Why are we such puritans?

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:19am

I cannot believe that CBS forced Spring Awaken to change their lyrics! OK, I guess it's too much for them to run a disclaimer before their performance and say "Adult language will be used in the following number. It is suggested for adult audiences only" and let them say F***ed on the airwaves (Considering we can't even type it here) but changing the lyrics to Bitch of Living was absurd! They were able to say "Bitch" a dozen times but couldn't say "Breasts"? Or "Please God, let those apples fall"? The one that really twisted my knickers was changing "Give me that hand please" and "Work that silver magic and aim it at the wall."

Bitch, please! Frankly, Spring Awakening should have just done a different number. It was embarrassing.
Updated On: 6/11/07 at 12:19 AM

[Marlene]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:29am

Amen. LMAO.

I was frustrated with the total change of lyrics for "The Bitch of Living"; censoring "Totally F*cked" was understandable to some extent.

However, the Tony's did some up with the rating of PG, highlighting L for Language...

The medley was a little abrupt—Spring Awakening on speed, if you will. Effective to captivate new audience members, perhaps? I just found it rather amusing, but the cast looked like they were having a great time and I was still amazed that Lea managed to do a costume and hair change so fast. So she’s wearing a wig for opening number because curling irons kill her hair.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:31am

I don't see why they just didn't do The Bitch of Living. Totally F*CKed was ridiculous.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:33am

I've never, ever, seen a show on any television network excluding Comedy Central use that word.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 1:51am

Ummm, because they didn't want to fight with the FCC again. Personally, I think the Supreme Court decision that allowed networks to be able to censor television was grossly incorrect. There is no Constitutional right to kid-friendly television. But I digress. CBS could not legally allow the musical number to be performed without edits. Not only would the network be fined, but the performers as well.

[Aqualline2]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 1:57am

all editing to the song aside, I really enjoyed their performance.

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 2:01am

They were told they had to change the lyric "breast" but they could say "bitch?" Still confused by that. I hate those lyrics changes.

[DG]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 2:03am

I think they did it on purpose. I think they realized their show was going to be the 'annointed one,' and they wanted to take full advantage of the fact that they would be censored.

Face it, damn few are watching this or interested - but of those who are, nothing would be more titilating than to investigate the show and find out the songs had been censored.

Publicity 101.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 2:15am

They were totally poking fun of the censors, so I didn't mind it. They did what they had to do.

[mattonstage]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 2:28am

I personally think there was a trade-off. You can say "bitch" so many times if you cut 'breasts', etc.

[Born To Reign]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 8:42am

I agree that with Totally F*CKed they were kinda flipping off the censors, though it would have been nice to see them all stop and cover their mouths a few times, just to drive the point home. As for changing the lyrics, it was pathetic. I don't blame the show, but it just sucks that this is the state of America. Especially since they performed at like 10:45!

Anyone else find it funny that the show about the harmful effects of censorship and oppression was so neutered on the big celebration of Broadway, and the night it was hailed as so revolutionary?

[mortgageguy79]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 8:49am

I agree that the censoring was absurd....having said that....they were having a blast and I totally loved the performance! :)

[ken8631]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 8:50am

I thought they did a great job with the segment, considering the censors they were up against.

[Born To Reign]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 8:55am

I'm not saying I didn't ENJOY the performance, it just cemented my hatred of George Bush and the red states.

[avab802]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 8:55am

I haven't seen the show yet, and am not familiar with the music, so I didn't know exactly what they changed. I figured they had to have changed some lyrics (I did know that the last bit of the segment was "Totally F*****") but I enjoyed the performance a lot.

[gymdudeva]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 9:19am

The medley was a little abrupt—Spring Awakening on speed, if you will.

ITA, they mashed together all the frenzied numbers...it was certainly energetic, but i'm seeing lots of posts today to the effect of "that chaotic stuff jumping around...is that what all the fuss is about?" I wish they had ended with Purple Summer.

[Raviolisun]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 9:28am

Those lyric changes were absurd. But I enjoyed their performance.

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 9:42am

Why are we such puritans? ---> FCC...(Federal Communications Commission)

[Born To Reign]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 9:44am

werd.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 9:44am

Had I not read about the censoring here, I would have been majorly confused. My roommate said, "Why are they vogueing?" so I explained the censoring thing, and then when they went to the endless "blah blah blah-ing" she wanted to know if that was due to censoring too. I told her, no, those are actually lyrics. Best Score!

[RuprechtJr.]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 9:48am

Did anyone catch the slip up during the horribly cheesy chandelier crash? The old man from Frasier (name escapes me) was walking off stage acting grumpy (playing his part) and said G-d and the audio abruptly cutting out? Wasn't it late enought that those two words can be put together? What is the time cutoff? Because I know Christine Ebersole got hell for it because she said G-d on a morning talk show singing "Around the World."

To be honest, I was waiting for one of the Spring Awakening cast memebers to say the lyrics to Totally F***** by "accident" instead of covering their mouths.

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:53am

Yes, John Mahoney said "The G-D Words" and then whatever he said after that was bleeped-- presumably by a slow-handed censor who missed the actually obscenity.

The Chicago Tribune suggested that the Bleep was late because the CBS censor was watching The Sopranos instead of the Tonys.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:57am

Born To Reign: Umm, the FCC has nothing to do with Bush or Republicans. In fact, it was started under a Democratic president, and Reagan actually made it more permissive.

[Born To Reign]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:59am

<----- never said they were related...

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:04pm

Okay then...