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TheSeptember 11 attacks in theUnited States in 2001 had a significant impact on broadcast and venue entertainment businesses, prompting cancellations, postponements, and changes in content. In the United States and several other countries, planned television screenings of films and fictional programs which featureterrorism,plane crashes,bombs, or other related disasters were the primary subject were postponed or cancelled.
Numerous films that were in production were cancelled, and many films were edited. There were various reasons given for the alterations, including keeping material up-to-date, as a gesture of respect for those who died, and to avoid trauma for those emotionally affected by the attack. There are also many films which were notably not edited.
Roughly 45 films were edited or postponed due to the September 11 attacks.[1]
A teaser trailer forSpider-Man was recalled, as it featuredSpider-Man capturing a helicopter filled with criminals in a web spun between the Twin Towers. A poster with the World Trade Center reflected in Spider-Man's eye was also recalled, while the film's short teaser trailer also removed the towers from Spider-Man's eye reflection.Sony removed any mentions of the Twin Towers from the teaser images and trailer on the website. A shot of the World Trade Center (WTC) was deleted from the film, but it can be found on the Sony Stock Footage website.[2][3][4] The home video release ofA Knight's Tale had theSpider-Man trailer removed as well.[5] Two scenes were added to the film in response to the attacks: in the first, a group of New Yorkers attackthe Green Goblin over theQueensboro Bridge, with one saying, "You mess with Spidey, you mess with New York!", and another saying "You mess with one of us, you mess withall of us!". The second, a scene of Spider-Man hanging onto a flagpole with a largeAmerican flag, was seen in later trailers and at the end of the film.[6]
The WTC was digitally deleted from skyline shots inZoolander, which was theatrically released nearly three weeks after the attacks.[7] However, the Twin Towers were later restored for the 2016 Blu-ray release.
Don't Say a Word was theatrically released nearly three weeks after the attacks, and the filmmakers contemplated delaying its release, but decided against it. However, they cut out and replaced shots of the towers from the edit, such as the opening shot, which showsBrooklyn instead.[8]
Men in Black II originally featured a climax that included the WTC, but the scene was changed to theStatue of Liberty.[9][10]
DirectorRoger Michell had the WTC towers digitally removed from the opening main title sequence inChanging Lanes. In the DVD commentary, he admitted that it was a mistake to erase them and pretend they did not exist.
Shots of the World Trade Center were partially seen inMr. Deeds: one was shot in the helicopter for the scene where Longfellow Deeds arrives in New York City, and one on theUpper West Side, which shows the entire Manhattan skyline. The towers were digitally removed in the scene where Deeds and Chuck Cedar playtennis, which was shot onRoosevelt Island in spring 2001.[11][additional citation(s) needed]
Shots containing the World Trade Center were removed fromStuart Little 2,[12]Serendipity,[13] andKissing Jessica Stein.[7] Scenes of the WTC were also removed fromPeople I Know, but they can be found on theDVD release in the deleted scenesfeaturette.[14]
The scene in which the World Trade Center gets hit by meteors and catches on fire was edited out of many television broadcasts ofArmageddon after the attacks.[15]
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York features a scene atop the WTC, which was edited out on several television channels. However, as of Christmas 2018, the scene with the WTC was restored.[16]
In the 2002 re-release ofE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the dialogue "You're not going as a terrorist" (spoken by the mother) was replaced with "You're not going as a hippie."[17]
In theABC Family airing ofMeet the Parents, the scene near the end in which Greg gets into an argument with the airline stewardess and his subsequent interrogation by an airline official was edited to remove all references to Greg mentioning the wordbomb on the aeroplane.
InSpy Game, the level of smoke shown following a bombing was reduced because of its similarity to the smoking WTC wreckage.[18]
A scene inThe Time Machine where debris from the destroyed moon crashes into a building was edited due to its resemblance to the attacks.[19]
Lilo & Stitch originally showedStitch,Jumba,Pleakley, andNani hijacking aBoeing 747 to chase downCaptain Gantu and rescueLilo through the streets ofHonolulu. However, this scene was altered to show them taking Jumba's spaceship and chasing Gantu around Hawaii's mountains. The original scene was included on the special edition DVD.[20]
The scene inAn Extremely Goofy Movie where Max saves Tank from a burning fire was edited in post-9/11 versions and Disney Channel due to the fire being too similar to the attacks. However, the original scene was still intact in theDisney+ version.
The Bourne Identity was extensively reshot due to the fear of the CIA as the antagonist being wrongly interpreted asanti-Americanism. Due to the insistence ofMatt Damon andDoug Liman, the footage was not included. On the special editionDVD are descriptions of how and why the film was changed.
A scene inThe Powerpuff Girls Movie resembling the tragedy, with people falling from a toppling building and being ultimately saved by thePowerpuff Girls, was rethought and adjusted to avoid making a direct reference to the World Trade Center.[21]
Fox shelved previously scheduled airings ofThe X-Files andIndependence Day on September 14 and 16, respectively. They were replaced by respective airings ofNine Months andThere's Something About Mary.The Peacemaker was also removed fromABC on the same day asIndependence Day.[2]
Die Another Day was originally going to end with aNorth Korean satellite attack on Manhattan, which was moved to theKorean Demilitarized Zone after the attacks.[22]
Early versions ofThe Incredibles featured a scene whereMr. Incredible vents his emotions on an abandoned building, but ends up accidentally damaging a neighboring building as well. It was considered to be too reminiscent of the World Trade Center collapse and replaced with a scene where Mr. Incredible andFrozone rescue trapped civilians from a burning building.[23]
Monsters, Inc. originally depicted the CDA blowing up a sushi restaurant as part of a decontamination effort. The scene was replaced with the restaurant being quarantined under a dome of plasma instead. The filmmakers described the decision to alter the film in the Blu-ray "round-table discussion" bonus feature.[24]
The WTC was removed from the promotional poster forSidewalks of New York, but the buildings remained in the film itself.[25][better source needed]
View from the Top was originally scheduled for Christmas 2001, but the release was pushed back to March 21, 2003, because the story revolves around a flight attendant on numerous planes.
