MPAA

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Google Glass Now Banned at Theaters

MPAA, theater owners' association ban wearable tech

(Newser) - It's official: If you want to see a movie while it's still in the theaters, you'll have to take off your Google Glass or smartwatch first. The MPAA and the National Association of Theatre Owners yesterday banned all wearable tech, meaning you'll need to turn such...

Critics Question Gay Romance's 'R' Rating

There's no sex or violence in Love Is Strange

(Newser) - You won't see any sex or violence in the new R-rated film Love Is Strange. What you will see is a love story between two men—which has critics wondering whether homophobia might explain the MPAA's rating decision. The movie is about a couple who must live apart...

Connecticut May Be First to Lower Movie Volumes

State considers limits in theaters

(Newser) - Connecticut could become the first state to curb loud movies. The legislature's Public Safety and Security Committee is considering the bill, which would prevent theaters from showing a film or preview that exceeded 85 decibels. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recommends noise should be kept below...

Piracy-Fighting Plan: Teach Copyright Law to Little Kids

MPAA backs planned 'Be a Creator' program

(Newser) - The Motion Picture Association of America wants young people to know that piracy is a crime—and the group is hoping to get the message out early. It's teaming up with the Recording Industry Association of America and Internet service providers to push an anti-piracy program in elementary schools,...

Smoking in a Movie? Give It an 'R' Rating
 Smoking in a Movie? 
 Give It an 'R' Rating 
in case you missed it
Jul 14, 2012 12:20 PM CDT

Smoking in a Movie? Give It an 'R' Rating

Doing so will cut down on teen smoking: study

(Newser) - Kids who see actors smoking tobacco in movies are more likely to try cigarettes—so any film with a smoking scene should get an R rating, a new study suggests. Researchers surveyed children ages 10 to 14 and found that two-thirds of the smoking scenes they saw were in PG-13...

PG-13 Rating: Ticket to Box-Office Magic?

6 highest-grossing films all have it

(Newser) - One key to The Avengers' record success this weekend: its PG-13 rating. The top six highest-grossing movies ever made are all rated PG-13; the rating points to a film that's titillating enough for teens but isn't likely to offend adults, the Los Angeles Times notes. The rating has...

US Cuts Off Funding to UNESCO Over Palestine

Political workaround unlikely to go anywhere

(Newser) - The US has officially cut off all funding to the UN’s Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization over its acceptance of Palestine as a full member. The impact will be felt immediately, because the US had a $60 million dues payment due in November, the AP reports. The Obama administration’...

Chris Dodd's New Job: Hollywood's Top Lobbyist

He's taking over the Motion Picture Association of America

(Newser) - Chris Dodd, freshly retired from the Senate, has a new job—CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, notes the Hollywood Reporter . The MPAA is Hollywood's biggest lobbying group, though it's probably better known for its role overseeing the ratings system. Dodd takes over at a time of declining...

Similar Sex Scenes Earn Different Ratings

MPAA under fire again after lesbian encounter gets tamer 'R'

(Newser) - Hollywood's rating system is coming under fire again after two Oscar contenders, Black Swan and Blue Valentine, received R and NC-17 ratings, respectively. Debate is raging because both films depict oral sex scenes in essentially the same way, for the same time and with no nudity, reports the Los Angeles ...

'Male Nudity' Scares MPAA
 'Male Nudity' Scares MPAA 
OPINION
Oct 12, 2010 1:43 PM CDT

'Male Nudity' Scares MPAA

New category is pretty darn sexist

(Newser) - Watch a trailer for Jackass 3D, and you might notice that it’s rated R for, among other things, “male nudity.” This struck Brian Patrick Thornton of Jezebel as odd—why specify that it was men who were naked? He did a quick scan through the past five...

Why All Movies With Smoking Should Be Rated R
Why All Movies With Smoking Should Be Rated R
OPINION
Aug 28, 2010 9:18 AM CDT

Why All Movies With Smoking Should Be Rated R

If it will cut down on teen smoking, why wouldn't we?

