Olympic Word Games…London Olympics News Service claims that competitor sound bites will be uncensored

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See article from telegraph.co.uk

Tim Barnett, the head of the Olympic and Paralympic News Service, which will provide quick flash quotes to the world’s media during the Games, said he strongly refuted any suggestion that there may be censorship of athletes’ comments. We will report fairly and accurately what happens in the mixed zone [where athletes give quick remarks after events], Barnett told more than 500 of the world’s media at the World Press Briefing in London. Barnett’s assurances come after the Olympic News Service failed to report any athlete opinion or comment about the London riots during the beach volleyball test event. At the time OPNS staff said they were instructed to only report comments made about sport.

Educationally Challenged…Nutter MP repeats her call to appoint the BBFC as book censors for sex education material

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See article from bbc.co.uk

Conservative MP Andrea Leadsom has repeated her call for sex education books to be classified by the BBFC. Leadsom claims some of the material being taught to children as young as five is extraordinarily inappropriate. She wants books and videos used for sex education to be given a rating by the British Board of Film Classification before they are used in schools. During a Westminster Hall debate, Leadsom said many adults were horrified when they found out what children were being taught about sex. She said:  I’ve seen cartoons of two people engaged in sexual activities with the caption ‘Here are some ways mummies and daddies fit together’, others depicting two cartoon characters locked in an intimate embrace, accompanied by a vivid explanation, using sexual terminology of the act of intercourse. As well as cartoons I’ve been shown a video of two people engaged in intercourse, with a child’s voice over the top, saying, ‘it looks like they’re having fun’. She also wants the law changed so that parents actively have to opt in to sex lessons, rather than opt out, as is currently the case if they have objections. Schools minister, Nick Gibb, said all sex education material used in state schools was scrutinised to ensure it set the right tone. The education secretary had set out statutory guidelines for schools and councils to follow, he added, which would ensure that inappropriate content would not be used. Comment: Parental Guidance Perhaps a Sex Ed Parental Guidance certificate would read: Suitable for children of all ages. Children are advised to consider whether the material may upset sensitive parents before showing it to them.

Google Transparency Report…Google reveal the number of requests for them to remove or hide content

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See UK report from google.com See US report from google.com

Google have revealed the number of requests for them to remove content, mostly from YouTube and to hide content from searches. The figures cover the period January to June 2011. UK Google received 7 UK court orders to remove 43 items from searches. 14 on grounds of defamation and  28 on grounds of privacy or security. Google received 1 UK court order and 52 letters from the likes of police and government requesting removal of a total of 220 YouTube videos. 61 for privacy and security, 135 for national security, 3 for violence and 1 for hate speech. US Google received 24 US court orders and 3 government/police requests to remove 198 items from searches. 188 of these on grounds of defamation Google received 6 US court order and 26 letters from the likes of police and government requesting removal of a total of 113 YouTube videos. 62 for privacy and security, and 16 for defamation. Google also received 5 court orders to remove 379 Google Groups on grounds of defamation. Also 18 requests to remove 47 items from Blogger blogs. The US requests are a 70% increase over the previous 6 month.

Transparent Control…Ofcom revokes the broadcasting licences of Babeworld, House of Fun, and The Other Side

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See article from stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk

Ofcom have revoked the licences of the following services: Babeworld licensed by Babeworld TV Ltd House of Fun licensed by House of Fun Television Ltd The Other Side licensed by Forenzquick UK Ltd Section 362(2) of the Communications  Act, sets out who should be treated as the provider of the service for the purposes of holding the licence: A person will normally have general control if that person exercises effective control over the selection of programmes that comprise the service and their organisation into a programme schedule. It is that person who will normally be treated as being the provider of the service and who will need to hold a broadcasting licence authorising its provision. In the course of correspondence and meetings with Ofcom, statements made by Babeworld Television Limited, House of Fun Television Limited and Forenzquick UK Limited about the operation of the Licensed Services failed to satisfy Ofcom that these Licensees had general control over which programmes and other services were comprised in the Service. Ofcom therefore concluded that Babeworld Television Limited, House of Fun Television Limited and Forenzquick UK Limited were not the providers of the Licensed Services in accordance with section 362(2) of the Communications Act 2003 and that, accordingly, it was appropriate to revoke their Licences.

