Posted on 03/09/2006 1:19:32 AM PST by KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle
WASHINGTON (Hollywood Reporter) - The U.S. House of Representatives has approved child-safety legislation that includes a provision bringing some legitimate film and TV productions under the same federal-reporting requirements as X-rated films.
Under a provision inserted in the Children's Safety and Violent Crime Reduction Act, the legislation would require "any book, magazine, periodical, film, videotape or other matter" that contains a simulated sex scene to come under the same government-filing requirements that adult films have to meet.
Currently, any filmed sexual activity requires an affidavit that lists the names and ages of the actors who engage in the act. The film is required to have a video label that claims compliance with the law and lists where the custodian of the records can be found. The record-keeping requirement is known as Section 2257, for its citation in federal law. Violators could spend five years in jail.
Under the provision authored by Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., the definition of sexual activity is expanded to include simulated sex acts like those that appear in many movies and TV shows.
While the overall bill is designed to give law enforcement officials more power to prosecute violent sexual predators and sets up a comprehensive national sex-offender registration system, it includes the language targeting motion pictures, TV shows and other material.
Last year, the House approved a similar measure, but it languished in the Senate as lawmakers could not decide how to proceed on hate-crimes language that also was attached to the legislation. The new legislation left the hate-crimes language out of the bill in the hopes that it would have an easier time in the Senate.
The Pence amendment has garnered opposition from several groups ranging from the Motion Picture Assn. of America, the Recording Industry Assn. of America, the Screen Actors Guild and the Directors Guild of America to the American Conservative Union, Americans for Tax Reform and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which say that the new requirement is a bad idea for legitimate business and could actually undo the current adult-film industry reporting requirements as it is likely to face a court challenge if it becomes law.
While the provision was included in the House version of the Children's Safety Act approved September 14, it was not included in the version of the bill approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on October 17.
Whether the Senate decides to include the provision, it will have to be disposed of one way or another when lawmakers from both sides of the Capitol meet to iron out their differences, if the Senate approved the overall bill.
Changes in the Pence language that allow the motion picture industry to "self-certify" their compliance have made the provision more palatable, say industry officials.
Still, the motion picture industry hopes to be able to convince lawmakers to make further changes.
"We'd like to be completely excluded," said one studio executive. "We want them to focus on child predators. We don't want them to lose their focus on that."
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
Won't say it. Not gonna say it. You can't make me.
Here it comes.
Nutcases empowered.
Your post must be removed because of the profanity.
why get mad about films depicting something beautiful and fun, like sex, and be disconcerned about something brutal and destructive like violence?
especially as us sex scenes are among the most prude on this planet, people moving under a blanket = not sex scene.
hollywood isn't really hard on the porn side. it DOES produce some of the most graphically violent movies on this planet and no one sseems to care though.
SEX IS VIOLENCE
KISS THE FIST
KICK THE KISS
Because for better or worse or null -- dislike for graphic sex is seen as a conservative issue while dislike for violence is seen as a liberal issue.
I care.
I get sexually aroused whenever bits of brain and blood fly through the air.
Please don't lie to me, and tell me that you don't.
No more dry-humping teens?
Under the provision authored by Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind...
Come on Mike, surely I am guessing you have better things to do like cut the defecit, fix social security, cut some worthless goverment programs...They are just movies....they are pretend....
What is troubling Mike, is that you are apparently, just as much a pretend and a fake...looking for a quick political score, instead of doing any heavy lifting.
Some day there will be two versions of those type shows that the viewer may choose from, one for children and another for adults. Then when a show comes on the viewer will have the choice of what to see, or there can be a blanket censoring like with computers.
Election Year Fandango!
Laz, are you popping greenies again? :-)
Well both are fun to watch. Most importantly they are MOVIES after all. Pretend. Make-belive. Special effects.
especially as us sex scenes are among the most prude on this planet, people moving under a blanket = not sex scene.
You must not have seen Monster's Ball. Simulated but pushed the line.
hollywood isn't really hard on the porn side. it DOES produce some of the most graphically violent movies on this planet and no one sseems to care though.
Action movies are fun. I especially love the speech Clint Eastwood gave in Dirty Harry before putting a bullet in the villain's head.
Monster's Ball = Waste of good actors.
Agree
We've reached a point where acting talent has far out-stripped the screenplays. Laurence Fishburne, who did one of the absolutely finest Othellos I've ever seen, is doing crap like the Matrix.
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