(PCM) The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is proposing changes to its guidelines that would allow more racy content to infiltrate the small screen during hours when kids could tune in. The FCC had first given the public until May 20 to weigh in on the controversial issue, but that deadline was recently extended to June 19.
From the 1978 Profanity Court Case:
“A satiric humorist named George Carlin recorded a 12-minute monologue entitled “Filthy Words” before a live audience in a California theater. He began by referring to his thoughts about “the words you couldn’t say on the public, ah, airwaves, um, the ones you definitely wouldn’t say, ever.” He proceeded to list those words and repeat them over and over again in a variety of colloquialisms. The transcript of the recording, which is appended to this opinion, indicates frequent laughter from the audience.
At about 2 o’clock in the afternoon on Tuesday, October 30, 1973, a New York radio station, owned by respondent Pacifica Foundation, broadcast the “Filthy Words” monologue. A few weeks later a man, who stated that he had heard the broadcast while driving with his young son, wrote a letter complaining to the Commission. He stated that, although he could perhaps understand the “record’s being sold for private use, I certainly cannot understand the broadcast of same over the air that, supposedly, you control.” (read all about the 1978 court case here)
Those seven words were something like: poo, weewee, the nasty, hoo-ha, lollipop licker, mommy lover and tits. Ironically, one of those words is apparently perfectly fine today.
There are many people who think that there is no need to “sex up” what is called ‘the family hour’, pretty much anything before 9:00 PM.
“Today’s television programming already goes well beyond the content parameters most parents find acceptable. No parent, after watching a program with their children says, ‘you know, that sure would have been a better program if they’d only thrown some nudity and profanity in there,’” said Bryan Fischer, director of issues analysis at the American Family Association. “The pressure is coming from the broadcast networks, who don’t want to be accountable to anyone for content. But the airwaves are owned by the American people, and the FCC is supposed to be a responsible steward of the airwaves for their true owners.”
We’ve come a long way since Maude first said “son of a bitch” on CBS, back in 1974.
Is there too much censorship? Is there enough? Where should the line be drawn, and should there even be a line? Many parents are concerned about the content, language and even nudity in a lot of cable television, both basic and premium. On one hand, it may force more parents to be aware of what their children are watching on television, on the other hand, it may force even more parents to turn off the set.
“There’s an enormous amount of TV content that parents are going to find problematic, offensive or even harmful to their children. The broadcast indecency law is only meant to deal with the worst of the worst TV and radio content to begin with and now the FCC says it doesn’t even want to deal with that,” said Dan Isett, director of public policy for the Parents Television Council.
“It would be grossly irresponsible for the FCC to allow this. If the FCC drops the standard, the networks will give us all the profanity and nudity they think they can get away with, and they’d just keep pushing the envelope,” Fischer added.
Many families enjoy television shows together; in this fast paced world, that is often ‘family time.’ In our house, channels like MTV were banned until our kids were teenagers – are we facing a time when many children will never see a television show until they are ‘old enough?’
Leaving the ‘family hour’ in place leaves plenty of room for content that won’t embarrass parents or create misconceptions and too-early lessons about the world for children. Keeping that period family-friendly on the big networks and even basic cable isn’t hurting anyone, but maybe that’s not the goal of the change.
(PCM) Clark Gregg reprises his role of Agent Phil Coulson, who apparently survived his fatal battle with Loki in The Avengers, assembles a small, highly select group of Agents from the worldwide law-enforcement organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D., Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division.
Here is a preview look at Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., coming to ABC Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET this fall.
Together they investigate the new, the strange, and the unknown across the globe,protecting the ordinary from the extraordinary. The “superhero” just may be Luke Cage
Coulson’s team consists of Agent Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), highly trained in combat and espionage, Agent Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen) expert pilot and martial artist, Agent Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker); brilliant engineer and Agent Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) genius bio-chemist. Joining them on their journey into mystery is new recruit and computer hacker Skye (Chloe Bennet), and more than a few Joss Whedon fans have noticed Angel’s Gunn, J. August Richards as an unmentioned super being.
From Executive Producers Joss Whedon (“Marvel’s The Avengers,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”); Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen, “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” pilot co-writers (“Dollhouse,” “Dr.Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”); Jeffrey Bell (“Angel,” “Alias”); and Jeph Loeb (“Smallville,” “Lost,” “Heroes”)
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” is produced by ABC Studios and Marvel Television.
Agent Coulson in “A Funny Thing Happened On The To Thor’s Hammer:
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(PCM) Popular psychologist, columnist, and television and film personality Joyce Brothers has died. She was 85.Her publicist Sanford Brokaw says Brothers died Monday in New York City.
She was a pioneer of the television advice show.
Her celebrity took off after she entered a television quiz show called in 1955, The $64,000 Question, with ‘boxing’ as her expert category, she won the show’s top prize.
Her television career began in 1958, with a show about relationships and personal advice. As she later said;”I invented media psychology. I was the first. The founding mother.”
In the the early 1970s she She also had a monthly column in Good Housekeeping magazine, and was aften sen as a guest start on talk shows and even sitcoms (usually as herself).
