Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
Entertainment
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Film
Music
People
Television
Arts
Industry
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Environment
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
"Big Love" makers apologize to Mormons, to air show
Tue Mar 10, 2009 7:37pm EDT
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Jill Serjeant
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The makers of television polygamy drama "Big Love" apologized on Tuesday for any offense to Mormons in a depiction of a sacred ritual but made clear it would air the controversial episode as planned.
The HBO network's program about a non-Mormon polygamous family has stirred up a hornet's nest of complaints over an episode to be broadcast on Sunday showing its version of an endowment ceremony within a Mormon temple.
It is thought to be the first time the ritual, in which participants move to a higher level of understanding of their religion, will be shown on TV.
News of the episode prompted calls and emails for cancellation or an HBO boycott by angry members of the Mormon Church, officially known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS).
The Church itself has not officially called for a boycott.
"Big Love," which first aired in 2006, stars Bill Paxton as a member of a fictional breakaway Mormon sect who has three wives and eight children. The endowment ceremony is depicted in a flashback event for one of the women.
HBO said on Tuesday the writers had gone to great lengths "to be respectful and accurate" in the ceremony's portrayal.
"Obviously, it was not our intention to do anything disrespectful to the church but to those who may be offended, we offer our sincere apology," the channel said in a statement that was echoed separately in a similar statement by the series' creators.
'JUST OFFENSIVE'
The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, based in Utah, has some 13.5 million members around the world. Founded in 1830, it officially banned polygamy in 1890 although the practice continues in some breakaway sects.
The furor reflected the dilemma faced by Mormons as the growing Church takes its place in mainstream society.
"This is a very sacred event in the lives of LDS church members. To have it splashed all over television for entertainment purposes (and ultimately for monetary gain) is just offensive," wrote one poster called "nanberg" on HBO's official "Big Love" message board on Tuesday.
The Church refrained from calling for a boycott of HBO, or sister companies owned by corporate parent Time Warner Inc, such as Internet service provider AOL. But the Church did recognize that individual members might do so.
"Certainly Church members are offended when their most sacred practices are misrepresented or presented without context or understanding," LDS said in a statement on Monday.
"Individual Latter-day Saints have the right to take such actions if they choose. The Church ... as an institution does not call for boycotts. Such a step would simply generate the kind of controversy that the media loves and in the end would increase audiences for the series," it added. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
Yahoo!
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
Aussie politician turns rocker again for benefit gig
also on reuters
Slideshow
Slideshow: The power of coal and those who work it
IMF chief says bank cleanup moving too slowly
Video
Video: NeoMedia aims to save "old media"
More Entertainment News
Chris Brown, Rihanna recording love duet: reports
Leno offers free show for Detroit's unemployed
Rap star Coolio charged with crack possession
| Video
Aussie politician turns rocker again for benefit gig
"Slumdog" star to be feted at L.A. festival
More Entertainment News...
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
China navy officers harangue U.S. over ocean spat
U.S. museum finds "secret" message in Lincoln's watch
China navy officers harangue U.S. over ocean spat
U.S. intelligence candidate pulls out after objections
CORRECTED-Protesters target U.S. foreclosed-homes auctioneer
Vaunted Obama message machine is off-key
VIDEO: Deadly suicide blast in Sri Lanka
China says U.S. naval ship broke the law
U.S. "in a deep mess" but we will fix it: Geithner
Apple orders touchscreens for third quarter: source
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Zimbabwe mourns nation's ''mother''
Official: US China tensions mount
The Overstock economy
Democrats cool to Obama budget
Tibetan life 'hell on earth'
Gold outlook retains luster
NeoMedia aims to save 'old media'
All-at-once or step-by-step?
Citigroup ignites Wall Street
Wall Street roars on Citi
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
Pictures
Slideshow
Oscars' fashion
A look at the fashion hits and misses at this year's Academy Awards. Slideshow
Slideshow
Memorable moments
Highlights from the 81st Academy Awards in Hollywood. Slideshow
Slideshow
Winning an Oscar
From Sean Penn to Penelope Cruz, a look at the stars taking home Oscar. Slideshow
Reuters Deals
The global destination for corporate leaders, deal-makers and innovators
Knowledge to Act
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Interactive TV |
Labs |
Reuters in Second Life |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.