The Miserable 21st Century…Harriet Hatemen whinges about Page 3

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See article from huffingtonpost.co.uk

Harriet Harman has had a whinge against Page 3 girls, telling Sky Newsthat tabloid pictures of topless females are not the right thing for women in the 21st century. Labour’s deputy leader said: I’m not saying that we should ban it...BUT...I think that women in the 21st century who are going out to work, who are bringing up their children, who are playing a full role in public life, I think that the idea that women are sex objects to be posing in their knickers to be leered at by men in a national newspaper – I don’t think that that’s the right thing for women in the 21st century. Perhaps the 21st century will one day become known as the Miserable Century. When for one reason or another, all pleasures in life were frowned upon. And when everything ended up banned, nobody could make any money, and the western world went down the pan.

30th Anniversary…New UK DVD and US Blu-ray releases of Rick Rosenthal’s 1981 Halloween II

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See further details at Melon Farmers Video Hits: In the Realm of the Senses See trailer from youtube.com

Halloween II is a 1981 US horror film by Rick Rosenthal. See IMDbPassed 18 uncut with previous cuts waived for: UK 2011 Scanbox R2 DVD at UK Amazon just released on 10th October 2011 UK 2010 Lions Gate Online UK 2010 Lions Gate R2 DVD UK 2002 Sanctuary R2 DVD The US release is uncut and MPAA R Rated for: US 2011 Universal 30th Anniversary R0 Blu-ray via UK Amazon and at US Amazon just released on 13th September 2011 US 2005 Universal R1 DVD at US Amazon Previously passed 18 after 17s of BBFC cuts for: UK 1990 Castle VHS The BBFC cuts were: Cuts to the scene where Michael dunks a nurse into a boiling Jacuzzi. The final two thrusts under the water have been removed, a close up of her burnt face and also Michael throwing her naked body to the floor. Summary Review: Successful exercise in terror It is rare that horror sequels (or any film sequels) manage to capture the tone and feel of their predecessor. However Halloween 2, made 3 years after John Carpenter’s original, is a successful exercise in terror. However, expect more violence than the almost entirely blood-free first outing. A very worthwhile film for lovers of the horror genre.

Creeping Up…Australia announce date to review the uncut R18+ certificate for Human Centipede 2

Read more Australia Censorship News at MelonFarmers.co.uk

See article from refused-classification.com

Australia’s Classification Review Board have announced that the uncut R18+ certificate for The Human Centipede 2 will be reviewed on November 4th. It was previously reported that the New South Wales Attorney General, Greg Smith, had appealed against the R18+ rating.

Creeping Up…UK release date announced for Human Centipede 2

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The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) is 2011 Netherlands/UK horror by Tom Six. See IMDb Unbanned and passed 18 after 2:37s of BBFC cuts for: UK 2011 Bounty Blu-ray at UK Amazon for release on 21st November 2011 UK 2011 Bounty R2 DVD at UK Amazon for release on 21st November 2011 UK 2011 cinema release The BBFC commented on their cuts: Company was required to make 32 individual cuts to scenes of sexual and sexualised violence, sadistic violence and humiliation, and a child presented in an abusive and violent context. In this case, cuts included: a man masturbating with sandpaper around his penis graphic sight of a man’s teeth being removed with a hammer graphic sight of lips being stapled to naked buttocks graphic sight of forced defecation into and around other people’s mouths a man with barbed wire wrapped around his penis raping a woman a newborn baby being killed graphic sight of injury as staples are torn away from individuals’ mouth and buttocks. Publicity material for the film reads: A triumph in biological horror! Tom Six’s follow up to the cult horror smash hit of 2010 ups the ante with a brute force unparalleled in film today. The iconic Dr. Heiter has inspired a real-life protege, the sickly, disturbed car park attendant, Martin, who takes his gory inspiration from the original film to horrific new extremes! Martin, a mentally disturbed loner who lives with his nagging mother on a bleak London council estate, where loud neighbours and squalid living conditions threaten to plunge this victim of sexual and psychological abuse over the edge. Working the night shift as an attendant at an underground car park, he indulges his obsession with The Human Centipede (First Sequence) watching the film over and over on a laptop in his office and meticulously examining the scrapbook he has lovingly filled with memorabilia from the film, including the ass-to-mouth surgery instructions made famous by Dr. Heiter, the mad scientist from Martin s favourite movie. Pushed to the brink by his harridan mother and haunted by the teasing voices of his abusive and imprisoned father, Martin sets into motion his plan to emulate Heiter s centipede by creating his own version. In a rented warehouse, he begins to acquire victims, including his loud, violent neighbour, a prostitute and her lecherous client, and several more… including Martin s pie’ce de re’sistance, one of the actresses from The Human Centipede (First Sequence). Although lacking the medical skills of his hero, Martin soldiers on with grotesque DIY gusto, along with a healthy supply of duct tape, household tools and staple guns! What follows is one of the most harrowing and terrifying films ever conceived, featuring a central character that makes Dr. Heiter seem tame in comparison. The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) is a triumph in biological horror by one of the new masters of the horror film.