(Newser) - Between 2005 and 2009, tobacco use in top-grossing movies declined by almost half—and that same time period also showed a notable decline in the number of high school students trying cigarettes. Coincidence? Probably not—which is why the CDC is calling for all films with tobacco use to be...

Tech Losers of the '00s
 Tech Losers of the '00s
Decade in Review
Dec 31, 2009 2:13 PM CST

Tech Losers of the '00s

From AOL to Motorola to Circuit City, these companies couldn't keep up

(Newser) - It’s been an amazing decade for technology, but not everyone came out ahead. CrunchGear considers the big losers of the '00s, starting with the biggest: Brick and mortar retailers. Once consumers learned to trust online merchants, lots of stores—we’re looking at you Circuit City and CompUSA—went...

Movie 'Chastity' Sells Better Than Sex

Viewers prefer innuendo to full nudity

(Newser) - Filmmakers looking to score a box-office hit should follow the lead of Twilight, Lord of the Rings, and Spider-Man: keep the love scenes chaste. So claims a new study of more than 900 films released between 2001 and 2005, which shows that, contrary to popular belief, nudity and explicit sex...

Streep's Reefer Moment Hardly R-Rated
 Streep's Reefer Moment 
 Hardly R-Rated 
OPINION
Dec 18, 2009 1:43 PM CST

Streep's Reefer Moment Hardly R-Rated

It's Complicated spotlights MPAA's wacky marijuana rules

(Newser) - Insiders say the only reason Meryl Streep’s new romantic comedy It’s Complicated has an R rating is a scene in which she smokes marijuana, and that’s causing a “minor ruckus” in Hollywood. A source close to the hearings tells Robert Ablon of the Los Angeles Times...

Bruno Slapped With NC-17 Rating

Over-the-line sex scenes draw MPAA's ire

(Newser) - Sacha Baron Cohen’s next risqué turn—this time as a gay Austrian fashionista—is turning out to be a little too raunchy for some: Bruno has been slapped with an NC-17 rating, the Wrap reports. Among the potential reasons: Anal sex and a nude camping scene. The film, which...

G Rating Not Safe for Kids Anymore

Realistic animations get away with violence

(Newser) - The G rating has devolved into ambiguity, providing parents little clue of what's in store for their kids, Emily Bazelon writes in Slate. Take The Tale of Despereaux about a bookish mouse's fairy tale rescue of a princess from rats. It was entertaining and age-appropriate as a kids' book, she...

Studios Bet Big on R-Rated Comedies

Risqué humor draws smaller crowds, but stars can cut loose

(Newser) - Movie studios are gambling on R-rated comedies more than ever as audiences open up to raunchier humor and stars push to showcase their talent in a less restricted setting, the AP reports. PG-13 flicks almost always draw bigger crowds, but R-rated features like Sex and the City, Wedding Crashers, and...

Parents Say Knight Too Dark for Kids
Parents Say Knight Too
Dark for Kids
Jul 21, 2008 10:31 AM CDT

Parents Say Knight Too Dark for Kids

But despite 'intense sequences of violence,' film still rated PG-13

(Newser) - Parents who saw the PG-13 rating attached to The Dark Knight and decided to bring the kids along are walking away, if not dissatisfied, then a little miffed. “I know it's a good movie, but it should have been rated R,” one surprised mother tells USA Today. Another...

Studios Want to Keep Certain Movies Off Your DVR

Blocking the copying of hi-def films before DVD release is tradeoff for fast-tracking to TV

(Newser) - Hollywood is pressing the Federal Communications to allow studios to block digital video recorders from copying high-definition films before they're released to DVD, Ars Technica reports. In return, the studios promise to shorten the time it takes movies to get from theater to home TVs. The feds would need to...

Wireless Tech to Cut HDTV Cord
Wireless Tech to Cut HDTV Cord
Jan 3, 2008 11:04 AM CST

Wireless Tech to Cut HDTV Cord

Rival picture slingers are finally heading to market

(Newser) - Electronics companies are finally going to get rid of that ugly cord running from your lovely HDTV to its cable box. At least three different wireless high-definition technologies will be duking it out beginning Monday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and manufacturers promise you’ll be able...

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