Oh, grow up, America

Oh, grow up, America
: I would say this is getting ludicrous but, of course, it already was. It’s getting ludicrouser and ludicrouser….

The NFL is changing the Pro Bowl’s halftime show because of Janet Jackson’s breast-baring at the Super Bowl.

Singer J.C. Chasez was dumped from the program at Sunday’s all-star game in Hawaii after fellow N’Sync member Justin Timberlake’s stunt with Jackson at the championship game.

The new Pro Bowl halftime plan includes hula dancers, drummers, conch shell blowers and local singers.

And that will be a big hit! Maybe the hula dancers should wear body suits and lots of grass. And the drummers better not use sexy jungle rhythms. And I don’t know, but doesn’t blowing a conch sound downright obscene?

Jeesh. Buddy Holly died 45 years ago this week. You’d think we’d have learned how to deal with sex ‘n’ rock ‘n’ roll by now.

: And what’s wrong with this picture: Janet Jackson is getting banned from the public airwaves and Michael Jackson isn’t…

13 responses to “Oh, grow up, America”

  1. Twn Avatar

    Jeff, I know where you’re coming from, but — maybe it’s Janet, Justin, MTV, Kid Rock et al that should “grow up”.
    I’m kind of surprised that the saga of Janet’s teat has the legs it’s shown (heh). There must be a good bit of public anger for it to get this far — I don’t think it can all be laid at the feet of self-appointed moral nannies.
    At this point I don’t think it was the tit that offended so much as it was the attitude. Maybe people are just tired of lame “transgressive” behavior, and tired of being patronized.
    Janet really did steal the british streaker’s thunder. That’s just good clean fun!!

  2. Jeff B. Avatar

    Wait a freakin’ second here – they’re angry at the effrontery of Justin Timberlake, and they punish HIS BANDMATE? Who had absolutely nothing to do with this mess, doesn’t have nearly as successful a solo career, and has now just gotten dicked over for no reason whatsoever? That’s just rotten.

  3. anne.elk Avatar

    It’s still not clear to me how your policies differ from CBS. You don’t permit the “f” word to be spelled out on your blog, and you’ve said that’s because you don’t want your son to see it. Why shouldn’t CBS be equally worried about children?
    CBS does play lots of prurient, close to the edge material, but then again, you may not spell out the “f” word, but you frequently write, “f” this, and “f” that yourself.
    Please elucidate.

  4. Randal Robinson Avatar

    Personally I’m all for banning N’Sync members from ever getting anywhere near a microphone again although I wouldn’t go as far as removing their vocal cords. Maybe.

  5. Reid Avatar

    “Buddy Holly died 45 years ago this week. You’d think we’d have learned how to deal with sex ‘n’ rock ‘n’ roll by now”
    Well, we started by not being able to show Elvis on TV from the waist down, and have “progressed” to not being able to show Janet Jackson on TV from the waist up.
    As for the changes in the half time game for the Pro Bowl, that’s pure business due diligence. The NFL, a multi-billion dollar corporation, has just taken a fairly large hit, even a financial one, since AOL now wants some of their halftime sponsorship money back. What corporation that had just gotten burned by a certain circumstance would immediately place themselves at the same risk?
    Other than CBS, I mean (they really need to just swear off the Jackson family)

  6. stubby Avatar

    If this helps bring about the end of crappy halftime shows then I say God bless ya, Janet.
    I guess Justin should be calling her Miss Jackson now. Or is her first name about to be Formerpopstar?
    And St. John the Baptist on a Harley, I agree with anne.elk about something.

  7. Seth Finkelstein Avatar

    Michael Jackson is one of those superstars where his career can only be hurt, as the saying goes, by being caught in bed with a live boy or … Err, perhaps we shouldn’t go there :-)
    But Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake messed with THE PRODUCT, and in TV executive terms, that’s an even worse sin.

  8. gmroper Avatar

    Jeff, I disagree with most folks and think the bared boob via the boob tube was just plain old crass.
    But, and this occurred to me 10 minutes after the the boob was exposed, you don’t suppose that CBS did this in the full knowledge that their upcoming Grammy’s will be to a massive TV audiance do you? Nah, no one is thatratings and money (from the sale of commercial time) hungry are they?

  9. The Lonewacko Blog Avatar

    They’ve screwed over J.C. too?!?! This has gone too far.
    Please, please sign the petition to CBS and the Grammy’s: The unfortunate incident at the Big Game was just that: an unfortunate incident. As Janet and Justin have stated time and time again, it was simply due to an equipment malfunction. Janet and Justin would not attempt to sully America’s enjoyment of the Big Game in any way… Let Justin and Janet – America’s top and beloved Superstars – express themselves at the upcoming Grammy Awards free of hindrance, delay, or other restriction!

  10. henrycopeland Avatar

    Monsieur Jeff — mocking American prudery and hypocrisy, you are starting to sound positively French.

  11. Mike Avatar

    Right Jeff as if her cheesey ploy for some controversy and promotion was so ooooooooooooooh “cutting edge”. Man fight the power for your right to be a cheesey self promoting egotistical cheeseball.
    You gotta fight for your right to be cheeeseyyyyyy
    The incident had no place in the halftime show. Its simply bad taste and ridiculous. Little girls don’t need to be emulating that either. Its all about trying to gain fame and sell records, not some statement about the FCC.
    Maybe we can start a crusade –
    “Fight for Janet and Justin”
    “Fight for Janet and Justin at the Emmy’s”
    2 Cheeeeeeeeeeseballs.
    Mike

  12. Mike Avatar

    Also she announces a big surprise at the halftime show ahead of time and then she says it wasn’t preplanned and MTV didn’t know about it………..
    LMAO……..
    Yeah OK……..

  13. Doctor Slack Avatar
    Doctor Slack

    Monsieur Jeff — mocking American prudery and hypocrisy, you are starting to sound positively French.
    Ahhh, I was waiting for the “France is evil” meme to work itself in somewhere. You see, my theory is that France actually planned the whole incident to undermine the war effort in Iraq, in the culmination of a lengthy plot by the evil “Black Jacques Chirac.” American troopers who saw the split second of exposed boob have now had their morale, nay, their very decency and the substance of their humanity crushed out of them by writhing pagan wickedness. And isn’t that what France is really all about?
    I agree with Henry, and the implications of this are plain. Jeff Jarvis, it’s clear that you are anti-war, anti-America, anti- Our Side, and pro-Osama. The boob incident has made it all clear…