Wow. They really did show it. Uncensored.
Take that, Canada!
“Kyle’s mom is a big fat bitch, oh, yes, she’s a big fat bitch!” My favorite part of the movie, bar none.
It was pretty trippy watching the whole “Uncle Fucker” segment on basic cable :eek:
Ahh poop! I forgot about it!
You don’t eat or sleep or mow the lawn,
You just fuck your uncle all day long!
Well, CC did it. Wow. First shit and now everything else. At once.
Now how did they do this?
They’re going to play it again tomorrow. Or rather today.
It’s pretty cool since here it’s going to play at 10pm.
They can do it because cable channels never have been under the same FCC regulatory burden as the broadcast outlets. Cable channels chose to play by the same rules to gain credibility and avoid controversy.
The broadcast rules remain arbitrary. For example NYPD Blue actors are allowed to say “bullshit,” but they cannot say “shit” by itself.
Ah. You know that makes me angry at Trio and their so called “uncensored” bits. They did some bit about art and over each and every nipple and genital seen they covered with a bright orange Trio circle.
Now this, this was uncensored. I wasn’t thinking about it but they probably said all 7 of Carlin’s words and had topless catoon women. Nipples and all.
So, what’s so big about this, really? Comedy Central isn’t a broadcast network, it sure as hell ain’t one of the Big Three, and the FCC wasn’t having a shit haemorrage over the issue.
Am I missing something?
If I am, please elucidate. Please tell me what’s so different between South Park: The Movie and South Park.
If I’m not, yawn. Wake me when a Real Network plays the Uncle Fucker song in its full, unedited glory.
Comedy Central may not be a broadcast network, but it’s also not a pay network, like HBO is. Wherever there are commercials, there’s restraint in how far the envelope can be pushed, because the networks dont’ want to piss off the sponsors. That’s why it’s big news when a network does this, even if it’s “just” Comedy Central.
The “big deal” is that they took a fairly large and ballsy risk in showing it. That’s all. It was surprising.
dan: Ah, but this would be (was, actually) a huge draw for sponsors: Everyone and his uncle tuned in to hear how much of a bitch Kyle’s mom is (she’s a big fat bitch, apparently), and that is Advertising Gold.
I’d be surprised if Trojan didn’t attempt to appeal to the incestuous demographic, for example.
(OK, enough bad jokes. :D)
So, fighting The Sponsors is often a completely different battle from fighting Los Federales. For example, no matter how much NBC wants to run Carlin’s unedited `Seven Exciting Words’ schtick for all of the ad revenue the controversy would bring in, the FCC would stomp that sucker flat, nip it in the bud, and force that dog to not only not hunt, but to take up vegetarianism. Completely different battle.
(Edited to add: Hi, Opal! I think my argument applies to your point, as well.)
You know, I haven’t been watching the network lately - really, very little TV in general lately - so I missed the big buildup. Did they promote it as the “uncensored” movie, i.e. the one that was in the theater?
I actually didn’t see any big buildup–I first heard about it earlier the same day. But yes, they promoted it as the movie that was shown in the theaters–which is exactly what they played.
Derleth: Yes, I agree in this case that it probably was a hit for sponsors… but it could just as easily have gone the other way. There could also still be a huge public outcry (not that I think there will be). You just never know and it’s always risky to do something that has always been “not done” in the past. And it seems to me like most big businesses avoid “risky” most of the time… thus it was surprising. And refreshing.
Think of what this means for the Osbornes.
Back in the 80s, a local NBC affiliate broadcast Straw Dogs uncut once, late at night, nudity and all.
There has been some debate on whether censored material is actually funnier than uncensored. IMO South Park is funnier uncensored because it is still surprising to see those words coming from cartoon children.
I’ve seen some of The Osbournes uncensored, to me that show seems less funny and more sad without the bleeps.
That’s a good point. What if, twenty years from now, profanity - at least those words that we currently consider to be profane - is in the majority of broadcast television shows? SP won’t seem as funny, then. It’ll seem “groundbreaking,” but in a nostalgic way, not in a humor way.
Anyone recall any of the sponsors? Not that I’m going to run out and buy something I don’t want because the company took a risk, but it may sway my opinion if their product was an option…