On Friday, I had a post regarding the proposed television series D.H.S.--The Series which would chronicle all the excitement generated inside the Department of Homeland Security, that bureaucratic behemoth that brought you the anti-terror duct-tape plan. Producers for the show claimed that it had received the blessing Bushco, but now administration officials are denying any endorsement and claiming to have no knowledge of the show. Still, the Bushies have pushed Hollywood to produce homeland security themed shows. Like "Threat Matrix. Didn't see that one? Yeah, me neither. I think it was canceled.
Joseph Medawar, a producer associated with D.H.S., insists that the show will not have any sort of political agenda even though he is a big fan of Shrub. Regarding Shrub, he says, "I think he's a great man, and he's done an unbelievable job for our country. He's a man of faith. He believes in God." Hmmm. Also from the article, "One poster for the series uses a picture of Bush and his Cabinet members with their heads bowed in prayer. Medawar said Christianity will be a central element of the show, whose trailer has an agent saying, "Hey Johnny, do me a favor -- say a prayer," as he runs into a hostage situation." That sounds AWESOME!

Don't think that we're the only place in the world that has a fit when the entertainment industry gets a little too caliente. It seems that an Arabic satellite television station has had to cancel its own version of that snoozefest reality show "Big Brother." The premise is that you toss a bunch of suckers into a house for a couple of months, deny them any and all access to the outside world, and watch the sparks fly. Problem is, no sparks ever fly, and even though the producers have a whole week to work with to come up with 90 minutes of entertainment, they can't do it. "I have watched the show and it must be stopped," said 34-year-old teacher Shahnaz Rabi'i of the Arabic version. "This programme is a threat to Islam. This is entertainment for animals."

I agree that these shows must be stopped. Not because they're too saucy but because they are just plain boring. Now if we could just get Shahnaz Rabi'i to get CBS to take "Big Brother" off the air over here.

There's a larger point here that could be made about the ridiculously puritanical reaction that so many people have when exposed to a bare breast or a few dirty words and how this contrasts with societal perceptions of other cultures and their reactions to western culture, but I'm really feeling too lazy to make those connections.