Profanity

Tom Hanks detonated an F-bomb on “Good Morning, America.” He clapped his hand over his mouth and apologized all over the place, as did interviewer Elizabeth Vargas. The actor subsequently tweeted: “For GMA, spesh kowtow for Lizzie V for WHAT DID I JUST SAY??? Oops! In character! Sorry! Hanx” The comment had watchdogs doing what they do best: barking. The Parents Television Council was quick to speak up, as the Los Angeles Times reported, saying ABC had “allowed the harshest profanity to be broadcast into every living room and breakfast table in the country.” Shame on Tom Hanks?

BUENOS AIRES - For the last two days here “it's been all pope, everything pope. In the streets, in the cafes, on the corners, everyone's talking about the pope,” said Fernando Vignoles, a thirtysomething cab driver and longtime resident of Argentina's capital. From the freeway late Thursday night, Vignoles proudly pointed into the darkness to the outline of a handsome old church where the man now known as Pope Francis, the former archbishop of Buenos Aires, had presided over his confirmation ceremony as a young man. “He's a good guy, a really good guy,” he said.

Re "Michigan Man Swears by His Right to Use Profanity," Jan. 25: The fact that a person could be fined for using certain words called "profanity" is a victory for stupidity. People who think that certain words are bad are the ones who need help. People who do not impose restrictions on their language need to be protected from those who feel that some language is "bad." It's a shame that some people teach children that some language is "bad." Children need to be protected from such silliness and should be taught that there are no bad words, just misguided or ignorant people.

Tracey White's initial impression of "Django Unchained," Quentin Tarantino's new slave-era shoot-'em-up extravaganza, could be summed up in three words: smart, funny and ugly. Sitting through a recent screening in Beverly Hills, the L.A. costume designer was mostly absorbed and found herself laughing aloud at particularly outrageous moments. But White, who is black, said her feelings evolved significantly. Two days after reflecting on the matter of slavery and Tarantino's treatment, she pronounced the movie mostly ugly.

Once again Twitter has helped an athlete get himself in trouble. This time it's Cleveland Browns return man Josh Cribbs. Cribbs fumbled a punt during Sunday's 34-12 loss to Denver, and when he checked his Twitter account later he found he was the recipient of several tweets from fans criticizing his lackluster play in the game. He responded: “See all the negativity on twitter after I gave my life to this,” then offered a profane suggestion to “all u who are against me.”  Cribbs apologized Wednesday, saying he was more mad at himself than anyone else, and that he realizes true Browns fans would not try to criticize him like that.

It's up for several honors at Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony, but already "Crash" has taken first prize when it comes to the most curse words in a movie nominated for a best picture Oscar, according to the movie tracking group FamilyMediaGuide.com. The organization, which tracks incidents of profanity, sex, violence and tobacco use in films, reported that "Crash" wins the most-profane award with its 182 expletives, including 99 utterances of the F-word.

Television is cussing up an increasingly blue streak, according to a study of the major broadcast networks. "During the 2002-2003 season, the broadcast networks attempted to rewrite the book on language standards for television," the Parents Television Council, a watchdog group, reported this week.

Disorderly-conduct charges have been dropped against a 26-year-old dance student who used profanity at John Wayne Airport, officials said. A related free-speech lawsuit challenging Orange County's law governing conduct in airports is still pending, but settlement negotiations are underway, the student's lawyer said Thursday.

If he had it to do all over again, Encino defense attorney Alex Kessel says he'd call prosecutor Renee Urman a "lowlife" in need of diet pills, but he'd leave out the four-letter words. Kessel escaped being held in contempt of court Thursday when he apologized to Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Kathryne Ann Stoltz for using profane language in her courtroom. He apologized to the court staff, saying he didn't mean to offend them. To Urman, however, Kessel offered no apology.

In a newspaper, profanity looks harmless, if not comical. "%$&+*$*(**!!!" In public, it's another matter. In particular, few would argue that profanity has any place in high schools. But on many high school athletic fields, you'll hear a "$%--*!!" here and a "?!* 5/8%!!" there, without any repercussions. In an era of political correctness, profanity's foothold in high school sports has all but escaped scrutiny. Although profanity is rarely approved of, it is often ignored.

