Washington has kept abreast of Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake's Super Bowl halftime stunt - to the point where the Federal Communications Commission is said to be investigating whether decency rules were broken in the incident, in which Timberlake exposed Jackson's right breast during a music number.
FCC chairman Michael Powell promised a probe after his agency was reportedly flooded with complaints about the routine, which was seen on CBS's telecast of the Super Bowl football game, during a halftime show produced by MTV. Jackson herself has apologized for the incident, while Timberlake had earlier blamed the breast exposure on what he called "wardrobe malfunction."
The incident happened during a performance of "Rock Your Body," when Timberlake came to the line, "I'll get you naked by the end of this song," and removed a leather cup from Jackson's costume to expose her breast, which wore what looked like either a star or a sun shape on and around the nipple.
"Like millions of Americans, my family and I gathered around the television for a celebration," said Powell, referring to his own family watching the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers in a close contest New England won on a last-minute field goal. "Instead, that celebration was tainted by a classless, crass and deplorable stunt."
Powell has already been criticized for the probe by one Democratic presidential candidate, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who said the FCC has a role in promoting decency but, "considering what's on television these days, I think the FCC is being pretty silly about investigating this." President Bush didn't see the halftime incident - the White House had admitted the President dozed off after the first half of play was over.
Some activist groups like Concerned Women of America and the American Family Association have joined that side of the issue which believes Jackson and Timberlake planned the stunt. CBS, however, issued a statement in which it said there had been no indication such a stunt was part of the repertoire, based on rehearsals in the week before the halftime show, while MTV had suggested on its Website, before the game, that "shocking moments" would come during Jackson's performance.
The National Football League has announced that MTV would never again produce another Super Bowl event.
