Photo: Goff / INFSo it's true: Jamie Lynn Spears [Britney's sister, ten years her junior] is pregnant. Per People Magazine, the 16-year-old is 12 weeks along and her long-term boyfriend is the father - none of which I care about, but I'm thorough by nature.
What I am concerned with - more accurately, entertained by - is the potential for quite possibly the most forced stance on teenage pregnancy by a powerhouse media corporation my lifetime will ever see. The tot's television career already has a proven track record; her Nickelodeon show, Zoey 101, is among the station's highest rated as it wraps-up its third season. If you're Nickelodeon, what do you do?
a) Cancel the show immediately in order to protect the brand's image in the eyes of content-controlling parents whose children are loyal to the name, simultaneously risking viewership of those unconcerned with the issue.
b) Rush the filming of the season's conclusion and delay season four until after the baby and its visibility, ultimately treating it as the "personal issue" it's been referred to as, but risking parental concerns with continuing the growth of an inarguably questionable role model for teen girls.
c) Dodge the bullet. At an irrelevent point in the process, cancel the show at the request of Spears, claiming health issues as the overwhelming decision-maker; Spears looks responsible [as much as can be expected given the circumstance] and Nickelodeon shuffles out of its current corner, returning to the respectable social scene.
Personally, I would go with "c" and save face wherever possible: there will remain unavoidable scrutiny, but taking the passive route allows for much more play in circumstantial responses to media without as much risk of the "flip-flop" factor.
I imagine the actual turn-out will fall somewhere between my a-b-c possibilities. I will definitely be keeping up-to-date on responses from Nickelodeon. By the way, I was largely impressed with the immediate statement given to People:
"We respect Jamie Lynn's decision to take responsibility in this sensitive and personal situation. We know this is a very difficult time for her and her family, and our primary concern right now is for Jamie Lynn's well being."
They did a great job of taking the spotlight off of themselves and placing it entirely on Spears; kudos to Nickelodeon's PR department.
On another note, Lynn Spears' (Britney and Jamie Lynn's mother) book deal on Christian parenting has been delayed - shocker.
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