Hollywood under Pressure in Wake of Connecticut Shooting

Movie studios and television programmers have postponed or canceled films and TV shows laced with violence after a shooting left 20 children and six adults dead in a Connecticut elementary school last week.

Paramount has moved swiftly in reviewing its promotional materials for "Jack Reacher," which opens in theaters Friday.

Jack Reacher is a gritty crime-action pic starring Tom Cruise as a hard-boiled former military cop trying to prove that an alleged sniper was framed.

"Due to the terrible tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, and out of honor and respect for the families of the victims whose lives were senselessly taken, we are postponing tomorrow's Pittsburgh premiere of 'Jack Reacher,'" Paramount said in an e- mailed statement on Dec. 14. "Our hearts go out to all those who lost loved ones."

On Monday, The Weinstein Co. announced it was cancelling Tuesday night's Django premiere in Los Angeles because of the school tragedy,  the second-most fatal mass shooting in the US.

Separately, Discovery Communications Inc. canceled the new season of "American Guns," a reality-based serial about a family of gunmakers, Fox News reported.

CBS Corp.'s Showtime cable channel acknowledged the Connecticut killings before recent airings of "Dexter," a show about a serial killer, and "Homeland," a popular series about domestic terrorism.

"In light of the tragedy that has occurred in Connecticut, the following program contains images that may be disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised,' the network broadcast before the shows.