Unacceptably High Costs for Defending Libel Cases…Parliamentary committee finds that libel reforms don’t go far enough

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See article from dailymail.co.uk

Reforms to England’s libel laws will not do enough to protect free speech. A powerful parliamentary committee believes further steps are needed to prevent big corporations using their financial muscle to gag opponents by threatening legal action. It also wants extra measures to protect scientists and academics who are publishing legitimate research, and to prevent trivial claims ever reaching court. The committee has been scrutinising the Coalition’s proposals to end the international embarrassment that sees rich and powerful foreigners flocking to our courts to silence critics. The report from the joint committee on the draft Defamation Bill says many of the Government’s proposals, particularly a move to end trial by jury except in the most serious cases, are worthwhile. But it says the plans are modest and do not address the key problem in defamation law, the unacceptably high costs associated with defending cases. Recommendation that websites be held responsible for anonymous comments See article from bbc.co.uk Websites should have protection from defamation cases if they act quickly to remove anonymous postings which prompt a complaint, a report says. A joint parliamentary committee tasked with examining libel reform says it wants a cultural shift so that posts under pseudonyms are not considered true, reliable or trustworthy, But it says websites which identify authors and publish complaints alongside comments should get legal protection. The committee proposes a new notice and takedown procedure for defamatory online comments – aimed at providing a quick remedy for those who are defamed and to give websites which use the procedure more legal protection. It recommends that where complaints are made about comments from identified authors – the website should promptly publish a notice of the complaint alongside it. The complainant can then apply to a court for a takedown order – which if granted, should result in the comment being removed, if the website is to avoid the risk of a defamation claim. But where potentially defamatory comments are anonymous, the website should immediately remove them on receipt of a complaint, unless the author agrees to identify themselves, the report says. The author of the comment can then be sued for defamation but if a website refuses to take down an anonymous remark it should be treated as its publisher and face the risk of libel proceedings. The report also says a website could apply to a court for a leave-up order, if it (is rich enough and) considers the anonymous comment to be on a matter of significant public interest. But Mumsnet, a parenting website, says many of its members rely on the ability to ask questions or post comments anonymously. Many of the women posting messages do so under a user name, rather than their real name – and the site is worried the proposal will mean more people demanding messages be taken down. Its co-founder, Justine Roberts, said while it was right to stop people from assassinating the character of others from behind the cloak of anonymity the report did not recognise how useful anonymous postings were in allowing people to speak honestly about difficult real-life situations. The recommendations could have a chilling effect on sites like Mumsnet where many thousands of people use anonymity to confidentially seek and give advice about sensitive real-life situations. Under the current law, websites are liable for defamatory statements made by their users. If they fail to take down a post when they receive a complaint, they risk being treated as the primary publisher of the statement. So how is a website to know if users correctly identify themselves anyway?

Happy Bedfellows?…Adult Channels and TV debated at the Royal Television Society

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See details from rts.org.uk

Happy Bedfellows? — Adult Channels And TV 25 October 2011, 1845 for 1900 Northern Film & Media Studio 3, The Kiln Hoults Yard, Walker Road, Newcastle A Royal Television Society Debate featuring KATH WORRALL (OFCOM former member) Dr CLARISSA SMITH (Reader in Sexual Cultures, Sunderland University) LISELLE BAILEY (Head of Scheduling, Television X) Chairman: CHRIS JACKSON (BBC Inside Out’) The discussion will focus on regulation, and where the line is drawn between protecting the vulnerable and over-regulating a major entertainment industry. There will be some adult content shown — so over 18s only — in order to illustrate the debate about regulation. The three female panelists will also explore the role of women in pornography — as contributors, producers and consumers. Join our panel for the debate followed by Q&A session to discover the reality of producing and regulating adult content in the digital television age. Free but registration required