TVSquad

The MPAA has warned the FCC against allowing cable subscribers a la carte pricing for their cable channels. This was done in reaction to several consumer rights groups feeling that the current bundling method of pricing was against the spirit of the First Amendment.

The television networks (and, by extension, the cable companies) and the MPAA have been in bed with each other since the word "television" entered our lexicon. I learned in a marketing class that the majority of advertisements for any movie are found on television and they tend to be broadcast on Thursday nights when people are deciding what to do with their weekend.

Let the Digital Television Revolution begin! Oh, wait, millions of us have converted to digital cable boxes already. Let me try this again. Let the Government-Enforced Digital Television Revolution begin! Okay, much better.

In order to test out the conversion of all media outlets and consumer televisions to digital service by February 17th, 2009, Wilmington, North Carolina decided to beat everyone to the punch and perform the conversion early. So, at noon on Monday, Wilmington mayor Bill Saffo and FCC Chairman Kevin Martin pulled a huge, symbolic power switch to convert all of the city from analog to digital broadcasts. Of course, things went off without a hitch. Uh-huh. And, Platyrrhini Cebidae soar out of my tushie!

Not long after the cut-over broadcasters in the area reported dozens of calls from residents within the city limits and surrounding counties who either weren't prepared for the conversion or couldn't get their brand-new digital-converter boxes to work with their old analog sets. Both the networks and the FCC knew that this would happen and expected to receive calls over the next few weeks from the 14,000 households who received their signals from over-the-air broadcasting.

I remember watching the halftime show of the 2004 Super Bowl and seeing Janet Jackson's nipple at the end of her duet with Justin Timberlake. I couldn't believe what I had just seen and I knew it was going to be a big thing. Of course, no one knew at the time just how big it was going to become. It actually changed the way TV shows are presented now.

But here's some good news for logic: a federal appeals court has thrown out the $550,000 fine that the FCC gave CBS for broadcasting the football boob scene. In the ruling the court said the FCC acted "arbitrarily and capriciously" when they handed out the fine.

Interesting piece over at Nikki Finke's site. While everyone is concentrating on a possible actors strike (the deadline is Monday for SAG to make an agreement), there's another little controversy going on. The Writers Guild of America West has asked the FCC to look into the ever-increasing habit of product integration in network shows. Not only does the WGA want to see the use of products on television eased up, which the FCC is already looking into, they also want to go one step further and make viewers fully aware that they are seeing an ad.

And how would the networks do that?

You know that shiny new personal video recorder you got from TiVo or your cable company? You know, the one that records high definition movies and TV shows in crystal clear quality? Yeah, well the MPAA isn't so thrilled about those high quality recordings that you make from "free" over the air broadcasts.

Sure, you pay by watching (or skipping) the commercials or subscribing to cable/satellite channels. And movie studios get paid a wee bit o' cash every time a deal is struck to broadcast a movie. But the MPAA wants the FCC to allow the use of technology called Selectable Output Control that would block your PVR from recording some HDTV movies.

The MPAA filed a petition with the FCC last month asking for the abillity to prevent users from recording movies that are broadcast before they are released on DVD. The idea is that if you can record a higher than DVD quality video before it's available for purchase, why would you go out and purchase it? So obviously, the solution is to prevent you from using perfectly legal technology to record it. Never mind the fact that the film studios could easily avoid this problem simply by moving up DVD release dates and/or refusing to sell broadcast rights before the DVD release.

The FCC is seeking public comment on the proposal. If you have some thoughts you'd like to share, you can file a comment at the FCC web site. The docket number is 08-82.

As I'm sure you've heard by now, the FCC has levied a $1.4 million fine against Disney for an episode of NYPD Blue. The fine comes as a reaction to an extended shot of Charlotte Ross's bare butt in an episode of NYPD Blue back in 2003.

Now, I'm sure we all have different opinions about the fine. Some of you think it's wrong to fine creative works for their mode of expression, even a TV show. Some of you think the fine is appropriate because you don't want your children accidentally seeing any nudity and some of you, like me, think that Disney and ABC should be given an award for showing us what is very possibly the most beautiful butt ever seen on film.

If you're still holding on to that analog television, waiting for a great deal before making the jump, I can't really blame you. The longer you wait, the better deal you're going to get. You'll be able to point and laugh when you hear what I paid for my lowly little 37" LCD, while the entire wall of your living room is lit up in shining HD light that looks like you're getting cable broadcast straight out of Heaven, on some contraption you paid 12 bucks for at Walmart.

Now comes word from our old pal Kevin Martin at the FCC that you'll be able to wait, at least, until 2012 before you have to step into the future. Currently, the digital transition is supposed to happen in February 2009, although we've heard that before, so I'm not holding my breath. Even if it does finally happen though, it's not the end of analog TV. The FCC voted 5-0, deciding that cable operators must continue to make all local broadcasts available to their users, even those with analog televisions, until 2012. It's up to them whether they do it by continuing to carry an analog signal, or by using set top boxes. And if that still isn't enough notice or warning, write the FCC (they like that), because the whole thing will be revisited as the 2012 deadline approaches.

