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Saturday, February 12, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





Have YOU ever said `No' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 to a child movie star? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sometimes a news item warms you from the inside out, like the woodstove
glow you get from a good cup of coffee. Enjoy a sip of this oneEleven-year-old
Anna Paquin, you may have read, has never seen all of "The Piano," a movie in
which she co-stars. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Paquin's parents said an unusual thing to their movie-star daughter: the
word, "No." They're taking the film's "R" rating to heart, and won't let Anna
see the full feature-length release because of its steamy sex scenes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Not since reading about Midshipman Rob Fumanti in a recent Pittston
Dispatch article, and seeing the local high-school graduate's strategy for
success at the U.S. Naval Academy -- "I prayed like it was all up to God, and
worked like it was all up to me" -- have we read anything so sensible. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 We have never met young Anna's parents, but we would like to. We'd like to
because their no-nonsense decision is so satisfyingly old-fashioned. With that
one word, "No," Anna's parents rejected a generation of "expert" advice on
making families more democratic and letting children align their own moral
compasses. They reasserted their belief that there are some things children
just shouldn't see. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 They demonstrated to their daughter that although she may have Hollywood at
her beck and call, they are her parents, and must take responsibility for her
upbringing until she is grown. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And they did so, in all probability, in the face of enormous pressure. The
siren song of celebritydom is mighty hard to resist. Anna's parents likely
would have been as tickled as the rest of us to have accompanied her to the
premiere, and to clink champagne glasses with the likes of Holly Hunter and
Harvey Keitel. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Instead they said "No," and kept the girl home. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Good for them. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Oh, one more thing. Anna Paquin just won a nomination as Best Supporting
Actress in this year's Oscar competition. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Now, Mr. and Mrs. Paquin can say "No" to their precocious Best Supporting
Actress nominee, surely the rest of us can stand up to our own youngsters when
they start playing video games before doing their homework. We'll be telling
ourselves that the next time it happens, anyway.

Have You Ever Said `no' 
To A Child Movie Star? 
Sometimes A News Item Warms You From The Inside Out, Like The Woodstove Glow 
You Get From A Good Cup Of Coffee. Enjoy A Sip Of This One.

Have You Ever Said `no' To A Child Movie Star? Sometimes A News Item Warms You From The Inside Out, Like The Woodstove Glow You Get From A Good Cup Of Coffee. Enjoy A Sip Of This One.