NEW YORK, NY – A longtime TV presence is in danger of being boycotted!
William Shatner is a two-time Emmy Award winner and a Golden Globe winner. His credentials also include those great “Priceline” commercials. Shatner has been a presence on the small and big screen for over four decades. Despite his reputation, the former Star Trek star is in danger of being boycotted.
Shatner is slated to be the lead in the upcoming CBS sitcom “(Bleep) My Dad Says” that is scheduled to air on Thursday nights. Rather than “bleep,” the titles uses a series of symbols that suggest the expletive included in the book title on which the series is based. That is not going over well with The Parents Television Council (PTC).
The PTC sent letters to 340 companies that advertise frequently on TV last week, urging them to stay away from the show unless the name is changed. The group argues that the title is indecent.
“Parents really do care about profanity when their kids are watching TV,” said PTC President Tim Winter. “All parents? No, but something like 80 to 90 per cent of parents. Putting an expletive in the title of a show is crossing new territory, and we can’t allow that to happen on our watch.”
Winter’s letter to companies asks bluntly: “When you advertise on television, do you want your customers to associate your product with (bleep)?”
It seems as though the parent population isn’t exactly on the same page as Winter.
Parental concern about profane language on TV is clearly waning, according to the Rasmussen Reports pollsters. Rasmussen’s survey of 1,000 American adults taken July 27-28 found that 57 percent said there was too much inappropriate content on television and radio. Sex and violence is the main concern, only 9 percent of those polled pointed to profanity as the biggest problem area.
“Do you know what I wish?” Shatner said. “I wish they would call it (bleep)…
“I’ve got grandchildren. I brought up three girls. They’ve all got kids. OK? And you say, ‘Boopy-doo-doo, you’ve got to make poo-poo. Come on. Make poo-poo in the toilet.’ Eventually, poo-poo becomes (bleep). ‘Go take a (bleep), you’ll feel better.’ You say that to your kids. The word (bleep) is around us. It isn’t a terrible term. It’s a natural function. Why are we pussyfooting?”
Shatner opted to use the actual word “bleeped” out.
Was Manigator ever on star trek?
I saw the author of the book on Cheslea Lately and it looks like a fun read. But I am not a fan of William Shatner. The guy gives me the creeps even as Kirk. I probably won't watch it and it is above the humor level of most of the American audience. I wish parents would stop being such fragile folk. Your kids know how to curse better than all of the military and do you really want to know what your kids do and do not know? I suspect not.
The PTC sent letters to 340 companies that advertise frequently on TV last week, urging them to stay away from the show unless the name is changed. The group argues that the title is indecent.
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