We watched the Super Bowl - who didn't - and were paying a fair amount of attention to the halftime show, but never even had a hint that anything "peculiar" had happened until I ran downstairs and did a quick check of Blogcritics. We were getting 5,000 visitors an hour. This was noteworthy. The Janet Boob Bomb had hit. The fallout continues to reverberate through the media, the political sphere, and has forced a discussion on the state of the culture:
WARNING: Several of the stories below include images of near-nudity, or link to images of near-nudity (on the other hand, if you haven't seen the Janet footage by now, welcome back from Mars!):
Super Bowl stunt: But what about the bling bling?
"Boobs conquer everything from the networks to the media to corporate America."
Anonymous publicist
Posted in Blogcritics on February 13, 2004 10:24 AM
Janet tit-storm now moves to Capitol Hill
"Janet Jackson's Super Bowl exposure was 'a new low for prime- time television,' the government's chief broadcast regulator told lawmakers Wednesday. The Super Bowl halftime show featured a duet by Jackson and Justin Timberlake that ended with Timberlake tearing off...
Posted in Blogcritics on February 13, 2004 09:13 AM
Hearing My Money Whisked Away
If everyone is done giving their Oscar caliber performances in Washington, I would be willing to say we have all had enough. You are wasting everyone's time and a whole bunch of taxpayer's money. Yesterday there was a meeting in...
Posted in Blogcritics on February 13, 2004 09:04 AM
Senate and House Broadcast Indecency Hearings
Yesterday's Senate and House broadcast indecency hearings saw the usual grandstanding and puffery, but the problem is real: At a Senate Commerce Committee hearing, chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., urged cable and satellite companies to offer viewers the ability to pick...
Posted in Blogcritics on February 12, 2004 11:57 AM
Snip-Snip Here, Snip-Snip There - Network Censors Get Busy
The Oscars are imposing a five-second delay for the first time, the Grammys had a five-minute delay, and the networks are scrutinizing their shows as they haven't in years: As executives from Viacom Inc. and the NFL head to Washington...
Posted in Blogcritics on February 11, 2004 04:26 PM
Oscars: Five-Second Delay "Censorship"?
A five-second delay in the Oscar broadcast has the Academy up in arms. The Grammys had a five-MINUTE delay and got a sterile show as a result: Oscar president Frank Pierson has attacked a planned five-second delay on the TV...
Posted in Blogcritics on February 11, 2004 03:41 PM
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Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Casper
What am I, chopped liver (he says, with tongue firmly planted in cheek...)?
2 - Eric Olsen
Sorry dude! I searched by "Janet Jackson" instead of "Super Bowl" - now rectified.
3 - Robert
Well, so much for calling Janet the "only normal" Jackson. I guess the only "normal" Jackson was Andrew Jackson!
4 - Eric Olsen
There's always Tito!!
5 - Jim Carruthers
(raising hand) I didn't watch the Superbowl, never have, and probably never will. Football is for fags (like John Wayne, this one time I was in Brentwood, and he came to the front door in a frilly pink dressing gown), now Sumo, that's a real sport.
Plus we don't get the commercials up here.
However there was one point I wanted to make. I noticed on teevee shows from the US, they sometimes have a disclaimer along the lines of:
"may contain nudity or violence"
Yet, in Canada, on non-US shows they say:
"contains nudity, sex, coarse language and/or violence" (and in the case of Fashion TV usually give you a teaser clip in the bumper so you know what you're going to get).
So what's with the pussyfooting in the States. Is this thing just a cover your ass bit of legalese? I want a guarantee, dammit!
Which is why I watched Russ Meyer's "Supervixens" last night.
6 - Patricia Jay
The breast exposure and crotch grabbing during superbowl halftime was cheap, sleazy and totally inapropriate. I don't believe that the exposure of Janet Jackson's breast was a fluke ......why wear a nipple cover...... After that and some of the other tackless sexual bundary pushing on prime time TV, I am really affirmed in my father's opinion, (He worked for ABC TV in Chicago for 30+ years)that it is mostly crap pandered by money-hungry, power-drunk people who are whittling away at our moral fabric. I thought he was so wrong about that when I was a teenager........If I want to go see what someone considers they are doing possibly art, I will choose to go to a gallery or museum or appropriate venue. But I will not have someone shoving it in my unsuspecting face or slipping it in disguised as entertainment appropriate for the entire family!!! You are very responsible for this CBS just as much as the Artists were! Wake up.
7 - Chris Wilson
Ok Jim,
Thanks for the John Wayne expose. I'm sure you will make great headlines with that. I will forward on to National Enquirer.
As for Janet Jackson's now-legendary boob debut - isn't she performing on the Grammy Awards next Sunday? Isn't she one of the highly advertised performers on that program? Isn't that program also going to be broadcast on CBS? Just watch the ratings roll in. I expect CBS to continue "apologizing" throughout the week, at least until the Grammy presentations.