Collateral Damage was postponed for four months after being slated for release October 5, 2001, and features a terrorist bombing in front of a Los Angeles building.[26] The film subsequently failed at the box office, which likely was a result of the public who felt the film (with its subject matter involving terrorists) was released too soon after the attacks.[citation needed]
Training Day was originally scheduled for release on September 21, but was delayed to October 5.[27]
The Time Machine was delayed by three months from its original December 2001 release because of an eventually deleted scene where a meteor shower destroys New York City.[citation needed]
Big Trouble was postponed seven months because it involved a nuclear bomb being smuggled on board an aircraft; it was slated for September 21.[26]
The release date ofBad Company, December 25, 2001, was pushed several months because the plot involved a criminal mastermind planning to detonate a bomb in theGrand Central Terminal.
Gangs of New York was intended to be released on Christmas 2001, but its release was delayed until a year later due to the September 11 attacks.
Deuces Wild was slated for release in September 2001 but was pushed back due to the attacks and storyline concerning violence in New York, and was eventually released in May 2002.
Buffalo Soldiers premiered at theToronto International Film Festival in September 2001, but its wide release was pushed back two years until 2003 due to war themes.
Windtalkers was originally slated for a Christmas 2001 release but was pushed back until June 2002 due to its war theme, and had depictions of violence re-edited.
Hart's War was originally planned for release in December 2001, but its release was postponed until February 2002 due to war themes.
AJackie Chan film calledNosebleed, about a window washer on the WTC who foils a terrorist plot, was due to start filming on September 11, 2001.[28]Snopes questioned the suggestion that this was any kind of "narrow escape", pointing out the uncertain nature of film development and noting "it was almost certainly as part of a plan drawn up and abandoned long before September 2001".[29]
James Cameron planned to make a sequel toTrue Lies, but canceled the project after the attacks, saying that "terrorism is no longer something to be taken lightly".[30]
There were plans to have a sequel toForrest Gump, but after the attacks,Eric Roth,Robert Zemeckis, andTom Hanks said that the story was no longer "relevant" and it felt "meaningless".[31]
Peter Berg had been set to direct heist filmTruck 44 forFox 2000 Pictures, which would have followed a group ofFDNY firefighters who accidentally start a blaze in a ritzyManhattan apartment building while robbing it, until Fox decided to shelve it in the wake of the attacks.[32] In March 2002, Berg attempted to get the project restarted atRadar Pictures by rewriting it so it took place inMiami.[32]
Columbia Pictures had scheduledTick Tock, an action thriller written by Anthony Bagarozzi andCharles Mondry to be directed byStephen Norrington and starJennifer Lopez, to start production in January 2002, however due to the plot which centered around anFBI agent investigating an amnesiac man and his connection to a serial bomber targeting shopping malls inLos Angeles during Christmas the movie was cancelled.[33][34]
Some films released after 9/11 kept scenes of the WTC in them.
DirectorCameron Crowe retained shots of the buildings in thefinal cut ofVanilla Sky as a tribute despite the producers asking for them to be removed. Crowe told the Associated Press "The idea of wiping them away by the computer — I couldn't do it [...] They've already been taken away once; they'll stay in the movie. Hopefully, the audience will understand it's a tribute."[35][36]
Donnie Darko contains scenes in which parts of a plane fall from the sky, and it has been suggested that the film's darker themes were responsible for its poor box office,[37] but it nonetheless went on to become acult classic in the years following.
Shots of the WTC were kept inDelivering Milo, andCrazy Little Thing.
A shot of the towers was retained in the 2001 documentarySpider-Man – Once Upon a Time The Super Heroes! as a tribute. It was not edited for the DVD release on June 17, 2002.[citation needed]
The documentaryWinged Migration kept a shot that contains the towers.
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence was released less than three months before the attacks. A scene set thousands of years in the future, which features a badly damaged WTC, was not edited for its video release.[15][38]
The North Tower is seen inDeath to Smoochy when Rainbow Randolph is dancing on the small bench inDuane Park. In the DVD commentary,Danny DeVito explained that it was the only shot in the movie that the WTC was in, and he designed the shot. This movie was filmed from January to May 2001, four months before the 9/11 attacks.[citation needed]
City by the Sea has some shots of the World Trade Center that were not edited out.
