Deadly Intent – The Hidden Cases - Oct. 20
Jam Sessions 2 – Oct. 20
PETZ® DOLPHINZ ENCOUNTER – Oct. 27
Might and Magic® Clash of Heroes® - Oct. 27
Imagine® Artist – Oct. 27
C.O.P. The Recruit™ – Nov. 3
Rabbids Go Home™ – Nov. 3
Imagine® Babyz Fashion - Nov. 3
Fairyland Melody Magic™ – Nov. 8
Style Lab™ Jewelry Design – Nov. 10
Style Lab™ Makeover – Nov. 10
PETZ® NURSERY – Nov. 10
PETZ® DOGZ® TALENT SHOW – Nov. 17
PETZ® HAMSTERZ® SUPERSTARZ - Nov. 24
James Cameron’s Avatar™ The Game – Nov. 24

Virtual Play Games
Junior Brain Trainer - Nov. 10
Junior Classic Games – Nov. 10

UFO Interactive Games, Inc.
Smart Boy’s Gameroom 2® - Sept. 29
Smart Girl’s Playhouse 2® - Sept. 29
Smart Kid’s Mega Game Mix™ – Sept. 29
Reversal Challenge – Oct. 13
Balloon Pop – Nov. 12

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Scribblenauts™ – Sept. 15
Scooby-Doo™! First Frights - Sept. 22
LEGO® Rock Band™ – Holiday
Where the Wild Things Are – Oct. 13
TouchMaster® 3 – Oct. 27

XSEED Games
THE WIZARD OF OZ™: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road – Sept. 29

NINTENDO DSiWARE

Gameloft
Uno - Q4

Hudson Entertainment
Bomberman Blitz – Q4

Nintendo
Art Academy™: Second Semester – Sept. 28
Art Style™: DIGIDRIVE™ – Q4
Electroplankton™ (10 titles total) – Q4
Picturebook Games™: The Royal Bluff – Q4
Pinball Pulse: The Ancients Beckon™ – Q4
Sparkle Snapshots™ – Q4

Subatomic Studios
Fieldrunners - Q4

WayForward Technologies
Shantae:Risky’s Revenge – Q4

Wii and the Nintendo DS systems feature parental controls that let adults manage some of the content their children can access. For more information about these and other features, visit Wii.com, www.NintendoDS.com and www.NintendoDSi.com.

Tulane University recently announced a partnership with RoommateClick, a service that allows incoming students to select roommates through a closed social network.

RoommateClick provides about 10 colleges with customized roommate-choosing networks, where students fill out a questionnaire regarding their living habits (cleanliness, smoking, etc.) and provide profile photos and other open-ended profile information about themselves. Students can then search the closed network to choose roommates if they don’t wish to be assigned matches by the housing department.

Several other Web 2.0 companies also offer roommate selection matching. The school adopted the partnership because students were already using social networking in doing “background checks” on new roommates.

“Over the last few years we have seen such an increase in calls in July and August with requests to change rooms because of what students have seen on MySpace or Facebook,” said Marty Brantley, Tulane’s director of housing services.

Some truths remain eternal: Life can be treacherous for those not socially skilled – whether in the real world or virtual.

I had just finished giving a talk about youth culture to a room full of professionals who worked in the retail industry when a woman raised her hand to tell me a story. It was homecoming season and her daughter Mary was going to go to homecoming for the first time. What fascinated this mother was that her daughter’s approach to shopping was completely different than her own.

Using Google and a variety of online shopping sites, Mary researched dresses online, getting a sense for what styles she liked and reading information about what was considered stylish that year. Next, Mary and her friends went to the local department store as a small group, toting along their digital cameras (even though they’re banned). They tried on the dresses, taking pictures of each other in the ones that fit. Upon returning home, Mary uploaded the photos to her Facebook and asked her broader group of friends to comment on which they liked the best. Based on this feedback, she decided which dress to purchase, but didn’t tell anyone because she wanted her choice to be a surprise. Rather than returning to the store, Mary purchased the same dress online at a cheaper price based on the information on the tag that she had written down when she initially saw the dress. She went for the cheaper option because her mother had given her a set budget for homecoming shopping; this allowed her to spend the rest on accessories.

Danah’s post goes on to say that parents use online resources for research, then buy locally. The opposite is true for teens. They use brick and mortar stores for research, then head online for purchases.

Sounds like hanging out at the mall may be nonexistent when my kids are teens. But then, it never was about shopping, was it?

Apparently, some characters on The Street in those days (1969) modeled behavior that today is considered inappropriate for preschool TV. For example, the original Oscar the Grouch was too misanthropic and sacrastic for young brains. And Cookie Monster was clearly a sugar addict. Some segments are now thought to be just plain creepy. Case in point: When Big Bird talked to Snuffleupagus, who was not visible to the other characters pre-1985, he swore to his puppet friends that he was not hallucinating.

Virginia Heffernan’s New York Times post on the subject is amusing and a reality check for parents about how times and our standards change.