Nicollette Sheridan is not Janet Jackson, even if
America saw her towel fall to the locker-room floor.
All the talk today is about ABC's racy promotion of “Desperate
Housewives” just before "Monday Night
Football" in which star Sheridan stands before Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens
and suggests the two play something other than football as her towel
descends to the floor.
Much of yesterday was one of protests, recriminations and apologies on the part of ABC, the
NFL and the Eagles, amid hand-wringing
by all over yet further actions by a Federal Communications Commission in
its crackdown on dirty TV.
But it is surely much ado about nothing, never mind the
apologies.
If anything, the ABC promotion was a clever ploy in which
everyone--ABC, “Desperate Housewives,”
the NFL, the Eagles and perhaps even Owens--comes out ahead.
The downside of the incident is next to nil. It appears
unlikely that Owens will be disciplined for his role, and it's no less
likely that the FCC will move to punish the ABC stations that aired the promotion. While some viewers might have
complained, the scene hardly fits the description of what the FCC is
finding objectionable these days.
The F-word was not used. We see no body parts. The scene
itself is no worse than what shows up on the show when it airs on Sunday
nights (in the same 9 p.m. time slot).
There's also something entirely disingenuous about the NFL's
indignation. While protesting that the promotion was inappropriate because it aired during a time when children are
watching, it was no racier than a typical performance of the Dallas Cowboys
cheerleaders, 38 women whose cleavage, stomachs and thighs get
almost as much camera time as the players on the field.
The “Housewives”
teaser can only help the NFL attract the 18-49s who want to mix some skin
with their football.
The Eagles can’t suffer much either. Teams typically cooperate with
ABC’s pre-game teaser, and this team was no exception. According to
people familiar with the episode, the script was shown to the Eagles, who
asked Owens to participate last week.
Including the flamboyant wide receiver in a racy commercial with an
equally flamboyant actress certainly draws attention to him and the Eagles
alike. Also not a bad thing.
ABC, of course, knew what it was doing from the beginning and, along with
its top show, will profit. The network had told the NFL well
in advance of Monday’s game that it planned to promote "Desperate
Housewives" during the pre-game coverage, which it has done with hit
shows before. But ABC described a sketch that differed drastically from
the commercial the network actually ran.
According to NFL officials, ABC described a lead where the five leads of
"Desperate Housewives" sat around the television wearing Eagles
paraphernalia and talking about the game.
The closest the disrobing teaser came to this was when the camera cuts to
a scene of “Housewives” cast members Teri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman
watching Sheridan and Owens on screen. Hatcher remarks, "Oh my God,
who watches this trash? ... That woman was just so – desperate,"
before changing the channel to watch "Monday Night Football."
Whether ABC deliberately misled the NFL in its description remains a
mystery.
There is some speculation that ABC will suffer when it negotiates its
long-term contract with the NFL. But the contract will be settled by the
dollar sign, and with its new hot show that only got hotter on Monday, ABC
still has cash to offer the NFL.
As for the American people, have we been ruined by this experience? The
many people complaining to the NFL and ABC seem to think so. But it’s
nothing we don’t see on “Housewives” itself or on the side of the
field of Cowboys games. And it’s not nearly as sexually explicit as
Jackson baring her nipple.
During the Super Bowl halftime show, Justin Timberlake ripped a piece of
Jackson’s clothing, exposing her nipple. The stunt on CBS incurred a
record $550,000 fine by the FCC.
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