Nude Developments at PBS? You'll Have to Stay Tuned

By Lisa de Moraes
Monday, July 14, 2008

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.

After four days of genuflecting before cable networks at Summer TV Press Tour 2008, pressing executive producers about how they find the right balance of "boobs and beer" to attract the sought-after young male viewer, it's time for critics to don their Decency Police uniforms and beat up PBS for a couple of days -- the time-honored warm-up exercise for the traditional savaging of the commercial broadcast networks.

So, naturally, when PBS chief Paula Kerger took the stage over the weekend to talk about her commitment to bring theater, music, dance and opera back to PBS, including the Royal Shakespeare Company's acclaimed staging of "King Lear" that toured the world last year, the first question asked is:

In the "King Lear" stage production, Ian McKellen does a full-frontal nude scene. How are you going to deal with that on the screen?

Yes, some TV critics are going to be knicker-knotted about 69-year-old nudity.

PBS will bring to millions of viewers the opportunity to see the McKellen-led production of the Shakespeare tragedy. The production made just three U.S. stops -- New York, Minneapolis and Los Angeles. Tickets in all locations were sold out months before the production arrived; some were scalped at prices approaching $3,000 a pop. During the famous scene, in which the tragically misguided king descends into madness, McKellen strips off his royal trappings, Newsweek wrote in a Web review at the time.

The prospect of which, more than a year later, has at least one TV critic at the press tour worked into a lather.

"The film is just being shot, and I haven't actually seen the final version yet," Kerger says in response to the critic's question. "We're actually going to bring it to press tour in January, so you'll have a chance to see it then."

"That's a pretty talked-about moment in the stage production where he's fully nude," the critic persists. "How do you feel about showing that in its entirety?" adds the critic, who apparently has inside information.

"Well, again, I haven't seen the taped version yet, so I can't tell you --" Kerger, a stickler for facts, starts to respond.

"But would you be okay with that?" the critic continues, doing his best William Jennings Bryan cross-examining John Scopes.

A nanosecond/eternity of uncomfortable silence follows, broken only by the tap-tap-tapping on laptops:

An acclaimed production of "King Lear" is coming to PBS but the channel was coy Saturday about whether a full-frontal nude scene with star Ian McKellen will be exposed on TV, an Associated Press reporter types.

The Full McKellen on PBS? a Philadelphia Daily News critic blogs.

"About the full-frontal nudity?" Kerger finally says, starting to wilt under the pressure. Some critics in the hotel ballroom laugh.

"Yes," the critic shoots back.

"Let's talk about this in January, okay?" Kerger tries, hopefully.

"Oh, come on! You're familiar with the scene, right?" the critic continues.

"I saw the production, yes," Kerger says.

"And what do you think about showing that on PBS?" the critic says.

"Well, it's what I think about it and what the FCC will allow," Kerger says, again with those pesky facts. "So we'll cross that bridge -- we're bringing it to you in January. Ask me the question again and I promise you --"

"My readers can't wait that long!" the critic snaps.

"Oh, yes they can," Kerger responds.

Later, another critic insists on knowing what Kerger thought of the nude scene when she saw the production.

"It's very --" she starts to respond.

"You personally," the critic interrupts.

"It's powerful. His entire performance is quite powerful," Kerger says.

* * *

Having sharpened their teeth on Kerger, the critics roam around in a pack until they come upon Lois Vossen, the series producer of "Independent Lens," talking about that franchise's upcoming broadcast of Brett Morgen's 2007 docu-flick "Chicago 10."

The film, which opened last year's Sundance Film Festival, uses animation to reenact the trial of eight leaders of the antiwar demonstrations that disrupted the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (The "Chicago 10" is a reference to the eight protesters and their two lawyers.)

"Before you step off [the stage], Lois, one question for you. I see that the premiere of this film is at 9 p.m.," one critic asks ominously.

"Yes," Vossen says.

"How?" the critic wondered.

But Vossen, unlike Kerger, does not fold:

"Because PBS agreed that this was a really important film with a really important story to tell, extraordinarily timely. And so with the great support of PBS . . . we are putting it on at 9 p.m. We know we will have to bleep out some words that are not allowed by the FCC, but that's how," she says, fiercely.

Surprisingly, one brave critic wonders whether another, un-bleeped version would be provided for PBS stations opting to air the program one hour later when, according to the quaint laws of our land, broadcast TV stations can air programs with more adult language and nude Shakespeare without fear of being smashed financially by the wrath of the Federal Communications Commission.

"We haven't worked that out because, usually, PBS just offers one version," Vossen replies. "Right now, our plan is to have a version that stations can use anytime, specifically at 9 p.m. for the premiere."

Too bad.