Emmys Censor Sally Field's Anti-War Statement

Los Angeles Times:

"If mothers ruled the world, there wouldn't be any god -" Emmy winner Sally Field said before the Emmycast cut her off her sound and pointed the camera away from the stage so viewers would be distracted. Cut off were the words "god-damned wars in the first place."

"How can this be?" she asked when she won best actress in a drama series for her work as matriarch Nora Walker on "Brothers & Sisters." While the two-time Oscar winner already has two Emmys, this was her first nomination for series work, and she bested a field that included favorite Edie Falco of "The Sopranos."

"This belongs to all the mothers of the world - may they be seen and valued," she said in a heartfelt speech that was only partially heard by Emmywatchers in the US while CTV in Canada did not cut her off.

Read the whole story: Los Angeles Times

Comments

[magicmary]

I prefer the statement made by the creator of the Sopranos who riffed off of Sally's comment:
"And, hell, let's face it, if the world and this nation was run by gangsters" -- Chase paused and shrugged, as everyone laughed -- "maybe it is."
To Fox's credit, they didn't bleep that line. Best line of the night!

[Concernedperson]

It was the best line, unfortunately, because it is so true.
Ans Sally at 60 looks more stunning than ever. May she have many more award winning years.

[micdago]

FIELD FIELD FIELD YOU DUMFUCKS!

GET THE "S" OFF HERE NAME IN YOUR HEADLINE!!!!

[andyboy]

If you get the E off HER.

[ute]

ummm... there IS an apostrophe between the D and the S. I don't think the headline writer confused Sally with Mrs. Fields.

Have a cookie and relax.

[gonnuts]

I guess we've all forgotten the lessons Lenny Bruce gave us.

America - a country that gets uptight over profanity that is used by adults every day but doesn't seem to give a twit about killing a million innocent people over a pack of lies. Now, THAT'S obscene.

This country is a farce of what the Founding Fathers intended it to be. A Nation controlled by leaders who are hypocrites, liars, crooks, war-mongers, war-profiteers and fools.

God, if there is one, has nothing to do with organized religion that governments use to suppress those that would decent against those that rule though fear.

As long as 1% own 80% of the wealth and war is their means of retaining that power nothing will change.

[WillPower]

This story exemplifies one of the main problems I have with liberals: Many of you think that the First Amendment means that you can say whatever you want whenever you want and demand that everyone listens. That is unless someone has a conservative viewpoint on a college campus speech when it's OK to shout him down.

It's an award show. When you win it's not appropriate to babble about a war or swear. People own the Emmys and the networks and are allowed to control the content. Free speech doesn't give you the right to say whatever you want on a stage that is owned or rented by someone else. Save your rants for your own airwaves or forums.

Again, if someone on the same stage ranted about lowering GD taxes or putting up a fence on the GD border or backing the F-ing surge it would have been censored too and rightly so.

[Sidewhispers]

If GW had cut in to the show to inform us that we are now war with Iran or Syria or fill in the blanks, I guess that would seem appropriate to you. Sorry Sally's passionate and heartfelt plea disturbed your viewing pleasure. BTW, the First amendment does not give you the right to lie to the nation on the networks either...but it happens.

[andyboy]

Censorship is good! Thanks genius.

He's all angry because he's the only conservative on campus and everybody thinks he's a creep. Always worrying about what's appropriate and who needs muzzled for their own good.

Nice guy. Meet 'em everywhere.

[WillPower]

I graduated 20 years ago and I'm not angry. Sure, make the argument about your idiot preconceptions about me instead of the issue you not-so-cleverly distort.

Censorship by the Emmys is good. They own the show and are entitled to control the content. Same with Fox. They are obligated to censor swear words and whatever else they want.

Air America is a great example of uncensored political lefty views and you see how the ratings are in the toilet.

[dwillisno1]

The beauty of it all is how the wingies are so willing to approve of Right Wing Political Correctness as exercised by the show.

By the way, the audience had the option of shouting her down, a far better solution than prejudgement by the show.

Exercising free speech is not a demand that others listen. The audience including those viewing by tv, could have chosen not to listen or be influenced by what she said.