8 - Mark Saleski
like John Wayne, this one time I was in Brentwood, and he came to the front door in a frilly pink dressing gown
...always loved Repo Man.
9 - Chris Wilson
Well shit.
That was a "Repo Man" reference?! Haven't seen that film in over 10 years.......oh well. Joke's on me.....
10 - Mark Saleski
...you gotta watch out for those sneaky canadians.
;-)
11 - Chris Wilson
As long as he doesn't start quoting "Supervixens," I'll be ok.....
12 - Lauralee Powell
In poor taste is an understatement...it was inappropriate for any time, much less a football game half time show....I have emailed CBS, and every other organization I can think of stating my opinion..which, thank God, is my right...but I am so disappointed that it had to happen in Texas....I'm just disappointed in the way it was all handled...my opinon only..
Normal Jackson??????????????????????? Surely you jest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
13 - Mark Saleski
criminy, was there such a big uproar when lil' kim did this during the grammys (or whatever lame awards show that was)?
14 - Erik
Who cares ? The whole half time show should have been naked. We as Americans need to stop acting like little children. (OOOHHH LOOK BOOBIES)
Give me a break ya loosers
15 - CN
I agree with Erik, grow up...
16 - Mel
After seeing the clip a few times I think that this was all a publicity stunt. The way Justin grabbed the clothing peice on her breast it definitly did not seem like an accident. If it was a publicity stunt it was extremley tacky.
By the way Dammit Janet is a very cute touch (Rocky Horror Picture Show)
17 - Carolyn Wilkins
I know that you have heard it all today but this was without a doubt the most horrible half time show ever. Who does Kid Rock think that he is wearing the American Flag like that especially when our men and women are losing their lives everyday for our country. As far as I am concern that was terrible that he even had the nerve to wear our flag. As far as Janet Jackson goes I was disgusted about this show. As far as I am concern I was totally shocked and disappointed that this took place. How did this happen? What is our country coming to. Does no one have deciency anymore. The whole half time was a joke not a show. Who decided that this show was okay. I am really saddened by all this. Its just so sad that people feel that they have to go to these extremes to think that they are entertaining and then we wonder why our children are doing all the things that they do. I just don't know what to say except that I was embarrased by all this and horrified when I saw it take place. It makes me very sad.
18 - Mac Diva
Yawn. Do yammering, ill-formed Right Wingers with no grasp of what is truly horrible (war, perhaps?) never get tired of posting banal, self-righteous screeds? (I don't mean just Carolyn, but her entire tribe.)
My take on this tempest in a teapot can be read here and at Blogcritics.
19 - Eric Olsen
I think the whole thing is hilarious and while I think Kid Rock is a dolt, he is totally pro-war and patriotic and I am certain he meant no disrespect by wearing the flag.
We were watching and didn't even notice what had happened with the boob - how bad could it have been?
20 - Cyber Bum
Erik, CN, we must let our guvmint be our "protector" telling us what we can't see, read, eat, think..we must be protected from our own horrible thoughts, actions and deeds. I say let the Catholic church lay down the law of the land, how could they be led astray, they could show us all the "right" way...
21 - kevin holtsberry
I find it ironic that Mac Diva is one of the most arrogant, condecending, and judgemental posters/commenter I have come across. No matter what the subject she always manages to insult the person, claim the subject bores her, include the term Right Wing, and then refference her own far better work.
What a tired old schtick. You can't through a stick at a state university without hitting a 20 year old who thinks like this, talk about yawn.
Maybe a taste for immature, untalented, and offensive people is a sign of adulthood . . . but it used to be the other way around.
22 - Mark Saleski
Who does Kid Rock think that he is wearing the American Flag like that especially when our men and women are losing their lives everyday for our country.
boy howdy! can we have a flag-burning discussion?! those are always so much fun!!!
23 - Mac Diva
It does annoy me that some people believe in bromides. Football is wholesome. The American flag is sacrosanct. Whatever an authority figure says is 'the truth.' Even cursory examination of thoughts like that should be reason enough to make a person question them. I'm not saying they have to agree with my take. But, at least, think.
Hiya, Kevin. Do you have any new 'conservatives' to recommend to the blog reading public? Matt Hale, perhaps? Oops. He's . . . busy. David Duke, ditto. But, Kirk Lyons is not behind bars, yet. I'm sure you can find reason to promote him.
24 - kevin holtsberry
Oh I get it conservatives are racist, that is funny and original too! I bet you couldn't give an intelligent history of conservative thought to save your life. For all your blather you are surprisingly ignorant of your enemies.
Spare me the intellectual pose, you are a just another comments troll dressed up like a journalist. Please explain how insulting people and their motives involves thinking . . .
25 - Mark Saleski
well, most racists certainly lean to the right...but the logic doesn't work the other way around.
but here's a tangential thing: what's the deal with conservative talk radio? i listened to jay severin (boston) once and he spent a lot of time talking about how the 'wetbacks' were causing our country so much trouble. it reminded me of savage and his 'turd world nation' stuff.