Glee update: GQ cover slammed by PTC, Rocky Horror Picture Show (videos)
Glee is making headlines these days and the latest update on America’s favorite television Glee Club is the growing controversy surrounding the new GQ cover shoot with Cory Monteith, Lea Michele and Dianna Agron. In addition to the possible scandal, Gleeks (fans of Glee) are excited about next Tuesday’s Halloween themed episode which will be a reproduction of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Many fans were disappointed that this week’s episode was a rerun.
The Parents Television Council (PTC) slammed the GQ cover which shows Cory Monteith, Lea Michele and Dianna Agron in a seductive pose. The family television watchdog stated in a press release, “It is disturbing that GQ, which is explicitly written for adult men, is sexualizing the actresses who play high school-aged characters on ‘Glee’ in this way. It borders on pedophilia. Sadly, this is just the latest example of the overt sexualization of young girls in entertainment,” said Tim Winter President of the Parents Television Council.
The press release continues, “Many children who flocked to ‘High School Musical’ have grown into ‘Glee’ fans. They are now being treated to seductive, in-your-face poses of the underwear-clad female characters posing in front of school lockers, one of them opting for a full-frontal crotch shot. By authorizing this kind of near-pornographic display, the creators of the program have established their intentions on the show’s direction. And it isn’t good for families.
“While this photo shoot and the direction of the show in its second season have caught many parents off guard, we were concerned this might be coming. ‘Glee’ creator Ryan Murphy has declared that it is his goal in life to remove every barrier to the depiction of explicit sex on TV. On Bravo’s ‘Sex in the Box’ Murphy said, ‘It’s tough to get that sexual point of view across on television. Hopefully I have made it possible for somebody on broadcast television to do a rear-entry scene in three years. Maybe that will be my legacy.’
“With a demonstrated market of eager fans for an entertaining, musical-themed program like ‘Glee,’ we wonder why the show’s creators feel the need for such graphic sexualization of women. Interestingly, the photos of the male character showed him wearing a shirt, tie and vest.
“Parents need to be on guard as we expect the show to push the envelope even further. Unfortunately, it seems ‘Glee’ is only masquerading as family show and is far from appropriate for young viewers,” Tim Winter stated.
Not everyone agrees with the views of the Parents Television Council (PTC). Some have pointed out that the cast merely portrays minors therefore, they are at liberty to pose any way they want. The argument isn’t new to television, and sometimes, television networks and producers side with the conservative view. A huge scandal erupted in the 80’s regarding NBC’s Bill Cosby Show when Lisa Bonet (who played Bill Cosby’s daughter) performed a nude scene in a movie. The controversy was great and Lisa Bonet was less visible in the show following the controversy.
Whether or not Glee wills suffer the same fate remains to be seen, though the PTC has already commented on the more sexualized season of Glee this year. The Brittany/Britney episode did not go without notice, nor did last week’s episode complete with a girl on girl kissing scene. If Ryan Murphy hopes to bring a ‘rear-entry’ scene to Glee within three seasons, there is now doubt there will be enormous backlash.
As for now, however, fans are looking forward to next week’s Rocky Horror Picture Show episode. You may see several video sneak peaks here: Rocky Horror Picture Show/Glee episode here. If you’ve seen the original Rocky Horror Picture Show then you may agree with us when we say there is a good chance the PTC may find Rocky Horror inappropriate as well.
You can find local listings for the Tampa Bay area (or outside Tampa Bay) at one of the best sources for online television programming lineups here: TV Listings AOL TV
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