Gangs of New York ends with the New York City skyline containing the Twin Towers. The filmmakers had filmed the shot before the 9/11 attacks and later debated whether to remove the towers, have the towers dissolve out from the shot to signify their disappearance, or to remove the sequence entirely.[39]
Several scenes inRush Hour 2 where a bomb explodes at theUnited States Consulate General were not edited for its video release.[citation needed]
Although shot after the September 11th attacks, one scene inIt's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie set in a version of 2003 where Kermit was never born shows the Twin Towers visible in the background. This was due to the backdrop used being created before the attacks. Years after the film's release, this detail gained viral attention, inspiring jokes that the creation of Kermit the Frogsomehowindirectly led to 9/11.[40]
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The television coverage of the September 11 attacks and theiraftermath was the longest uninterrupted news event in U.S. television history, with themajor U.S. broadcast networks on the air for 93 continuous hours. From the moment the news was broadcast that thefirst plane hit theNorth Tower of the World Trade Center, allprograms andcommercials were suspended, with all four networks broadcasting uninterrupted news coverage.[41] At the end of the night,Nielsen estimated that at least 80 million Americans watched the evening news, while an estimate by theUniversity of Georgia held that about two billion people either watched the attacks in real time or through the news.[42]
The September 11 attacks were also the first time since theassassination of John F. Kennedy that television networks announced that there would be no television commercials or programs for an indefinite period of several days after the attacks, since it was widely felt that it was an inappropriate time for "fun and entertainment" programs to be shown when so much death and destruction was being seen live on television. During the week of the attacks, the networks' evening news broadcasts nearly doubled their average viewership audience, and it was estimated that American adults watched an average of eight hours of television every day, nearly doubling the average viewership audience. To keep up with the constant flow of information, many news networks began running continuous updates in anews ticker, which soon became a permanent fixture of many networks.[43]
On the day of the attacks and afterwards, news broadcasters scrambled to report accurate information, though erroneous information was occasionally broadcast. An examination of CNN's coverage of September 11, 2001 (which was replayed online, virtually in its entirety, on the fifth anniversary of the attacks in 2006) revealed that after the attack on the Pentagon, the network had also reported that a fire had broken out on theNational Mall, and that according to a wire report, acar bomb had exploded in front of theState Department. It also broadcast an interview with a witness to the Pentagon attack who said it was a helicopter (not a plane) that hit the building. CNN was not alone in airing these or similar inaccurate reports, as subsequent examinations of coverage by other networks have shown.[41]
The major television stations inNew York City provided local coverage of the World Trade Center attacks, though primarily through local cable systems, as their transmission facilities atop the WTC were destroyed, and they had to deal with six station engineers killed in the attacks.[44]
AsWCBS-TV's andWXTV's transmitting facilities were atop theEmpire State Building at the time, their signals remained accessible over the air.
Some cable networks suspended normal programming and simulcast news coverage from other networks. For example,Viacom-ownedVH1 andMTV simulcast the feed from corporate siblingCBS,[45] andDisney-ownedESPN andESPN2 utilized the feed from corporate siblingABC.[42]
Some cable networks continued broadcasting their regularly scheduled programming without interruption, particularly those geared toward children's entertainment.AOL Time Warner-ownedCartoon Network and theViacom-ownedNickelodeon, which aired a special episode ofNick News addressing the attacks on September 16.[45] Several other networks such asFood Network andHGTV, along with shopping channelsQVC andHSN paused programming to display still images conveying sympathies and condolences.
Brazil'sRede Globo broadcast a special edition ofJornal Hoje (afternoon national newscast) at 12:00 p.m. Normally, the program would air after local newscasts and a sports news show. When Jornal Hoje ended, Globo decided to restart its normal programming for the second time, with occasional breaks for the news division to announce updates about the situation.[46] It ran a special edition of its evening newscastJornal Nacional at 8:15 p.m. The program broke the record for most-watched newscast of the year. According to official numbers later released, for every 100 televisions being watched at the time, 74 were tuned into Jornal Nacional. The special edition hadWilliam Bonner andFátima Bernardes as hosts and had the participation of correspondents in New York (live), Washington DC, London and Beirut.[47] Correspondent Jorge Pontual was praised by critics after a memorable report right by the WTC.[48] In October 2002, that edition of the Jornal Nacional was nominated for the30th International Emmy Awards.[49]
When asked for her thoughts on the attacks,First LadyLaura Bush stated that "we need to be very careful about our children". She warned parents not to let their children see the frightening images of destruction in a constant loop and recommended that parents turn off the television and do something constructive, reassuring, and calming with their children.[50]
The most immediate impact on television was the loss ofDavid Angell, a co-creator and co-executive producer from theNBC showFrasier, who, with his wife, was among the passengers onAmerican Airlines Flight 11.
In the United States, the start of the2001–2002 television season was put on hold due to the extensive news coverage (several series, such as NBC'sCrossing Jordan, were originally scheduled to debut on September 11), with mid-September premieres delayed until later in the month. Late-night talk shows such asThe Tonight Show andLate Show with David Letterman were also off the air; Letterman was already dark for the week for a pre-season vacation. Even after regular programming resumed, several talk shows remained off the air for several more days as writers and hosts determined how best to approach the sensitive situation.David Letterman was quoted on CNN as questioning whether he would even continue hosting his show. Ultimately, Letterman,Jay Leno,Jon Stewart, and other talk show hosts based in New York and Los Angeles returned to the airwaves with emotional initial broadcasts, with Letterman punctuating his thoughts by asking his audience how the attacks "made any goddamn sense." This was the second of four instances where the start of the television season was delayed due to issues outside of the control of the major television networks; the other instances were the1988–89 season (as a result of the1988 Writers Guild of America strike), the2020–21 season (due to television production being halted as a result of theCOVID-19 pandemic), and the2023–24 season (as a result of the2023 Writers Guild of America strike and2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes).
