Walking in the Valley A weekly column for those who live and walk in Silicon Valley by Barbara Dahlgren

Touchdown Column for the week of Feb 8-21, 2004

archives |

printer-friendly version

New England Patriot Tom Brady completed 32 passes and three touchdowns to become the Super Bowl MVP this year. It was a fight to the finish as the Patriots won 32 to 29 over the Carolina Panthers. Unfortunately the only touchdown anyone will remember that football game will be when Justin Timberlake “touched” Janet Jackson’s black leather bustier and “down” it came revealing Janet’s “sunburst” just as he sang the lyrics, “I’ll get you naked by the end of this song.” Touchdown!

How about an instant replay? TiVo, that “one of a kind service that operates a digital video recorder,” said this little event “was the most replayed moment” not just of the Super Bowl but of all TV moments they have ever measured. Of course if you don’t have TiVo you could have seen it replayed again and again on TV as every station showed the clip over and over.

Justin (performing) and Janet (performing) were slated to be on the on the Grammy’s next Sunday night. However, Grammy has said now that Janet’s services will no longer be needed but anything could change. We won’t know for sure until show time. The Grammy’s are usually aired with a five-second delay to cut audio from the live broadcast when felt needed. Now it will use an “enhanced delay” with updated technology that will allow split second video editing as well. (Maybe they can edit out some of those outfits presenters wear that reveal almost as much as Janet did at halftime. Talk about your “wardrobe malfunctions.”) The Grammy producers still “want to enable the artists to be as expressive as they want,” yet have a family friendly show. We may be talking in oxymorons, here.... family friendly artistic expression.

Why all the hoopla? Well, non-cable TV channels are supposed to adhere to FCC (Federal Communication Commission) regulations. They aren’t supposed to air “obscene” material at anytime and nothing “indecent” from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. After all, you have the other one million stations to give you that. Of course, there is quite a bit of interpretation to be had with words like “obscene” and “indecent” nowadays. Times change. What was once considered “obscene” and “indecent” is now acceptable TV viewing as witnessed by most sitcoms and certain commercials. I’m not sure if the halftime festivities fell into the “obscene” or “indecent” category but it did mess with America’s favorite pastime. Football!

Janet Jackson said it was a “last minute stunt that went awry.” Justin Timberlake said it was a “wardrobe malfunction.” The public isn’t buying either story. Janet’s choreographer, Gil Duldulao, posted the following on MTV.com before the Super Bowl: “I don’t think the Super Bowl has ever seen a performance like this. There are some shocking moments in there, too.” Justin laughingly commented on Access Hollywood, "Hey, man, we love giving you all something to talk about." As the week wears on both seem to grow a little more contrite.

Robert Peter, president of Morality in Media (another oxymoron.... moral media?) said the incident was a “national disgrace.” The NFL, CBS, and MTV all feign innocence and apologize. Justin and Janet apologize, too, but aren’t sticking to the “I’m innocent” approach as much. The FCC promise an investigation and possible fines. That should really hurt the entertainment industry.... like they can’t afford to pay a fine?

Unfortunately, to get attention entertainers have to go a little further to get the shock value they need to keep everyone talking about them. The problem with shock value is that it loses its value unless you can continue to up the ante so to speak. Everything must be more outrageous, more disgusting, more degrading, more demoralizing, or more shocking to get attention. (Philippians 4:5)

It’s a sad state of affair for our country but the entertainment industry sets the standards. Whatever entertainers do seems to carry some hidden stamp of approval, especially for our young people who look up to them. A case in point is to witness how much bisexual activity in schools increased after Christina, Madonna, and Brittany smacked lips. Do Jackson and Timberlake care how many young people were watching their little escapade? I think not. As they say in show biz, “As long as they spell my name right, I’ll take all the publicity I can get!” But they probably care that this little stunt may have backfired. It might be one “touchdown” that doesn’t score winning points for either player.

Be sure to visit this page every week to read the next edition of Walking in the Valley. You can write to the author at bdahlgren@wcgsouthbay.org.