Media Criticism

When I think of Sally Field, I think of her roles as the mother in Mrs. Doubtfire and her memorable role as the titular character in Sybil. I have never seen the ABC show Brothers and Sisters nor did I know that Sally Field was even acting anymore. After seeing Sally Field’s train wreck of a speech on Sunday night, I hope that Brothers and Sisters turns into an improvisational show like Curb Your Enthusiasm.

I will admit that I will never watch Brothers and Sisters because it sounds like a bad show. Apparently, people in “the know� felt otherwise and gave her an Emmy for lead actress in a drama series. Everyone who wanted to celebrate Sally Field within the industry may have regretted their decision after her speech. She rambled on about mothers and the role of mothers and celebrating mothers before shouting down the audience to get the most out of her time. There was a silence that ensued just as Sally Field was about to make her big finish.

Apparently, Sally got a bit salty with her language and used the words “God damn� before finishing with a criticism of war. Fox pulled the plug quickly as soon as “God� came out of her mouth which makes no sense since Fox News is the news network for God fearing folk. This is yet another reason why I hate award shows and after that speech I was wishing that New England wasn’t thrashing San Diego by so much so I could go back to sweet lady football.

As a side note, I enjoyed David Chase’s speech after The Sopranos won the final award of the night. Yes, David, it IS hilarious to say that gangsters may be running the United States. Who would have thought you would make that joke? That show should have pulled the plug much sooner than it did because its plot lines became strained under the repetition of gang life. I can’t believe I spent an entire post discussing the Emmys but trust me, this is the last time I will mention any awards shows in this blog unless someone actually does something significant.

The Guardian Unlimited reported today that the British government is banning nearly a thousand off-shore gambling companies from advertising on UK websites. This standard is meant to increase the legal responsibility of online companies in England while keeping out gambling companies from countries with lower legal thresholds for gaming. There are a few exceptions on what the Guardian refers to as the “white list� but I see this as a step backward for the United Kingdom.

I have written on similar topics in the United States in the past particularly the effort to blame MySpace and other social networking sites for new social ills. The British government is trying to sanitize the Internet which includes millions of websites that help people fulfill their fantasies. I find it particularly egregious that the government will penalize or imprison companies that take advertising dollars from off-shore gambling companies.

This effort to eliminate off-shore gambling in the United Kingdom will lead nowhere. People will still find avenues for gambling as well as meet their other vices online. Advertising companies will lose money due to legislation that will make gambling more attractive instead of making it socially unacceptable. The legalistic reasoning behind this move thinly veils a moralistic tone that is gripping the United Kingdom in a similar way that it has gripped the United States. The British should stop blaming online media and work on other issues of greater importance.