Several television series, most notablyThe West Wing andThird Watch, produced special episodes addressing the attacks;Third Watch devoted an episode to interviewing first responders, many of whom were advisors to the series, whileWest Wing presented an off-continuity episode in which the characters discuss an unspecified but similar attack with a group of students.Law & Order and its spinoff series all began their fall season premieres with a tribute to the victims. Shows such as the military-basedJAG andThird Watch (a series about New York City first responders) made major changes to their ongoing storylines to incorporate the event's aftermath. The season eight premiere of theNBCsitcomFriends was dedicated to the "people of New York City". Characters in theHBO crime dramaThe Sopranos discussed the attacks in several episodes, and the overall mood of the show became darker; the Twin Towers were also removed from the opening credits beginning with the fourth season. The HBO showSex and the City removed the Twin Towers from its title sequence in the next season.Alias, a series set within the espionage world that debuted in the fall of 2001, began adding references to terrorism and theDepartment of Homeland Security (an entity created after 9–11).
On September 17, 2001,Politically Incorrect hostBill Maher's guestDinesh D'Souza disputed PresidentGeorge Bush's label of the terrorists being "cowards", saying that the terrorists were warriors.[51] Maher agreed and, according to a transcript, replied, "We have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it's not cowardly."[51] The comments were widely condemned, and the show was cancelled the following June, which Maher and many others saw as a result of the controversy; however, ABC denied that the controversy was a factor, and said the show was cancelled due to declining ratings.[52][53][54] Maher said that the show struggled for advertisers in its final months.[55]
Family Guy creator and animatorSeth MacFarlane was going to board Flight 11 to Los Angeles, but missed his flight due to drunkenness the night before.[56]
The53rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, scheduled for September 16, were delayed to October 7. However, the United States began tobomb Afghanistan on that day, and the ceremony was again postponed. They finally aired on November 4, with a somewhat somber atmosphere after surviving rumors of cancellation. Due to the delay, the event was relocated from the originally scheduledShrine Auditorium venue to the smallerShubert Theatre. The 2006 dramaStudio 60 on the Sunset Strip featured flashbacks to this time, where two of the characters on the show were fictionally nominated for awards at this event.
The2nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards, which was scheduled for September 11, was cancelled immediately after the attacks. After many discussions about rescheduling the ceremony, The Latin Recording Academy determined it would be impossible to do so. Instead, the winners were announced at a press conference on October 30 at theConga Room.[57] The cancellation of the event cost the organizers an estimate of $2 million in losses.[58] Some of the winners were acknowledged at the44th Grammy Awards. Furthermore, the attacks influenced theNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to hold the2003 Grammy Awards ceremony inNew York City as part of the "healing process".
The postponements and cancellations of various entertainment programs sparked rumors that theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was postponing or even cancelling the74th Academy Awards ceremony. However, in a written statement released by PresidentFrank Pierson, he denied any rumors that the attacks would affect the scheduling of the awards presentation, saying that "the terrorists will have won" if they cancelled it. Nevertheless, the show went on as planned on March 24, 2002. The security was much tighter than in previous years, and the show had a more somber tone. According toNew York Magazine, there were 26 references to the attacks during the telecast.[59] On October 16, 2006, the awards event itself was designated aNational Special Security Event by theUnited States Department of Homeland Security.
Reflecting the significant and enduring impact of September 11 on popular culture, months and years after the attacks, events were still impacted, with the2003 Grammy Awards being held atMadison Square Garden instead ofStaples Center as planned.Blockbuster Entertainment terminated theirawards ceremony permanently shortly after the second delay of the Emmys.
13 of the first 30 episodes ofPower Rangers Time Force had some of their footage edited after 9/11 due to scenes sharing a higher resemblance to the attacks.
TheAbsolutely Fabulous episode "Paris" had a joke about the Taliban's destruction of theBuddhas of Bamiyan removed from its original broadcast on September 14, 2001. However, the material was restored on home media and streaming versions of the episode.
The second episode of the first season ofThe Amazing Race was originally scheduled to air on September 12, but was delayed to September 19 as CBS cleared the week's schedule to cover 9/11's aftermath.[60] HostPhil Keoghan admitted that he doubted the show would be renewed since he didn't believe there would be demand for a reality show centered on traveling in the immediate aftermath. Casting director, Lynne Spillman and television producer, Ghen Maynard, however, stated that they believed the series acted as a celebration of the modern world, the joys of travel, and a chance to see different cultures and were confident it would last.[61] In addition,Season 2 of the Amazing Race was in process of location scouting in September 2001, but it was paused until late October. Season 2's filming was initially planned to start in November 2001, but was delayed to January 2002.[62]
Thethird season of Survivor was initially planned to premiere in mid-September, but was delayed to October 11th. In addition, thefourth season (which would be filmed from November to December 10th) was initially planned to take place inJordan. The producers had scouted the area for months, planned challenges, and had been cleared for filming byKing Abdullah II, who personally approved of the project. After 9/11, ProducerMark Burnett deemed the political climate in the Middle East to be too tense and the filming location was changed to theMarquesas Islands inFrench Polynesia.[63]
The101 Dalmatians: The Series episode, "Alive N' Chicken", was pulled from circulation due to a scene centering aroundSpot Chicken flying a contraption into a windmill with the Dalmatians on top with the contraption falling into a sack of flour. The episode, along with the followup episode "Prima Doggy", had been removed from circulation until June 2020, when the show became available onDisney+.[64]
In theFriends episode "The One Where Rachel Tells...", Chandler and Monica could not get on their flight for their honeymoon because Chandler joked about a bombing at the airport. After the attacks, the story was rewritten and re-shot.[65] As the show was set in New York, a disclaimer reading "Dedicated to the People of New York City" was added to the end of the episode "The One After 'I Do'", which was the first episode of the series to be broadcast after the attacks. In several subsequent episodes, Joey and other members of the crew are seen wearing NYPD and FDNY apparel; Joey is seen wearing a T-shirt that says "CaptainBilly Burke", referring to an NYC firefighter who died in the attack.
