14 DAY TRIAL // At this year's Super Bowl, Madonna, the Halftime performer, was on her best behavior but not the same can be said about one of the acts that came out to support her, rapper M.I.A. For flipping the bird to the camera, she may have to pay the fine out of her own pocket.
As we also informed you yesterday, during Madonna's 13-minute Halftime show, at the end of her verse on the Queen of Pop's “Give Me All Your Luvin',” M.I.A. looked straight into the camera and then flipped the bird.
NBC rushed to censor the gesture but was obviously too late. It later apologized, as also did the NFL, with both parties throwing the blame back and forth with each other.
TMZ is now reporting that, should the FCC decide the gesture calls for a fine in the manner of the one handed out years ago when Janet Jackson's breast was exposed, it could be M.I.A. left footing the bill.
The e-zine claims to have it on good authority that both NBC and the NFL took measures to prevent this kind of “mishaps.”
Said measures probably included an agreement stating that, in the eventuality the mishaps occurred, the artist would be the only one held accountable.
“Our sources say, the NFL has indemnified NBC... because the NFL is responsible for the halftime content. But the NFL was smart, given the history of performers who wanted to do something shocking to get attention during the biggest TV event of the year,” TMZ writes.
“So we're told, M.I.A. signed a contract with the NFL for the halftime performance, and in that contract M.I.A. agreed to indemnify the NFL for any money it might be forced to pay if the FCC comes down on the Peacock Network,” the report further argues.
This was a clear case of a lesson well learned, stemming from the Janet Jackson debacle. It's also NFL's way of telling performers it's no longer willing to pick up the pieces after them.
“Sources tell us, aside from the fact that the NFL doesn't want to pay a huge fine, the organization wants to send a message to performers – don't you dare [mess] with us,” TMZ writes.
Admittedly, Madonna too had this clause in her contract.
While both NBC and NFL have apologized for the obscene gesture, the rapper who caused all this ruckus is keeping very mum.
Her people, though, have spoken to the Daily Mail on the condition of anonymity, stressing that flipping the bird at the camera wasn't planned: it just came to M.I.A. in the spur of the moment, mostly because of nerves and the adrenaline.
