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From Yahoo.com

FCC Rejects ’Angel’ Indecency Complaint

Saturday 26 February 2005, by Webmaster


WASHINGTON - A love scene from the canceled TV show "Angel" that showed a female character turning into a vampire and biting her partner’s neck did not overstep federal indecency rules, the Federal Communications Commission ruled Friday.

It was one of two scenes from a November 2003 episode of "Angel" that were not "sufficiently graphic or explicit to render the program patently offensive" by contemporary standards, the FCC said in denying an indecency complaint from the Parents Television Council.

"Angel," which was canceled by the WB last year after five seasons, starred David Boreanaz in the title role of an 18th-century vampire who tried to atone for past evil deeds in present day Los Angeles.

One scene involved Angel in an intimate moment with a female character in which Angel’s hips are seen "moving back and forth," the Parents Television Council said in its complaint.

In the scene depicting the female vampire biting the neck of her partner, also a vampire, both characters had clothes on and "their breathing is heavy," the complaint said.

The episode aired at 9 p.m. EST on Nov. 19, 2003. The indecency law bars nonsatellite radio and noncable television stations from airing between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. indecent material such as references to sexual and excretory functions. Those are the hours when children are more likely to be watching TV.

But not all sexual and excretory references or scenes are considered indecent. The FCC must consider context and its decisions are subjective interpretations of the law.

The FCC said the "Angel" scenes were not patently offensive "as defined by commission precedent" and therefore were not indecent.

The complaint was officially filed against WBDC-TV in Washington, though the program aired on WB stations across the country. The FCC asks that indecency complaints include the call letters of a television or radio station.


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9 Forum messages

  • > FCC Rejects ’Angel’ Indecency Complaint

    26 February 2005 10:02, by Wolverine68

    This is the problem with society. People don’t stop to look at the context, only the content.

    Glad to see truth & justice won out.

    Ironic though, that it took 5 (8 if yuo count from the start of Buffy) years for a complaint to be made. I mean people have been vamping & having sex on the show all this time.

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  • > FCC Rejects ’Angel’ Indecency Complaint

    26 February 2005 17:38, by Anonymous
    "We" need to dig up some dirt on the head sickos running this so called "Parents Television Council" so they will crawl back into the slime pit they came out of. They must be stopped. Eight sick people, (that’s how many complained and wanted NBC and the country of Greece fined for airing the "pornographic" Olympic games opening ceremonys) shouldn’t be allowed to dictate and edit the media for millions of others. The PTC has the only dirty minds!

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  • > FCC Rejects ’Angel’ Indecency Complaint

    26 February 2005 18:05, by DurangoKid
    Maybe next we can see Angel dance on the head of a pin.

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  • > FCC Rejects ’Angel’ Indecency Complaint

    26 February 2005 22:56, by Mandy
    You know what? The stupid parents should check what the rating is before they let their kids watch it. TV14, for some sexual content. It was kinda shocking to see the scene where his "hips were moving back and forth", I remember it, but again. That’s what ratings are for.

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  • > FCC Rejects ’Angel’ Indecency Complaint

    27 February 2005 13:16, by Anonymous
    to be honest, makes me wana know which episodes they are taling about! So i can wathc them...

    Reply to this message

  • > FCC Rejects ’Angel’ Indecency Complaint

    27 February 2005 20:04, by I often clean my specticals
    I can’t believe this. I have never thought angel or buffy was for children anyway (maybe buffy one for age 12 years pluss). Out of all the many programs on the tele with things unsuitable for children, and the nightime program adverts shown in the mornings between the kids programs (in England) AND why do children need to watch so much television anyway? And the time shown? Children should be in bed! This has got to me I have never used so many ’and’s.

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  • > FCC Rejects ’Angel’ Indecency Complaint

    27 February 2005 21:46, by Nikkole
    This is the same council of parents that said we should ban "The Little Mermaid" and "Pocahontis" from tv and movie channels because they are encouraging our young girls to become sluts. COME ON! I just don’t think I would let my 6 year old go out on a date where seashells for a bra and a tailfin! LOL! They need to get REAL jobs and lives of thier own. OR, make sure that THEY are being parents to thier own children, and stop worrying about everyone elses’.

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  • > FCC Rejects ’Angel’ Indecency Complaint

    28 February 2005 06:00, by Anonymous

    OMG!! that was about the season 5 episode "Destiny" where Harmony bites Spike. So they thought that was bad, yet the Buffy episode "Dead Things" was perfectly alright. They so need to find a new hobby..

    # (http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/TV/02/25/fcc.indecency.ap/index.html) # The Parents Television Council, the watchdog group responsible for 99.98% of all frivolous complaints to the F.C.C. Filed an indecency complaint regarding a sex scene in this episode which was found by the FCC to not be indecent. Then complaint was rejected on Feb. 25, 2005.

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  • > FCC Rejects ’Angel’ Indecency Complaint

    2 March 2005 19:43, by Anonymous
    Well, I started watching Buffy when I was like 11 or 12 and now I’m 17. I never got trouble with my mum or anything. I don’t see why children can’t watch Buffy or Angel? I have a 8 and a 12 year old sister and they have seen the 5 season of Angel (in DVD cause we live in Spain, and we’re in Angel S2, so I had to buy them by amazon). If parents have a problem with their kids wathing these shows, then they shoulnd’t let THEM!! My mum actually enjoys Angel 2 and we watch it 2gether with my 2 sisters.... so... I think this is just plain stupid. And those parents really need psycological help or something cause they make a big deal over nothing

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