European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 24, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Taking the punch out of . Lines by Neal Justin Minneapolis St Paul Star it Bune. Davi d la 11 Erm an was Igno i n g o. J. For the entire week following . Simpsons june 17 arrest and the bizarre police Chase watched live by 90 million to viewers the nations top talk show Host  touch the subject. Lbs news Anchor pan rather appeared on let tar Many a Lac show a few Days after the arrest but instead of asking him Abonit one of the weirdest Sto pics in to news history the normally topical letter Man had the Veteran journalist warbling train songs. Leave it to Howard Stern to get Simpson on the. Program. Stern a guest at the end of the week walked onto the set and unbuttoned his heavy plaid shirt to reveal a to shirt with Simpsons Black and White police Mug shot. As he criticized time mag Zinc for having darkened its cover photo of the former football Star Stern started colouring in Simpsons face with a Black Marker. A a boy a said Stem As he stopped and looked Over at a chagrined let Turman a you re really not doing any jokes about .f Are you a a  Turman looked Down for a moment. A til Tell you my problem with he situation Quot he said. A double homicides just Don t crack me up the Way they used to.�?�. Of yeah so Why All the jokes about Lyle and Erik Menendez Dave Why is it of to joke about two a California Brothers charged in the deaths of their a parents but not of to poke fun at Simpson. A a \ the answer depends on the particular comedians act and just How he or she defines what a taboo. A it s like the supreme court on obscenity. You know it when you see it Quot says a Frankyn he Veteran saturday night live writer player who recently spoke at the White House correspondents annual dinner. During his speech he delivered one liners about Many Washington bigwigs including a few a zingers about president Clinton and his alleged extramarital affairs setup by state troopers. Shortly before the dinner however lie edited opt one joke. A. A. A Al Gore is continuing to show he a committed to the environment Quot he had planned to say. A instead of changing the Sti pc up his butt he a keeping the. Same stick up his butt a which will save the entire rain Forest a Frankyn said he took out the joke because he thought it was too disrespectful to the vice president who would be silting at the head table. A there a a lot of stuff that offends me. The word a ass appears on sol too Many times just to get a cheap laugh Quot he said a however i like nothing better than a cheap joke that has a real  a. Another joke Franker omitted at the last minute was part of an Sov skit in which the focus appropriately enough was a comedy killers1�?T topics that comics usually arc afraid to touch. A a a the skit revolved around a jeopardy like game show in which guests were asked to pick from several a a taboo categories including the holocaust cancer and children As victims a one of the answers which was later deleted from the skit was a drum  the question what would. Have been a bad hanukkah present for Anne Frank a comedians say they rely on their instincts to help them determine what a appropriate for satire of course every comedians instincts Are different. The writers at comedy Central who handle the jokes Between shows and Send out material daily to radio stations across the country did no to hesitate to use the Simpson arrest As fodder for their material. Within Days the writers were releasing lists of. A euphemisms for being killed by .�?� pulped spiked into that end zone in the sky permanently could 00 7#/$, so Cox in Zyc it mag pm Flo comm amp rims so Camji Rhow Wro cd sell can a  can i if a vol red xxi to cd two so pm i 1 Fine Noe ,m,s0gwi 17 Chi Irr juice boxed and a future employment opportunities for the jailed . Simpsons Ca Motsi Jet Speed guest shot on chips reunion show spokesperson for a Hertz rental car a fugitive Miles promotion. A a there was t that much debate about it a said comedy Central writer Paul Corrigan a we weren to. Making jokes about Nicole Simps onit was More about the Chase. Its touching the subject without crossing the line. You be got to use Good judgment a and Hope that you re . Corrigan said the staff rarely flinches away from Riew s items but there Are exceptions notably the suicide of nirvana s Kurt Cobain a it Wasny to really a funny situation and that was obvious from the beginning a he said. A a in a not going to write anything where people just look at me and Start hating  comedian Jeff Cesario thinks its essential that David let Turman a double homicides just done to crack me up the Way they used  current event oriented comics address the Simpson -. Case a and any other major news stories in their acts. A a a pm fairly disappointed with Jay Leno and let. Terman. You be got an obligation to make an attempt a he said a Why  you because its Touchy yes. Because it might by distasteful. Agreed. But that Sall in your  Mike Dugan who writes with Cisario for Bov. Dennis Miller live disagrees Dugan does no to bring up the Simpson situation in his own act. Quot i think its a horrible tragedy a he said. A a there a a Fork in the Road when you approach the , Simpson joke. You can feel the depth and pain or you can take the. Other Road a the Safe Way to go a and make Light of it. I think this is one situation that deserves for us to look at it deeper and think about issues like do Mystic abuse.�?�. Quoton the other hand Dugan said the men end Fez Brothers Are fair game not by Taus of the murder of their parents but by cause of How they handled. Themselves during the court proceedings a i think its the fact that these Guys Are so hapless the Way they be split with reality and put spins on everything a he said. A a it a the choices they made since they killed their . Murder Isnit the Only subject that makes Audr Knees uneasy. Tvs Rosea me often focuses on sub meets some comedians rarely touch including Abor lion overweight people and homosexuality but the hit show is not simply poking fun or going for cheap laughs said staff writer Laura Kightlinger who is also the new Host of comedy centrals stand up Quot stand up. The comedy has a social message. The Roseanne scene in which Ros Tinne Arnold was kissed by Mariel Hemingway in a Gay bar did no to just go for yuks. Instead writers explored How some one like Roseanne who considers herself a Liberal open person still struggles with being uncomfortable around Gay people the episode was almost pulled because some people thought such a scene  be included in a sitcom. A the Overall mood was that it was going to be risky and that we would have problems Quot said ought linger who played the bartender in that scene. A but homosexuality is not a tragedy. Its a fact of life w whereas murder just Isnit that  comedian Steve Cochran a former radio talk. Show Host in Minneapolis who recently moved to a Chicago station ticked off his no no list rape Michael Jackson Chelsea Clinton the challenger space shuttle explosion. There Are no hard and fast rules and tar Crew a no Way to make a Good judgment without years of exp hence he said a a it a a Tough Way to make a  _ a Scripps Howa d news service