KIDS TV-This Is Just 2 Cool.
by: KATHY HENDERSON.
23, October, 1988

If "Saturday Night Live" were reincarnated on MTV, the result might be
"2 Hip 4 TV," an irreverent new hour-long comedy and music series airing
at noon every Saturday on NBC.
Comedy and music aimed at teenagers - on Saturday morning? Yes, says
the network, gambling that an untapped older audience will embrace a
program especially for them, just as a previous generation tuned in to
"American Bandstand."
This, however, is a generation looking for something other than
enthusiastic dancers. In the first episode, which aired last month, host
Colin Quinn prowled "2 Hip 4 TV's" bowling alley set, speculating on
which Presidential candidate would make the best heavy metal musician
(Dukakis was given the edge because so many heavy metal musicians are
short). One comedy sketch centered on the "Barry Manilow killer," and
actor Robert Carradine staged a baseball game played by dogs.
Musical guests on the premiere show included the Stray Cats and the
Del Rubio Triplets, three elderly ladies in hot pants who sang "Hey
Jude" and "Walk Like an Egyptian."
"It's very in to know about the Del Rubios," explains producer Bonnie
Burns. "They are considered the creme de la creme of the avant-garde
movement in L. A."
This, the producer believes, is how to reach teenagers. "TV has
traditionally underestimated the intelligence of teenagers," says Burns.
"They're the overlooked market in television. When NBC said they wanted
to do an alternative show on Saturday morning, I was really intrigued."
Burns gathered a staff of producers and writers in their 20s and
tapped Quinn, 29, a comedian featured on MTV's game show "Remote
Control." He's assisted in his hosting chores by Ahmet Zappa, 14, son of
musician Frank Zappa. "We were looking for an unconventional host who
hasn't the typical square-jawed, all-teeth kind of guy," says Burns, and
she certainly found one in the Brooklyn-born Quinn.
"Who's the show for?" Quinn says in his nasal whine. "You got me. You
know how they say TV is for people who have no life? This show is for
people who really have no life. At 12 o'clock on Saturdays, you should
be with your family or out playing softball. This show is for people who
can't afford The Weather Channel."
But seriously, Colin . . . "The show is great for me," he concedes,
"because there's a lot of room for improvisation and ad-libbing. I can
just ramble, and they leave it in. The show is a work-in-progress in
front of millions of people. The great thing is that it's not safe. Even
when it's bad, it's still taking a chance, and when it's good, there's
nothing better than getting something spontaneous on the air."
Since its debut last month, "2 Hip" has toned down its portrayal of
women in tight T-shirts being ogled by Quinn. "The first show was like
Benny Hill," he admits. "We never meant it to be sexist," adds Burns.
"People said, `Sex sells,' but when we looked at it, I said, `I don'tcare.' "
"Every week we continue to refine the show," she notes. "We're trying
to stay contemporary, and we've added a reality-based segment with an
unusual guest, like the Mexican Elvis or a sixty-three-year-old woman
wrestler. I think it would be great if people tune in on Saturdays and
say, `What's going on in the world that's entertaining and reallydifferent?' "
Burns, now 38, posed as a teenager herself five years ago to write the
book "I Was a Spy at Hollywood High." In her view, adults talk down to
teens too much. "We don't sit around and ask ourselves what a teenager
would like," she says of the "2 Hip" production meetings. "We just try
to find interesting and unusual guests and go by what we like ourselves.
I hope adults will watch, too."
Colin Quinn takes a more cavalier view. "This show's a good
experiment," he says. "The way I look at it, if I think it's funny, it's
funny. If people don't hit that level, there's nothing I can do."
Laughing, he adds, "I don't even care what kids like. I just care about
what I like!"

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