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Show DAILY Monday. February 12. 2007 . HERALD B3 TV torture The effects of prime-tim- e Group says torture seen on television influences interrogators in Iraq I David Bauder ASSOCIATED PRESS THE Demanding information, Jack Bauer faces a terrified man tied to a chair in front of him. Through a window over Bauer's shoulder, the man sees his two children bound and gagged. Tell me where the bomb is, Bauer orders, or we'll kill your family. Silence. The pris-- . oner watches as a thug kicks down the chair his son is tied to and fires a gun at point-blan- k range. He screams but still doesn't relent until the gun is pointed at his second son. Having gotten what he needed, Bauer whispers that the execution was staged. The scene from Fox's "24" is haunting, but hardly unusual. The advocacy group Human Rights First says there's been a startling increase in the number of torture scenes de- - ; '. ; ', ! ; ; ; picted on '. the television prime-tim- e world. Even more chilling, there are indications that real-lif- e American interrogators in Iraq are taking cues from what they see on television, said Jill Savitt, the group's of public programs. Human Rights First recent ly brought a West Point com- mander and retired military interrogators to Hollywood for meetings with producers of "24" and ABC's "Lost" to talk about their concerns about life imitating art. One man in the meeting was Tony Lagouranis, a for- - ; in I J 1 t j j j ' 1 post-200- mer U.S. Army specialist who questioned prisoners in Bagh-- dad's infamous Abu Ghraib prison and several other facilities around Iraq. He said he saw instances of mock execu-'- , tions like that in "24." Once, some fellow interrogators asked an Iraqi translator to pretend he was being tortured to strike fear in a prisoner, after they had just watched a similar scene on a DVD. Television is hardly the only factor at play; Lagouranis said many American interrogators are young, receive little training and are pressured by commanders to extract information from prisoners as quickly as they can. But it's enough of a concern ! ; i that one professor at a military academy told Savitt that Jack Bauer represented one of his biggest training chal- would tell him he'd be treated with respect. If it's a military officer, Herrington would salute. It built a relationship far more likely to yield solid information, as opposed to lies told simply to stop torture. lenges. Retired U.S. Army Col. Stu Herrington, who learned interrogation techniques in Vietnam and is an expert asked by the Army to consult on conditions at Guantanamo Bay, said that if Bauer worked for him, he'd be headed for a court-marti- One German officer in World War II was so meticulous that he found out the birthdays of his prisoners, and wished them happy ones, as happy as they could get in prison. The officer was brought to the United States after the war and honored by a veterans group, even as many acknowledged they had spilled their guts to him. "It seems to me dramati- ) al "I am distressed by the fact that the good guys are depicted as successfully employing what I consider are illegal, immoral and stupid tactics, and they're succeeding," Herrington said. "When the good guys are doing something evil and win, that bothers me." Prior to 2001, the few torTV ture scenes on prime-tim- e usually had the shows' villains as the instigators, Savitt said. In both 1996 and 1997, there TV scenes were no prime-tim- e containing torture, according to the Parents Television Council, which keeps a programming database. In 2003, there were 228 such scenes, the PTC said. The count was over 100 in both 2004 and 2005. They found examples on "Alias," "The Wire," "Law & even Order," "The Shield" "Star Trek: Voyager." In one "Lost" scene, Sayid Jarrah was depicted holding a knife to the face of one ad- - versary, suggesting that "perhaps losing an eye will loosen your tongue." Howard Gordon, an executive producer of "24," suggested that a helpless feeling in the nation because of terrorism and the Iraq war may be what creators are reflecting in their shows. There's been a surge in general in the level of violence tolerated in prime time. "Perhaps at some level it's an expression of our anger and our helplessness," he said. On "24," which a week ago depicted Bauer torturing his own brother by sticking a bag over his head and injecting him with a fictional drug that causes intense pain, producers say they try not to glamorize such scenes. Gordon said they try to show the acts take a toll on Bauer, too. But Herrington said he's Sexy outfits in hit Chinese film spark debate over country's lack of ratings system ' HpX 'mmmm! 7 1 J ; r cally much more powerful . to actually use psychological approaches when you are interrogating," Lagouranis said. 4 "It's really a test of