I’M the envy of millions of kids.
That’s nothing new, of course, since many children dream of growing up and getting paid to watch TV. But this time, they’re envious because I have already seen “Camp Rock,” the new TV musical starring the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato that every kid in America cannot wait to see.
PHOTO GALLERY: The Jonas Brothers
It premieres tomorrow night on Disney Channel and figures to be the biggest thing on TV this summer for preteens since “High School Musical” – or, at least, that’s what Disney hopes will happen.
And I have seen it, while the preteens have not.
They needn’t envy me, though, for I envy them.
They might disagree with me, but their lives are virtually free of worry, other than the struggle to be popular – which they’ll eventually learn isn’t worth the trouble.
And unlike me, they’re still young enough to have hopes and dreams, to swoon in the presence of pop stars, and to dare to imagine that they themselves might someday become stars, too.
In “Camp Rock,” a group of plucky youngsters – led by the pluckiest of the plucky, Mitchie Torres (played by Disney’s newest teen-idol creation, Demi Lovato) – are fortunate enough to attend a summer camp for musical prodigies.
There, they learn the ins and outs of performing from counselors who include a truculent pop star named Shane (played by Joe Jonas ) who has been assigned to spend his summer at Camp Rock by his record company as a p.r. stunt designed to improve his image as a bratty bad boy.
“Camp Rock” concerns itself with the same issues you might encounter in a made-for-TV musical about a high school – mainly, how to fit in while also maintaining one’s individuality.
It’s really a great movie, like a modern-day version of an old Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney picture in which the kids put on a show that improves the lives of all who see it.
Watching this movie yesterday was one of the most pleasant afternoons I have spent recently doing this job that all kids envy.
I have little doubt that Disney will break some kind of record with “Camp Rock” and that more “Camp Rocks” are sure to follow.
“Camp Rock”