MAKE HOLLYWOOD KID-FRIENDLY.

Byline: AMY JOHNSON  Local View

`IT is realistic.''

``Art imitates life.''

``This is what people want to see.''

If you ask the producers who regularly bring crass sexual acts, gratuitous violence and abundant profanity into our living rooms ``why aren't there any shows that I can watch with my family?'' these are some of the responses you will get.

The Parents Television Council recently released two studies that showed just how wrong this stance is. Out of the 20 most-watched prime-time programs by children ages 2-17, the only shows that are appropriate for children are reality or nonscripted shows.

In a different study focused on the treatment of religion, the PTC found that while less than 5 percent of the negative portrayals of religion were found in reality programming, almost 60 percent of the positive portrayals occurred when Hollywood was not writing the dialogue.

This is significant beyond the obvious surprise that reality shows are no longer what I call ``car wreck'' television. You know, when people see a car accident on the other side of the highway and they don't want to look, but still slow down and rubberneck to witness the misery of others?

That is what reality TV began as. Past shows like ``Joe Millionaire,'' ``The Real World,'' ``Temptation Island'' and ``Big Brother'' pushed the envelope of lurid acts. The formula was often as simple as getting people drunk and/or put them in compromising situations to see how awful they can be.

But reality, it turns out, is not an episode of ``CSI'' or ``Desperate Housewives.'' Reality is often good people doing good things and talented people showing off their skills. Real people often respect each others' chosen faith as well.

Hollywood writers couldn't imagine such a situation. Of the 20 most popular prime-time shows that children watch, there are six that are entertaining while not exposing them to harmful sights and themes. Reality television shows make up the entire list of suitable programs with ``Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,'' ``Sunday Night Football,'' ``Deal or No Deal,'' ``American Idol,'' ``Dancing with the Stars'' and ``American Inventor.''

The PTC analysis found that none of the scripted shows in the top 20 are appropriate for a family audience. While kids and their families love to watch some of these great reality shows, they have no other choices. Hollywood is happy to air programs including ``The War at Home'' and ``Prison Break'' as early as 8 p.m., or to push animated shows to children like ``Family Guy'' and ``American Dad,'' which are so lewd and offensive that most adults can't stomach them.

Parents should view this list as a much-needed wake-up call as well. Children need active guardians, and many are not getting the guidance they need to protect them from harmful content on TV.

How can a program like ``CSI,'' which ranks as the most inappropriate program for children for its efforts to continually explore the realm of indecency through sexual acts, drug references and violent material, end up among the top 20 most-watched programs by children?

Parents who allow their children to watch these programs need to pay more attention to what their children are taking in. These same parents need to make their voices heard in Hollywood and ask why they have so few choices for family entertainment.

The first step in addressing a problem is documenting its existence, and with these reports, the PTC has done so with painstaking detail. Next, people need to wake up and do something about it. Hollywood obviously won't correct itself, or it never would have gotten this far to begin with.

Parents and concerned citizens need to educate themselves about the state of entertainment and contact the sponsors of programs that harm our children. We need more family entertainment before life starts to imitate art.