The opening credits ofThe Sopranos's first three seasons featured a shot of the Twin Towers visible inTony Soprano's side-view mirror. It was replaced with two shorter generic shots beginning in the show's fourth season.[66]
New material was quickly added to PBS'sSesame Street following the attacks to address issues raised. The first episode of the season involves agrease fire atHooper's Store, which traumatizesElmo until he meets some real-lifefirefighters. In another episode written after the attacks,Big Bird has to deal with hisxenophobic pen pal Gulliver, who does not believe birds should be friendly to other species.[67]
The syndicated version of theMarried... with Children episode "Get Outta Dodge"[68] features a scene of two Arabs with a ticking bomb at the front door ofAl Bundy's house offering to buy hisDodgeclunker car for $40 and asking for directions to theSears Tower. It was pulled after the attack.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit had theiropening credits modified at the start of theirthird season on September 28 to remove anestablishing shot of the World Trade Center.
A shot of the New York City skyline in the opening montage ofSaturday Night Live was altered to remove the Twin Towers when the new season began on September 29. A shot of an American flag was also added.[69]
The Simpsons episode "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson", which premiered roughly four years before the attacks and was partially set at the World Trade Center, was temporarily pulled from syndication by some carriers.[70] The episode returned to syndication in 2006.
In theFamily Guy episode "Road to Rhode Island" (which aired a year before the attacks),Osama bin Laden distracts a security guard at the airport while the X-ray machine detects weapons. This scene was cut after the September 11 attacks and was also removed from theFamily Guy: Volume 1 DVD; however, the episode remains intact on theFamily Guy: The Freakin' Sweet Collection DVD. The episode "A Fish out of Water" was originally scheduled to premiere on September 12, 2001, but was delayed to September 19 following the attacks.
AlthoughFrasier made no explicit mentions of 9/11, a large American flag can be seen hanging by the windows in some of the post-9/11 episodes.
TheKing of the Hill episodes "Propane Boom" and "Death of a Propane Salesman" were temporarily pulled from syndication for the remainder of September, due to the depiction of the explosion of theMega Lo Mart and the aftermath that followed, both episodes later returned to syndication in October 2001. Similarly, one station pulled the King of the Hill episode "Dog Dale Afternoon" due to Dale causing panic and hysteria inside a clock tower, which the syndicator viewed as too inappropriate during a time when America was in danger. That episode returned to syndication in October 2001.
TheSpongeBob SquarePants episode "Just One Bite" originally featured a scene in whichSquidward Tentacles attempts to get to the "Patty Vault" by bypassing the Krusty Krab's security system, which consists of a bucket of gas and a match that eventually burns him. Despite this scene being removed after the episode's initial broadcast on October 5, 2001, it remains distributed internally among the fanbase. The episode re-aired in 2002 with the original scene replaced by a zoom-in towards the "Patty Vault" in the back of the Krusty Krab. This change was initially thought to have been made either out of respect for the victims of the September 11 attacks (which occurred less than a month before the episode aired) or to prevent children from attempting to use and/or ignite gas. However, in 2018,Vincent Waller confirmed onTwitter that it was ultimately due toNickelodeon, the show's network, being against the idea of a gag involving a match and gasoline.[71] However the original version of the episode still airs on YTV in Canada.
TheInvader Zim episode "Door to Door" was edited to remove some scenes of a burning city after an Irken invasion, with theStatue of Liberty being shown floating in water. The episode was also delayed from its original scheduled airdate of September 14, 2001 due to the attacks; it was replaced on the schedule that evening withThe Fairly OddParents.[45] While the unedited version of the episode was aired in Australia, only the edited version has been released on DVD.
The Nickelodeon live programSlime Time Live had its entire taping schedule canceled for the rest of the week ending September 14, 2001.[45]
TheMalcolm in the Middle episode "Malcolm's Girlfriend" originally had a subplot where Francis took refuge with a mad bomber in a remote Canadian cabin. The episode was to have guest-starredStacy Keach and the storyline was supposedly filmed, but due to the September 11 attacks, it had to be re-filmed with a subplot involving Francis in an Alaskan prison, witnessing a live soap opera.
TheOnly Fools and Horses episode "The Sky's The Limit" was temporarily removed from repeat showings due to the final scene showing a plane nearly crashing into theNelson Mandela House.
According to the outtakes ofLizzie McGuire season 2, the director and other crew members put a flag sticker on theclapperboard during production as a tribute to the victims.
Sex and the City had a theme change where theEmpire State Building replaced the Twin Towers as the opening credits, with the name ofSarah Jessica Parker being shown.
The Zeta Project had almost been cancelled after season one due to the events of 9/11; however, season 2 was made on the caveat that they cut the word "terrorist" and make it lighter in tone.
Reruns ofWheel of Fortune showed the Twin Towers onGame Show Network, especially the nighttime scene, during the opening.
