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THURSDAY, JULY 3, 1997
10A
ZAWADI
Nickelodeon duo Kenan and Kel have hit kid’s movie
SPECIAL TO THE POST
Folk’s looking for a hot
movie for kids this summer
are in luck.
Nickelodeon stars Kenan
Thompson and Kel Mitchell
will appear in Good Burger, a
modem day David and
Goliath story.
Kenan and Kel star on two
Nickelodeon programs, the
all-kids sketch comedy “All
That” £md their self-titled
“Kenan & Kel” show. The
“Kenan & Kel” show is the
second highest rated show on
cable television.
Good Burger is a
Paramount
Pictures/Nickelodeon Movies
production.
Based on a sketch from the
All That series, is set in the
burger-world. Kenan and Kel
play Dexter and Ed, respec
tively, a pair of high school
kids who take summer jobs
at the fast food joint. Good
Burger. While toiling away
at the french fry bin and the
grill, Ed creates a “special
sauce” that immediately
becomes all the rave and pro
pels Good Burger to enor
mous levels of success.
However, this success
comes with a price tag
attached. The manager of
Hondo Burger (Good Burger'
s prime competition) begins a
nefarious plot to get his
hands on the recipe for the
secret sauce. It becomes a
battle of good burger versus
evil burger, big guy versus
small fry, as Ed and Dexter
fight to preserve Good
Burger and prevent it from
being crushed by Hondo
Burger.
Where as Good Burger rep
resents “old-school” tradi
tions and down home friend
liness, Hondo Burger is the
epitome of futuristic, assem
bly line coldness. Essentially,
Ed and Dexter are fighting to
uphold the values and
morals which they hold near
and dear to their hearts.
Initially, Ed and Dexter are
uneasy allies in their mission
to save Good Burger.
However, the heat of the bat
tle draws Ed and Dexter clos
er and they subsequently
forge a genuine bond and
lasting friendship.
Kenan and Kel maintain an
off-screen friendship as well
(no petty jealousies or rivalry
here) and are very support
ive of each other. Their
appeal can largely be attrib
uted to the fact that, much
like their characters in the
film, they too are representa
tive of “old school” family
values and tradition.
Idohzed by young children
nationwide, Kenan and Kel
do not take their role model
status lightly.
Kel asserts, "It makes me
feel so good to see kids laugh
and smile at us. But what
makes it really great is kids
of different ages, back
grounds and cultures like
what we do. That s when you
know you're doing good
work.”
Kenan concurs; “We reach
all types of kids with what
we do.”
Education is another issue
very important to Kenan and
Kel. They both are enrolled
in college and very intent on
obtaining their degrees. They
encourage children to make
the most of their education
and have appeared on Black
Entertainment Television’s
(BET) Teen Summit to dis
cuss educational matters.
A Chicago native, Kel also
has his sights set on a music
career. He formed the rap
group, Hinds After Future
Thought (HAFT). and
recorded the hit song “Watch
He Do Hy Thing” with teen-
idols Immature, which was
featured on the soundtrack
to All That.
Kel recalls that one of the
highlights of filming Good
Burger was meeting George
Clinton.
“I grew up with my dad lis
tening to Parliament
Funkadelic, Bootsie Collins
and the P Funk All Stars,” he
said. “I love George Clinton
and he came up to me and
said ‘my grand kids watch
your show all the time.’
That’s amazing to me
because I'm such a big fan of
his.”
An eclectic mix of music
superstars contribute to the
soundtrack for Good Burger.
Standout cuts on the album
include a collaboration
between Hootie and the
Blowfish and Warren G., as
well as Hint Condition,
Spearhead, 1,000 Clowns, De
La Soul and 'The Pharcyde.
While Good Burger marks
Kel’s first foray onto the big
screen. Kenan, who hails
from Atlanta, has appeared
in “D2: The Highty Ducks”
and “Heavyweights.”
LIBRARY
NOTES
• “Juba Saturday,” a variety of activ
ities for school age children, will be
held each Saturd^ beginning July 5
at the Beatties Ford Road Branch
Libraity, 2412 Beatties Ford Road.
