Apology issued after M.I.A. flips the finger during Super Bowl show

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Apology issued after M.I.A. flips the finger during Super Bowl show

06/02/12 5,867 Views 23 Comments

A US TV network has been forced to apologise after one of the Super Bowl’s half-time acts extended her middle finger and appeared to say the word shit during her performance.

British singer M.I.A. was in the middle of her contribution to a performance of Madonna’s new single Give Me All Your Luvin when she a raised middle finger.

She was also heard to say a barely disguised expletive: “I don’t give a shit.” Although it wasn’t entirely audible in what appeared to be an attempt by the network to cut it using its time-delay.

The incident can be seen at around 12 seconds into this video:

YouTube: ATownHR23

The incident sparked memories of the now infamous “wardrobe malfunction” during the 2004 Super Bowl half-time show when, in front of tens of millons of viewers, pop star Justin Timberlake ripped away a piece of Janet Jackson’s clothing, exposing her bare nipple.

That incident put then-broadcaster CBS in hot water with the US Federal Communications Commission and last night broadcaster NBC was quick to issue an apology.

“We apologize for the inappropriate gesture that aired during halftime. It was a spontaneous gesture that our delay system caught late,” NBC spokesman Christopher McCloskey told Reuters.

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Comments (23 Comments)

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Falstaff Oldcastle 06/02/12 #

Report this comment 6 164

Seriously who gives a F$$k, it was barely audible and the camera had zoomed out so much that 98% of the audience/viewers wouldn’t have noticed if it wasn’t pointed out to them.

Reply
- rb 06/02/12 #
  
  Report this comment 11 31
  
  HOME OF THE BRAVE M.I.A.
- Simon Power 06/02/12 #
  
  Report this comment 24 48
  
  Falstaff you obviously give a “Fuck” about language censorship since you applied it to your own words…
EM 06/02/12 #

Report this comment 23 169

Americans! *rolls eyes*. They turn a blind eye to crimes their soldiers are committing abroad yet freak out when someone says “shit” on tv. Strange people.

Reply
- Kevin Smyth 06/02/12 #
  
  Report this comment 13 65
  
  You can buy an Uzi, AK47, sniper rifle etc but there’s no bad language or nudity on tv. Not even after midnight. Very strange. I remember seeing ‘Boyz n the Hood’, on tv, in the US, at 18:00. They cut out all the bad language and violence, obviously, so the film was butchered. They would have done the exact same had it been on at 23:00. Don’t know why they bothered.
  I remember my spotty teenage nights, channel surfing hoping to find a French film. The men will know what I mean. Great scenery.
  
  btw Who the hell is Mia?
Cathriona Daley 06/02/12 #

Report this comment 29 38

more like a desperate publicity stunt to make a name for herself in pc America. She knew well what she was doing, remember the infamous Janet Jackson performance whilst she was suffering a fledling career and the publicity, tv/magazine interviews she recieved following it? MIA will wake up this morning happy at the column inches and internet hits her portion of the performance will recieve, giving her instant fame in hard to crack America

Reply
- Cathriona Daley 06/02/12 #
  
  Report this comment 19 6
  
  **fledgling***
- John Harrow 06/02/12 #
  
  Report this comment 7 25
  
  Well in fairness MIA is pretty big in America anyway, her albums placed better than in the UK charts and she’s been nominated for 2 grammys and an oscar. If anything this will ruin her in the US. Which is a pity, all something over nothing.
Stephen Maher 06/02/12 #

Report this comment 9 36

This daft story is probably the talk of the networks in the U.S.
What a bunch of damned prudes.
They export some of the most vulgar sex and violence committed to film all around the world, yet when this kind of silliness is beamed into their front rooms they throw their hands up in horror and have a collective canary!!!!
They’re just SO irrational

Reply
- Thomas M Bourke 06/02/12 #
  
  Report this comment 2 12
  
  It’s FCC regulations which the broadcast networks (read non subscription) are legally obligated to follow. Yes it is stupid when you can find worst on the internet or on the subscription channels (e,.g. HBO, Starz etc) but those are the rules they operate under
  
  And if you think back to what RTE wouldn’t show in the 70′s we should be careful throwing stones in the glasshouse *we* are in
- Jerry D. 10/02/12 #
  
  Report this comment 0 0
  
  There is a time and place for certain behaviors and language. She knew that this was neither yet still did it for publicity. Cheap, trashy thing to do.
Eric Foley 06/02/12 #

Report this comment 2 14

ha ha…….I doubt MIA will apologise

I dont think she’ll be taking her leads from the likes of Jackson either……..watch >>

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xd2w3j_m-i-a-born-free-video-official-real_music

Reply
Eoin Meany 06/02/12 #

Report this comment 1 34

Won’t somebody please think of the children!

Reply
Brian Ward 06/02/12 #

Report this comment 2 15

Talk about a storm in a tea cup. Do you mean to tell me that none of the 100 million or so people watching the Supper bowl live don’t use bad language or rude gestures? In the words of Catherine Tates character Nan ” What a load of old shit!”

Reply
Liam Redmond 06/02/12 #

Report this comment 5 10

I love how at the end of the performance, the words “World Peace” are displayed across the pitch, but hey, M.I.A. doesn’t give a shit.

Reply
HELLO SPRUIKER 06/02/12 #

Report this comment 7 28

Poor Americans.
To have to witness this vulgarity.
Their peacemaking troops urinating on dead bodies is o.k.
But this is an atrocity….

Reply
John 06/02/12 #

Report this comment 7 11

This is all about smokescreens. While everyone talks about this, no one talks about how crap the mad-donna was. Brutal she was.

Reply
Derrick Knowles 06/02/12 #

Report this comment 4 5

WOW at Madonna!

Reply
David Conroy 06/02/12 #

Report this comment 2 13

why does Ireland apparently care about the superbowl all of a sudden?

Reply
Chris lynch 06/02/12 #

Report this comment 3 4

Jedward buying a house in LA is more interesting then this story.

Reply
Paul carew 06/02/12 #

Report this comment 1 8

Rubber bandits are doing next years super bowl half time show.

Reply
Carlin Ite 06/02/12 #

Report this comment 0 2

Shallow publicity stunt, nothing more. Ignore these people

Reply
Aleo 06/02/12 #

Report this comment 0 1

Well, there goes our chance of sending Mrs Brown to next year’s Superbowl!

Reply

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Apology issued after M.I.A. flips the finger during Super Bowl show

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