Over 150,000 Sign Petition To Reverse R-Rating For “Bully” Dan Koelsch, February 29, 2012February 29, 2012 The Weinstein Company’s Bully is a documentary about bullying in American schools; something that has become a heated topic in the wake of the controversy of recent teen suicides. The MPAA recently gave the film an R-rating due to language. The studio appealed the rating, which Harvey Weinstein himself saying it deters the very demographic they are trying to reach. Now an online petition has been created to argue the very same thing. The petition on Change.org was created by a high school student and has over 150,000 signatures in just a few days. The issue at hand is that an R-rating prevents the film from being shown at middle and high schools where it could make a big impact on the bullying epidemic. Below is the text of the petition.Dear MPAA:Your decision, by one vote, to issue an “R” rating for the film “Bully” is wrong. It will prevent millions of teenagers from seeing a film that documents the epidemic of bullying in American schools.This film has the potential to change the world and change the culture of violence in many schools. But your decision to give this movie an R means that the people who need to see this movie the most — teenagers who are either bullying their peers or suffering from violence and torment at the hands of bullies — won’t get to see this film. Nor will this film be allowed to be shown at middle schools and high schools in this country.Please reconsider your decision to give Bully an R and give it a PG-13 instead.Thank you.While some have argued that the rating is warranted, the overall consensus that the vote is wrong, and I have to agree. Language is the only reason for the rating, but we hear bad language all the time on television and real life from an early age. PG-13 movies can get away with a lot of violence and even nudity, yet language is too much? This of course leads to the bigger issue of MPAA ratings being outdated and skewed inappropriately.Weinstein has threatened to release the film unrated, but NATO has bitten back by saying they would then treat the film as NC-17. While an R rating only requires a guardian to accompany a minor, an NC-17 rating bans all minors even with a guardian. While stars like Johnny Depp and Lady Gaga have supported the campaign, some question Weinstein’s motives. Does he really care about the cause, or is just trying to drum up attention for his film?What do you think? Is this simply a marketing ploy by Harvey Weinstein, or does he really want to help teach kids about bullying? Viral Marketing Viral News BullyPetitionWeinstein Company
Watch All Six “Hannibal” Webisodes April 25, 2013April 25, 2013Can’t get enough of Hannibal Lector? NBC has you covered with their Hannibal web series, which expands on the TV series and explores Dr. Lector’s relationships with Abigail Hobbs and Will Graham. You can watch all six webisodes after the break, as well as the preview for tonight’s episode. Read More
Jim Carrey Dresses as Kick-Ass and Joins Conan O’Brien On Stage To Sing Superman Song April 27, 2010April 27, 2010That is possibly one of the strangest titles I’ve ever written. You read right, Conan O’Brien is on his “Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television Tour”, and on multiple occasions has been joined on stage by Jim Carrey as they both sing Five for Fighting’s “Superman (It’s Not Easy”)…. Read More
“Real Steel” Starts a Viral Campaign March 15, 2011June 16, 2011Promotions for Walt Disney Pictures’ upcoming rock em’ sock em’ robots film Real Steel has been quiet as of late. Perhaps one of the reasons why is that rather than releasing clips or a new trailer the studio has gone forward with a viral marketing campaign. Marketing has started at… Read More