NBC Censors Bob the Tomato
One of the newest additions to the Saturday morning cartoon lineup stars a talking tomato and a tuba playing cucumber. Many of you recognize this as Bob and Larry of Veggie Tales which now appears on NBC. But the NBC version will be a little different from the videos kids, even those who hate eating vegetables, have grown to love.
It seems NBC executives were uncomfortable with ending each episode with a Bible verse. This did not surprise the creators of Veggie Tales, who were willing to work within NBC's restrictions. But as the show's premier approached, NBC decided they were not comfortable with mentions of God or the Bible. It seems the peacock does not want to offend parents. Of course this will also keep Veggie Tales from running the risk of receiving a 'pg' rating like the movie "Facing the Giants" which was given this rating due to its strong Christian theme which might be offensive. Yet, while NBC worries about offending the small number of people who might complain about mentions of God on a cartoon, they are not worried about offending people who love Christ and hold Him as the center of their life.
NBC plans to air a November special with a performance by Madonna. The material girl will sing 'Live to Tell' while on a mirrored cross, wearing a crown of thorns. The folks at NBC watched footage of the performance and found it acceptable for their audience. (To be honest I hesitate to mention this, as it is a sweeps stunt by the network.)
With the Madonna concert and with shows like "The Book of Daniel" and "60 On the Sunset Strip" which take shots at Christians, it seems NBC is not very fond of those who follow Jesus. Perhaps they need a reminder that we are out there and we do care about the statement their programming choices make about our faith.
One of the excuses often given when Christians are slighted is that nobody spoke out against the slight. So let NBC know you care. But please, be nice. We will not influence NBC by attacking people, or by using language unbecoming a Christian. We should not respond as the followers of another major religion often do when they are slighted. Simply let Mr. Kevin Reilly, the network's entertainment president, know your thoughts on the censoring of Bob and Larry as well as the choice to air Madonna's mockery of the crucifixion. While you are at it do not forget to contact your local NBC station.
Mr. Reilly can be contacted at kevin.reilly@nbcuni.com or call him (818) 840-6046 or -6022. By fax he can be reached at (818) 840-6630. (Thank you to CitizenLink for the contact information and for their report.)
Independent Conservative also calls for action, urging a boycott of other NBC network programming.
Update Sept. 25, 2006: It looks like NBC will not air the Madonna segment. I suggest we each contact Mr. Reilly and thank him for the network pulling the segment and still urging them to reconsider the limits put on Veggie Tales.
It seems NBC executives were uncomfortable with ending each episode with a Bible verse. This did not surprise the creators of Veggie Tales, who were willing to work within NBC's restrictions. But as the show's premier approached, NBC decided they were not comfortable with mentions of God or the Bible. It seems the peacock does not want to offend parents. Of course this will also keep Veggie Tales from running the risk of receiving a 'pg' rating like the movie "Facing the Giants" which was given this rating due to its strong Christian theme which might be offensive. Yet, while NBC worries about offending the small number of people who might complain about mentions of God on a cartoon, they are not worried about offending people who love Christ and hold Him as the center of their life.
NBC plans to air a November special with a performance by Madonna. The material girl will sing 'Live to Tell' while on a mirrored cross, wearing a crown of thorns. The folks at NBC watched footage of the performance and found it acceptable for their audience. (To be honest I hesitate to mention this, as it is a sweeps stunt by the network.)
With the Madonna concert and with shows like "The Book of Daniel" and "60 On the Sunset Strip" which take shots at Christians, it seems NBC is not very fond of those who follow Jesus. Perhaps they need a reminder that we are out there and we do care about the statement their programming choices make about our faith.
One of the excuses often given when Christians are slighted is that nobody spoke out against the slight. So let NBC know you care. But please, be nice. We will not influence NBC by attacking people, or by using language unbecoming a Christian. We should not respond as the followers of another major religion often do when they are slighted. Simply let Mr. Kevin Reilly, the network's entertainment president, know your thoughts on the censoring of Bob and Larry as well as the choice to air Madonna's mockery of the crucifixion. While you are at it do not forget to contact your local NBC station.
Mr. Reilly can be contacted at kevin.reilly@nbcuni.com or call him (818) 840-6046 or -6022. By fax he can be reached at (818) 840-6630. (Thank you to CitizenLink for the contact information and for their report.)
Independent Conservative also calls for action, urging a boycott of other NBC network programming.
Update Sept. 25, 2006: It looks like NBC will not air the Madonna segment. I suggest we each contact Mr. Reilly and thank him for the network pulling the segment and still urging them to reconsider the limits put on Veggie Tales.
Labels: Christian, Madonna, NBC, Veggie Tales
posted by Dennis | 1:33 PM
2 Comments:
Just to recap, Madonna on tacky, glitzy cross OK. Cartoon vegetable telling kids "God loves you" not OK. Call these exhibits 179,834 and 179,835 of signs that our culture -- and most certainly Hollywood -- is ever increasingly hostile to Christianity.
Well, rowdy, many Christians are still in denial, even after so many examples.
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