14 DAY TRIAL // The 2010 MTV Movie Awards took place the other night, a ceremony that was as popular with audiences (judging by ratings) as it was shamelessly funny. Of course, it was to be expected for some of the stars to swear – but some viewers at home were very shocked when the network failed to censor the bombs dropping to left and right. MTV is apologizing to them, the Hollywood Reporter says.
One of the biggest F-bomb censoring fails of the night came at the end of the ceremony, when “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” won Best Movie and actor Peter Facinelli sprinkled his acceptance speech with lots of swearing – and MTV censors failed to catch all the words. On last count, there were at the very least 100 profanities uttered during the 122-minute telecast and some of them slipped through the cracks, so to speak.
“The MTV Movie Awards is a live televised event known for irreverent comedy and a party atmosphere where our guests speak more freely than they otherwise might. While we aired the live broadcast with a delay, we were unable to mute every word that some might find objectionable. All of these words will be muted in subsequent airings. We sincerely apologize to those in our audience who were offended by any objectionable words that might have slipped by for the live airing,” MTV says in the official apology.
The statement comes on the heels of Parents TV Council’s move to criticize the telecast, sprinkled as it was with profanities, especially in a context in which it targeted children and not mature audiences. “Families were assaulted by the content found on the MTV Music Awards and on Hard Times and we should not have to pay for this kind of filth on our cable bills – especially since it’s targeted directly towards our children,” PTC President Tim Winter said in a separate statement cited by AceShowbiz.
On the other hand, the controversy and the fact that neither of the VIP guests held back have contributed to a 2% boost in ratings, bringing the highest figures the ceremony has recorded in years.