In theCourage the Cowardly Dog episode "Campsite Of Terror", the Twin Towers appear between two dinosaur monsters in New York within a movie that Muriel and the raccoons are watching.
Program directors from radio stations throughout the United States retooled their playlists in response to the attacks. Common changes included the heavy rotation of songs such as "God Bless the USA" byLee Greenwood andWhitney Houston's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" fromSuper Bowl XXV. Meanwhile, songs such asU2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday",Drowning Pool's "Bodies", andDave Matthews Band's "Crash Into Me" were excluded from playlists. Additionally, Clear Channel (now known asiHeartMedia) came under scrutiny for distributing alist of 150 potentially sensitive songs that were not recommended for broadcast immediately after the attacks, including everyRage Against the Machine song.[72]
NPR's weekly comedic news quiz showWait Wait... Don't Tell Me! did not record or broadcast a show for the weekend of September 15–16.
Christianrap metal bandP.O.D. released their albumSatellite on September 11, 2001, spurring success for the album and its lead single "Alive", which was seen as having a positive message in the aftermath of the attacks. Other bands associated with genres such asnu metal and rap metal experienced a downturn in sales due to the attacks; these genres continued to decline in popularity in the following years.[73][74]
Thrash metal bandSlayer released their albumGod Hates Us All on September 11, 2001. Due to the album's name and its lyrical themes and content, it has been interpreted by some as a premonition of the attacks.
According toArrogant Worms band member Trevor Strong, the song "Worst Seat on the Plane" was never performed live due toIdiot Road (the album it was featured on) being released on September 18, 2001.[75]
American alternative rock bandJimmy Eat World voluntarily changed the name of their albumBleed American, which was released on July 18, 2001, out of concern that the title may be misinterpreted. It was re-released as the eponymousJimmy Eat World, and itstitle track was renamed "Salt Sweat Sugar". In 2008, a deluxe version of the album was released, reverting both the album and song to their originalBleed American title.
On August 6, 2001, Americanpop-punk bandSugarcult released their debut single "Stuck in America" from their debut albumStart Static, which contained the lyrics "everybody’s talking about blowin’ up the neighborhood" and "everybody's gonna watch it burn today". After September 11th, radio stations started to dropping the song out. Sugarcult changed the lyric "Everybody’s talking about blowin’ up the neighborhood" to "everybody’s talking about wakin’ up the neighborhood" out of sensitivity.[76]
Hungarian composerRobert Gulya, who lived in the United States from 2000 to 2002, began to work on a guitar concerto shortly after the September 11 attacks. Gulya chose atheme for the concerto's first movement,[77] which is reminiscent of the terror attacks.[78]
The cover artwork ofDream Theater's live albumLive Scenes from New York, released on September 11, 2001, originally depicted the skyline of New York City, including the World Trade Center, silhouetted in flames. The album was recalled and re-released with a different cover. Dream Theater's 2005 studio albumOctavarium includes the song "Sacrificed Sons", which is about the attacks and their aftermath. Dream Theater keyboardistJordan Rudess performed a solo benefit concert three days after the attacks, which was released as the album4NYC a year later. The band changed the title of one song from their 2002 albumSix Degrees of Inner Turbulence. "The Great Debate", which discussesstem-cell research controversies, was originally titled "Conflict at Ground Zero" after a lyric in its chorus, but the title was changed as news reports began to refer to the site of the attacks as "Ground Zero".[79] The band was in aManhattan studio conducting final mixes ofSix Degrees of Inner Turbulence on the day of the attacks.[80]
English rock bandBush changed the name of thelead single off their 2001 albumGolden State from "Speed Kills" to "The People That We Love". Also changed was the original cover art for the album, which featured a commercial airplane.[81]
TheSan Francisco Symphony continued with a previously planned program ofMahler's 6th Symphony, the "Tragic," on September 12–15. The subsequent recording was highly acclaimed and garnered the2003 Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance.[82]
Janet Jackson postponed a concert in Tampa, Florida, scheduled for the day, and cancelled the entire European leg of herAll for You Tour due to travel concerns after the attacks.
Before the 9/11 attacks, American DJ and media personality Khaled Mohamed Khaled often referred to himself as "DJ Khaled - The Arab Attack" before dropping the tag line out of concern about offending victims.[83]
The American compact disc release ofThe Strokes' debut album,Is This It, was delayed from September 25 to October 9 and had its track list amended, with the song "New York City Cops" being removed and replaced with the newly written track "When It Started".
Alternative rock bandEnon had been set to release their upcoming second studio album in September 2001, but their label,SeeThru Broadcasting, decided to close following the9/11 attacks in New York. Enon temporarily released their second instrumental album, "On Hold" in late 2001 to compensate fans for waiting. Enon signed with the Chicago-based indie label,Touch and Go Records after the closing of SeeThru, releasing their second studio albumHigh Society in June 2002, after around half a year of limbo
Hip-hop bandThe Coup's albumParty Music originally featured art depicting two of the band's members apparently bombing the World Trade Center, and was scheduled for release in September 2001. The album was delayed to November so the band could create new cover art.
In London, the last night of theBBC Proms summer concert series, on Saturday September 15, was greatly toned down from its usual noisy and bombastic celebration, with major program revisions including the removal of John Adams'sShort Ride in a Fast Machine.
