Jamie Lynn Spears Visit the Photo Place

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'Zoey 101,' though highly implausible, brought optimism to today's youth

Date published: 5/8/2008

BY MATT CAMERON

It's a rare occasion that you'll find me home watching television on a beautiful Friday evening. But this past week I remained in my lair, away from the First Friday festivities and assorted social happenings that would usually be irresistible.

The reason for my seclusion was not what you might expect--I was not working on a research paper or studying for the SAT exam I had the next morning. Instead, I was tuned in to "Chasing Zoey," the made-for-TV movie that was likely to be the final installment of Nickelodeon's flagship series "Zoey 101."

Now, I have never watched "Zoey 101" before--probably because it seems to represent everything that I despise about modern-day television. It is a ridiculous tween drama about a bunch of gorgeously tanned, hopelessly contrived teenagers at a well-to-do California prep school, Pacific Coast Academy--a school that every child on the planet has dreamed of attending. The show centers around Zoey and Chase, two teens who mutually agree to participate in the love version of hide-and-seek, as both are too stupid to admit their love for each other. Most of the show's conflicts, it appears from the commercials, revolve around relationships such as these, which is not entirely surprising since kids attending a hip prep school in Cali really don't have much else to worry about.

If you think I am insane for abandoning Friday night sociality for this sort of mindless entertainment, I don't blame you. But with "Chasing Zoey" airing as the abrupt conclusion to this beloved franchise, I felt it was my patriotic duty as an American youth to give Zoey a rousing sendoff, even if I had never much cared for her before.

In case you are unfamiliar with the circumstances surrounding the show's star, Jamie Lynn Spears, I will spare you the details--you are obviously living a much happier life than I ever will. (See opposite page for details--ed.) But as much as I loathe this pathetic excuse for an entertainer, I recognize the fact that her show has become an integral part of the lives of millions of American kids who will soon be heading off to middle and high school--while desperately emulating the performances that Spears and the gang have put on for three years.

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Date published: 5/8/2008