• “Summer Wiz Kids Computer
Class: Microsoft “Dangerous
Creatures” and “Oceans,” for ages 8
and up, will be taught by Microsoft
Corn, volunteers at the West
Boulevard Branch Library, 2157 West
Blvd., Wednesday, July 9, from 3-4
p.m. Classes pre first come, first
served.
• “Introduction to the Internet,” for
teens and adults, will be taught at 6:30
g .m. Thursday, July 10, and 9 a.m.
aturday, July 12 at the West
Boulevard Branch Library, 2157 West
Blvd. Registration required. Call 336-
6802.
• Bubble Magic and Popsicle Fun.
Saturday, July 19, 2-4 p.m. at Beatties
Ford Road Branch Library. Rock’N
Reader will be on hand and kids get
popsicle treat.
• Ruby Houston, Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Schools parent/child
resource coordinator will give advice
on child care and where and when to
get help Wednesday, July 23 at 10 a.m.
at Beatties Ford Road Branch Libreiry.
PHOTO/PAUL WILLIAMS IN
Ayana Hollins, 8, and Eli Pigford, 9, get help on the computer from Bernadette
Richards, program coordinator at the Make-A-Difference Center opened June
21 in the Oak Park at Nations Ford Apartments in southwest Charlotte. The
center is the 8th established by NationsBank in a committment to build 25 to
provide educational programs and resources for youth. The bank hopes the
centers will serve 250,000 youth by the year 2000.
Fireworks can ruin holiday, officials warn
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The July 4th Holiday, with
swimming at the beach or in
town and cookouta galore,
can be loads of fun.
But the celebration of the
nation’s independence can
also be downright dangerous
for kids.
In addition to following safe
swimming tips, young people
and their parents must also
be aware of fireworks haz
ards and laws regarding
their use.
Several fireworks are ille
gal to sell or possess in North
Carolina. These include fire
crackers, rockets, Roman
candles and aerial fireworks.
Violators of the law face mis
demeanor charges punish
able by a fine not to exceed
$500 and/or imprisonment
not to exceed six months.
And, since Dec. 1,1996, it is
against the law for children
younger than 16 to buy fire
works in North Carolina.
Legal fireworks include:
snake and glow worms,
smoke devices, such as
smoke bombs; trick noise-
makers, including party pop
pers, string poppers and
snappers; and wire
sparklers.
Charlotte Fire Harshall
David Carelock says playing
with fireworks invites disas
ter and cautions parents not
to allow children to use the
fireworks unattended.
Sparklers, for example, are
the most frequent cause of
firework injuries to children
nationwide. A lit sparker can
reach temperatures of up to
1,800 degrees which can
cause third degree burns
when a child grabs the wire.
The Charlotte Fire
Department offers the fol
lowing safety tips:
• Buy from reliable fire
works vendors
• Have water available
• Light one firework at a
time
• Ignite your fireworks out
doors
' • Never carry fireworks in
your pocket
• Never shoot fireworks
from a metal or glass con
tainer
• Always have an adult
present
• If a firework does not
light the first time, do not
attempt to light it again
• Never try to make your
own fireworks
CMS pre-school
screening date set
Pre-kindgergarten screening continues for
the new Charlotte-Hecklenburg Schools' four-
year-old program. The next screening is 10
a.m.- 6 p.m. July 10 at Marie G. Davis Middle
School, 3343 W. Griffith St., near South Tryon
Street.
On-going screening occurs daily at the sites
where the school system’s four-year-old classes
will be located. The pre-school classes wOl be
at Barringer, Briarwood, Derita, First Ward,
Long Creek, Sharon, Steele Creek, Sterling,
Thomasboro, Tryon Hills, University Park and
Windsor Park elementary schools, and at the
Double Oaks Community Center and the Plaza
Road Pre-School.
The pre-kindergarten program will serve
2000 4-year-olda beginning in August.
So far, more than 1,300 students have quali
fied for the program.
Parents bringing a child for screening should
have the child’s birth certificate, immunization
record and proof of residence.
For more information, call 343-5422, anytime.