NEW YORK, Nov 5, 2009
Controversy Over "Gossip Girl" Threesome
Parents Television Council Asks CW Affiliates Not to Air The Upcoming Episode of The Show
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Actress Taylor Momsen of TV's "Gossip Girl". (AP Graphics Bank)
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Photo Essay Celebrity Circuit Levi Johnston, Whitney Port and Mya at Hot Hollywood party
Airing the teen tryst, which is being teased in an ad as a "3SOME," is "reckless and irresponsible," said PTC president Tim Winter in a statement Wednesday. The threesome involves three main characters in the show but they are not identified in the promos.
The PTC has urged CW affiliate stations not to air the episode, scheduled for Nov. 9.
In a letter to the affiliates, Winter asked: "Will you now be complicit in establishing a precedent and expectation that teenagers should engage in behaviors heretofore associated primarily with adult films?"
This is not the first time the PTC has complained about the sexy prep-school soap, which Winter said is "expressly targeted to impressionable teenagers."
In July 2008, the organization spoke out against a racy marketing campaign for its new season. Ads showed intimate moments between the show's characters (on a couch, in the sack or apparently skinny-dipping), accompanied by headlines like "A Nasty Piece of Work" and "Mind-Blowingly Inappropriate."
"CW has been defending graphic content on 'Gossip Girl' by asserting that they don't target teenagers," Winters said Wednesday. "Such a claim doesn't even pass the 'laugh test."'
CW spokesman Paul McGuire said the target audience for "Gossip Girl" is 18- to 34-year-old women, with a median viewer age of 27 years old. The network had no comment on PTC's complaint, he said.
The Parents Television Council describes itself as a nonpartisan education group advocating responsible entertainment.
© MMIX, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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- This is just more hypocrisy on behalf of the CW network.
I have complained to our local affiliate for years now about how they censor their syndicated programmes to excise words like 'hell' and 'damn' from shows like 'Stargate Atlantis', yet they'll air stuff like this.
Once, at 4 am, our affiliate aired the Nicolas Cage film '8mm', which is about the hyperviolent world of sexual snuff films - yet, despite the time and the content of the film, every time someone uttered a mild expletive like 'damn', there was a second of silence where the word was edited out. Yet this is the same network (basically) that gave us the world of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and 'Smallville', both of which feature high school kids who swear. And now, a '3SOME' on 'Gossip Girl'?
CW had better get their priorities straight. If you're going to air things like this during PRIME TIME, you have to STOP censoring shows and films that air during the early morning hours when there are no children present. - Reply to this comment
- "It is NOT GOOD for kids to be sexually active from middle school onward, but if you take ANY action to try to teach your girl to have a little self-respect, and not be the boy's playtoy - or heaven forbid you actually refuse to let them watch what "everyone" is watching - then you are a horrible person who will be attacked by not just the kids but the liberal schoolteachers for being "controlling", and your kid will be pressured to renounce you or else the kid will be bullied and tormented for refusing to bow to peer pressure...."
I guess this is what they call "parenting". Try it rather than looking to censor stuff you don't like. Did you actually want to be a parent, or did you just drop those knickers? - Reply to this comment
- I didn't realize sex was so evil. I guess violence is acceptable? I don't even know what they play on tv anymore so who am I to talk. I had my cable disconnected 4 years ago. Certainly much better things to do with my time.
And those who don't think sex is a reality for teenagers are very unaware. What's the average age to lose virginity? 16? - Reply to this comment
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- displeased: in my case, it was 15...19 if you limit it to times when there was actually someone else participating
- by cidaia November 5, 2009 7:16 AM EST
It is NOT GOOD for kids to be sexually active from middle school onward, but if you take ANY action to try to teach your girl to have a little self-respect, and not be the boy's playtoy - or heaven forbid you actually refuse to let them watch what "everyone" is watching - then you are a horrible person who will be attacked by not just the kids but the liberal schoolteachers for being "controlling", and your kid will be pressured to renounce you or else the kid will be bullied and tormented for refusing to bow to peer pressure....
Hey everyone!
There's going to be a "Book and Constitution Burning Party" at cidaia's house tonight!
