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FCC SHENANIGANS CONTINUE
March 18, 2005
Well, who'd have thunk it? Occasionally, the FCC makes a correct decision.
Earlier this week, the country's communications regulators pronounced that the Nicollette Sheridan-Terrell Owens sketch which kicked off a November edition of "Monday Night Football" pitting Philadelphia against Dallas did not qualify as indecent.
Well, of course, is didn't. That was obvious to anyone who actually watched the dang thing, which had Owens skipping the game for some implied lovin' with Sheridan after she dropped the towel she was wearing and exposed her bare back to the audience. The skit was harmless fun, and far less racy that anything ABC regularly shows on Sheridan's series, "Desperate Housewives."
Still, the FCC had to investigate since complaints were called in, more than likely by groups like the American Family Association, a conservative organization that regularly protests TV content as a way to push its own agenda. Either that, or the complaints came from Cowboys fans who were disturbed to learn that Owens really wasn't bailing on the game.
Regardless, the FCC mulled it over, and wisely decided Nicollette Sheridan's back didn't destroy the morally conscious minds of football fans. What's surprising is that the FCC's ruling actually received a hefty bit of news coverage this week, as did the commission's February decision that ABC's Veterans Day showing of Steven Spielberg's World War II epic "Saving Private Ryan" also didn't break any U.S. indecency rules--another no-brainer.
I guess what some folks call news, I call common sense.
And yet, there was actual news to be found in Reuters' story about the "Monday Night Football" ruling. Sure, you had to read clear to the end of the article, but there it was in paragraph (unlucky) 13: "Two senators, Democrat John Rockefeller of West Virginia and Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, on Monday introduced legislation to expand the FCC's authority to include indecent antics on cable and satellite television."
Now, that is news, and not of the harmless variety. It's a bit ironic that this ridiculous piece of legislation was introduced the day before Tuesday's season premiere of "The Shield," FX's awesome but gritty cop drama that would get hammered by the FCC were it on a broadcast network.
"The Shield" is top tier TV, but shows of its ilk--those that break storytelling boundaries with adult themes that are admittedly not for children--would not survive under the totalitarian regime that the FCC could become if legislation like this becomes law.
Remember, once the FCC has the power to censor cable, premium pay channels like HBO and Showtime might not be far behind, and then no show is safe. Not "The Shield" or "Nip/Tuck" or "Deadwood" or "The Sopranos"--shows whose stories are designed to titillate and provoke harsh responses. Then how much fun would TV be?
Answer: Less fun than the Cowboys had during the 49-21 whipping they got at the hands of the Eagles that November night.
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