Movie Monday: Concerts on the Big Screen

With this week's release of Glee the 3D Concert spectacular money grab or whatever its called, I thought about the new phenomenon that popped up in recent years. The snowball began with the Miley Cyrus 3D movie, which lead to the Jonas Brother, then, naturally to Justin Bieber. I have to admit, to Bieber's credit, his movie was actually watchable if you didn't like his music because his story is one of those amazing once in a lifetime occurrences.

While the 3D aspect of these "movies" is new, the concept of filming a concert and the charging a fee to watch it is nothing new -- especially in my family. There is probably a VHS of the famous New Kids on the Block pay-per-view concert (along with a few Wrestlemanias) from 1990 stashed somewhere in my childhood home. The teeny boppers of their day had their legions of fans just like Bieber and Cyrus, including one especially obsessed sibling of mine. So shelling out money to watch a concert outside of an arena is not a new phenomenon.

So, why the sudden uptick these types of movies?

The obvious answer is money. Disney, and Nickelodeon to a lesser extent, is a teen idol making machine. They are essentially the golden era movie studios of today. Each performer has to be able to sing, dance and act. OK, so maybe it's just two out of three. While each performer is talented, they are processed through the machine and then discarded when they are too old. At Disney, there was Cyrus, then Selena Gomez, then Demi Lovato and now, Bridget Mendler. And Nick has Miranda Cosgrove, Victoria Justice, and those two special kids dancing. So these concert movies are a classic strike while the irons hot business decision.

But the real issue is that pre-teens have become more obsessed with these stars then the were back in the late 80s/early 90s. Sure, both generations bought the pins, stickers, magazines, puzzles, and whatever other kind of merchandise is for sale. But with the age of the Internet, kids can sit on their computers all day and obsess over whichever star is their favorite. It becomes scary (and lucrative) when the obsession is part of anti-social behavior because the kids become mini hoarder and will watch or buy just about anything involving their crush. I'm no psychologist, but 20 years ago, girls (and boys in some cases) would gather in a friend's bedroom and discuss which member of the band they liked best, or which pop stars hair style they wanted, and that was good because at least there was a chance they were socializing outside their bedroom and computer.

I know it's ironic that I discuss my concerns with sitting and reading things on the Internet, while I write a blog, but reading things on the Internet is not the problem, it's the constant need to watch, say, all things Bieber. Personally, I'm afraid it becomes an addiction, one which the movie companies feed into by creating these concert movies.

Now I may be completely wrong and people were just as obsessed and addicted to Tiffany or Debbie Gibson like they are with Bieber and Gomez. But it feels more dangerous and emotional now. Maybe it's because I grew up during the NSYNC and Britney Spears era, and I didn't feel that the girls I knew were as obsessed as my four-year-old niece is with Bieber. As long as these movies are successful, they will continue to be released. They only way they will stop is if parents decide that they don't want to shell out almost $100 to see something that could be cheaper live. But I bet today's kids wouldn't like a live concert as much because it is not on a screen of some kind.