MTV Blames Janet Jackson for Incident (tries to shift the blame)

Reuters ^

[GulliverSwift]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Singer Janet Jackson (news) masterminded the Super Bowl halftime stunt that left her right breast exposed and prompted a federal probe into television indecency, the head of MTV said on Tuesday.

"Janet Jackson engineered it," MTV Chief Executive Tom Freston told Reuters in an interview.

The blame on Jackson comes on a second day of fallout after pop idol Justin Timberlake (news) tore off half of Jackson's black leather bustier while the pair were singing a duet, exposing her right breast at the conclusion of Sunday's Super Bowl halftime show.

Freston, whose company produced the halftime show for CBS, said Timberlake was informed of the stunt just moments before he took the stage with Jackson.

MTV and CBS are both owned by Viacom (NYSE:VIAB - news)(NYSE:VIA - news).

The Super Bowl is the highest-rated U.S. television event, watched by almost 90 million people.

The stunt, which Timberlake said was due to a "wardrobe malfunction," sparked widespread viewer complaints.

Federal Communications Commission (news - web sites) regulators launched an investigation amid calls for the government to take a tougher stance on regulating indecency on television.

"There's now going to be an FCC (news - web sites) investigation into the nipple," Freston told reporters at a news conference.

Jackson took the blame but said on Monday her stunt went further than she intended: "The decision to have a costume reveal at the end of my half-time show performance was made after final rehearsals. MTV was completely unaware of it. It was not my intention that it go as far as it did."

FINANCIAL FALLOUT

Freston said neither CBS nor the National Football League has rescinded or demanded a refund of MTV's production fees. But sources familiar with the situation said the incident could possibly cost CBS and the NFL millions of dollars.

The sources told Reuters that Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX - news) unit America Online may now seek a partial refund of the estimated $10 million it paid as a major Super Bowl advertiser and exclusive halftime show sponsor.

"While AOL was the sponsor of the Super Bowl Halftime Show, we did not produce it," the company said in a statement. "Like the NFL, we were surprised and disappointed with certain elements of the show."

The company said the exposure of Jackson's breast means it cannot now broadcast the halftime extravaganza on its web site for 25 million AOL members and visitors.

"In deference to our membership and the fans, AOL and AOL.com will not be presenting the Halftime Show online as originally planned," the company said.

McDonald's Corp. (NYSE:MCD - news), which uses Timberlake as a pitch man, said it found the incident was inappropriate but that it will stand by the singer.

An NFL spokesman said it is unlikely that MTV will be asked to produce future halftime shows. MTV is no stranger to producing shows with shock value, most recently making headlines when it broadcast a performance by Madonna (news - web sites) and Britney Spears (news) ending with the pair kissing.

[Howlin]

Hildy is NOT a clueless youngster and she has a right to her personal opinion without YOU slapping her around.

[bobo1]

I called McDonalds, they appreciate my comments and will take them into consideration. "My call is important to them". The lady on the phone said that McDonald's has not made an official statement yet.

It is time to go into action and tie up their phone lines with appropriate pressure to put them in line.

Blessings, bobo1

[T.Smith]

Hold the phone!! I thought it was an accident?! Surely they haven't been lying to us?!?

[cyborg]

I figured on trouble happening when MTV got involved. I watch the Real World and Road Rules and the cast has said that MTV engineers 'incidents of a shocking nature'. They were not complaining about the threesome on MTV that's for sure.

[jtminton]

It does if you are concerned about bringing children up to respect not only others, but themselves. It may be small, but it's just going to be a springboard for more and more. Just wait.

Check out Song of Solomon 2:15. It refers to 'Little Foxes'. When foxes would eat grapes off the vine, the big ones could reach the grapes and would not do that much harm. But the little ones couldn't reach the grapes and would chew on the vines themselves and kill the entire vine. Little things turn into big things pretty often.

[anonymous_user]

So... the black woman who's clothes were torn off by a white man on national television is now to blame.

Where are the feminists and civil rights activists on this one?

[Dutch Boy]

All I'm say is that there is so much finger pointing going on. If they were truely interested in finded what happened they could. I think this stunt is doing exactly what MTV et al intended. People are talking about them. As for airing it on public tv, that is an FCC violation or you would see it every day on broadcast tv. I expect there is no one that actually wants an answer. They want a story.

[thesummerwind]

He'll spill his guts in a heartbeat.......>>>>

What guts? The punk is a pencil-necked cowardly dweeb. He's a loser in the end. Maybe Michael Jackson can serve him with a nice muddy road, fudge factory job.

[LisaMalia]

My question is, does it really deserve that much attention?

Try to see the big picture here. For one thing, this was shown during a sporting event, not on an MTV porn-a-thon. Secondly, what we are seeing now is people finally speaking out about all the garbage that's out there posing as "entertainment".

[D Rider]

Forget the Boob.

That was the worst superbowl show in history. It just wasn't fun.

And what about the commercials, the best commercials of the year run during the superbowl. It's part of the entertainment package. They were crap!

And all those cBS commercials, they were crap. And it looks like the seasons programming is crap, too.

It just wasn't a fun family time, which is a large part of superbowl tradition.

[uvular]

Didn't Ms. Jackson say that it was only supposed to reveal a red lace bra that was underneath?

A red lace bra that has removable cups?? The red lace appeared to be attached to the piece of the 'outfit' Justin had in his hand!

Even if true, what would have been the big whoop over revealing a red bra that they could not have shown MTV, CBS, & NFL execs? And if both of her boobs have those jewelry pieces on them, a lace bra would have been torn apart!

Pepsi is now threatening not to advertise during the next Superbowl. Now is this the same Pepsi that had kids who had been arrested for illegally downloading music, and threatened to keep downloading music??

[thesummerwind]

I can't believe such a scandal has been created because a breast appeard

It's not about a breast being exposed, light weight..........it's about the picture of an act of sexual violence on a woman in front of the eyes of millions of children at the Super Bowl, morooooooooon!!!

Get a life! Keep your foolish perceptions to yourself.

[Geritol]

To me this whole thing is a combination of felonies.

He is performing at the least a paid lewd act by grabbing her there in front of minors.

Next we have specially prepaired clothing that is designed and intended to easily display portions of her anatomy that are not legal to display in that setting. This involved costume designers with or without her knowledge.

Her dance routine seemed designed to not obstruct his movements or the viewers vision of her previously referred to anatomical portions.

And the result was 2 adults performing a sex act for money that involved illegal nudity in front of underage children, which is actionable as child abuse if I remember correctly.

And MTV at least bragged beforehand that something like this would happen.

[GulliverSwift]

"Mommy, do you have a little thingy that comes off, too?"

[thesummerwind]

not clueless, or not a youngster?

Fight your own battles.

[thesummerwind]

Hildy is NOT a clueless youngster and she has a right to her personal opinion without YOU slapping her around.

Did you notice the word "apparently" in my post? I guess not.

Lighten up.

[observer5]

We can always stone her!

[LisaMalia]

I went to their website and submitted my complaint already.

I just did as well. Ironically, I noticed McDonald's website has a "social responsibility" category.

[Barnacle]

CBS sucks. You don't need them. Trust me. I took them off our channel preselect when they slandered the pope last year and never miss it at all.

Boycott Leftist CBS.

[been called a cynic]

lol