As far as "Hot Coffee", the company did not lie about the content of its game. The code was removed from any part of the game that could be accessed during legitimate gameplay; only when hackers illegally mined the source code was it discovered. In effect, the "Hot Coffee" content was not part of the shipped game.

Also, yeah I do believe it is important to keep a sense of perspective. Does that mean you ignore everything but the most egregious problem in the world at all times? No. But it also means that maybe people don't lose their heads over a relatively minor thing. There is nothing wrong with a little balance in life.

@mythago: ARRGH!!! The minimizing argument is such bullshit! How many people REALLY think it makes something better when they say "well, it's worse over here...."

When my dog died and I was upset for a while, a friend said "you know, some peopel lose their family members every day...", needless to say, not a friend anymore!

What the heck is going on?

hahahahah he "twisted side from side slapping his penis against his body"
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
i would have laughed so hard if I saw that shit.
is it wrong that I have a perfect mental image of that in my head?

I just know there is going to be panic in the streets over this, frivolous lawsuits, crys of "help me Obama" enough to make me want to shut off the TV for weeks just like the last Super Bowl fiasco.

What makes you think I mean "everybody" when I say "some people?"

This almost can't be accidental. Why was someone filming the TV at just the right time, ESPECIALLY when they were already recording it (you see the "recording stopped" message when the porn appears)? Whoever is responsible for the site is probably rolling in the money now.

There is such a thing as "age appropriate". Kids know that sometimes people hit each other, but that doesn't mean that it's good for them to sit down and watch a Saw marathon. Likewise, knowing what a penis is and how babies are made doesn't mean a kid is emotionally or mentally ready to be watching clips from Bang Bus. I'm pro-porn myself, but porn is for adults, not children.

And it's really shitty to drop porn on people who aren't interested and probably don't want to see it.

Strange thing happened to me that night. I was watching porn and just when the guy was about to 'finish', some stupid sports game interrupted me... er.....I mean the video for about 30 seconds. I was furious ;)

[en.wikipedia.org])

As for the "leads men away from their families" bit, give me a break. Men lead themselves away from their families if they so choose.

As for this possibly-accidental porn flash, yeah sure, it's inappropriate. But seriously, with all the bad shit going on, is it worth losing our heads over a penis making funny sounds? Let's keep a sense of perspective.

There's a complete difference between viewing one's body as evil and using your body for good. Sex with my wife is good (that's what she says anyway). Pornography exploits women, leads men away from their families, and is wrong.

The human body, like a gun, isn't bad in itself. It's what you DO with it that is good or evil.

Ohh, quit your bawling and dry up.

Your Jets are not alone in getting chopped in the middle of broadcast coverage, especially during the Super Bowl.

[en.wikipedia.org]

You know this little cockup is going to make it in the wiki.

That's a far cry from the religious whackos who have taken over conservatism to serve their own sick purposes.

I'm not saying I'm the world's biggest George Will supporter, but at least he has intellectual integrity.

Somehow is the Cardinals had won, it would have been "one of the best Superbowl victories ever". But since the Steelers pulled out in the end, it's "nothing special". I'm not a fan of either team, but I know a good game when I see one.

What does the prevent defense do? It prevents you from winning.

At least they didn't interupt "Single Female Lawyer"...

"He's at the 40! The 30! The 20! *bzzzt* [porny stuff] *bzzt* What an amazing play folks!"

No one is as negative about the religious right as I am--

But this is a case where I would be outraged- were my 7 year old son watching the game I would be incredibly angry. Basically, why wouldn't this result in some sort of massive FCC fine-- in fact, why wouldn't the local franchise authority fine them, force them to fix whatever the hell happened-

Hacking- fix the damn firewall.
Internal button got pushed wrong- perhaps you should make sure the porn channels are on a seperate system somehow so they can't be mixed up (I'm guessing the p channel is 998 and the cable channel is the next one up in the rollover- like channel 2???)

In other words- sometimes there is just no excuse.

I really can't see how this would be an accident. I can't remember the last time I was watching House, and something else just popped on in the middle of it. That just does not happen by accident, I feel.

It probably means that comcast workers regularly watch the porno channels for free while working.

I can imagine some kid (age 5 or 6 right now) 15 years from now, sitting in his therapist's office wondering why all of his relationships are compromised because the girl just doesn't appreciate his "hands-free applause" maneuver.

That's the real damage here.

This story would have been funnier if it happened on Cox cable.

WTH, and I was watching thru Directv.

I always miss the good stuff. :(

I mean, it's a possibility (I work in TV also). I'm not sure cable companies have a switchboard like an actual station would...

When you become Pure, you become all smooth down there like a barbie doll, you never have to go to the bathroom, and babies just appear out of thin air.

Give him 8 or 9 years though. Hell, who knows how amazing porn will be by then?

Riiiight.

Or some Master Control Op was fiddling with the head ends satellite receivers, in essence changing the incoming channel, not realizing he was messing with the on-air receiver.

This exact same thing happened in Lansing about 10 years ago during an episode of 60 minutes. And yes, I've worked in TV production.

For the record, I think it's a great thing for a parent to have an open dialogue with their kids regarding sex. Just messing with you.