Once again Twitter has helped an athlete get himself in trouble. This time it's Cleveland Browns return man Josh Cribbs. Cribbs fumbled a punt during Sunday's 34-12 loss to Denver, and when he checked his Twitter account later he found he was the recipient of several tweets from fans criticizing his lackluster play in the game. He responded: “See all the negativity on twitter after I gave my life to this,” then offered a profane suggestion to “all u who are against me.”  Cribbs apologized Wednesday, saying he was more mad at himself than anyone else, and that he realizes true Browns fans would not try to criticize him like that.

Los Angeles Times Pedro Espinoza took pride in his gang affiliation. The 18th Street gang member, with slick black hair and tattoos on his neck and arms, once bragged to a parole supervisor that he aspired to land on death row for his allegiance, prosecutors said. On Friday afternoon, Espinoza was granted his wish. The 23-year-old was sentenced to death for the 2008 murder of Jamiel Shaw II, a standout football prospect for Los Angeles High School who was killed as he walked home from a friend's house.

WASHINGTON - The nation's largest debt-collection companies will face federal regulatory exams for the first time, starting in January, to determine if they are complying with consumer protection laws. Among the laws that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would enforce would be ones that require employees to identify themselves properly and that prohibit the use of "obscene or profane language" in collecting overdue bills. The new oversight comes as the bureau, which was created by the 2010 financial reform law, continues to expand its authority beyond banks.

Tom Hanks detonated an F-bomb on “Good Morning, America.” He clapped his hand over his mouth and apologized all over the place, as did interviewer Elizabeth Vargas. The actor subsequently tweeted: “For GMA, spesh kowtow for Lizzie V for WHAT DID I JUST SAY??? Oops! In character! Sorry! Hanx” The comment had watchdogs doing what they do best: barking. The Parents Television Council was quick to speak up, as the Los Angeles Times reported, saying ABC had “allowed the harshest profanity to be broadcast into every living room and breakfast table in the country.” Shame on Tom Hanks?

When President Obama joins Mitt Romney on stage Tuesday for the second of three presidential debates, he no doubt hopes to put to rest the many questions raised by his lackluster performance two weeks ago: Has he completely lost his 2008 media mojo? Is he so addicted to the teleprompter that he can no longer handle a more spontaneous forum? And, perhaps most important: Is Luther anywhere in the house? Luther, for the uninitiated, is Obama's Anger Translator, a creation of Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, stars of Comedy Central's "Key & Peele," who have done a series of hilarious skits that are this campaign's answer to Tina Fey's Sarah Palin.

No need to bone up on the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith before attending "The Book of Mormon" at the Pantages Theatre. Just know that this exceedingly naughty, though in the end disarmingly nice, show is devised by the minds behind "South Park" and that risqué "Sesame Street" for theater-loving adults, "Avenue Q. " In other words, leave the kids at home with a baby-sitter, or child-protective services might be knocking at your door. Built for the irreverent Gen X faithful, all those aging slackers (myself among them)

Regarding "A Bleeping Part of the Job" [Dec. 16]: I am not a prude, but at 65 I have heard all the curse words, including during a stint in a frontline combat unit in the Army in Germany in the early '60s where some NCOs could not mouth a sentence without a few choice vulgarities. In junior high school an English teacher asked several of us to read "The Naked and the Dead" by Norman Mailer. I remember asking Mrs. Stevens what the word "fug" meant, and she said it was a replacement for a vulgar four-letter word also starting with "F."

In recent years, our TV screens have been assailed by vampires, werewolves and zombies. All of which pale when compared to the latest army on the rise: the whacked-out grannies. Here they are, in comedies and dramas, women of mature years and supportive undergarments, swilling cocktails, dropping F-bombs and taking names. Though still true to the beloved archetype, personified for years by Granny from "The Beverly Hillbillies," the modern grandma reflects certain changes in the genre and societal concerns.

When Nintendo on Sunday announced its Miiverse social network for its upcoming Wii U game console, skeptics asked how long it would take before troublemakers would overrun the feeds with profanity — or worse. Given that users will be able to post drawings and scribbles they create on the Wii U's GamePad touch-screen controller, keeping things clean would seem to be an especially challenging matter. Nintendo's chief executive, Satoru Iwata, has already given the matter some thought.