Posted Dec 30th 2005 5:12PM by TMZ Staff
While 2005 was plenty of fun, it did have the misfortune to follow censorship panic-laden 2004: the year of Janet's boob. Some of that backlash continued on into 2005 and kept pulses racing, censors fainting and corporate sponsors dropping the axe.
Without further ado, the top five censored moments of 2005:
Robin Williams at the Academy Awards
Amid rumors that cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants was promoting a homosexual agenda, comedian Robin Williams worked up quite a routine for the 77th Annual Academy Awards. The comic went to 'Hairspray' songwriters
Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman and asked them to put together a song for the telecast lampooning the whole affair (Shaiman wrote the music to Williams' 'Blame Canada' in 2000). Williams was taken completely by surprise when the song, "Stink Beneath the Ink," was axed by show organizers two days before the broadcast.
However, the irrepressible Williams did manage to get his song out to the masses by performing it for
Jay Leno on 'The Tonight Show' a few days later. Among the banned lyrics:
"Pinocchio's had his nose done, Sleeping Beauty's popping pills
The Three Little Pigs aren't kosher, Betty Boop works Beverly Hills.
Superman is hooked on steroids, Tinky Wink (sic) is in the pink
Damn it to hell, wake up and smell the stink beneath the ink.
Chip 'n' Dale both are strippers, Scrooge McDuck is really tight
Bugs Bunny's a cross-dresser, Snow White has been up all night.
There's something fishy about Nemo, Batman & Robin share a sink
Winnie the Pooh, we know what he's into. The stink beneath the ink."
Audio Songwriter Marc Shaiman's demo version of 'Stink Beneath the Ink'
Celeb spotlight
Robin Williams
Kanye West on MTV
Although his most famous outburst of 2005 (on NBC's Katrina telethon) wasn't censored at all, outspoken rapper Kanye West did have his share of artistic troubles to overcome. MTV and many FM radio stations censored many of his most popular songs including 'All Falls Down' and 'Gold Digger.' Speaking to the Detroit Free Press, Kanye commented on his 'controversial' lyrics, saying, "On MTV, when they played 'All Falls Down,' they bleep out where it says 'And the white man gets paid off of all of that.' And on Canadian radio, I found out that on 'Gold Digger,' they bleep out when I say 'Leave your ass for a white girl.' I understand the word 'ass.' But white girl? That line would only be offensive to black guys that left their black girlfriends for white women. But I don't have anything against interracial relationships. If that's what you want to do, that's what you're going to do. I just talked about it."
Music videos
Artist spotlight
Kanye West
'The Aristocrats' Banned From AMC
One of the biggest surprises of 2005 was an insider's look at the craft of stand-up comedy, a shockingly offensive documentary called 'The Aristocrats.' The film features 100 of the top comedians in the world all telling the same joke, while delighting in who can deliver it in the absolute raunchiest way possible. In the course of exploring the filthiest way to tell the joke, a clear picture develops about what Americans find funny and what Americans find uncomfortable.
Unfortunately for 'The Aristocrats,' the national theater chain AMC refused to show the movie in any of its 3,500-plus screens. The theater company tried to avoid an overt ban, by claiming the film had a very limited appeal, causing comedian and co-producer Penn Jillette to comment to MSNBC, "It's the kind of thing that makes you go 'Come on, play fair.' It's not like we're trying to slide this by anybody by calling it 'Love Bug 2: Herbie Takes It Up the A--'."
Video 'Aristocrats' Trailer
Pamela Anderson's Pole Dance
The blonde bombshell made headlines recently when she was summarily cut out of an NBC broadcast of the
Elton John special 'Elton John: The Red Piano.' But just two days before, the network had sent out preview copies of the program to media outlets and critics, making the omission rather blatant. The number in question featured Anderson pole dancing wearing a G-string and silver pasties.
In reponse to the uproar, NBC released the following statement: "We believed the content was not appropriate for 8PM / 7 Central time and decided to pull the song from the special." The opinions of millions of teenage boys notwithstanding, they may have been onto something.
Celeb spotlight Pam Anderson
Paris Hilton's Carl's Jr. Commercial
Without a doubt, the top censored moment in 2005 was the short run of the infamous Carl's Jr. Paris Hilton spot. In the ad for Carl's BBQ Six Dollar Burger, the lithesome heiress lathered herself in suds and most of America into a frenzy as she redefined "hotness" for whole a generation of hamburglers to come.
While only a 30-second version of the ad enjoyed a brief television run, the hubbub was so great that Carl's Jr. parent corporation, CKE Restaurants, put up a website devoted to the full, uncut 60-second version of the spot which was deemed far too hot for TV at
SpicyParis.com. Oh, and then there was the parody (also on the same above web page), which we found almost as entertaining.