@Ash78: QFT

However, I'm betting this doesn't get nearly as much outrage because 1) it wasn't seen by everyone and 2) it's going to be viewed as an accident whereas what Justin Timberlake did was on purpose.

Versus playing slo-mo replays again and again and again, then mounting a screeching "Who'll save the children" jihad against broadcasters, fronted by - you guessed it - Christian Fundamentalist front groups, resulting in $1m fines and wasting lawmaker's time for months?
Yup. Pretty much a Fundie thing.

Own it. Love it. Embrace it.

However, porn in general is really not appropriate for children if they don't understand it, and nudity during a superbowl is not the right time.

I mean, if Comcast hadn't done this and your uncle Larry decided to go parading around naked in front of the kids, that would be inappropriate too.

But don't teach the kiddies to hate human bodies as something to be reviled. Teach them the inappropriateness of an action and timing instead of shunning something they should enjoy.

@RedwoodFlyer: Janet Jackson's boob is NEVER appropriate. The major complaint is that it was done in the wrong context. If the half time show was supposed to include some nudity it would have been ok. The problem is that a half time show is suppsoed to be a concert. Not a strip show. If nudity was ok then they would rate it as such.

Anyway, yeah you're right. I'm not saying it's appropriate to be shoving porno in the face of a child. But so many people have absolutely no perspective on that, and I think in many ways it pervades our culture as a whole.

Look at the whole GTA "Hot Coffee" thing. A game full of gratuitous violence and crime is fine, but as soon as there is the suggestion of sex it is pulled off of shelves. Note that I am not anti-GTA, or anti-video game violence; I love the GTA games. I just find it funny that killing cops without a second thought is considered "mature", and filming a virtual girl in her undies is "adults only".

Anyway, I digress. You're right that things like this should be kept from happening; I just don't think it's the end of the world when it does.

One can lose a game and still admit it was exciting and worth watching.

I disagreed with most of the reaction to the Janet Jackson fiasco, but this is apples and oranges. A hardcore porn scene (or at least the prelude to it) is WAY contextually different than "whoops, a part of my body just just exposed"

So I can side with some outrage here, especially since Comcast screwed up.

I suspect if the clown at your kid's/nephew's/whatever's birthday party dropped trou, you might be of the opinion that the action was inappropriate, no matter your support for nudity in the abstract.

There are plenty of times when nudity is appropriate and to be encouraged. A halftime show at one of the most popular sporting events in the country simply isn't one of them, imo.

@P_Smith: Renamed? That's the name my circle of friends have been calling them for years. It's been in circulation for so long that I forgot that it wasn't actually the company's name. :P

@Nighthawke: WTF, why the hell did you put that up there? Dont us Jets fans suffer enough as it is.

Next you'll talk about fake spikes and the multiple times our team have collapsed late in the season.

I hate you. DIAF!

@Rhayader: ...Unless your the cardinal's fan...

In an strange twist of irony and double entendre, the AP story says...

"A spokesman for Cox Cable said the company had not been affected"

One nipple busting out is completely different than "Mr. Stone then jumps up and pulls his pants down and twists from side to side, slapping it against his body."

There are times when porn is cool. This was not one of those times.

@Ash78: I concede. You definitely one-upped me.

Good thing decent people only watch the superbowl in hi-def.

Thank you!
Frank Eliason
Comcast
We_Can_Help@cable.comcast.com

Oh noes! A boob! Won't somebody please think of the children?

Paraphrasing the Wiki entry...

"One of the most remembered games on NBC was a 1968 game known as the Heidi Game. With its nationally-televised game between the Oakland Raiders and New York Jets running late, the network began to show the movie Heidi just moments after the Jets' Jim Turner kicked what appeared to be the game-winning field goal with 1:05 remaining. While millions of irate fans, missing the finale, jammed NBC's phone lines, the Raiders scored 2 touchdowns in eight seconds during the final minute to win 43-32.

The reaction to The Heidi Game resulted in the AFL, and most other sports leagues, demanding that networks thereafter televise all games to their conclusion. NFL contracts with the networks now require games to be shown in a team's market area to the conclusion, regardless of the score.

To avoid a repeat incident, a 1975 NBC broadcast of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was preempted until the completion of a Washington Redskins-Raiders game.

At NBC, the network installed a new phone in the control room wired to a separate exchange, becoming known as the Heidi Phone."

seriously though how would something like this even happen without it being malicious...for shame comcast for shame...

that slappity slap he did reminds me of the black dude from that movie "kids" anyone remember that?? by the pool?

(except Cardinals fans)

At least they were only "like in shock." It would've been much more serious if they truly had been in shock.

@P_Smith: That's Comcastd*ck!

Except those were boobs. Finally something for the ladies!!! Am I right? Ok not so much with Evan's Nathan Explosion face but whatever.

Woah.. Comcast Pulled a Tyler Durden on the Super Bowl!

Come on, they were just celebrating the Cardinals' touchdown! Can't porno actors be football fans too?

Did Mr. Stone at least give her a Terrible Towel at the end? I guess we'll never know.

Are they going to be renamed "Cumcast" after this? ^_^

As if the company weren't in enough trouble....