[WillPower]

Sure, that's what the Emmy's brass wants. Some award winner spouting a political view and the audience shouting him/her down. That makes for great TV.

That's why nominees are told beforehand what is off-limits. If Sally Field or anyone else can't abide by the rules they should be censored.

[joebaggadonuts]

We need to cut back the FCC's power to stop speech and increase the citizenship's access to hear and make speech. The only power they should have is to regulate the time of broadcast of off color adult content, not to prevent its dissemination.

Sally is a great person, and a good citizen.

[WillPower]

Read the headline of this story. Unless Huffpo screwed up again, the Emmys censored her, not the FCC. The Emmy brass probably were thinking more about content to their viewers and sponsors than about your non-right to hear about the GD war. The Emmys own the show and are allowed to control the content.

[Jeff1958]

Huffpo screwed up again. Fox censored her, not the Emmys, nor the FCC.

[Maxx61]

The irony is her comment is being delivered to more people than would have heard it while watching the snore-fest Emmys so thank you Fox for promulgating, by default, her valid sentiments.

[rollingdivision]

It's incumbent on Fox to control the content of their programming. So, the choose what does or does not go on their network. This is no different then when they choose news opinion and content for which they are held responsible and which many dislike.

[shag11]

What was Sally thinking? Afterall, this was broadcase on Faux(Fox).

[cryingeagle]

The term "censorship" is often used as a pejorative term to signify a belief that a group controlling certain information is using this control improperly or for its own benefit, or preventing others from accessing information that should be made readily accessible.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship

[mpgarr]

It is amazing at how amped people get over a few words---I had figured that Sally was bleeped since she was saying something against the war--I do wish she had not used the "God" in front of damn---but I almost bet she would have been cutoff anyway by the FOX folks----

[dwillisno1]

The usual practice is to leave in the "God" and only bleep the "damn". Go figger.

[dwillisno1]

Wanna bet Fox News spends plenty of time trashing Sally for saying what she said, complete with endless replays of the offensive clip? Its wrong to say it, but alright to say it while talking about not saying it. My grandson "Gramma Gramma, Johnnie said 'shit'!"

[Qbear]

The question isn't why Sally Fields made her comment...it's why EVERY other performer didn't say "END THIS G*D DAMN WAR!"

[WillPower]

Because it's an award show. The forum is to celebrate dumb TV shows and such, not have a bunch of empty-headed celebrities talk politics.

What if someone made pro-war comments? I bet you'd say that there's no place for that.

[rwe]

Exactly, if every other one had said end this war , those comments would have been aired and a better point would have been made

[Anonamys]

THERE WERE A NUMBER OF INSTANCES OF CENSORSHIP

BESIDES THE ONE CONCERNING SALLY fIELDS.

THERE WERE TWO RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING

OF THE SHOW. I'M THINKING

IT WAS FOX - THE KING OF CENSORSHIP -

DESTROYER OF FREE SPEECH - PURVEYOR

OF NEO-CON PROPANGANDA. NEVER LET

FOX BROADCAST AWARD SHOWS AGAIN.

IN FACT, BOYCOTT FOX AND FOX NOISE

ALTOGETHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[WillPower]

I'll do it only because you posted in ALL CAPS and used MULTIPLE EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!!!!!

[nellre]

It is an insult to viewers that the networks do stuff like this.
But they insult us every day with watered down news and Pablum programming.
I guess that's why I stopped watching network TV. Nothing there worth putting up with commercials.

[faith]

Ms. Field's choice of words was not blasphemy, but she instead was invoking the wrath of the Lord against this evil leadership that continues, on a daily basis to cause our young men and women to be killed and maimed in a far away country for no apparent legitimate purpose; cause the families of an independent sovreign nation to be killed and maimed in their own country under the guise that "we" are bring democracy to them. Our media is absolutely abhorrent-the fact that they cut Ms. Fields statement misleads all watchers of the program. The fact that they chose to stifle her first amendment rights is appalling. Folks, we have monopolistic media (not blogs thank goodness)and frankly they are culpable. The media supports this bloodbath in Iraq and Afghanistan. Maybe it should not just be the leaders of this nation that will be brought before the Hague for war crime, but maybe those owners of the media should be brought also for aiding and abetting the egregious acts.