Video The 30-second version of Paris' commerical
Celeb spotlight Paris Hilton
Filed under: Gossip/Rumors, Train Wrecks, TV, Music, Movies, The Biz, Wacky & Weird, Life Style, Paris Hilton, Star Catcher, Pamela Anderson
Tags: academy awards, AcademyAwards, all falls down, AllFallsDown, AMC, carl's jr commercial, Carl'sJrCommercial, elton john, elton john: the red piano, EltonJohn, EltonJohn:TheRedPiano, gold digger, GoldDigger, jay leno, JayLeno, kanye west, KanyeWest, marc shalman, MarcShalman, mtv, pamela anderson, PamelaAnderson, paris hilton, ParisHilton, robin williams, RobinWilliams, spicyparis.com, stink beneath the ink, StinkBeneathTheInk, the aristocrats, the tonight show, TheAristocrats, TheTonightShow
Posted Dec 30th 2005 12:15PM by TMZ Staff
It may not have been evident at the time, but when Tom Cruise was leaping up and down on Oprah Winfrey's couch, he was like a piston, churning the wheels of fate.
Had Cruise not chosen to express his love for Katie Holmes on that momentous May day, 2005 might have been very different. Just imagine:
Hurt by Cruise's cold, somber manner on "Oprah," Holmes storms out of the studio and announces that she's leaving the "War of the Worlds" star.
"He could have at least hugged an ottoman," Holmes says. Spurned by the 27-year-old beauty, Cruise undergoes a period of self-examination and gives up Scientology. Devastated over losing its most famous member, the church quickly recruits Russell Crowe.
Enlightenment soothes Crowe's anger, and the notorious phone-tossing incident never happens (although there are reports of the actor flicking a Cheez-It at a hotel bellboy).
His good reputation takes a hit, though, when Crowe (promoting "Cinderella Man") calls "Today" host Matt Lauer "glib" while discussing medication. The word is apparently central to Scientology beliefs - like "sin" is for Catholics.
Crowe's "Cinderella Man" co-star, Renee Zellweger, thrown by the brouhaha, seeks solace not in country star Kenny Chesney, but someone just as surprising. She marries "American Idol" finalist Bo Bice, a decision criticized by Simon Cowell.
The wedding news breaks just as the circulatory dating of Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn hits full stride. It becomes too much for tabloid editors, who begin referring to them as Brangelinastonaughn.
The partner-swapping also elicits fierce debate over whether each relationship is based on true love or strategic image-making and movie-selling. The theory - dubbed "intelligent design" - doesn't quite make it to the Supreme Court.
One case that does make it to a courtroom, though, is Anna Nicole Smith's suit against Kanye West alleging that his hit song "Gold Digger" is about her. The trial is dismissed, though, after Smith shows up late to court in her pajamas.
West remains bitter, a feeling intensified by the mishandling of Hurricane Katrina. At a telethon, his co-presenter, Mike Myers, is replaced at the last minute by Michael Jackson. A confused West then proclaims: "George Bush hates white people."
Distraught over his mistake, West joins Dave Chappelle in South Africa.
Paris Hilton never meets her would-be fiance, Paris Latsis. Instead, she becomes engaged to herself. "That's hot," she claims.
The engagement lasts three weeks before splintering amid a dispute over the prenuptial agreement.
Jessica Simpson, witnessing Hilton's breakup drama, opts to stay married to Nick Lachey. Their "Newlyweds" show is renamed "Mildly Satisfied, Sort of Unhappy Married Couple, Remaining Together for Financial Reasons - Like Everyone Else."
By some strange coincidence, Martha Stewart and New York Times reporter Judith Miller end up at the same prison. Stewart brightens up Miller's cell with curtains and Miller helps Stewart with her "Apprentice" catch phrase.
The pair rules the jail, forming the "Valerie Plame Gang" in which each member must get a tattoo reading "VPG for Life: Disclose this!"
In this alternate reality, though, Britney Spears and Kevin Federline remain together. Even history's left-hand turns can't stop true love.
Filed under: Hook-Ups, The Biz, Life Style
Tags: american idol, AmericanIdol, angelina jolie, AngelinaJolie, anna nicole smith, AnnaNicoleSmith, bo bice, BoBice, brad pitt, BradPitt, cinderella man, CinderellaMan, gold digger, GoldDigger, jennifer aniston, JenniferAniston, kanye west, KanyeWest, katie holmes, KatieHolmes, kenny chesney, KennyChesney, matt lauer, MattLauer, Oprah winfrey, OprahWinfrey, renee zellweger, ReneeZellweger, russell crowe, RussellCrowe, scientology, simon cowell, SimonCowell, today, Tom Cruise, TomCruise, vince vaughn, VinceVaughn, war of the worlds, WarOfTheWorlds
