The three-man TV shoot at Alpha Delta Pi went calmly, something
sorority houses aren’t necessarily known for. When asked why
the sorority girls weren’t partying on a Friday night, the
answer was pretty simple.
“We’re waiting for this to end,” said
fourth-year English student Carrie Basham, combining frustration
and excitement that read, “We’re going to be on
TV.” That’s reason enough.
Last Friday, the girls from Alpha Delta Pi got their 15 minutes
of fame as the Dateline NBC crew videotaped them in their Hilgard
estate watching “SpongeBob Squarepants,” the most
watched kids show on TV today. With a tentative airdate of Nov. 26,
a special about pop culture, hosted by Katie Couric, will feature a
segment on the phenomenon of “SpongeBob.” The sorority
girls will be quoted in the special along with
“SpongeBob” kid fans, “SpongeBob” cast
members and Lisa Kudrow (she has a little boy who’s a fan
and, let’s not forget, she’s the kooky
“Friend”).
After waiting for the show to start (Friday at 8 p.m.), the
cameras rolled, catching the sight of the girls singing along with
the theme song and laughing at SpongeBob’s exploits. During
commercial time, each girl was taped explaining why she likes the
show.
“I saw it was not only aimed for the younger
viewers,” said second-year French and Russian student Annie
Wands. “There’s a lot of stuff the little kids
don’t pick up.”
When Wands mentions sexual innuendo as one example, the
girls collectively laugh, and the cameras love it. It’s
not exactly a Kodak moment, but how could Couric not eat it up?
At work in New York, Couric was nowhere in sight, nor was
Dateline producer Matt Lombardi. But a field producer from the
Burbank office was at the sorority house, asking the tough
questions, such as “How did you get into
“˜SpongeBob’? Do you own “˜SpongeBob’
paraphernalia? What is it about “˜SpongeBob’ that you
like? Anything in particular?”
“I think they’re watching it, A, because it’s
funny, and, B there’s a lot of things they can relate to that
they did as a kid,” said Nicole Mazer, publicist at
Nickelodeon who was on site at the taping. “That’s why
there’s a crossover appeal.”
The crossover Mazer refers to is the remarkable 22 percent of
SpongeBob viewers who are over 18 years old. Not all of the
sorority girls’ theories as to why involved sexual
innuendo.
“I like it because, on one level, it’s just silly
humor, but on another level, it’s satire,” said Basham,
a former Nickelodeon intern. “It’s making fun of events
we’ve all been through, such as driver’s ed.”
Another explanation, which does involve sexual innuendo, is the
show’s appeal (intentional or not) to the gay community. The
Wall Street Journal recently printed an article on
SpongeBob’s place after the “Teletubbies'”
Tinky Winky, “Sesame Street’s” Burt and Ernie,
and “Scooby Doo’s” Velma as the newest kiddie
character turned into a gay subcultural camp icon. Could SpongeBob
and Squidward be the next ambiguously gay duo?
Indications of “SpongeBob’s” popularity are
many. The local Ahhs! sells “SpongeBob” merchandise.
Many of the sorority girls claimed to have seen fraternity boys
wearing “SpongeBob” T-shirts. But the best sign of
“SpongeBob’s” popularity is a new movie in the
works, following in the steps of Nickelodeon predecessor
“Rugrats,” which is now second to
“SpongeBob” in ratings.
Basham is no stranger to being near cameras. As a former
Nickelodeon intern, she escorted Mandy Moore at the Nickelodeon
Kid’s Choice Awards.
Nickelodeon publicist Mazer remembered the intern when a
Dateline field reporter asked for a college student who was a
SpongeBob fan.
Mazer called Basham, who mass-e-mailed her sorority and
found the lucky seven girls, some of whom admittedly had to brush
up a little on their SpongeBob viewing before the taping (rush
events took time away from TV).
Perhaps the most blatant reason for liking
“SpongeBob” is that it’s a kids show.
That’s a distinction Basham, who works at Dic Entertainment
on children’s entertainment (the new “Strawberry
Shortcake” for instance), can appreciate.
“I think there’s a little more value to it, not
monetary value, but more merit to the shows,” Basham said.
“It’s not all about sex, it’s not all about drugs
and money. I think there’s some meaning to it.”