Skins

US nutters of the Parents Television Council hailed MTV's decision to cancel its teen drama Skins , noting that the series is an example of how controversy doesn't always deliver an audience.

It's not always true that controversy simply draws an audience, PTC director of corporate and government affairs Dan Isett told The Hollywood Reporter. MTV's decision to cancel Skins is not much of a surprise.

The series, adapted from the U.K. show of the same name, featured underage kids using drugs, drinking alcohol and having sex. Executives at MTV parent Viacom ordered producers of the TV-MA-rated series to tone it down the series' content in January ahead of its premiere as they worried about violating child pornography laws.

Isett noted that virtually every episode in the series, which the PTC in January called the most dangerous show for teens, had something that parents and families were going to be deeply concerned about: We're certainly hopeful that this will be a message for future producers that there are some lines that shouldn't be crossed.

Skins is a global television phenomenon that, unfortunately, didn't connect with a U.S. audience as much as we had hoped, MTV said in a statement: We admire the work that the series' creator Bryan Elsley did in adapting the show for MTV, and appreciate the core audience that embraced it.

Another advertiser has left MTV's Skins after pressure from Parents TV Council about the shows supposedly provocative and controversial nature.

Skin care product Proactiv said: We have officially requested that MTV revise our traffic schedule so that Proactiv spots cease airing during Skins, declared Kendra Elliot, the vice president of Proactiv.

Proactiv had been receiving complaints from 'perturbed' viewers. Elliot added, While our spots may air inside a particular program, it is not representative of our specific desire to support the programming and content of that particular show.

Advertisers are running for cover over MTV's lmuch-talked-about Skins .

Tax accounting company H&R Block, one of the show's largest advertisers, is the most recent to pull its support, following in the steps of Taco Bell, Wrigley and GM.

The company said in a statement: H&R Block is not an advertiser of the show. One ad ran by mistake as part of a rotation. Once we learned this, we immediately took steps to ensure it didn't happen again. This program is not brand right and H&R Block did not select it to be part of our rotation.

A similar denial was reported from General Motors and Wrigley who again claimed that they had advertised during the show as a general MTV booking.

Nutters show an alarming interest in actor's bare bottom

Based on article from foxnews.com

MTV is sticking to its guns, insisting that Skins hasn't crossed any line. Rumours of a 17-year-old actor alternating between being slightly naked and appearing aroused for a length of time in the Jan. 31 episode has prompted outrage from the Parents Television Counci

MTV said in a statement:

We review all of our shows and work with all of our producers on an ongoing basis to ensure our shows comply with laws and community standards. We are confident that the episodes of Skins will not only comply with all applicable legal requirements, but also with our responsibilities to our viewers. We also have taken numerous steps to alert viewers to the strong subject matter so that they can choose for themselves whether it is appropriate.

Meanwhile, Father John Malo, director of pastoral care at Toronto's St. Michaels' College School where Skins actor Jesse Carere, 17, was a student before stripping down and showing his bare bottom for the series, says we would not encourage students to watch Skins . We have a very strict code of ethics, adding that for a student to star in such a series would be unacceptable.

MTV officials would not answer questions about whether the Jan. 31 episode would be edited to eliminate the controversial bare bottom.

The Parents TV Council sent out an alert to their members:

The Most Dangerous Program Ever

The following is the most urgent alert the PTC has ever sent to parents.

It is absolutely crucial that you be aware of the most dangerous program that has ever been foisted on your children!

Next Monday, January 17th, at 10:00 p.m, MTV will debut its new series Skins . Here's why this program is so dangerous to your kids:

• Skins is filled with graphic content involving high-school children, including depictions of teens drinking, smoking marijuana, and using massive quantities of drugs, engaging in violent acts, and having irresponsible sex with each other, with their schoolteachers, and with other adults.
• Skins is about high-school children. Mixed in with the graphic drug use and sex scenes are storylines about falling in love and problems at school – elements sure to generate interest from teens. The show is being written, in part, by teens. And the Skins cast is actually made up of teenagers, not adult actors playing teens. One cast member is only 15 years old.
• Skins has been extensively marketed to high-school children. Internet sites like Teen.com have carried dozens of promos and stories about the new show. Many of the Internet ad campaigns have shown how Skins blatantly urges children to lie to and defy their parents, and engage in risky and dangerous behavior.

After the screening they then targeted the sponsors, Taco Bell:

See  article from  parentstv.org

The Monday, January 17 premiere of MTV's Skins proves the PTC was right when we said it was the most dangerous program ever for children -- and the content was made possible by Taco Bell.

Skins not only featured dozens of instances of high-school children using foul language; it also contained depictions and descriptions of high-school children discussing and engaging in sex; high-school children discussing and engaging in the use of illegal drugs; high-school children discussing and engaging in the use of alcohol; high-school children stealing an automobile and then crashing it into a lake; and countless other descriptions and depictions of graphic, adult-themed activity.

That's why your action is so important! YOU can stand up to dangerous, corrosive programming like Skins – by letting advertisers know what will happen if they sponsor it!

Use the form below to send an e-mail to Taco Bell, one of the biggest sponsors of last night's broadcast of Skins .

And if you REALLY want to make an impact, here's what you can do: print off a copy of this e-mail and take it to the manager of your nearest Taco Bell. Tell him or her what you think of their company promoting casual sex, drug use and alcohol abuse to children. And let them know that Taco Bell's actions have an influence when it is time to vote with your wallet.

And the latest tactic:

Based on article from foxnews.com

The Parents Television Council has called on lawmakers and law enforcement officials to open an investigation regarding possible child pornography and exploitation on the cable network's new series Skins .

On January 17, the Viacom-owned cable network MTV aired a teenager-based drama, Skins . The episode included all manner of foul language, illegal drug use, illegal activity as well as thoroughly pervasive sexual content, PTC President Tim Winter said in a letter sent to the chairmen of the U.S. Senate and House Judiciary Committees and the Department of Justice: Many of the actors appearing in the show are below the age of 18. It is clear that Viacom has knowingly produced material that may well be in violation of [several] federal statutes.

Since it is not necessary for Viacom or MTV to distribute the material in order to be in violation of the law, we call upon your committees to immediately investigate Viacom and MTV for the production of this material, Winter said in the statement. Furthermore, we urge you in the strongest possible terms to compel the attorney general to mount an investigation by the Department of Justice into whether the production of Skins has violated federal law meant to protect minors from exploitation.

MTV is stating they have not broken any legal requirements and are currently meeting to discuss the issue.