SuperBowl XLVI, Big Highs, Two Notable Lows

SuperBowl XLVI, Big Highs, Two Notable Lows

After weeks of incessant hype which became as tedious as political blatherings and debates, the annual American spectacle, the Super Bowl, is finally over.

For those living under some rock or maybe in Massachusetts, the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots in the forty-sixth edition of the Super Bowl by eking out a 21-17 victory thanks to Tom Coughlin’s coaching, Eli Manning’s unflappability, and Mario Manningham proving he knows where his feet are.

To Giant fans, those were the highest points of Super Bowl XLVI–the only association with Roman numerals most of America’s schoolkids ever get–although there were others, including a typically-amazing halftime show concluding with Madonna vaporized in a cloud of smoke.

Unfortunately, that vaporization was a special effect.

There were no intentional “wardrobe malfunctions” comparable to Janet Jackson’s nipple display during halftime in 2004 but NBC’s did feature the only low moment of the show when the alleged entertainer M.I.A. showed she has even less class than she has talent.

During Madonna’s song “Give Me All Your Luvin,” M.I.A. displayed the middle finger of her left hand and obscenely cursed at either Madonna, at the hundred million children and adults watching the performance, or both.

NBC and the NFL quickly offered explanatory defenses.

NBC disingenuously contended, “It was a spontaneous gesture that our delay system caught late [to bleep].” The network didn’t explain how M.I.A.’s flipping the bird and mouthing an expletive could possibly be interpreted as ”a spontaneous gesture.”

The NFL’s response . . . (Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=12632.)