Posted on 10/05/2004 5:04:33 AM PDT by AJ in NYC
Cable channel Showtime is quietly at work on a new series about the personal lives of an Islamic terrorist cell in the United States, The Post has learned.
The series — to be called "The Cell" — will be told from the view points of a group of Euro pean and American con verts to Islam who are plotting terror attacks here.
Showtime says it realizes it is walking into a potential minefield by portraying terrorists sympathetically without pulling punches about their violent aims.
HBO's "The Sopranos" and "The Wire" have found success doing that with mobsters and drug dealers.
"We're trying to look into the minds of these [terrorists] and the issues driving them, beyond a black-and-white portrayal," says Showtime entertainment president Robert Greenblatt, who will decide next month whether to commit to a series.
"The leaders of the cell look like nice, normal people you would encounter in everyday life and never know were quietly putting together a power base," he says. "Our only hesitation was sensitivity to the subject matter, which was very scary. Several plot points have already come to pass."
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Its only 0706 and I have already been stunned beyond speaking. An American network doing a series on terrorists in America, planning to attack America??
Notice in one breath they say Showtime says they will pull no punches, yet from the second paragraph they say don't have the balls to make the characters middle-eastern.
I don't have showtime, so I can'r cancel them. Any actors, directors, writers... who touch this series are on my personal boycott list.
Network.
I was thinking of adding Showtime to my dish for their boxing coverage. No more!
Actual title: TERROR TV SHOW TICKING.
Yes, Showtime is Viacom along with CMT, VH1, Nick, MTV, TV Land, UPN, Spike, BET, Robert Redford's Sundance Channel, Comedy Channel, Carowinds, Bloclkbuster and other holdings that I cannot remember off the top of my head ... which of course includes CBS, CBS News, CBS Sportsline, et al.
Amen. That is just a sick idea for a program.
Has anyone noticed that before 9-11, almost every bad guy in action/adventure movies was a terrorist of some kind. Now, in Hollywood, bad-guy terrorists don't even exist. Hollywood is more likely to make movies where politicians, businessmen, and technology are evil as opposed to terrorists. Hollywood surrendered on 9-11.
Fox & Friends just mentioned it on their show - and they spent a whole 5 seconds on it. They've already moved on and are spending infinitely more time right now on Liza Minelli - too bad.
You have GOT TO BE KIDDING?!?!
Show like HBO's "The Sopranos" and "The Wire" have found success in getting people to sympathize with mobsters and drug dealers because in these (fictional) violent worlds there is a kind of understandable justice based on ACTIONS. If you do X to these people they will do Y to you. Most people understand these rules, accept them and it makes for fine entertainment. With Radical Islam these fanatics want to do Y to you, not because of what you DO to them, but because of what you DON'T BELIEVE. There is no negotiating, dealing or rationalizing involved. I would have to think that this presented as entertainment would be a little tough for Americans to get behind.
Darn.....Viacom has gotten rid of all their email addresses....no way to easily protest this.
Anyone got an email address???
What are they thinking?
Anyone who has stock in this turkey better sell now.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.