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| Amish TV show runs into trouble |
| 2004-03-05 |
| EFL The programme, tentatively called Amish in the City, planned to show five young people from the reticent religious group living with mainstream youth. But more than 50 US lawmakers have written to Viacom accusing the media giant of exploitation and bigotry. CBS television - which Viacom owns - put a show with a similar concept on ice last year after criticism. CBS chairman Leslie Moonves joked earlier this year that although a reality TV series called The Real Beverly Hillbillies had been shelved, the Amish "don’t have quite as good a lobbying effort," the New York Times reported. Really the script is the same but the execs figured that they could make fun of the Amish without alienating viewers and hurting revenues. "We know of no other reality series that singles out the beliefs and practices of a specific group of people as a subject for humour," the letter from Senators Arlen Spector and Rick Santorum said. "For almost three centuries, the Amish have lived the way they do out of piety and conviction, not out of ignorance. If, by producing this show, you fail to respect that, you will be opening yourselves to charges of bigotry." MediaPost reported that Mr Moonves had been ambiguous about the status of the show in a conference call with reporters this week. He said it was in development but "has not been pushed forward". As their pollsters rush around trying to determine whether the higher ratings forcast for the "strip club" episode will be worth the post Janet Jackson backlash. |
| Posted by:Super Hose |
| #5 Fausto Coppi. And if possible in combat with Gino Bartalli. I've got a working sketch of Fausto but nothing yet on Bartalli. On the script above there is a twist. It seems that Oppie is not a crack babby after all. He's the son of a 13 year old Morman girl who's married to a jack Morman guy. Being his third wife and underage for legal marriage she is put under pressure to give the child up for adoption. The dad (our beer drinking shithead) has been arrested and put away for five years for child rape. But he excapes, see. While working at the county park doing litter pick-up. Thats where Starky and Hutch do there deed. The shit head goes in search of his son... |
| Posted by: Lucky 2004-3-5 11:30:59 PM |
| #4 Excellent script Lucky and funny and a little scary. Who's your next portrait? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-3-5 4:43:07 PM |
| #3 How about a remake of Starsky and Hutch. I'd really go for that. They could get married while some fundies slice the tires on their car. A Honda Prious souped up with racing stripes. Hutch could use his connections within the homosexual community to nab abortion clinic bombers. You could end the season with the adoption of a 10 year old boy named Oppie. The son of a crack mom who never knew his father. Thus causing a rift into who would be the homemaker and who would be the bread-winner. Hutch loses out and has to stay home (has a fling with the mailman) and finds pride in the life of a housewife. Think about it, you could go alot of different ways with this. Even some Amish jokes, like a segment titled "Straight Eyes for Queer Guys!" And that Prious chasing down some white, beer drinking, shit head, who's driving a big 4x4, catching him when he's forced to pull over and gas up. And, surprise, DNA testing reveals he's the biological father of Oppie. Starsky sues for child support... you get the picture. |
| Posted by: Lucky 2004-3-5 1:06:34 PM |
| #2 Just Say "Nayeth" |
| Posted by: Capsu78 2004-3-5 12:37:39 PM |
| #1 Actually, I have to agree with this: The desire to humiliate for a laugh is overwhelming: It builds on a modern liberal's desire to put other people down to make themselves feel better, more important, and/or superior. Hollywood/Madison Avenue/Broadway is stuffed full of such people who feel this kind of humor is in demand, are desperate for fresh material, yet are constrained by the quickly shrinking number of groups to slander for laughs. Christians and Republicans are pretty much all that are left. These people are running out of creativity, and this shows the level of desperation they're feeling. |
| Posted by: Ptah 2004-3-5 10:37:56 AM |