'Fifty Shades of Grey' banned in Malaysia.

• Position: News

'T he only valid censorship of ideas is the right of people not to listen." -- Tommy Smothers

But if you live in Malaysia, you are forbidden to listen or watch! Not that Malaysians have much choice in the matter of watching or not watching the coming movie, "Fifty Shades of Grey."

The Malaysia's Film Censorship Board has deemed the film, based on E.L. James' bestselling novel, as "more like pornography than a movie." I suppose it would be splitting hairs to note that most pornography these days is in the form of movies. Anyway, the tale of a girl, a guy and a little bondage on the side, has been banned.

I don't know how heavily the studio releasing "Fifty Shades..." was depending on the Malaysian market, but they are probably happy somebody has banned it! I mean, the trailers for the film, which is being set loose on Valentine's Day, appear positively gooey with romance. It certainly doesn't look like the raunch-fest many anticipated. Or hoped for. I don't think it's going to be up there with the likes of "Showgirls," at any rate. Well, what could be? (Like "Valley of the Dolls," the carrying on, acting, and non-acting in "Showgirls" just becomes more and more enjoyable as time goes on.)

Advance "tracking" on "Fifty Shades..." indicates a hot opening weekend, and where is it tracking hottest? The South and the Midwest. The most conservative parts of the U.S., where even the more "romantic" kind...