Thursday

Newest broadcast indecency issue

If you seek Amy
Sanitizing the airwaves

In the latest attempt by the Parents Television Council to highlight broadcast indecency, the group called for a ban on radio airplay of "If You Seek Amy" because -- said rapidly -- children might hear the words as, spelling "Fuck Me." The idea is that the phrase can be heard as "F-U-C-K Me."

The controversy has drawn sharp lines in the blogosphere, as parents divide on use of language that children may be exposed to while listening to radio. Some parents and children, however, wrote that they did not hear the profanity in the song until it was pointed out in media by the PTC.

The song has made the Billboard Top 1oo chart and is receiving airplay around the country, according to Reuters.

Beyond the song title, the lyrics include the following: "All the boys and all the girls are begging to if you seek Amy," according to a music lyrics website.

Talking points: "This is a stretch," University of Nebraska at Omaha School of Communication Director Jeremy Lipschultz said. "If we now say that the phrase 'If you seek' belongs among words you cannot say on radio and television, where does this end?"

"By going after iterations of the F-word and dual-meanings, I think the moral crusaders weaken their shaken case that language should be restricted," Lipschultz said. "In a free society, we tolerate freedom of speech that we may not like -- especially in the absence of scientific evidence of harm to children.
Bleeping words
Golden Globe Awards face new problem

With NBC censors using time delay to drop audio on numerous fleeting expletives, the Golden Globe Awards program Jan. 11 had a new problem: fleeting bird flipping.

The incident was plainly visible late in the show --
it is shown here from my TiVo.

Director Darren Aronofsky was seen in a second cut-away shot during Mickey Rourke's acceptance speech flipping his middle finger.

The FCC told Scott Collins of the Los Angeles Times that the agency is reviewing the program.

The incidents come as the Supreme Court prepares to rule on a New York Court of Appeals decision that struck down FCC regulation of fleeting use of the F-word and S-word on previous Golden Globe Awards programs between 2002 and 2005.

The FCC told the Times it has 18 new complaints from the recent show.

Talking points: "We have no case law on gestures, such as flipping the bird," University of Nebraska at Omaha School of Communication Director Jeremy Lipschultz said. "It is probably a stretch to classify it under the FCC's sexual or excretory activities standards."