So, on American Idol last night Simon flipped off Paula Abdul as she was contesting his opinions on a contestant - this is the 2nd time this year that I've seen him give the camera the bird. [Broken External Image]:http://www.drudgereport.com/simon.jpg[Broken External Image]:http://www.drudgereport.com/simon1.jpg http://www.drudgereport.com/ai.htm Now, this is my question - when is enough enough? No, not enough of this 'atrocious vulgarity' but enough of this policing of the airwaves and the belief that the FCC needs to protect us from our own humanity. I don't see the police pulling someone over for the daily middle finger I see while driving around, and I don't need someone to sit there and censor what is "reality tv". Sometime someone at the FCC and the heads of the big networks are going to start to wonder why in the hell HBO's and Showtime's original series do so well and make those companies so much money and attract so much acclaim - it's because it's more like REAL LIFE people! Dramatic real life, maybe, but more real than what we are allowed to see on AI, the nightly sitcoms, etc. I watched Deadwood last night, HBO's new western original series, and really enjoyed it. It has a curse word almost every other word, but when you do some reading about the show you realize that the writer/director put in over a year's worth of research before starting to film. He found that the way that western's are depicted are not always the way they were. This is the Wild West, where murder, stealing, gambling, prostitution and drugs were all a part of life - what makes you think that cussing wasn't a part of it? Why wouldn't Calamity Jane use c*** in her vocabulary? Another example is me sitting down to watch "The Office", the original series on BBC. There is quite a bit of language that we in America would never dare allow uttered on an American show. Yet this show won the US's Emmy for best Comedy - it's a best selling DVD set. And still we Americans think that it is brash comedy and not the kind of filth we need to be showing on our airwaves? This country has an obssession with violence, how wrong it is to be showing our youngsters, etc - yet it is in every Hollywood summer blockbuster. And then when The Passion came out there's lines of church groups outside of theaters with small children. This is a movie that has some of the most grotesque images and violence that has ever made it to screen, but because this is a story about Jesus then every child should see it and it's ok. But put that same violence in a movie about WWII and God Forbid, here comes the cavalry coming for ya! To me the biggest problem with TV today is that it is getting to be so crappy because they aren't showing what people want to see, and are policing people from seeing what it is that they are actually interested in. Show whatever the hell it is you want to show on TV at anytime - I'll decide for myself what it is that I will and will not allow myself to watch. Ok, done ranting - now discuss
They'll gladly do a reality show about a contest for plastic surgery and who gets to marry who - and the FCC doesn't care, yet show a covered breast and everyone freaks. Makes me glad to be mostly just a fan of HBO and Showtime. Actual intelligent programming that doesn't insult you or fill your 10 minutes of shows (after filtering out the commercials) with nothing but toilet humor. However I do still cling to The Simpsons and Adult Swim (and I love The Office!) -m.
Oh, hey, and don't forget "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central, the place where I get most of my news these days! Jim
A local morning show did a skit for KFCC radio, the only station approved by the FCC. They discussed pictures of cute little puppy dogs, then discussed why soft drinks are called soda in some parts of the country, and pop in others. Funny stuff. You know though, this is america, and we can count on fellow americans to taunt the FCC, like Simon did. Expect to see more sitcom characters named Mike Hunt or Dick, or see catchy slogans like "Sofa King - Our prices are so low, they're SOFA KING low!" (if you don't get it, say it out loud a few times) [/img]
The best way to send the message that this type of programming is not acceptable is to stop watching the shows. I personally have never seen any of the "reality" shows. I'm a West Wing guy myself. Jeff
The whole thing came about because the superbowl is considered a family event. And my thoughts are as follows: If you cannot explain to your child what a breast is, or what it does or what it means, you should not be a parent. Too long have parents relied on tv to raise their children instead of raising their children themselves. Janet's breast was like realizing the baby sitter was stealing from you, you would go to the sitter's parents (fcc) and try to get her punished. When it was your fault in the frist place for plunking your kid in front of the "boob tube" or hiring the bad sitter. I am getting sick of people not being personally responsible and then blaming other people when things don't go their way. Do it yourself, when it goes wrong you know where to find the reason
I don't have a TV set in my house. I have something so much better I'm not sure I should even let the secret out. Close your eyes and plug your ears as you read this. I have a library card.
