Latest news with #HollyGraham
New York Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Passengers refuse to stop watching raunchy R-rated movies on airplanes — even with kids nearby: ‘I did not sign up to be an mid-flight babysitter'
Is there an appropriate way to enjoy in-flight entertainment? With passengers presented with a wide array of movies and TV shows on an aircraft, there's often hostility between those who think they can watch what they want and those who believe their neighbors should avoid offensive or inappropriate entertainment around children. 'I did not sign up to be a mid-flight babysitter,' Holly Graham, a director of booking for live entertainment based in Tampa, recently told The Washington Post in a recent article about airline etiquette. 3 There's a proper etiquette to take when deciding to watch an R-rated film on a movie. Nexa – 'I'm going to watch what I want to watch,' she added, revealing she recently watched the frisky flick 'Saltburn' on board a busy plane. Graham told WaPo that she has had parents ask her to keep her movie selection to PG-13 and has declined. On the other hand, Drew Margulis, who flies regularly from his home in Florida, will hit the skip button a couple times if a raunchy scene comes on during the movie. 3 R-rated content such as violence, sexual content, nudity, drug use or other mature themes can be a concern for parents of children. Odua Images – 'You can say, 'Don't look at someone else's screen,' but that doesn't really work with a 4- or 5-year-old,' he said in a direct message on FlyerTalk, a forum for frequent fliers, per WaPo. So what's the proper etiquette? Elaine Swann, an etiquette expert who spent a decade as a Continental Airlines flight attendant, told WaPo that she prefers to be hypervigilant and believes others should, too. But if you're super eager to watch a specific movie, give a heads up to the parent of the kid in your row. 'We're neighbors for the next four hours,' Swann, author of 'Elaine Swann's Book of Modern Etiquette,' said. 'That way the parent can do the work and shield the child and keep them busy. People are happy to do that sort of thing. It helps us to coexist in a space that is built on respect.' Kate McCulley, who runs the travel blog Adventurous Kate, suggested fliers bring their own device to watch movies that may make your neighbors uncomfortable. 3 If you're super eager to watch a specific movie, give a heads up to the parent of the kid in your row. Reimar – McCulley will download movies onto her iPad to watch on the plane so she can more easily hide any R-rated moments. 'This is why I like window seats,' she said. 'Nobody will see a thing unless they're spying on you in a really creepy way.'
Vancouver Sun
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Vancouver Sun
The rules for watching R-rated movies on a flight
That raunchy comedy you watch on a plane could lead to drama with your fellow passengers. Fliers live in a golden age of multimedia options, with dozens of movies and TV shows offered by most airlines. But with that choice comes potential tension between people who feel they should do what they'd like in the seat they paid for and those who find the images on their neighbors' screens offensive or inappropriate for their kids. Airlines long ago moved away from showing a single, one-size-fits-all movie that played on monitors hanging from ceilings. Those films were often edited to remove scenes of sex and violence. Dubbing transformed harsher insults into the occasional 'Fudge you.' Plan your next getaway with Travel Time, featuring travel deals, destinations and gear. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Travel Time will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Curse words are easy enough to avoid given the need for headphones, but today's in-flight movies on U.S. carriers also regularly contain the kinds of visuals that earn an R rating. A scan across several airlines' movie menus found adult content in intense horror films like 'Nosferatu' or 'The Monkey,' violent action comedies like 'Deadpool & Wolverine' or 'Novocaine,' and art house offerings with explicit sex scenes like 'A Different Man' or 'Queer.' Holly Graham watched 'Saltburn,' a dark satire from 2023 starring Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi that she describes as 'very grotesque' in its depiction of risqué misbehaviour and violence at a British manor. She ended up finding the movie 'awful' but doesn't apologize for watching it, even if kids may have been nearby. She's had parents ask her before if she could limit her movie selections to PG-13. She has declined. 'I did not sign up to be a mid-flight babysitter,' says Graham, a director of booking for live entertainment based in Tampa. 'I'm going to watch what I want to watch.' Drew Margulis, who flies regularly from his Florida home, takes a different approach. If a racy scene starts on an in-flight movie, he will probably hit the skip ahead button a couple of times. 'You can say, 'Don't look at someone else's screen,' but that doesn't really work with a 4- or 5-year-old,' he said in a direct message on FlyerTalk, a forum for frequent fliers. Heated debates on this topic on Reddit and fliers' message boards tend to break out between those with and without children. Disagreements also reveal cultural differences, with some posters arguing that Americans are too uptight about nudity. Allen Sanderson says he's more likely to avoid harsh violence on his in-flight movie out of courtesy. He's seen some critics compare a nude scene on a flight to porn. 