"E36 M3" on TV?

I've been noticing the word "E36 M3" and variations thereof used on basic cable for the last week or two. I heard it in a couple of movies on FX and Comedy Channel. It was late, so I figured maybe FCC rules changed after "bedtime" or something.

But we have a TV in the workshop that's generally just providing background noise. It's 3PM on a Friday, that stupid "Twister" movie is on TBS, and I just heard "Bull E36 M3" twice.

Is this a new thing or has it been going on for a while? Have the FCC restrictions changed, or are the networks just saying "screw it, we'll pay the fines?" Do I just not watch enough TV to notice?

Doesn't bother me, just curious.

fcc regs only cover OTA broadcast. cable is a free for all.

zipty842 wrote: fcc regs only cover OTA broadcast. cable is a free for all.

Yup. It's been going on for quite some time. Cable networks (especially the ad-supported ones) do have some self-restrictions, but it's more to keep the shiny happy people from boycotting the advertisers than it is for federal regs. Where I work, berkeley doesn't pass, "damn" does (but not "god damn", for some reason), and "ass" is allowed in late night.

friedgreencorrado wrote:

zipty842 wrote: fcc regs only cover OTA broadcast. cable is a free for all.

Yup. It's been going on for quite some time. Cable networks (especially the ad-supported ones) do have some self-restrictions, but it's more to keep the shiny happy people from boycotting the advertisers than it is for federal regs. Where I work, berkeley doesn't pass, "damn" does (but not "god damn", for some reason), and "ass" is allowed in late night.

I always thought it was funny when someone would say "god damn" in a movie, and they'd bleep out "god" and not "damn". Don't know why, just found that funny.

The best is when they bleep a relatively innocuous damn or ass, and my brain automatically inserts a much dirtier word :).

I thought that almost everything on TV was E36 M3.

16vCorey wrote:

friedgreencorrado wrote:

zipty842 wrote: fcc regs only cover OTA broadcast. cable is a free for all.

Yup. It's been going on for quite some time. Cable networks (especially the ad-supported ones) do have some self-restrictions, but it's more to keep the shiny happy people from boycotting the advertisers than it is for federal regs. Where I work, berkeley doesn't pass, "damn" does (but not "god damn", for some reason), and "ass" is allowed in late night.

I always thought it was funny when someone would say "god damn" in a movie, and they'd bleep out "god" and not "damn". Don't know why, just found that funny.

"God damn it" is censored in one form or another so as not to offend the religious, as it is using His name in vain.

Have you noticed in rap music you can say almost any derogatory term you want, but they censor "jewish"

Something that surprises me is the Minneapolis newspaper has started to occasionally print the e36 M3 word in their articles.

Salanis wrote: I thought that almost everything on TV was E36 M3.

there just get closer to letting every one know its E36 M3..

Josh wrote: The best is when they bleep a relatively innocuous damn or ass, and my brain automatically inserts a much dirtier word :).

Funniest example I've heard of censorship doing that was that song "I kissed a girl" was played someplace with "girl" bleeped out. Which led to all sorts of dirty guesses about what it was about...

MadScientistMatt wrote: Funniest example I've heard of censorship doing that was that song "I kissed a girl" was played someplace with "girl" bleeped out. Which led to all sorts of dirty guesses about what it was about...

Gee, I'm stunned they didn't bleep "kissed".

I like when they try to replace words so that they can air it on broadcast tv without bleeps. One of my favorite was the Channel 11 saturday movie where Motherf****r was often replasced with Mister Falcon. I've often wanted to build a Falcon like a '60s drag car and have Mister Falcon painted on the side in big gold leaf letters. Sure I'd be the only one giggling like an idiot but thats how I spend most of my day anyway.

Wally wrote: I like when they try to replace words so that they can air it on broadcast tv without bleeps. .

The Usual Suspects was the movie that stopped us from ever watching movies that are dubbed for TV...

"Give me the gun you fairy godmother"

Oh Hell No.

Slightly off topic but...

Did you notice that Wikipedia has entries for E36 M3 and Berkeley?

As well as the uncensored versions?

Classic example was "Blazing Saddles" where the female lead (Madeline Kahn) was named Lili von Schtupp. When her name is spoken (on TV) it's " Von Shhhhh" but they spell it out on a poster and in the credits...

Walter said: This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps

That is just too wrong

RexSeven wrote: "God damn it" is censored in one form or another so as not to offend the religious, as it is using His name in vain.

Doh! (slapping forehead) Thanks, Rex...that didn't occur to me. I guess next we'll allow Muslim women to have their drivers' licence pic taken with their Burqas on, give free Porsche 993s to Raelians, or let Rastas off the hook when they're busted for driving while toked up...

One of the things I've noticed after working in TV so long is that the "Standards & Practices" folks (you may know them as "the censors") often are from old fashioned All-American White Picket Fence backgrounds. Often, they only react to the few words they know, and miss a lot of the current slang contained within newer films. One day at the place I work, a young woman who worked for S&P was taking her family for a tour through our facility, when one of the characters on-screen said something about "..my mom says to be a lesbian, you gotta lick carpet.." We all died laughing, except for censor girl. She really didn't know what it meant, until we told her. Breaks my heart to this day that we did it in front of her family, but we didn't know she was so far behind the curve! Her face turned bright red, and sure enough..the next time we aired that show, the "offending" phrase was muted.

Still don't know why cable networks are so anal about this kind of thing, even though I work for one these days. I pays my money, I wants my sex, violence, and cussin'...

neon4891 wrote:

Walter said: This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps

That is just too wrong

Huh?

mel_horn wrote:

neon4891 wrote:

Walter said: This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps

That is just too wrong

Huh?

Walter from the Big Lebowski... edited for TV. The original line was "This is what happens when you berkeley a stranger in the ass".

My favorite was Rounders on USA or a similar network. They would have been much better off just bleeping, but instead they inserted words that had nothing to do with the sentence.

Teddy KGB:

I will splash the pot whenever the [TIME] I please

You sonnova[MONSTER]

speedblind wrote: My favorite was Rounders on USA or a similar network. They would have been much better off just bleeping, but instead they inserted words that had nothing to do with the sentence. Teddy KGB: I will splash the pot whenever the [TIME] I please You sonnova[MONSTER]

Yeah, that stuff drives me nuts. If stuff's going to be edited out, I'd rather put up with the "bleep" or the audio cut instead of a pathetic attempt to restate the line. Stuff like Walter mentioned about "The Big Lebowski" and KevinSC1 said about "The Usual Suspects".

My favorite is in Top Gun, when Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer are talking to each other:

-You can be my wingman anytime. -BullE36 M3, you can be mine.

And the B.S is replaced with "Milk Shake".

There was a scene in Police Academy when Tacklebury says (while obviously pointing the gun at the guys nuts) "Freeze or I'll blow your gosh darn knees off, eggroll!".

MadScientistMatt wrote:

Funniest example I've heard of censorship doing that was that song "I kissed a girl" was played someplace with "girl" bleeped out. Which led to all sorts of dirty guesses about what it was about...

Man, what up tight burg do you live in?