wills. He has information and he doesn't want to give it to you. To me that's much more interesting than an electricity sensor." Not necessarily to a television producer, though. Television has a limited time and a need to keep viewers from changing the channel. As much as he learned from the interrogators and respects their point of view, "24's" Gordon said their desires and his are going to naturally be at odds sometimes. "We're not a documentary or a manual on interrogation," he said. "We're not a primer on the war on terror. We're a television show." Savitt said she understands. The goal is to educate people i who are writing interrogation f . scenes without ever speaking to a real interrogator. She's seeking Hollywood's help in spreading that message, perhaps inviting Kiefer Sutherland to West Point to drive home the point that Jack Bauer is fiction. Human Rights First's ultimate desire is to drive home the idea that torture by Americans should never be FOX "We would never try to censor anybody," Savitt said. concerned that much of what's on TV is misleading. Television interrogation frequently works to a ticking wood what to do, but we are trying to tell them what legal interrogation looks like. If it makes them pause, that's a "We would never tell Holly- clock: someone needs to find Herrington called prisoners his "guests." When taken into out the location of a bomb from a prisoner within the hour or it will explode. That's so rare in real life that it's essentially mythology, he said. custody, the "guest" would get medical treatment, a shower, a good meal. Herrington bonus." Gifts gone wild Companies still love giving swag as much as celebs love getting it ajidyjlohen THE ASSOCIATED I Despite the IRS crackdown on celebrity star freebies, the swag-tasti- c treatment hasn't slowed a bit. Just look at the gift strewn lead-uto Sunday's Grammy Awards: there's the Grammy Style Studio, where nominees select designer duds to wear to the show; the backstage Talent Lounge, which invites stars to pick from a selection that includes Gibson guitars and Gucci sunglasses; and the Grammy gift bag, packed with cosmetics, clothing, concert tickets and gift certificates galore. Spawned by the increasing visibility and unceasing popularity of celebrity gifting, the Interna Revenue Service launched an outreach program last year to remind stars that, in Uncle Sam's eyes, swag counts as taxable income. "There's been a great emergence of gifting and gifting suites, and fairly extravagant values associated with the gift bags and gift boxes," says IRS spokeswoman Beth Tucker. "We're reminding folks about the taxability of the gift bags, the gift suites, the swag." In other words, all those freebies are taxable. If it's worth more than a bouquet of flowers, it belongs on your tax return. As a result of the IRS effort, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced in August that it would end its longtime tradition of thanking superstar Oscar presenters with plush booty baskets (reportedly worth nearly $100,000) and pay taxes on gift bags already given. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association followed, givestopping its goody-baaway with last year's Golden Globes. But fear not, swag seeking stars. The fountain of freebies is far from dry. Businesses large and small cant wait to give their prod J i PRESS OT I 1 I d MinJ.ee THE ASSOCIATED PRESS touched off a debate about social standards. It also has over highlighted a censorship between the government and film industry. Media analyst Wang Ran said the government likes to remain fuzzy about what's tug-of-w- Black robed warriors fly through the air. Thousands of men clash with spears in spectacular battles. And an emperor struts around in splendid golden robes in the Chinese blockbuster "Curse of the Golden Flower." But the scenes that perhaps stood out the most in moviegoer Jiang Chengkui's mind were those of busty women gowns wearing tight, low-cin the ninth century costume drama. The abundant cleavage was too much for the old electronics worker. ' "I don't feel very good about it," Jiang said after leaving a theater in this southern city. "There should be age restric-- ' tions for the movie." Jiang's complaint highlights ' an interesting anomaly about China. The country is ruled by Com-an often munist Party that is highly sensitive about what is shown in movies. Aggressive censors frequently ban films or cut scenes especially those deemed politically sensitive. Yet, China has no rating no for-- ; system for movies mal way of warning people, especially parents, of violence or sexual content. Any child ' can see "Curse" in China as long as he or she can plunk down enough money for a ; ! control-freakis- h ticket. By contrast, in America a place many Chinese perceive as wildly permissive r "Curse" is rated R for