I'm not saying that no baseball fans are into Camp Rock, or that baseball should aim directly at their most hardcore demographic, thirtysomething ex-hipsters, by getting Pavement back together for the national anthem once a week. But I was a little surprised to see baseball use its time on the national stage to bring in Demi Lovato, star of stage and Disney screen from such hits as Princess Protection Program and Sonny with a Chance, to sing the national anthem in Game 5.
↵She was perfectly okay, now that I've lowered my standards permanently—more than a little flat on the land of the free, but just up to the task of home of the brave—and she's apparently from Dallas—I did my research! Honest! But it stuns me every year when I see the stars to which Major League Baseball decides to hitch its wagon. In 2010 they decided on Train, because baseball fans love being asked whether that's Mr. Mister on the radio, stereo, cassette deck, minidisc player.
↵I can't claim complete impartiality on this, though—as far as kids'-TV stars go I prefer Miranda Cosgrove, because as a twentysomething ex-hipster I'm weirdly pleased that she collaborated with Rivers Cuomo.