M.I.A. Gives the Finger to the Camera During the Super Bowl Halftime Show
During the Super Bowl halftime show yesterday, M.I.A. made a guest appearance during Madonna's performance of her new single "Give Me All Your Luvin".
And as M.I.A. wrapped up her verse, she gave the Middle Finger to the camera.
People have reacted to this in a muted version of the reaction to Janet Jackson's halftime nipple eight years ago. NBC says M.I.A. didn't do it in rehearsal and it was, "completely inappropriate" - but this hasn't been the story, like Janet.
CBS was fined $500,000 for Janet's nipple. There's no word yet on whether NBC will be hit with a fine over this finger.
Both NBC and the NFL released statements. NBC said,
"We apologize for the inappropriate gesture that aired during halftime. It was a spontaneous gesture that our delay system caught late".
And according to the NFL,
"There was a failure in NBC's delay system. The obscene gesture in the performance was completely inappropriate, very disappointing, and we apologize to our fans."
M.I.A. also might've dropped an S-bomb as she stuck up the middle finger - her line went, "I don't give a [shhh]" . . . although that word seemed to have been drowned out by the background music.
If you've been reading this whole thing and wondering, "Wait, who the hell is M.I.A.?", she's the British singer who had that huge hit "Paper Planes" a few years back. She also performed it at the Grammys while nine months pregnant back in 2009.
She hasn't had a big hit since and has kinda dropped out of relevance, so maybe this middle finger was her effort to be less . . . wait for it . . . M.I.A.
M.I.A. is known for being brash and goes against the grain of what’s popular, so we’re not shocked that she decided to do something that many consider rude. It has generated a whole bunch of interest in her and with a new album due out this year, she certainly turned up the heat on her own familiarity in the public. We can’t help but wonder if she got a stern talking to courtesy of Madonna, since she stole the spotlight on Madge’s set.
It also begs the question: Will the NFL make an effort to offer an even more controlled and sanitized halftime show by hiring older talent that play instruments and won’t be apt to do something like give the finger to the camera?
Watch M.I.A Give the Bird During the Super Bowl 2012 Halftime Performance