violence. Children younger than 17 must be accompanied by a parent or an adult guardian to see it. Other countries also have rating systems. ;j J Officials at China's Film Bu--j reau didn't answer calls or re--t spond to faxed questions from The Associated Press about the ratings issue, t But the controversy over the cleavage In "Curse" has I allowed in movies because it allows censors more leeway to tighten and loosen their grip. If guidelines were to be made public, the censors would have less freedom and power, he said. "Once there is a clearer ratings system, the level of discretion is reduced," said Wang, founder of China eCapital Corp., a Chinese investment bank that specializes in the media industry. Movie producer Nai An said Chinese filmmakers want a ratings system so that the censorship process is more predictable. "When you're coming up with a story or making a movie, on one hand you have to think about how to make a lively movie. On the other hand, you have to think about whether your ideas will run into trouble. No one is clear on that," she said. Ratings are "a more reasonable and scientific system of movie censorship," said Nai, whom Chinese authorities have banned from making films for five years after she screened a movie at the Cannes Film Festival in May without government approval The ratings issue was recently raised by the official China Daily newspaper, which , said the busty actresses in "Curse" have renewed calls for a warning system. The story was illustrated with a photo of the female lead actress, Gong Li, who recently starred In the film "Miami Vice." "The most is Gong Li, with her breasts appearing ready to pop out of her tightly wrapped costumes," the paper said. tolerated. Kiefer Sutherland appears in a scene from the hit television thriller series "24." p g ' if i I & ' i 0 - KEVORK 4' 0 DJANSEZIANThe Associated Press Actor Joe Pantoliano carries bags outside a gift lounge during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City. Despite IRS crackdown on celebrity freebies, the companies are still handing out lots of swag. much-publicize- d ucts to celebrities, who can turn an unknown hern into a must have with the quick click of a paparazzo's camera Companies clamor for inclusion in gift bags and gift suites, often paying a fee to be featured. Whether it's an awards show, film festival or other entertainment event, where there are stars there are gift suites typically hotel rooms transformed into shopping centers where almost everything is free. suites are a way to ent ice presenters and performers to come to rehearsals and thank Show-sponsore- them for participating. Other gift rooms are just to thank the stars for being stars and get products into their hands. There was one official gift lounge attached to this year's Golden Globes and seven unofficial ones. Last month's Sundance Film Festival had no official gifting spots, yet photos of stars and their swag filled the pages of People and Us Weekly magazines. "None of our events are official, said Lorena Bendins-kaof The Silver Spoon Entertainment Marketing, which sponsors gifting "buffets" around awards s, shows throughout the year. Celebrities don't even have to leave home to gather the goods. Many manufacturers send their wares straight to stars, Bendinskas says: "For celebrities, every company wants to personally gift them with something. It's a birthday gift, so hopefully they won't be taxed on that." They probablv will, says Tucker of the IRS. Almost any corporate gift for the famous is taxable. "Taxability is driven by intent." Tucker says. "With entertainment related gifting, it's typically given for an appearance or some other participation" with the company or event, not out of uhfettered affection and admiration. Lash Fary, founder of entertainment marketing firm Distinctive Assets, says the IRS initiative hasn't had an impact on the number of celebrities accepting gifts nor the number of companies offering them. "The individuals we serve in the gifting world don'fVe-all- y live their lives based or, tax implications," he says. "If it costs a few extra dollars at the end of the year when they're already paying millions in taxes, it's not a big concern." Fary's firm, which is producing the Grammy gift lounge and gift bag, includes tax paperwork with its freebies, he says. His company, he estimates, "easily gives out at least $100 million in gifts" each year. The payoff for companies is practically instantaneous. As soon as a product shows up in a celebrity photo, the phones start ringing, says Harris Theophanous, spokesman for Brown Shoe, which comprises various brands, including Dr. Scholls and Via Spiga. "If we get a placement in Us Weekly or In Touch, that's a free placement without us paying for an ad," he says. "With these gifting suites, it's a great return for what we invest." |