Last year's Grammys took place during the fall out of Nipplegate, of course, and CBS added a time delay on the live broadcast just in case anything needed editing out. Although Nipplegate is something of a distant memory now, CBS are likely to be just as anxious as the rock 'n' roll rabble arrive for their big night out this year, given that the US Congress is on the offensive against TV obscenity and is later today expected to pass new measures that will drastically increase the fines for
"on-air indecency" to a new maximum of $500,000 per fuck up.
With cross-party support in Congress, and the backing of media regulator the FCC, the new measures are likely to get passed.
Given that broadcasters who syndicate shows on a number of networks can get fined for each output that could mean fines of several million, meaning already cautious TV networks are going to get increasingly nervous about anything slightly edgy.
All of which means even blander mainstream telly in the States.
Though, on the up side, that could also mean a growing audience for the better pay-per-view channels, and possibly web channels, which are less regulated than mainstream TV and radio and tend to be more adventurous in their programming.