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M O N D AY, M A R C H 2 0 , 2 0 0 6FCC Idiocy -- Warning: Not Appropriate ForMinors!The recent record fines against CBS for an episode of the adult dramaWithout A Trace and other details prove how ludicrous it is for thegovernment to be telling TV networks -- and you and me -- what isacceptable. (The FCC nailed Trace -- even though it's a 10 p.m. showand therefore kids are assumed to be asleep -- by simply fining thestations that showed it at 9 p.m. in the Central time zones.) Amongtheir "findings" detailed in a Mediaweek story:1. "Shit" is now just as offensive as "fuck" and would draw an automaticfine, barring extremely unusual circumstances2. "Dickhead" however, is not as inherently offensive as "Bullshit."3. "The depiction of female cartoon characters dancing in lingerie"could be indecent but wasn't in an episode of The Simpsons because nocharacter was shown completely nude. (No wonder we've never seenMarge do full frontal.) Presumably male cartoon characters can dancearound in lingerie as much as they want. (By the way, as foolish as thissounds, a recent rerun of "Family Guy" blurred out the naked butt ofthe baby because Fox was worried it would draw a fine.)4. Steven Spielberg can say "fuck" but Martin Scorsese can't.Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan got away with salty language when itaired in primetime because of its artistic merit. But Scorsese'sdocumentary on the blues got fined for using the same word.Obviously, we can't have kids flocking to films about Leadbelly andRobert Johnson in the titillating hope of hearing foul language.POSTED BY MICHAEL IN NEW YORK AT
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1 C O M M E N T S :Anonymous said...Well, s*#&! That's hard to believe.5:47 PM
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