With a Super Bowl as close as Sunday's 32-29 nail-biter, there may be no losers among the 110 players who competed. The same cannot be said, however, for the 89 million viewers who tuned in between the second and third quarters.
Sunday's big game could have been the greatest Super Bowl ever, but the halftime show -- no matter which one you watched -- was a colossal bust.
Those who tuned in with family members to see CBS's traditional halftime show witnessed an over-the-top, over-sexed MTV produced extravaganza complete with a shot of Janet Jackson's exposed breast. "The incident" involving Jackson is currently being investigated by the Federal Communications Commission and may result in fines to CBS in excess of $1 million.
FCC chief Michael Powell, who congregated around the TV with his family on Sunday, did not see what he had banked on from a Super Bowl halftime show, and called the action a "classless, crass and deplorable stunt."
Another viewing option for halftime was the Lingerie Bowl, which was advertised as scantily clad models playing a football game of their own. While the event was only available for a Pay-Per-View audience, customers expected a healthy dose of soft-core pornography while they were on the testosterone high associated with Super Sunday.
What they got were girls wearing "boy shorts" and shoulder pads in a contest with less fanny slapping than a regular football game.
Nobody got what he or she expected. Parents who watched CBS may now have to explain some things to their kids, while the dude who invited eight of his friends over to watch the Lingerie Bowl must be held accountable for the lack of the appropriate amount of T and A.
We at The State Press feel that CBS and drunken lingerie fans alike should have known better.
CBS, a network known for appealing to older viewers, hired MTV to produce its halftime show in an effort to attract a younger audience. CBS network executives, who are now kicking themselves for apparently offending millions, had obviously never seen MTV before. That's unfortunate, especially since CBS and MTV are owned by the same corporation, Viacom.
The attire that Jackson's backup dancers wore even rivaled that of the participants in the Lingerie Bowl as many of the dancers sported garter belts and torn, low-cut tops.
"I was personally offended by the entire production," Powell told Good Morning America."
CBS claims it had no idea that Jackson's breast would be exposed, even though its sister company MTV had promised "shocking moments" during the performance. Wouldn't CBS have liked to known what those were beforehand?
And those who dropped $19.95 on the Lingerie Bowl definitely would have liked to know that they could have seen more breast for free on CBS.
