Shawn Hogan, Hero

I am absolutely in awe of the MPAA.

I have some friends of mine who recommended getting edited DVDs from various Web sites that offer edited DVDs. It’s a great idea, because we don’t watch R-rated movies in my house. However, many excellent movies have come out with an R-rating due to content that could easily be removed without hurting the plotline or quality of the film.

A perfect example: Take Steve Martin’s angry rant at the car rental lady out of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, and you have a PG-rated film.

So I thought it would be appropriate for a Family First pick to give one of these outfits a try.

Well, guess who sued them and got a Colorado judge, Richard Matsch, to see things its way?

Ergo, the edited movies Web sites are being forced to close up shop and will not accept new customers.

Here’s the scenario: Hollywood creates “art” that frequently offends individuals. The individuals seek to buy the art in a sanitized version. DVDs are purchased at full price from the studios and edited for content, then passed on to the consumers at a profit.

Who loses?

Ah, but the MPAA is not in complete control of the process, therefore it sues. And businesses providing a valuable and necessary service are forced to shut down.

I recently purchased Neil Young: Heart of Gold. Do you know what the MPAA forces me to do before I can watch the video? Sit through a loud, obnoxious commercial warning me about what will happen to me if I steal movies.

It is my fervent hope that angry consumers will one day put entities like the MPAA and the even more obnoxious, grandma-suing RIAA out of business. These pathetic control freaks can see that they are no longer necessary to distribute movies and music, so they are intimidating and inconveniencing people through lawsuits, as well as fighting legislation that would streamline digital delivery of music and films.

Today’s Family First site is an account from Wired News concerning a millionaire who was accused of downloading a movie (that he already owned) by the MPAA and was offered a settlement of $2500 to forget the whole thing. Well, they messed with the wrong millionaire.

Enjoy, and look for more on these pathetic, lawyer-laden organizations and what you can do to legally bypass their tactics.

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[tags]dvd,riaa,mpaa,hollywood,shawn hogan,richard matsch[/tags]