'No, an R-rated movie on a plane is not soft-core pornography,' says Sanderson, a retired researcher based in Salt Lake City. 'The United States is in the Victorian Puritan era when it comes to nudity.' It's certainly within bounds to flag a passenger watching actual pornography, flight attendant Rich Henderson says. Henderson, who cowrites the Two Guys on a Plane blog, says he tries to avoid certain routes, like flights to Las Vegas, to avoid rowdier behaviour. 'You can assume passengers are going to be a little more on the wild side,' he says. Elaine Swann is an etiquette expert who spent a decade as a Continental Airlines flight attendant. She believes that in recent years people have grown more comfortable watching flat-out gory content during flights – via movies, TV or video games. Her new book, 'Elaine Swann's Book of Modern Etiquette,' includes a section on travel. She prefers to err on the side of caution when it comes to movies on planes and thinks others should, too. She also understands that busy people might want to use their time on board to catch up with that film they've been dying to see. Swann suggests preemptively giving a heads-up to the parent of the kid in your row. 'We're neighbors for the next four hours,' Swann says. 'That way the parent can do the work and shield the child and keep them busy. People are happy to do that sort of thing. It helps us to coexist in a space that is built on respect.' United Airlines, which has shown 'Novocaine' and the Jason Statham shoot-'em-up 'A Working Man,' says it aims to present movies in their original form. 'We occasionally make minor edits to ensure suitability for the inflight experience without altering the storyline,' spokeswoman Amy Fisher said in an email. 'We display clear content warnings before each film, including advisories about adult themes, and encourage passengers to be mindful of those around them.' Oscar winners aren't immune from this debate. The Delta subreddit debated the suitability of 'Oppenheimer,' the Oscar-winning drama that features some nudity. Then there's 'Anora,' the most recent best picture winner, a film about a sex worker with wall-to-wall adult content. American Airlines has shown 'Anora' on flights. When Kate McCulley noticed this, she suggested on Threads that fliers see the Mikey Madison movie, which she liked, at home if they don't want to weird out their seatmates. Then she found out that her mother watched it on the way to visit her in Prague, where she lives. 'If that movie had been edited, it would have been like 15 minutes long,' says McCulley, who runs the travel blog Adventurous Kate. She believes the burden falls especially on fliers who bring their own movies on board. She prefers watching downloads on an iPad that she can block more easily in case she gets surprised by an R-rated moment. It happened during the beach fight scene with full-frontal nudity in the Jennifer Lawrence comedy 'No Hard Feelings.' 'This is why I like window seats,' McCulley says. 'Nobody will see a thing unless they're spying on you in a really creepy way.' Even Graham, the Tampa flier whose in-flight tastes trend toward the mature, had to draw the line at the first-class passenger she saw watching an actual pornographic film in his seat while their flight boarded. 'Much like the Supreme Court ruling on obscenity, I can't quite put a definition on it, but I know it when I see it,' she says. — Adam Thompson is a freelance writer based in New York. Follow him on Bluesky @
Time Out
06-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
This Tokyo bar was just named a must-visit by Time Out Worldwide
From speciality gin bars to secret drinking dens, Tokyo's bar scene is always an exciting one to explore. But it's cocktail bars where the city truly shines, consistently earning spots on global rankings like the World's 50 Best Bars – four Tokyo hotspots made the prestigious list this year. To really drive the point home, Time Out Worldwide's latest roundup of the world's best bars has one of our favourite Tokyo spots landing in an impressive sixth place on the list. In this year's ranking, Tokyo Confidential made its mark among 18 bars worldwide, trailing only Trisha's in London (No 1), Fréquence in Paris (No 2), Cape Town's The House of Machines (No 3), New York City's Superbueno and Bar Leone in Hong Kong (No 5). The bars on the list were chosen by Time Out's writers and international editors, who have all visited these drinking dens themselves. Situated in Azabu-Juban, Tokyo Confidential is hands down one of Tokyo's coolest cocktail haunts, offering a laid-back vibe and an incredible unobstructed view of Tokyo Tower from its open-air terrace. With its slogan, 'pull up, 'fess up,' the bar invites you to let go of life's pressures, making it the perfect spot for a little escape. Tokyo Confidential is known for its imaginative concept menus, which change annually. The latest theme, Neko No Densetsu, is inspired by founder Holly Graham's love of felines – especially the iconic maneki-neko lucky cats, which originated at Tokyo's Gotokuji Temple. The story behind the theme is told through a playful comic included in the custom menu, which features inventive drinks like the Arigato El Gatto, a refreshing mix of mezcal, soju, watermelon and chilli; and the Sore Wa Subarashi, a nostalgic concoction made with Frosties-infused cognac, cacao nibs and coconut and served in a retro cereal bowl. To see Time Out's full list of the world's best bars, visit the website. We visited Okinawa's new Junglia theme park – here's what to expect
