HBO gets raw -- or is it raunchy? (HBO gets into the hardcore porn business)

The Chicago Tribune ^ | July 14, 2007 | Scott Collins

[DesScorp]

Bosoms and things: That's not exactly a plot summary of "Tell Me," but it's not a bad place to start. Because that's where many viewers will start. Whatever else it may or may not be, "Tell Me," at least in its current form, will set a new precedent for prime-time TV when it has its premiere Sept. 9: No previous series, on pay cable or anywhere else, has dared show anything even close to this much skin; the climax, if you will, of the first episode finds a woman (Sonya Walger) in her 30s masturbating her husband (Adam Scott) to orgasm, with the entire act and all relevant body parts plainly visible. Even Jane Alexander — yes, that Jane Alexander, the snow-domed, regally poised 67-year-old former chief of the National Endowment for the Arts — drops trousers for some frisky senior sex

[goldfinch]

I have never understood the appeal of sex as spectator sport.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

There’s no outcry from the FCC;

Really? Thank goodness. This shouldn't be any of the FCC's business. No one is forced to subscribe to HBO. Don't like it? Don't order HBO.

[R. Scott]

HBO is catching up to daytime soaps? The soaps may not have skin - but they had everything else last I had to look.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

The only thing HBO has had for many years that was of any interest to me was “The Sopranos”, and that ended with a whimper, not a bang. I cancelled the day after their finale, snice most of HBO’s other programming is junk and old (not recent)movies.

Not true. HBO's "The Wire" is the best television drama I've ever seen. "Deadwood" was a fine show, since canceled. "Curb Your Enthusiasm" is still funny. "Flight of the Conchords" is quite funny. "Entourage", "Big Love", and "Rome" are all watchable. I think HBO has more quality programming on it than any other network, cable or air, these days.

[IronJack]

Stooping ever lower to entertain the Sheep.

[ichabod1]

You porn stah now, Roger

[ichabod1]

When they showed Atia full frontal f*ing in the first episode I thought Rome was going to have a lot of that kind of thing. They never shied away from it, but that first episode seemed to be to get peoples attention. There wasn’t that much of it thereafter, imo.

[grundle]

Yeah. Thanks. And other people fixed the article that I started. I don’t even care about the show - I just wanted the glory of being able to start the article!

[colorado tanker]

I loved Rome, but maybe that's just because I'm a history geek.

I agree the first episode oversold the nudity, but Atia is a major babe, in or out of her clothes.

[colorado tanker]

LOL!

[Squantos]

If anyone want to see free porn use this link and ..... TRY .......to hit the free sex button........(safe for all ages)

http://drunkfriends.com/quickies/freesex.html

[WhiteGuy]

I think HBO is jumping the shark here.

Then don’t watch.

Since this is their first try at this level of “adult” programming, they must have some market research on viewer demand that drives their programming decisions.......

let them sink or swim based on viewer response.

[colorado tanker]

LOL! Good one!

[ichabod1]

See, if they wanted to get people to watch, why this Sonia chick? Why didn’t they get some attractive people. Not that she’s bad looking, but it doesn’t exactly sell the show to me, especially if there’s going to be ‘GILF’ sex. Nobody wants to see that.

[ichabod1]

Atia, Octavia, Erinae... Cleo, that saloon wench... Rome knew how to cast the ladies, that was for sure. It was a tremendous series, though it went downhill when they recast Octavian.

[JackDanielsOldNo7]

I don’t think the author knows the definition of masturbation.

I was about to say the same thing.

[colorado tanker]

ROTFLMAO!

OTOH, ask me again in 20 years.

[ichabod1]

I’ve always found there’s a difference between what I want to see portrayed and what I find attractive in real life. Jane Alexander may be quite the handsome lady, and at that time of life quite desirable, but it’s like thinking about my grandparents doing it... A nice thing about getting older though, is that more and more of them look desirable... I mean what looked like an old lady to me when I was a kid now looks like a sweet young thing, in many cases.

[Tanniker Smith]

"Curb Your Enthusiasm" is still funny.

I find Larry David's deadpan humor right up there with Al Franken. That is to say that they seem to do best writing for other people.(*) The funniest bit that I've seen Larry David do was the bit with his two daughters on a recent episode of "Hannah Montana".

(*)Challenge anyone who thinks Franken is funny to repeat anything funny that he said (not just a character name) from his time on SNL. And it can't involve repeating his own name over and over again.

Most people were totally unaware of his years of past "funniness" until he started taken potshots at the right.

[gcruse]

Wow. Thanks for posting this. I might have missed it otherwise. I’m cuing up the TIVO right now. Thanks again!