CONTROL. That's what she wanted all along, and guess what? That's exactly what she got. From the second this past weekend's Super Bowl halftime show began, and the infamous Janet Jackson rose from the underbelly of the mid-field stage, she commanded America's attention in a trademark black leather ensemble -- wiping away the memory of shooting star fireworks, flag-waving patriotism, the sheer boredom that New England and Carolina left on the field in the first half and even the bellowing Beyonce -- who just last week was America's prima Donna.
At age 37, but still looking as fine as ever, the King of Pop's little sis took a page right out of his book, going over the edge of what everyone expected and showing off much more than what middle America could chew, as they sat down to watch the championship of America's favorite past time and got a taste of America's favorite taboo to boot. Miss Jackson's memorable display pushed the envelope for television,but with all eyes on her and the eroding limits of pop culture, over-exposure is exactly what we should expect in these days of American excess.
The aftermath of Janet and Justin's bra-busting display has the Federal Communications Commission up in arms, and on their marks to start an investigation into the "incident," which FCC chief Michael Powell deemed as "a classless, crass and deplorable stunt."
Although local CBS stations may see a fine upward of $25,000 each for what was deemed an "unintentional" incident, what Jackson and her teenie-bopping friend did Sunday was hardly a "wardrobe malfunction," as Timberlake would later call it. Although the stunt may have been "unrehearsed," as producers at MTV would clarify in their apology, the feat was certainly no accident either. Even if the bigwigs at the networks didn't know it in advance, Janet Jackson's over-exposure was sheer risk-taking on her part, but in effect, she saw this year's halftime show as the opportunity to jumpstart her career again. In essence, she captured pop culture Americanism at its best.
As a music icon for nearly 20 years, Jackson herself knows the value of a publicity stunt, as well as excess, and with a new album coming out, the chance to promote her material as well as start a brouhaha over what is acceptable on television was all but placed in her lap. By now, Jackson -- along with her brother -- are well aware that the media is obsessed with anything that comes into question as acceptable behavior, and even in her issued apology, Jackson lamented the fact that "it was not [her] intention that it go as far as it did." Although she apologized to anyone offended by the performance, I'm sure she will be quite happy with those of us touting her name as legend for taking chances, and control, in the weeks to come.
For anyone to believe, or even issue, a serious statement that the performance and it's all-too clever ending were unplanned, is a naive excuse for trying to cover-up the fact that execs were not hip to a moment that is indicative of what most of America wants to see when it comes to big events -- something shocking, outrageous and indicative of such a hefty name like the "Super Bowl."
Now, there was no doubt that CBS took a risk in hiring MTV to promote their halftime show in a ploy for higher ratings, all in the hopes that die-hard football fans, as well as pop-star fanatics, would stay tuned for something that peeked their interest. What has traditionally been a tame 10-minutes featuring country music's sirens or song boys, and maybe a classic rock act, turned into something very different this year under MTV's supervision. But even in the event that CBS execs weren't attuned to the fact that Miss Jackson would display her wares, they must have been a little bit apprehensive about the fact that MTV slated notorious bad boy Sean "Puffy" Combs, street-wise, medallion-wearing Nelly and all-around rule-breaker Kid Rock, all before Jackson's performance that was coined "full of surprises."
From the opening number, which network execs had to at least glimpse over in rehearsals, the dancers were scantily-clad, and gyrating dance-moves were in abundance. But what should you expect on stage other than female exploitation when you hire hip-hop and rock heavyweights? Certainly, the FCC's investigation is going to have to be filled with holes in terms of the decency of all the performances given the fact that the program aired live in prime-time; but perhaps CBS predicted Nelly's crotch-grabbing and Kid Rock's poncho-wearing display of patriotism and didn't take offence to those ahead of time. However, as soon as Janet did the exploiting, the FCC drew the line.
Quick to go to commercial break, and to issue apologies, the network and all but Miss Jackson herself seem to be digging themselves into holes. Even if Janet did issue a statement about the performance, we don't have to read between the lines to see that the halftime show's peek-a-boo stunt was nothing more than a calculated attempt at ratings and publicity, and it was definitely an all-American showcase. And besides, what kind of woman would wear an eight-pointed, silver-chromed, sun-star pasty if she weren't expecting us to stare at it anyway?
(Kazz Alexander Pinkard's column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at kpinkard@cavalierdaily.com.)
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