Yesterday, I was on the elliptical at the gym – which is an experience in and of itself. Imagine a very flaming, plus-sized girl, drag queen with her pink mini IPOD jamming out to NSYNC and Lady Gaga. While at the gym I like to zone out and loose myself in a daytime soap opera, an episode of Jeopardy, or the Price is Right. Really anything that is going to distract me from the notion that I still have 35 minutes left on my “fat burner” course on the elliptical and my thighs are already burning.

So I look up at the TV and it's one of CNN's affiliate channels and the news headline for the day was the controversy over STARZ new program – Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Spartacus tells the classic story of a man who was betrayed by the Romans, subjected to slavery, and rose to prominence as a gladiator. The show features an impressive – and ridiculously hot – cast of actors and actresses including Lucy Lawless [Xena Warrior Princess], John Hannah [The Mummy Movie Series], and Peter Mensah [300, The Incredible Hulk]. The show also features an impressive production staff including Steven DeKnight – who has written and directed for Buffy, Angel, Smallville, and Dollhouse – as well as the dynamic team of Sam Raimi & Rob Tapert - Dead By Dawn, Army of Darkness, The Gift, and The Quick and the Dead. Apparently according to some critics, this new television series – which pulled in over a million viewers at it's premiere – has some of the most graphic sex scenes and fight scenes to ever hit television. This has stirred a world of controversy and has once again ignited the old and tired debate of graphic elements influencing the young impressionable minds of the youth of America … or some bullshit like that.

The show will be shot in the stylings of a graphic novel, similar to 300 and The Spirit, using computer generated imagery to paint the expansive and elaborate backdrop to ancient Rome. The show also features a number of scenes with full-frontal nudity which the producers state is reminiscent of the “carnality of the mighty Roman Empire”. According to head writer of the show Steven S. DeKnight “ "It is beautifully shot. It is steamy, but it is not pornographic. The sex is always about power, love or loss. It is not sex for sex's sake”. Apparently this has caused quite the uproar among the parental units of America. They claim that Spartacus is another example in the long line of shows that serve to corrupt the family unity and encourage young children to be violent or do drugs. Whatever. First of all, the show is on the STARZ channel – which I always thought was a soft core porn channel to begin with – a premium cable channel that you have to specifically order. Similarly, the show airs Friday nights at 10:00pm on said premium cable channel that I thought was a porn channel. With all of that taken into consideration I would really like the parents of America who are outraged to remove the pole from your sphincter and get the fuck over it.

Are you kidding me with all of this? Take a look around. Television shows are increasingly featuring more violence, more sex, and more foul language; a reflection of our society which as of late has more violence, more sex, and swears a hell of a lot more. Also, this is the Roman Empire we are talking about here right? The Roman Empire that fed people to lions and burned prisoners like candles in the Coliseum. The same Empire that promoted slavery, orgies, general hedonism, and personified the word excess. A culture where entertainment consisted heavily of going to an amphitheater and watching muscle bulging men fighting each other to the death. So we should sugar coat historical moments and eras because they make you uncomfortable? Because, one day your child might ask you what a slave is or what sex is? Well guess what, one day I am going to have to have the “hi honey, your mom is a drag queen”conversation and if I can do that, then you can certainly sit down and talk to your children about all of these topics so they are not forced to turn to TV and the internet for all sources of information. As it usually happens, the controversy surrounding the show has gotten my attention and because there is the promise of action and hot sex scenes with full frontal male nudity it will probably become my next favorite show in life.