Alex Libby Today On 'Anderson'

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Anderson Cooper's interview with former Sioux City student in 'Bully' film to air Tuesday

By Nate Robson nrobson@siouxcityjournal.com | Posted: Monday, March 26, 2012 2:39 pm


Submitted photo by the Weinstein Co. Alex Libby, formerly of Sioux City, is shown in a scene from "The Bully Project," a documentary about the impact of children taunted by peers. Libby, now of Oklahoma, will appear Tuesday morning as a guest on "Anderson."

SIOUX CITY -- A former Sioux City middle school student shown in the documentary "Bully" will be a featured guest with Anderson Cooper on Tuesday.

An interview with Alex Libby, who now lives in Oklahoma, will air on "Anderson" at 9 a.m. on KCAU Channel 9.

Libby will be joined by his parents, Jackie and Phillip Libby, and filmmaker Lee Hirsch. Alex Libby was a bullied student at Sioux City East Middle School when filmmakers followed him and recorded his experience.

On Monday, officials using the film's official Twitter account sent a message saying that filmmakers rejected the Motion Picture Association of America's R rating and that the film will open March 30 as unrated.

The MPAA rated the film R for vulgar language, overruling requests to reduce the rating to PG-13.

Filmmakers said the R rating would prohibit the film from being shown to children in schools or theaters, negating the documentary's impact.

"I know the kids will come, so it's up to the theaters to let them in. 'Bully' Will Go Out Unrated," Hirsch said in a statement posted to Twitter.

The MPAA's website on Monday listed the film as unrated.

Representatives for the MPAA and Hirsch were not immediately available for comment Monday afternoon.