TV REVIEW : ‘In the Mix’ Series: For and About Teens

Watch a tattoo artist create some memorable skin art--loops and swirls, grinning skulls, pristine roses--then see a customer with second thoughts at the plastic surgeon, on the receiving end of some serious dermabrasion. . . . Yeccchh.

The pros and cons of tattoos, the dangers of steroid use, rap and alternative rock music videos and a quick dip into the world of hip-hop can all be found in the premiere of “In the Mix,” an informative, entertaining new magazine series for and about teens from PBS, Sunday at 5 p.m. on KCET-TV Channel 28.

The hosts and reporters range in age from 16 to 19 and are a diverse, refreshingly unglib group. Subject matter is equally diverse and, despite the deliberately frenetic camera work--skewed angles, split-screen effects and shifts between color and black-and-white--the reports are surprisingly substantive within their time limitations.

In addition to the tattoo and steroid reports and the eclectic music videos by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Marky Mark and others, there’s a profile of LaToya Hunter, a Jamaica-born 14-year-old. Hunter’s diary, covering her first year in a Bronx junior high school, was sold to a major publishing company. Success is sweet, but tempered somewhat by fallout from Hunter’s mother and friends over her frankness, and her feeling that her sudden popularity is due to her new financial status.

On a light note, in separate takes, groups of guys and girls offer humorous but telling observations about each other. “90210’s” Ian Ziering answers questions from fan/host Melanie Glickson and host Alimi Ballard gives viewers an engaging perspective on the hip-hop phenomenon.

Future segments will focus on teen pregnancy, eating habits, depression and relationships.