Moments' 01.28.2004 3:21 PM EST
HOUSTON — The Super Bowl means just as much to the entertainment world as it does to those who follow sports.
As the big game approaches, one of the top questions along with "Who's going to win?" is "What will Janet Jackson be doing at the halftime show?" But Janet isn't the only celebrity cutie who'll be catching eyes during the MTV-produced AOL Top Speed Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime performance Sunday. Jessica Simpson has just been added to the festivities.
MTV's 12-minute program will commence with a short film, and then one half of the world's most popular newlyweds will call for the party to start. From there the Houston native will hand it over to fellow hometown favorites Texas Southern University and the University of Houston. The TSU Ocean of Soul marching band and the UH Spirit of Houston Cougar marching band will unite as one, coming with their instruments blaring and feet stomping, leading the way for Ms. Jackson.
Although the bands have different styles — with TSU moving with a pump-and-drive, high-knee marching style and U of H using the more traditional heel-to-toe method — they've been able to meet in the middle.
"It's working out fine," affirmed TSU Band Director Richard F. Lee. "We have two different styles but we move the same distance at the same time; eight steps every five yards." Lee and UH band director David Bertman will share the reins on Sunday.
After seeing videotapes of the bands, Jackson was eager to work with both squads so she could bring something new to the table for her halftime performance.
"Me and Janet thought it would be great to change one of our numbers and introduce a drum line into our routine," Jackson's choreographer, Gil Duldulao, said Tuesday. "This is different because I know a lot of band members aren't dancers. So I'm happy to have the time beforehand to teach and sort of lead them in the direction that I feel is perfect for what we're doing onstage."
Janet will be backed by 26 dancers, 360 regular band members and a 60-person drum line. Each school has an equal amount of people playing.
"I don't think the Super Bowl has ever seen a performance like this," Duldulao added. "The dancing is great. She's more stylized, she's more feminine, she's more a woman as she dances this time around. There are some shocking moments in there too. It's a lot of pressure, there's so many creative people and creative artists, you want to make sure everything is different, and I think she's going to do that. She's doing her job well."
In addition to Jackson and Simpson, P. Diddy, Nelly and Kid Rock will also perform at halftime.
Nelly is one of the flyest rappers in the game, but he doesn't like to fly. His tour bus pulled into Houston early Wednesday morning, completing the journey all the way from Los Angeles. Don't expect P. Diddy to travel like his Midwestern friend. Diddy, who's known for his affinity for jets, is scheduled to arrive in Houston Wednesday to rehearse with his "Shake Ya Tailfeather" co-star. The pair have a few tricks up their sleeves for the halftime bonanza, one of which is a remix like you've never heard before.
Kid Rock isn't kidding around when it comes to his workload. Even though the boisterous bad boy has been on tour, Kid has still been making time to practice for Sunday's big show. The hip-rocker has a concert Wednesday night (January 28), but he'll shake off any fatigue and hit Houston on Thursday for his next round of rehearsals.
There's going to be some serious partying going on in Houston this week. P. Diddy, Beyoncé, R. Kelly, Cam'ron, Snoop Dogg, Dame Dash and the Roc-A-Fella family, Russell Simmons, EA Sports, Magic Johnson, Lil' Flip and Janet Jackson are just a few of the names throwing fiestas this week.
Super Bowl XXXVIII will air live from Houston's Reliant Stadium on Sunday. Coverage begins at 9 a.m. ET with the special "MTV's TRL at the Super Bowl."
For more on the weekend festivities, check out MTV Super Bowl Weekend.
"I am sorry that anyone was offended by the wardrobe malfunction during the halftime performance of the Super Bowl," (Justin) Timberlake said in a statement. "It was not intentional and is regrettable."
Source:Comcast.net, Monday, February 2, 2004
The chief federal regulator of broadcasting said Monday he was outraged by the Super Bowl halftime show in which Justin Timberlake tore off part of Janet Jackson's costume, exposing her breast, and said he was ordering an immediate investigation.
Timberlake blamed a "wardrobe malfunction," but Federal Communications Commission chief Michael Powell called it "a classless, crass and deplorable stunt."
MTV, which produced the show, and CBS, which broadcast it, both said they had no idea that their halftime show Sunday night would include such a display.
"CBS deeply regrets the incident," spokeswoman LeslieAnne Wade said.
The two singers were performing a flirtatious duet to end the halftime show, with Timberlake singing, "Rock Your Body," and the lines he sang at the moment of truth were: "I'm gonna have you naked by the end of this song."
With that, Timberlake reached across Jackson's leather gladiator outfit and pulled off the covering to her right breast, which was partially obscured by a sun-shaped, metal nipple decoration.
The network quickly cut away from the shot, and did not mention the exposure on the air.
In a statement, Powell 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."
He told the commission to open an investigation, promising it would be "thorough and swift." Such an investigation could result in a fine of up to $27,500 or - if the FCC applied the sanction to each CBS station - in the millions.
Messages left with Jackson's record company and her personal publicist were not returned Monday morning.
The FCC has come under fire from lawmakers and outside groups who say the agency hasn't done enough to shield the public from indecent programming on radio and TV.
Legislation has been introduced in Congress to increase by 10-fold the $27,500 maximum fine that the FCC can levy for indecency. The Bush administration has endorsed the bill raising the fine to $275,000. The agency itself has said it may start issuing the fine per incident rather than per program, and is talking about revoking licenses.
Last month, the FCC proposed a $755,000 fine against Clear Channel Communications for the "Bubba the Love Sponge" program that aired multiple times on four of its Florida radio stations. The fine was a record for a single complaint. The largest cumulative fine for indecency was $1.7 million paid by Infinity Broadcasting in 1995 for various violations by Howard Stern.
MTV, CBS' corporate cousin in Viacom, issued an apology, saying the incident was "unrehearsed, unplanned, completely unintentional and was inconsistent with assurances we had about the content of the performance."
Timberlake said he did not intend to expose Jackson's breast.
"I am sorry that anyone was offended by the wardrobe malfunction during the halftime performance of the Super Bowl," Timberlake said in a statement. "It was not intentional and is regrettable."
Wade said CBS officials attended rehearsals of the show all week, "and there was no indication any such thing would happen. The moment did not conform to CBS' broadcast standards and we would like to apologize to anyone who was offended."
The show also featured P. Diddy, Nelly and Kid Rock.
NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue called the conduct "offensive, embarrassing to us and our fans, and inappropriate."
"We will change our policies, our people and our processes before the next Super Bowl to ensure that this entertainment is far more effectively dealt with," he said.
Joe Browne, NFL executive vice president, said earlier that it was "unlikely that MTV will produce another Super Bowl halftime."
Over-the-air television channels cannot air "obscene" material at any time and cannot air "indecent" material between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. The FCC defines obscene material as describing sexual conduct "in a patently offensive way" and lacking "serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value." Indecent material is not as offensive but still contains references to sex or excretions.
In an interview posted on MTV.com in the days before the show, Jackson's choreographer, Gil Duldulao, talked about the show, saying: "She's more stylized, she's more feminine, she's more a woman as she dances this time around. There are some shocking moments in there too."
MTV Statement on Super Bowl XXXVIII Halftime Incident Sunday February 1, 11:03 pm ET
HOUSTON, Feb. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The tearing of Janet Jackson's costume was unrehearsed, unplanned, completely unintentional and was inconsistent with assurances we had about the content of the performance. MTV regrets this incident occurred and we apologize to anyone who was offended by it.
Source: MTV