Posted on 04/05/2007 6:39:17 AM PDT by ecurbh
The folks at "South Park" take no prisoners.
Consider Wednesday's episode, which went after Bill Donohue, president of the conservative Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. Donohue has been a severe critic of the animated series on Comedy Central.
The episode mixed Easter and "The Da Vinci Code" in typically wacky fashion. The plot involved the current pope and Jesus. The story ended with Jesus cutting Donahue in half with a flying ninja blade.
In other recent controversies, Donohue has called the co-creators of "South Park," Matt Stone and Trey Parker, whores and cowards.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.orlandosentinel.com ...
Matthew 16:18
They didn’t meekly acquiese at all. They called CC a bunch of sissies right in the show. That was part of the structure of the two parter, part one was a build up to the possible showing of Mohammed in part two, part one ended with a slate saying part two has gone to CC with the image of Mohammed and tune in next week to find out if CC has grown a pair or will puss out. CC pussed out.
When you’re under contract to produce a show for a channel you don’t really have a lot of options. You have to produce X number of episodes and the network decides if they’re going to show them and if they’re going to do any additional editing. When Matt and Trey were giving CC the run down of episode ideas for that season they included the Mohammed thing, CC said “no way, we’re not showing Mohammed”, M&T not only made the episode anyway but turned it into a two parter that specifically called out CC. As far as producers/ writers getting in direct conflict with their network go that’s the most spine I’ve ever seen out any producer. The network really has all the power in the relationship.
That’s part of the essential lameness that M&T were hitting CC on. The fact that CC was afraid to even show Mohammed walking into a room but was willing to show Jesus dumping on the American flag is pathetic, and everybody involved in that decision by CC should be ashamed of themselves. And now thanks to M&T we all know that CC is run by a bunch of sissies.
The network censored the episode after it was submitted. Matt and Trey did not meekly acquiesce. If you’re going to argue your point, use some intellectual honesty.
He killed him after his “representative” killed the Pope. Al those priests that molested children, were they also Jesus’s “representatives”?
“Jesus installed a rabbit as the head of his church?”
You missed the point. At the end when the churches “representatives” ask the rabbit “What shall we tell men about how to live their lives?” the rabbit is silent.
“Yes, South Park is very conservative.”
I think you, as many others, confuse “conservative” with “religious”. While many religious people are conservative, not all conservatives are religious and one does not have to be to consider themselves conservative.
Fixed for ya!
Hey if Bill want pick a fight I think he pick the wrong guys you know if you get upset Matt and Trey would take you to woodshed I THINK SO after seeing that episode LOL!
Not while they’re under contract they don’t. When you sign a contract indicating you will submit X number of episodes per season for Y number of seasons then that’s what you have to do. There’s only two ways out of that kind of contract: complete it, have the network void it by canceling your show. And option 2 only exists because that’s built into these contracts. And even after you complete it you don’t generally have the freedom to take the show elsewhere, the networks excercise a high level of post airing ownership of shows (which is what allows them to show reruns and sell to sindication) that makes it so if the producers leave they’ll have to start a new show from scratch. If M&T ever leave CC it won’t be to take their popular show to another network, it’ll be to try to make another popular show on another network, unless they’ve built the sexiest contract in TV history.
I don’t think they were necessarily brave to slam the network, but it was more of a demonstration of spine than you generally see in these kind of conflicts. In general when a network says know producers take one of two options: they try to negotiate or they fold outright. M&T made the episodes the way they wanted and put the ball in CC’s court. And given when CC told them know that was some spine, CC could have easily refused to air the episodes and refused to count them against the contract. That would have probably led to a court battle but CC probably would have won, generally speaking if the network says know to an episode before it’s even scripted they win that fight.
Double dang. That was awesome.
They're not bashing Christianity. They're bashing Christians who use religion for their own ends. They've bashed muslims, too. The only "belief" they've openly attacked is "that fruity little club" that scrambled Isaac Hayes' brain.
How can anyone take seriously the opinion of a guy who rated an onion dip ad as one of the “Ten Worst Anti-Catholic Atrocities of 2001”?
when you’re under contract you are a slave to the network. I know how a standard TV contract works, it’s not some deep dark secret or anything.
Funny you’re saying the real courage would have been them giving in completely to CC, not creating the episode at all and then walking away without ever putting the issue in front of the public. While I’ll never call writing a TV show brave I think forcing CC to publicly do the editing and take the blame comes a lot closer to bravery than blithely letting them have their way. Caving in and making your “stand” a year later by not renewing is pretty damn wussy. it’s a step up or step aside world and what you outlined would be stepping aside.
That episode was bashing the people who see miracles in grilled cheese sandwiches and water stains. Which is frankly idolatry and outside of wht Catholic belief is supposed to be.
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