There's a new nanny in town. "America's Supernanny" (9 tonight, Lifetime) is no Jo Frost. Well, superficially anyway.
The new nanny is Deborah Tillman, a Virginia-based childcare specialist. She is lean and African-American; there's no cuddly Mary Poppins vibe here. Instead, the vibe is pure professionalism. Tillman, wearing pearls, kitten heels and a silky bob, walks in the door with such confidence, she seems truly super. The needy parent instantly seems inferior.
OK, I'll go there. Others I've spoken to have made something of the Supernanny being black. Seeing even a professional, well-spoken African-American woman posing as the one who knows best how to care for white folks kids apparently gets some folks riled up in a "The Help," kind of way. And then there's the other thing; Tillman is Michelle Obama-ish looking. Can't you hear it? We've already got the first mother telling us to eat our vegetables. Now she's telling us how to raise our kids!
"America's SuperNanny," an unscripted television series in which desperate families get advice on taming their unruly children, will hold an open casting call in Cary on Saturday. The event is noon to 4 p.m. at Monkey Joe's on Walnut Street.