"Gee whiz, that crazy nut just shot at me! I'd like to give that silly so-and-so a bop on the noggin, by golly!"

Yeah, I just can't imagine a World War II veteran talking about his experiences and not using a few expletives, and there are more than a few curse words bandied about in Ken Burns' seven-part documentary The War. The swearing comes not only from the soldiers themselves who use phrases like "holy s**t" and "***hole," but from the narrator, who explains what the military acronyms "FUBAR" and "SNAFU" stand for (if you don't know, Google it).

It looks like the FCC has spilled the beans on yet another top secret product. Sling Media has received approval for an update to its Slingbox Pro place-shifting device.

While the new model carries the Slingbox Pro name, it doesn't include an HDMI port, making it a cut below the existing version. But it does support S-video, coaxial, and RCA inputs and outputs as well as an ethernet jack. TG Daily speculates that this feature set could make the new box a replacement for the Slingbox A/V.

No word on pricing or availability, and a Slingbox rep would neither confirm nor deny this device's existence, other than to say that the company continues to develop new products. But thanks to the FCC, we do have a whole slew of pictures after the jump.

[Photo credit: Sling Media via FCC]

In what can only be described as utter irony, the FCC has given two local television stations call letters that either spell out or stand for dirty words. In Maui, it's KUNT. Yes, those are the real call letters given to a low-power digital station in Wailuku, Maui. The station is still under construction so no one has seen KUNT Action News as of yet--or maybe it's KUNT On Your Side.

The other station is KWTF in Arizona. Now, this one I like. I think I'd keep it. I'd make my motto, "Hey! KWTF is happening in Arizona!"

For the first time, the MTV Movie Awards is going to be broadcast live, and host Sarah Silverman promises there will be some controversial moments.

Adam told you a couple of months ago about Silverman being chosen as host of the annual show. This year it's being produced by Survivor mastermind Mark Burnett, who seems to have a hand in almost every show on the air right now, with the possible exception of The Mclaughlin Group. Silverman has already had simulated sex with a block of cheese at the Independent Spirit Awards (hmmm...must have missed that), and she tells USA Today: "The truth is, I'll probably be swearing a lot. But I don't think it will be any less funny. It will be fun to flirt with the conventions of live television. There's no way it's going to go totally smoothly, and I know, as a viewer, I'm always watching for the evidence of the 'liveness.' "

Here's an interesting twist to the already-exploding 2008 presidential campaign: If former U.S. Senator and current Law & Order star Fred Thompson decides to run for president, all episodes of L&O with him in it will be pulled from the air for the duration of his stay in the race.

Why? Because of the FCC's equal time rules, says The Washington Post. It's a fairness policy that the governing body has had for decades; it ensures that every candidate in a political race has an equal opportunity to promote themselves. The rule doesn't apply to newscasts, interview shows, and news-oriented events (like debates, I'd imagine), but it definitely applies to entertainment shows like L&O. This isn't a unique circumstance; the article cites Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronald Reagan as two candidates whose movies were pulled from TV during their political campaigns.

The Federal Communications Commission got 150 complaints about the content of this year's big game. They centered on two events: one was the phallic imagery generated by Prince during his halftime show (pic on the right). Can you guess the other one?

Yup, that Snickers ad with the two guys kissing (Snickers has since pulled the commercial).

The Smoking Gun has the documents, and some of the complaints are hilarious. One viewer says that Prince's giant penis guitar shadow had a traumatic effect on his son: "[my son] hoped to be a quarterback and now he will turn out gay...thanks CBS for turning my son GAY." Another viewer said "God knows I didn't turn on the Super Bowl expecting to be tricked into watching gay sex," which makes me wonder where he usually goes to not be tricked into watching gay sex.

I wonder what these people think about football players slapping each other on the rear after good plays, and then taking showers together after a game. NAKED!

[via TV Tattle]

A new DVD, American Idol: Unauthorized, takes aim at the Idol juggernaut, interviewing fans, critics, experts (in what, I'm not sure), and past contestants in an attempt to dig up and reveal behind-the-scene scandals and scoops.

I haven't viewed the doc, but according to this review, there's quite a bit of sour grapes whining coming from past Idol rejects. Scott Savol (Season 4) claims creative editing made him appear "lazy." Corey Clark (Season 2) whines about not getting a free hairstylist. And Julia Demato (Season 2) complains that some contestants were given more attention from vocal coaches than others.

(S01E12) I guess this is the love episode. From the reality show that our new character Hailey was pitching to the ever-complicated Matt/Harriet relationship to the starting-to-be-creepy Danny/Jordan relationship to the we're-all-rooting-for-it-to-work Tom/Lucy relationship, it seemed the stage has been set for some major romantic doings in the coming weeks.

First Danny/Jordan: I mentioned in a previous post how much I loved Danny telling Jordan to start running because he was "coming for her". I thought it side-stepped the forced sexual tension that every show in the history of television has had. Well, let me say this: I spoke too soon.