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TV Media Weekly | November 15 - 21, 2014 By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: Why is it that the directors and producers of movies think that they have to use the f- word in their movies? We went to see "The Judge" with Downey and Duvall, and the movie in itself was pretty good, but the filthy talk ruined it for us. A: Unfortunately, there's no one answer for why producers put pro- fane language into their films — it's part stylistic decision, part mar- keting decision, part artistic deci- sion (which is extra impossible to explain) — but some do say it's getting worse. Among the "some" are Harvard researchers, who identified a phe- nomenon they called "ratings creep," whereby the content of films in each MPAA ratings catego- ry seems to get more adult over time. The study, released in 2004, looked at movies between 1992 and 2003 and found that "the cri- teria for rating movies became less stringent over the past decade." Basically, content that would have earned an R rating in 1992 was be- ing allowed in PG-13 movies by 2003, PG-13 content was appear- ing in PG movies and so on. Of course, your movie, "The Judge," received an R rating from the Motion Picture Association of America because of "language in- cluding some sexual references," so in this case, at least that system worked. This brings us back to your broader question, about why the f- bomb gets dropped at all. A "Chicago Tribune" article about the study said that it's partly due to "loosening standards in all categories," and that even the real world is getting a little more explic- it. "The vice-president of the Unit- ed States uses the f-word on the floor of the Senate and some newspapers print the word, both unthinkable just a few years ago." Another more recent study (re- leased this year by the American Academy of Pediatrics) looked at a similar phenomenon involving movie violence and saw the same "creep." It found that the more explicit content people are exposed to on film, the less explicit they find it to be, reflecting what a "Washington Post" article on the study called "evolving cultural attitudes." Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Per- sonal replies will not be provided. Hollywood Q&A By Cassie Dresch TV Media I f you're like me and really like food, the array of cooking shows on TV these days is a lit- tle slice of heaven. There's something to satiate every- one's desires, be it a culinary competition, a talk-based pro- gram or a lesson-based show. PBS is spicing up the tradi- tional cooking show format, however, bringing viewers in- side the life of a North Carolina chef in the half-hour character- driven documentary series "A Chef's Life." With a new epi- sode airing Sunday, Nov. 16, on the public broadcaster (check local listings), season 2 of this Peabody Award-winning show is shaping up to be delicious and engaging. "A Chef's Life" follows Deep Run, N.C., native Vivian Howard as she navigates her life with husband Ben Knight, their twins and their restaurant in eastern North Carolina. It's not your typical cooking show, where a chef stands in the kitchen and churns out a recipe or two per episode. What PBS has done is given the audience a behind-the-scenes look at a renowned chef, her family and her kitchen. Of all the chefs in the world to highlight, Howard couldn't be more perfect. The charismat- ic, easygoing chef got her start in Manhattan with a gourmet delivery service, but a tantaliz- ing offer from her parents brought her back home to the South. They'd help her build her own restaurant, but it would have to be opened in Kinston, N.C. Though she swore she'd never return, it was too good an offer to pass up, and Howard and Knight opened Chef & the Farmer restaurant. Howard uses her upbeat per- sonality to cultivate relationships in the Southern community, where people are more known for tobacco and hog farming than glamor and drama. "A Chef's Life" trails behind Howard as she scours North Carolina for the freshest farm ingredients and recipes to use in her kitchen, for- going the traditional scripted idea behind TV shows and opting for a more natural conversation. It's an intriguing diversion from the standard cooking fare on tele- vision these days, and with a truly unscripted and naturally flowing vibe resonating from "A Chef's Life," it's easy to see how Howard embodies Southern hospitality. Catch a new episode of "A Chef's Life" when it airs Sunday, Nov. 16, on PBS (check local listings). 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