CMT Diary - TV-PG

Glimpse at stars' lives can send mixed messages.

TV Rating: TV-PG Network: CMT Genre: Reality TV

Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that because each episode in this glamorized reality series spotlights a different celebrity, it's difficult to predict the content. While some may focus on positive messages about family, faith, and generosity, others celebrate drinking, hobbies like shooting guns (with beer in hand, no less), and financial success with minimal education. As if that's not enough, the blatant inclusion of brand names -- again, often alcohol-related -- should have parents thinking twice before giving teens the green light.

Families can talk about the media's influence on our lifestyles. How does the entertainment industry play a role in what we consume? Does seeing specific products or brands in TV shows affect how you think about them? If so, how? Should celebrities associate with certain products and brands? Do you think it affects how teens perceive habits like drinking and smoking? Families can also discuss the lives of the featured celebrities. After watching this show, do teens want to be rich and famous? What are some of the benefits/disadvantages to living a public life?

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Emily Ashby

Sometimes it seems like our celebrity-obsessed culture just can't get enough of the stars we idolize. We flock to read their exclusive magazine interviews, record their talk show appearances, and mull over the details of their extracurricular activities.

But while adults are able (most of the time, anyway) to put celebs' sometimes-questionable actions within the context of the pressures of stardom, that ability is often more difficult for teens and tweens. Their idols become full-fledged role models whose actions are the building blocks for their own priorities. That's the potential hazard of shows like CMT DIARY, which gives country music stars the chance to take viewers on a behind-the-scenes tour of their lives.

Like its sister series on MTV, CMT Diary spotlights a different star in every episode, following along as they share a more private side of themselves with their fans. From home life to life on the road, the celebs lay it all on the line as they get personal about love, family, hobbies, and stardom.

It sounds enticing, and it's definitely got the curiosity factor in its favor, but the featured celebs don't always exhibit model behavior. Take a recent episode featuring Gretchen Wilson, for example. Almost every scene -- whether at home with family or during meetings on the tour bus -- involves drinking (with brands are emblazoned on the bottles, as well as on multiple articles of clothing).

And later, when Wilson and her family take viewers along for a favorite group pastime -- target practice -- she's shown with a beer in one hand and a handgun in the other. (Hey, Gretchen, ever heard that alcohol and guns don't mix?) But not to worry -- she explains it all by tying it to family bonding: "Shootin' guns and drinkin' and raising hell is kind of just part of a family tradition." Then, shortly thereafter, she reminds viewers that celebs like herself need to keep it real because, after all, "you've got to be a role model."

Because the tone of CMT Diary depends on the personality of its stars, each episode is different. For some stars, family and faith come first, and the resulting messages may be entirely unobjectionable. If your teens can't get enough of their country music idols, don't rule out this insider's look at their lives -- just check it out before giving them the go-ahead.

Fans may also enjoy The Fabulous Life of... or Nashville Star.

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Content		CS	adults	kids
Content
Sexual Content
Violence At least one scene includes scenes of people participating in target practice with guns.
Language Expletives like "hell," "ass," "bitch," and "damn" are common. "F--k" is bleeped.
Message
	Social Behavior The series gives celebs a chance to show a more personal side of themselves, including family time, home life, and hobbies. But depending on the star, it often morphs into an opportunity for them to applaud their own efforts (sometimes to a nauseating degree) to handle fame and fortune and maintain a "normal" life while celebrating favorite pastimes like drinking and "raising hell."
	Commercialism Alcohol brands like Southern Comfort, Jack Daniels, and Michelob are prominent on beverage containers and clothing. Fast food restaurants like McDonald's also get air time when the celebs stop in to eat.
	Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco Some stars and their entourage drink frequently. In at least one episode, drinking is referred to as a "family tradition" that plays a part in nearly every aspect of the celebrity's life -- from relaxation to a pre-concert ritual -- and even is present during a group outing to the shooting range. Smoking is present, too, though less frequently.