Ready for some paranoia? Network execs are ‘Desperate’ all right
By Sarah Rodman
Friday, November 19, 2004

No boobies, no yellow flag.

That should be the new rule for football-related controversies. Call it the Janet Jackson Super Bowl Doctrine.

OK, so the skit with ``Desperate Housewives'' star Nicolette Sheridan and Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens at the start of ABC's ``Monday Night Football'' this week was sexually suggestive. But the skit's biggest crime was its lack of humor.

Network executives are so paranoid in the post-Boobygate world that they fumble all over themselves to apologize after a few complaints come in. A smarter network wouldn't have shot the promo at all, but ABC certainly got plenty of publicity out of the deal.

Is a woman's naked back so scandalous that ABC, the NFL and Owens himself - in a classic non-apology apology yesterday - needed to prostrate themselves? Owens said he thought the skit was ``clean'' and ``fun'' while delivering his mea culpa yesterday.

``Personally, I didn't think it would have offended anyone and, if it did, I apologize,'' he said.

Even the conservative watchdogs at the Family Research Council aren't barking about this one. Although senior legal advisor Pat Truman told E! Online that he thought the skit was in ``bad taste,'' he said, ``We are not going to go out on a limb and say this is indecency.''

If viewers want to be mad about something on the tube, there are plenty of other offenders.

How about complaining about children's exposure to ads for erectile dysfunction medication, promos for shows during the 8 p.m. ``family'' hour that feature skin and graphic sex talk, the gruesome violence and racial stereotyping found on the procedural cop shows or the fact that there are no black people on ``Desperate Housewives''?

It's much more likely that the kids of America saw the ``inappropriate'' skit in its endless rebroadcasts on the 24-hour cable news networks and the gossip shows than during the original ``MNF'' telecast, which aired at 9 p.m. on the East Coast.

The Patriots might want to steer clear of any extracurricular promotion ABC asks them to do prior to their ``MNF'' appearance on Monday. Tom Brady, if Teri Hatcher comes calling, don't complete the pass.
_____

Okay, show of hands.
Would this have made ANY waves if it were a white football player with Nicolette?

You know, that crap was ALL ABOUT RACE. A blonde white woman getting nekkid for a black man???

1sexymf said:

Yeah, they had a feature on the local news about it.
A black father was watching the show with his 9 yr old son and he said he was shocked that his son had to sit and watch it and it was insulting to all black athletes especially on the heels of the Kobe trial

I didnt see the skit but I saw pictures.And I didnt see anything that I havent seen on tv before????

Pitiful...

I saw it today on the news here in France ! After the "nipplegate" last year, now the "backgate"...

jizzinparis said:

NEXT: "A woman showed her ankle! Corral the lynch mob!"

VoicesCarry said:

I can't see what all the whoopla is about that show, anyways - since episode one, the network has just paraded around a bunch of evil, wannabe bad, hoe-ass house-burnin heffas. Nothin special. I'm really disappointed, after the Network made such a fuss about it before its premiere. The show ain't shit.

kiss85 said:

I am interested to see how many episodes of "horny suburban Botox princess tries to fuck built Latino gardener" they can do.

VoicesCarry said:

Yeah, tell me bout it. But I bet the whole thing will get cancelled in about 6 mos., if not sooner.

ThreadCula said:

I can't help thinking Nicole & OJ.

i think that the entire thing was just outright stupid.

The fact that white and black people can't handle two celebrities in a sex-based parody is saddening.

When I was in college, I remember getting a cable guide in the mail. It had Willie Gault [former WR for the Raiders] and Jamie Lee Curtis on the cover. Curtis was wearing Gault's jersey, and apparently nothing else, on the cover, seductively embracing a smiling Gault. The next month, there must have been 5 pages of letters about the cover that sounded much like what the fallout here.

Fact of the matter is, black people and white people are uncomfortable seeing such pairings on TV. They both have their reasons. White people because they don't like to see it. Black people primarily because of the historical ramifications of such a high-profile pairing (which for centuries resulted in death or ruin for the black man). Had it been Halle Berry and Ben Rothlesberger, everything would have been fine.

Funny thing is, the rates of intermarriage have increased, many if not most black athletes marry white women anyway, and we STILL hear all this drama. And no one wants to talk about the real reason. Let's at least be honest with ourselves.

And I thought people were uptight about nudity after Nipplegate....




I still don't understand why "the incident" was singled out as the worst, most absolutely innapropriate thing to happen at the SuperBowl. Is there anyone here who was offended that can explain it to me?



spelling edit
[Edited 11/20/04 19:36pm]

America is weird.

1sexymf said:

..it had NOTHING to do with race.....why must everything be about race. It was to promote the show...because alot of people watch football..that would be a good time for plugging the show.....

Kellie said:

The outcry did have dynamics to it that, historically, would have been more than a little problematic for Mr. Owens. Change the date from 2004 to 1904, and it would've been fatal. Heck, move it to 1954, and the same is true. We're not many generations removed from that context, and it informs a fair amount of the media-fueled incidents that crop up from time to time.

Isn't it interesting -- it just occurred to me that both this and the Janet Jackson imbroglio involved interracial pairings. America's being forced to confront some stuff this year.

I wonder why.

ThreadBare said:

Ummm...no. It was two musical artists performing ....not one person I have spoken to even brought up race regarding either subject. I think whomever brings up race has the problem personally. If it were two white people, they would be complaining because there were no black people, asian people, indian people etc, whichever other race you can think of. If anyone wants to get picky about it...then would anyone be complaining if it were a white man with a black woman????? I think not. I think all these race issues people pick out are so irrelevant.....it's just something else to piss & moan about. Life is too short & precious, so why don't those people get over themselves!!!! Geez people.

Kellie said:

I think you are privilged to have that perspective. Good for you.

ThreadBare said:

Well thank you very much.I was just giving my own point of view as anyone here... I just don't see "color" that's all, I see people who are very talented,...just mpo. And the few people who I know who did see both things never once mentioned anyone's color. One of my good friends actually got a chuckle out of the commercial with the football player.....guess she looked at it the same as I did.....