We’re already twerked up so sexual over Sunday’s 2014 Video Music Awards: Will Miley win everything? Will Charli XCX graduate from pop princess to pop queen? Will anyone remember Robin Thicke’s career in the death montage?
So. Many. Burning. Questions.
But it turns out we’re not the only ones counting down to the VMAs spectacular this weekend at the Forum in Inglewood, California. The Parents Television Council has already asked MTV to tone it down a bit, fearing the soiling of innocent minds across America with the network’s usually sexually explicit broadcast. We all remember what happened last year when Miley rubbed up against Thicke and taught your Aunt Esther what “twerking” was.
The PTC even want assurances from MTV in advance, and are getting out in front of the outrage game before everyone’s Ariana Grande tweets inspire Chris Hansen of To Catch A Predator to visit our living rooms.
Take a seat over there and read the press release in full, pasted below. Titties out.
[h/t Jezebel]
Press Release
PTC to MTV: Keep Explicit Sexual Content Off 2014 Video Music AwardsBy: Kelly Oliver
Release Date: 8/18/2014
LOS ANGELES (August 18, 2014) – In a letter to MTV, the Parents Television Council called on the network to rate the upcoming August 24th broadcast of the Video Music Awards appropriately, and provide assurance that it will not contain mis-rated sexual content as happened during the 2013 awards show.
In a letter to Janet Borelli, SVP Standards & Practices at MTV Networks/Viacom Media Networks, and copied to the TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board, PTC President Tim Winter wrote the following:
“Parents and families around the country have had ample reason to be concerned about the material distributed and promoted by MTV over the years, particularly during MTV’s original programming.
“While last year’s Miley Cyrus/Robin Thicke performance garnered most of the headlines after the fact, the sexually charged and otherwise inappropriate content of the show was not limited to them. Even more troubling was the fact that MTV still applied a TV-14 rating to the program, despite other adult-oriented performances and advertising messages. Such a rating was simply unacceptable to the families who depend on the television ratings system to be applied accurately and to the millions of families whose children are marketed to by MTV. The 2013 VMAs were a public relations kerfuffle for your network that I feel certain you will not wish to repeat.
“Consequently, on behalf of our membership and millions of other concerned parents, I call on MTV to take the following proactive steps, prior to the upcoming Video Music Awards telecast:
“Commit publicly that the program will not contain the type of explicit sexual content present in last year’s show
“Commit publicly that the program will not violate MTV/Viacom’s own standards and practices as was alleged last year
“Commit publicly to rate the program accurately and in accordance with the TV Parental Guidelines which stipulate that crude indecent language, explicit sexual activity, or graphic violence is to be rated as appropriate only for adults – TV-MA.
“I eagerly await your prompt reply, and sincerely hope MTV will help parents and families to better navigate their children’s media environment.”