I thought we were seeing a toned down show. Kid Rock had changed his lyrics from “I can smell a pig from a mile away” to “Proud to be living in the USA”. All the hits were old. Even the stars weren’t that current. It seemed like a MTV had phoned it in.

Then with the breast thing.

What were they thinking? The show was over. They didn’t need a show-stopping move, and if they wanted one, that wasn’t it. I mean, it was, but more in the way of “Did I just see what I think I saw?” Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against a little topless entertainment, but on the 50 yard line of the Super Bowl? Not appropriate. Tasteless.

Now everyone’s trying to spin it. CBS, MTV, and Justin Timberlake have each apologized. But I don’t buy it. They’re even qualifying it with, “Well, she had a pasty on.” No, she didn’t. That was no pasty, it was jewelry. And it wasn’t designed for modesty.

I have to laugh over the people who paid to watch the Lingerie Bowl hoping to see a bra get ripped off, while Janet’s giving it away for free on the network.

They had promised shocking moments, and now they’re apologizing, saying that they didn’t know that was going to happen. I think producers have confused what shocking means. People don’t want to be shocked. They want to be surprised. Shocking has elements of either fear or revulsion in it. Fine for a slasher movie, but not for the Super Bowl half-time show. What people hope for is surprise, like an unannounced big star covering their latest hit. What they got instead was a little star covering nothing.

And why all the old songs? I feel bad for Jessica Simpson who only got to signal the start of the show. Jessica’s trying to promote a new song, while Janet got to sing a song that was 15 years old. Janet’s new material doesn’t come out for another 2 months.

So to sum up, we were promised shocking, and we got a greatest hits tour of the 90’s and a breast flash.

CBS says that it is unlikely that MTV will produce another halftime show. Good. Not because it was “shocking”, but because I think someone can do better.

I bet next year’s headliner is Alan Jackson.