The music video of the song "Piece by Piece" by Welsh bandFeeder was changed. The original video depicted animated characters of the band playing in a New York skyscraper with the World Trade Center in the background and planes flying nearby, also features those characters jumping from the building and shows the way down.[84] The new video shows the band on a Train Station on England while the song is played[85]
The lyrics forSean Altman'sa capella song "Zombie Jamboree" was changed from "There's a high-wire zombie between the World Trades" to "There's an accapella zombie singing down Broadway".[86][87]
TheWalt Disney World attractionThe Timekeeper, a 360-degree film presentation atMagic Kingdom that featured a panoramic view of New York City (including the Twin Towers) closed on September 11, 2001, and updated the scene of New York City so that the titular character was sent to 2000, a year before the attacks, which caused all references to the WTC to be removed. The attraction closed five years later.[88]
The green screen stunt performance for explosions in New York City in the initial version of the pre-show ofArmageddon – Les Effets Speciaux atWalt Disney Studios Park at theDisneyland Paris resort was replaced by a surfing stunt performance due to the attacks.[89]
Major League Baseball (MLB) CommissionerBud Selig called off games for one day,[90] extended cancellations for three days, then eventually postponed all games through September 16, 2001. TheNew York Mets' home series against thePittsburgh Pirates from September 17–19 wasmoved toPittsburgh due to security concerns, with the Mets functioning as the series' designated home team. The games were tacked onto the end of the regular season, delaying thepostseason until October 9. As a result, the2001 World Series became the first World Series to extend into November.[91] This was the third time in MLB history that games were cancelled due to war or national security reasons.[90] Games were previously cancelled onD-Day, and the1918 season was shortened due toWorld War I.[90]
AllMinor League Baseball championship series were cancelled. Teams that had led their respective series were awarded league championships, or teams which were scheduled to play in such series (such as theMidwest League, which utilizes half-season championships to position the championship series) were awarded co-championships.
Major League Soccer (MLS)'s final two weeks of the2001 season were cancelled, with some teams only playing 26 or 27 matches instead of the planned 28. The playoffs, whose spots were already decided, were played as scheduled, beginning on September 20 and ending with theMLS Cup on October 21.[92][93]
The remaining three matches of the2001 Women's U.S. Cup, featuring theUnited States women's national soccer team, were cancelled.[93][94]
NCAADivision Icollege football games originally scheduled to be played on September 13 and 15 were called off.[95]
USA Cycling cancelled theBMC Software Tour ofHouston, a key event in that year's Pro Cycling Tour that had been scheduled for September 16.[96] The decision was made in spite of athletes, staff, and equipment being actively en route to Houston from the inauguralSan Francisco Grand Prix, which was held on September 9.[97]
TheFélix Trinidad vs. Bernard Hopkins world Middleweight championship boxing fight, which was to take place on September 15 atMadison Square Garden in New York, was postponed until September 29 due to the attacks. Also, a wrestling show was cancelled at the Madison Square Garden around the same date.[98]
In the wake of the attacks, theNational Football League (NFL)'s week 2 games (September 16 and 17) were postponed and rescheduled to the end of the regular season (the weekend of January 6 and 7, 2002). The playoffs began 5 days later on January 12 and ended on February 3, 2002, with the Super Bowl, making it the first time the NFL's championship game was played in the month of February.
TheUEFA Champions League andUEFA Cup matches that were scheduled for September 12 and 13 were postponed to October 10 and September 20, respectively. Matches scheduled on September 11 proceeded forlogistical reasons, with aminute's silence observed andblack armbands worn at the matches.[99]
World Wrestling Entertainment, then named the World Wrestling Federation, had a live taping scheduled for the upcoming episode ofSmackDown! on September 11, however, due to the day's events, the taping was delayed until September 13 in Houston, Texas. The live episode of SmackDown was the first large public assembly since the attacks.
NASCAR delayed the2001 New Hampshire 300, moving the race (and the entire weekend) from September 16 to November 23. Several cars ran American flag themed liveries for the following race atDover, which was won byDale Earnhardt Jr..
