Regulate This

Oh Kevin Martin ... you make Michael Powell seem restrained. That seemed nearly impossible. Waaaah. There's too much violence on tv ... kids are going to find their dad's gun and go out and kill someone. Guaran-f'n-teed.
That's what an FCC report making the rounds in DC is being reported as saying, and gosh darn, they think that Congress needs to do something about it. You've been doin' a heckuva job, FCC -- I haven't seen a titty or heard an F-bomb in recent years on Ch.'s 2,4,5,7. That's what you're there for, right -- not regulating mergers among media conglomerates, not deciding upon infrastructure that will lay the groundwork for media delivery for decades to come -- to make sure no one says a dirty word on broadcast tv. But hey, while you're at it, regulate cable and satellite! That makes sense! Since people figured out that they can PAY FOR CONTENT that is different, that is edgier, that is for adults -- you better regulate that, too. We can't have Michael Chiklis saying dick on The Shield....don't want Tony Soprano talking dirty to the girls at the "Bing".
Moral of the story, let parents take care of the regulation of their children's television watching. Let parents block channels if they don't want their kids stumbling upon them. This is a self-regulation issue, not a government one. Hands off.

Open Mouth, Insert Foot

Really....he said that? I remember the killer crossover and reminding myself that he wasn't the Hardaway that hung out with Lil' Penny, but who saw this coming? When the 11pm SportsCenter aired the conversation diatribe by Tim Hardaway on Dan LeBetard's radio show from Miami, my jaw had to be scraped off the floor of my bedroom. With every analyst, pundit and host ranging from the often articulate (but this morning tongue-tied) Mike Greenberg to the often aggravating Stephen A. Smith (predictably confrontational) in shock and awe of the idiocy Hardaway exhibited, it was hard to believe that Tim was the only player in the Major Three (or four, for that matter) that felt this way. He was the only one dumb enough to open his mouth and not answer the question with the boring, "Nah, it wouldn't be a big deal, Dan. It's his decision and that's all there is to it." Pot-stirring - certainly not, but instead Hardaway becomes a poster boy for bigotry. If Hardaway had said something instead about Amaechi being black, he would be crucified a la Michael Richards. Hardaway did something dumb, realized it (albeit too late) and now will pay dearly. Too bad we should have nothing but pity left for him.

Deadspin