Afternoon Briefing:
FCC will investigate the breast-baring incident: Federal Communications chairman Michael Powell today called for an immediate investigation into the Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake boob incident (see below for much more). He said: "I am outraged at what I saw during the halftime show of the Super Bowl. Like millions of Americans, my family and I gathered around the television for a celebration. Instead, that celebration was tainted by a classless, crass and deplorable stunt. Our nation's children, parents and citizens deserve better. I have instructed the commission to open an immediate investigation into last night's broadcast. Our investigation will be thorough and swift." (Telecomweb)
Speaking of boobs: Forget Janet's deplorable stunt, there were crass acts aplenty on the streets of Boston after the game. Someone driving an SUV plowed into a crowd, killing one and injuring three others. There were bonfires set at downtown parks that had to be hosed down. Other lovely people who probably didn't show their nipple rings nevertheless urinated on storefronts, vandalized a TV news truck and flipped three cars for the fun of it. Now that's classless. (UPI)
The other surprise: A small hip-hop movie, "You Got Served," by first-time director Chris Stokes was No. 1 at the box office Super Bowl weekend. The film has no big names but it took in $16 million, beating out the Scarlett Johansson ("The Perfect Score") and Ben Stiller "Along Came Polly") flicks. (Guardian)
Before Bill Maher there was Mel Brooks: The father of all political incorrectness thanked the fuhrer today for his success with "The Producers." Brooks was in London for the premiere of the musical (which includes the hilarious song "Springtime for Hitler") and said, "In this show we have a lot of laughs at the expense of Mr. Hitler and I am very grateful to him and his family for allowing me to knock the s--- out of them and make a couple of bucks." (Reuters) -- Karen Croft
CBS "deeply regrets" the fact that Justin Timberlake ripped off a hunk of Janet Jackson's costume during the Super Bowl halftime, revealing the singer's breast, which happened to be decorated with an elaborate starburst nipple ring. (You can watch the moment again and again and again, courtesy of Matt Drudge, who has posted an animated gif of it on his Web site.)
The NFL says it was "extremely disappointed" and has pointed the finger at MTV, which it says is "unlikely" to be tapped again to produce the Super Bowl halftime.
MTV swears the moment was "unrehearsed, unplanned, completely unintentional" and hasn't mentioned its pre-game promise of a halftime shocker.
Timberlake says he is "sorry that anyone was offended by the wardrobe malfunction during the halftime performance of the Super Bowl" and swears it was "not intentional and is regrettable."
The only people who aren't sorry about the moment, it seems, are headline writers across the globe, who took the opportunity to let it rip.
"Bowled Over!" exclaims Glamour Online.
"Justin Rocks Janet's Top Off," pants the Vancouver Province.
"Crass, not Class, at Halftime," chides the Boston Globe.
"Barely Worth Watching," sniffs the Chicago Sun Times.
"Halftime at Super Bowl Became Quite Revealing," observes the Los Angeles Times, rather matter-of-factly.
"Halftime Shows Plenty," puns the Kansas City Star.
The Chicago Tribune dubs it the "X-rated Games," and continues: "Halftime Cup Runneth Over With Skin & Sin."
"To NFL's Horror, it's a Skins Game," the Miami Herald points out.
"Janet and Justin Get Hot," reports Australia's Melbourne Herald Sun, before suggesting that the game "might be rebadged the Super Boob next year."
Super Boob, indeed.
Morning Briefing:
Copa-ing: Barry Manilow is in a hospital in Palm Springs, Calif., recovering from chest pains his publicist says were related to the stress of a lawsuit over his money-plagued musical, "Harmony." (PR Newswire)
The director within: Harvey Weinstein says he's going to direct his own film "pretty soon, probably in the fall." (Time)
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