The2001 American Memorial was aChampionship Auto Racing Teams motor race held four days after the attacks at theEuroSpeedway Lausitz. It was not delayed, but was renamed from "German 500" by CART following the aftermath of the attacks.[100]
Formula One's governing body, theFédération Internationale de l'Automobile, announced that the2001 Italian Grand Prix would proceed as scheduled.[101] Ferrari presidentLuca di Montezemolo said that his team would approach the race as a normal racing event instead of a traditional Ferrari festival. Furthermore, di Montezemolo stated Formula One should continue its normal schedule and not cancel races.[102] TheAutomobile Club d'Italia urged fans and spectators to behave "in keeping with the gravity of the situation and in collective participation in the pain of American citizens."[101] Podium celebrations were cancelled and all pre-race ceremonies including a flypast by theItalian Tricolour Arrows display team were called off.[103] Three teams altered their car's liveries as a mark of respect. Ferrari stripped their cars of all advertising and painted their nose cones black,[104] Jaguar fitted black engine covers to theirR2 cars on Saturday morning,[105] and Jordan sponsorDeutsche Post replaced its branding with the American flag on the Jordan cars' engine covers on Sunday morning.[106] Michael Schumacher was reluctant to take part in the race, and said in 2002 that he felt it was a "bad sign" to be driving after the September 11 attacks.[107]
The release of blockbuster titleGrand Theft Auto III was delayed almost a month to make last-minute changes, since the game was set in a city loosely based on New York City. Development was also delayed due to Rockstar's offices being based near Ground Zero. The paint scheme of the city's police cars was changed from a blue-and-white design reminiscent of theNew York City Police Department[108] to a black-and-white design reminiscent of theLos Angeles Police Department.[109][110] Other relatively minor changes included altering an AI plane's flight path which went near skyscrapers, and removing a few lines of pedestrian dialogue and talk radio.[111]
Syphon Filter 3's cover art was changed before release. It originally had Gabe Logan, viewed from an angle, pointing a gun at the camera with a look of anger while Lian swung into frame, guns a-blazing and with the American flag prominently displayed. It was changed to a generic head-view of Gabe and Lian.[112]
Activision delayed the release ofSpider-Man 2: Enter: Electro in order to remove the Twin Towers and 9/11 references.[113]
Neversoft quickly edited the Airport level inTony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 a month prior to its release as it previously depicted a terrorist plot involving a bombing of a passenger airplane. The terrorists were instead reskinned as pickpockets and certain objectives renamed for sensitivity reasons.[114]
An art designer for thePlayStation 2 gameAce Combat 04: Shattered Skies realized an image that was about to release on the game's promotional website, depicting a battleship sinking near a populated cityscape, looked similar to the smoke plume from the Twin Towers' collapse. The designer discussed this with the staffer in charge of the website, and erased the city buildings from the image.[115]Namco also suspended its broadcast of a JapaneseTV spot for the game.[116]
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem was delayed as Joseph De Molay, aTemplar Knight during thecrusades, was removed from the game.[117] Textures that had Arabic writing were also removed.[118]
Metal Wolf Chaos was not localized into other languages and remained unreleased outside of Japan due to the political climate that followed the attacks.[119] However, it was eventually re-released worldwide asMetal Wolf Chaos XD in 2019.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, a blockbuster title which was released in North America and Japan two months after the attack, featured the Pentagon and the World Trade Center during its climax. After the Sept. 11 attacks, a scene showing the destruction of theStatue of Liberty and parts of Manhattan was cut from the game. Dialogue about terrorists targeting Manhattan was also removed.[120][121]
TheGame Boy Advance gameAdvance Wars was delayed in Europe,[122] Japan, and Australia after having been released in North America. The game would release in Australia in 2001, Europe in 2002, and Japan in 2004.
TheDreamcast gamePropeller Arena was completed and due to be released on September 19, 2001, but was cancelled and never officially released. The video game was about dogfighting in planes and one level takes place around a city of skyscrapers.
TheXbox launch gameProject Gotham Racing depicted the World Trade Center in the background on its initial box cover art, which was already printed to retailers as display cases. After the attacks, the artwork was altered before the game was released.[123]
ThePlayStation 2 gameSavage Skies was originally conceived as a licensed tie-in game based on the music and likeness of heavy metal musicianOzzy Osbourne under the nameOzzy's Black Skies with a song written specifically for the game called "Black Skies". Developer iRock Interactive was later forced to drop the Osbourne branding and retool the game asSavage Skies both due to concerns about the game's original title and premise being in poor taste in the aftermath of the attacks as well as licensing expenses, finally releasing the game in 2002; Osbourne would later include the song "Black Skies" as a bonus track on the single "Dreamer".[124]
During its development,Half-Life 2 featured an airplane crashing into a high-rise apartment, which was cut following the attacks.[125]
An advertisement published in 1979 (22 years before 9/11), in several French magazines forPakistan International Airlines and their flights between Paris and New York showed a photograph of a flying jetliner's shadow projected onto the Twin Towers. When this image was rediscovered on the internet in the years after the attacks, it was noted for its coincidental use of imagery invoking the attack, particularly for the fact thatOsama bin Laden hid inPakistan and was latershot and killed there in 2011.[126]
Mad magazine's issue No. 411 was already at the printer with a gag front cover depicting the mascotAlfred E. Neuman having taken a wrong turn away from theNew York Marathon route (an event occurring in October, when the issue was to be released) and jogging into a murder scene, where he cluelessly broke through yellowcrime scene tape in triumph. The cover, which depicted downtown Manhattan and a corpse, was no longer appropriate in light of the September 11 attacks, but the magazine had just one deadline day to produce a replacement cover. This was accomplished with a closely cropped headshot of Neuman, with his trademark tooth gap filled in by a small American flag.[127][128]
The 2001Boshears Skyfest was cancelled due to closed airspace following the attacks.[129]
Broadway theatre went dark until September 13, 2001, when shows resumed with dimmed marquees.[130]
Toys "R" Us inTimes Square sold aBarbie doll exclusive to this location in 2001. The initial release featured a depiction of the Twin Towers on its packaging, but was revised to remove them following the September 11 attacks.
Mattel'sMax Steel toyline was censored in its packaging after customers noticed a similarity between the action figure of the Max Steel villain, Vitriol, and the 9/11 attacks; the description of the back of the box included Vitriol’s plan to attack the World Trade Center, which was worsened by the fact that the character was labeled a terrorist. The back of the box was later censored by Mattel, as were other action figures at the time such as Max Steel himself and the cyborg villain Psycho, who was also labeled a terrorist, with a toy helicopter being removed from US stores as well.
George Carlin's 17th album and twelfth HBOstand-up special,Complaints and Grievances, originally given the working titleI Kinda Like It When a Lot of People Die, was heavily reworked and retitled following the September 11 attacks.[131]
Most controversially, some filmmakers chose to leave their skyline shots intact, but to erase the Twin Towers with digital effects
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