September 5, 2006 | Sex & Society

Fine for Emmy tit remark?

Now that the Federal Communications Commission has beefed up its fines for inappropriate  language on broadcast television, conservative groups are wasting no time in calling for NBC and affiliate stations to be punished for allowing Helen Mirren to utter the word "tit" for all the world to hear during the recent Emmy Awards broadcast. 

When Mirren accepted an Emmy for her performance in HBO’s "Elizabeth I," she remarked that her “great triumph is not falling ass over tit coming up those stairs,” adding “If you saw the shoes I’ve got on, you would understand.” Later in the broadcast, Calista Flockhard repeated the phrase. 

Now conservative groups have got their titties in a twist because NBC didn't put the live show on a tape delay so that any verbal malfunctions could be bleeped out. NBC is the same network that got in hot water when Bono emitted the word "fuckin" at the Golden Globe Awards in January of 2003.

“We certainly hope that NBC will feel the pain of a hefty indecency fine for breaking the indecency law,” said Brent Bozell of the Parents Television Council. “It seems the only way to restore a sense of responsibility to the broadcast networks for polluting the public airwaves is to make sure the multi-billion dollar companies are financially penalized.”

Air pollution, noise pollution, and now tit pollution. As far as we're concerned Helen won the Emmy for playing a Royal and the Queen can say any damn thing she wants!

• Family group seeks indecency fine for Emmys broadcast [YNOT Masters]