(PCM) Expect a Very Special Simpsons Season Finale
Seth MacFarlane is guest starring in the May 19th finale of FOX’s The Simpsons, along with Lisa Lampanelli.
McFarlane’s Family Guy, also on Fox, have had a friendly, competitive rivalry for years.
Seth plays Ben, a smooth operator that Marge accidentally met on a website for cheating spouses.
“We thought we had a great part that he’d be perfect for, and it would be great to have him on our show, so it worked out just right,” Simpsons executive producer Al Jean told Entertainment Weekly regarding the casting of MacFarlane, noting: “There’s been a little rivalry. We’re both humor shows and we make jokes, but it’s always been friendly.”
Lisa, who plays Ben’s wife in the episode, has also lost over 100 pounds in real life, and is proud of her new body: “I’ve lost a total of 106 pounds,” Lampanelli told In Touch magazine. “I feel like I’ve reached the weight I’m supposed to be. I’m officially a skinny b*tch!”
Meanwhile, the male characters embark on a quest to Iceland, Carl’s homeland.
(PCM) More details will be announced soon, but we just got the official news from FOX – 24 will be returning with Kiefer Sutherland reprising his role as Jack Bauer.
Sutherland’s most recent TV venture, Touch, was recently cancelled, and talks to make a movie with the Jack Bauer never panned out. Given the fast-paced format, it is probably best suited as a 12-part mini-series instead of a two and a half hour film.
The show was last seen in 2010, after an eight-season run.
(PCM) If you got a new job as a TV newscaster, would your first three broadcast words be A SLUR AND TWO BAD WORDS?
Newbie broadcaster A.J. Clemente followed that up by telling us his “is a graduate of West Virginia who is used to the East Coast.”
Co-anchor Van Tieu was thrown off by Clemente’s colorful first choice words and the helped bring us worst the intro to a local news market of all time. Officially, he has been suspended.
(PCM) The video making the rounds (below, but will probably disappear soon) is an amateur edit Family Guy episode “Turban Cowboy,” shown on FOX on March 17, ended with a scene depicting Peter Griffin accidentally blowing up a bridge by dialing a terrorist’s cell phone. But in the manipulated video making the rounds online, the cell phone scene is placed immediately after an unrelated moment in the episode when broadcaster Bob Costas, playing himself, asks Peter how he won the Boston Marathon.
Aside from the confusion prompted in people unaware that the clip is a hoax, it’s drawn criticism from those involved with the show Seth McFarlane announced on his twitter: “The edited Family Guy clip currently circulating is abhorrent. The event was a crime and a tragedy, and my thoughts are with the victims.”
(PCM) Starz says it plans to air “Bindi’s Bootcamp,” a series starring Australian child star, wildlife enthusiast and TV personality Bindi Irwin, on May 1.
Bindi, the 14-year-old daughter of Steve and Terri Irwin, has been surrounded by animals her whole life. Americans first met her on her father’s “Crocodile Hunter” show and documentaries. She has starred in her own animal-themed series “Bindi: The Jungle Girl,” as well as the movie “Free Willy: Escape from Pirate’s Cove.” Her father, Steve Irwin, at age 44, died in 2006, killed by a stingray.
“With ‘Bindi’s Bootcamp,’ we wanted to create a show that would test kids’ mental prowess, endurance and inner strength, all while inspiring them to respect nature and conservation,” Sander Schwartz, president of FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment, said in a statement Monday. “Starz Kids & Family [channel] is dedicated to bringing unique and rich shows to families across America, and they will be the perfect home for this incredible wildlife adventure.”
Shot on location at the Irwin family’s Australia Zoo, “Bindi’s Bootcamp” originally premiered in July 2012 on Network ABC3 in Australia.
(PCM) Kendra Wilkinson has quit ABC’s celebrity diving competition show “Splash.” The show’s premise to to help/watch celebrities overcome physical and psychological fears through diving.
Wilkinson climbed down from the diving board’s 23-foot platform on Tuesday’s episode and announced, tearfully,she was leaving the show because of her fear of heights. She scored a zero, saving low-scoring Kareem Abdul-Jabbar from elimination.
“One thing I don’t do is quit. This is the first time in my life I’ve quit something. This will haunt me for the rest of my life,” she said.
To her fans she said via twitter: “Thank u to all those who supported me last night. Means a lot you stuck by my side. Today’s a new day and I’m still proud. #Shutuphaters”
(PCM) No surprise here, HBO announced that it has ordered a fourth season of its popular fantasy series “Game of Thrones,” to air next year. HBO didn’t specify the number of episodes the season will have, but said it will likely be 10 episodes, like the previous seasons.
Starring Peter Dinklage, Aidan Gillen, Emilia Clarke and Lena Headey, the show kicked off its third season Sunday night.
Michael Lombardo, president, HBO Programming, said in a news release the season premiere drew the series’ largest audience to date, averaging 4.4 million viewers in its 9 p.m. EDT time slot, up from the previous record of 4.2 million who tuned in for last season’s finale. “Game of Thrones” is based on the fantasy book series by George R.R. Martin.
