MPAA set to consider smoking scenes when rating movies

[Fire Me Boy!]

http://www.nbcactionnews.com/news/lo...2-b8fd0d725f9f

Soon lighting up on screen could bring an "R" rating.

The Motion Picture Association of America said it will consider smoking along with sex and violence in determining movie ratings.

"It means if you otherwise would be a PG-13, and you show smoking in a glamorous way, this would bump you up to an R," said film critic Michael Medved.

Anti-smoking groups, the American Medical Association, and even cigarette maker Phillip Morris have urged the industry to show less smoking based on research that suggests teens and preteens are highly influenced by what they see.

"Kids this age are just getting their impressions of what everybody else does, what's expected of them, what's the norm," said the Kaiser Family Foundation's Vicky Rideout. "So I think that the images they see in the media play a part in that."

It wasn't a big issue years ago when smoking was more prevalent in society.

The industry reports movie makers have cut smoking scenes by almost 10 percent in the last two years.

The question: What impact might this new ratings change have at the box office?

"If you take a PG-13 movie, say, up to an R movie, in theory you're cutting away a large slice of the potential audience," said Washington Post financial reporter Frank Ahrens.

Industry experts say that could force a movie's producers to kick the habit well before the public ever sees it.

The American Cancer Society issued a statement calling the industry's move an important first step, but said it will continue to monitor and push for a full ban on smoking scenes in movies marketed to children.

[theultimatekcchiefsfan]

Good for them.

Smoking sucks and you know it is gonna kill you anyway. Hollywood needs to quit glamorizing it.

But I really doubt this will due much to prevent teens from starting.

[keg in kc]

As with anything the MPAA does, the first question that comes to mind is how this will benefit the major studios.

[Joie]

I grew up with smoking in the movies. I've never had any desire whatsoever to smoke. I think the pressure comes from your friends.

[Bugeater]

[Frazod]

Could one of the photoshop guys find a nice shot of Hitler and replace the swastika on his armband with the "no smoking" symbol? Thanks.

[KcMizzou]

Originally Posted by frazod

Could one of the photoshop guys find a nice shot of Hitler and replace the swastika on his armband with the "no smoking" symbol? Thanks.

No shit...

WTF!?!?!

[KcMizzou]

It means if you otherwise would be a PG-13, and you show smoking in a glamorous way, this would bump you up to an R," said film critic Michael Medved

Hmm... so bad guys can smoke, good guys can't? Or... do we need every smoker in a movie to hack and cough... maybe get lung cancer before the end of the film? Thanks Mike.

We'd better make it rated "R" if people eat cheeseburgers too.

****ing retarted.