Bring smores! - Reply to this comment
- by cidaia November 5, 2009 7:16 AM EST
Why do we have to have our airwaves full of smut aimed at kids? Why do liberals fight to defend this?
Why do liberals fight to defend the First Amendment to the Constitution, and OPPOSE censorship?!?!?!
Seriously?!?! - Reply to this comment
- "But the reality of promiscuity is not fun"
Sounds like you were doing it wrong. If it weren't fun, why do people do it? - Reply to this comment
- by cidaia November 5, 2009 1:17 PM EST
And the left wing is still promoting censorship, and trying to inflict their morality on everyone.
Sex is good, sex is appropriate for kids, kids should watch sexually explicit shows, kids are going to know about/do threesomes anyway (if they hang out in liberal circles anyway) so why bother hiding the truth? Those are liberal values, and you want to inflict them on everyone.
Who said any of that?
Why don't you stand up and be a responsible parent and monitor what your kids are watching, instead of trying to censor television for EVERYONE?
Why should MY television choices be limited, because your parenting skills suck? - Reply to this comment
- "Seems to me the PTC is just fighting back against people who want to force THEIR morals on everyone else"
Cidaia: It seems that the PTC is the group looking to censor that show. How are liberals looking to "force" morals on anyone? If you don't like the TV show, turn it off, or better yet, don't turn it on.
You sure have a burr up your bum about liberals - Reply to this comment
- Let's make a deal. Take the TV preachers off the air and we can talk about not airing shows like Gossip Girl. Those TV preachers are so offensive and I don't want my kids to watch that BS.
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- Trash. It's a sad day that we live in. I feel sorry for young folks trying to raise decent kids these days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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- This sexually explicit stuff does not belong on television. I am often appalled at what I hear and see on TV - AND GUESS WHAT _ I'm NOT a right-winger. It contributes to the demise of our country and the degradation of civilization.
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- Our daughter loved the Gossip Girl books and loves to watch the show. We watch it with her because there is a lot to talk about with her after the show. We have found very little in the show that is socially redeeming at all. It is filled with examples behaviors that we hope our children never engage in (what we call "non-examples"), and leads to some very good discussions afterwards. I guess my only question would be why, with all the awful things that the characters on this show do to themselves and each other, is this particual sex scene suddenly so offensive that it demands this kind of attention?
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- How far will you let the media go before you question the idea that your kid can watch "non-examples" and it doesn't matter?
What about bestiality? Necrophilia? Do you even know what your limits are on what your kids can watch, or do you really believe that having a nice chat about it afterward is a magic cure for any level of inappropriateness?
- How far will you let the media go before you question the idea that your kid can watch "non-examples" and it doesn't matter?
- Too bad it's not an episode about something that might really happen like some hick-preacher nailing multiple members of his flock.
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- Noche encantada.
Las estrellas,
en la inmensidad
de un cielo
cristalino, pintan
el ritmo de
un sueño silente
y también encantado
como el verso
del sol que
recuerda la rima.
Francesco Sinibaldi - Reply to this comment
- I see the right is still promoting censorship - AS USUAL.
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- And the left wing is still promoting censorship, and trying to inflict their morality on everyone.
Sex is good, sex is appropriate for kids, kids should watch sexually explicit shows, kids are going to know about/do threesomes anyway (if they hang out in liberal circles anyway) so why bother hiding the truth? Those are liberal values, and you want to inflict them on everyone.
- And the left wing is still promoting censorship, and trying to inflict their morality on everyone.
- well how about this...cut the cord...
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- We're going to see things we don't want to everyday. This is why God gave us a swivel head. If it gets to bad you can look left or right and avoid all controversy. And i'm not saying to ignore bad stuff but how many riskay shows come on this channel anyway. Some of the comercials are just as bad if not worse. Like another comment said, be a parent! If you don't want your kids watching this don't let them!
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- Just set my DVR to record this from my iphone app!
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- F the PTC!
Fail...why? Now more publicity for the show! - Reply to this comment
- Sure, let's limit all broadcasts so that no one is offended and everyone is protected. Then we can all be happy with Pat Roberston broadcasts and re-runs of Sesame Street 24/7. Pablum for the masses. Good grief. And I agree with Rafterman1, parents have abdicated responsibility for what their kids see. Turn the knob OFF. That's true parental responsibility.
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