Jackson overexposure: TV feels heat
Awards shows go to audio, video delay; stars ponder act
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Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson perform Sunday at the Super Bowl.
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(CNN) -- The revealing of Janet Jackson's breast during the Super Bowl halftime show has had far-reaching consequences for the broadcast television networks, two major awards shows and the highly rated program "ER" -- as well as for the singer and co-star Justin Timberlake.
• Jackson's publicist said she may back out of Sunday's Grammy Awards, scheduled to air on CBS. (See story) Jackson reportedly had been scheduled to introduce a tribute to ailing singer Luther Vandross. She has apologized for the Super Bowl exposure. (See story)
• Timberlake on Wednesday said he believed only Jackson's bustier would be revealed when he pulled at her costume. He added that his family was "offended by what happened."
• CBS has placed both audio and video on a delay for the Grammys. (See story) ABC announced it would do the same thing for the Oscars, scheduled for February 29. (See story)
• NBC has trimmed a glimpse of an 80-year-old's breasts during an emergency procedure from Thursday's night's episode of "ER," according to The Associated Press. The network said Wednesday it had "unfortunately concluded that the atmosphere created by this week's events has made it too difficult for many of our affiliates to air this shot." "ER" executive producer John Wells was angered by the move. (See story)
• The NFL has replaced one of Timberlake's 'N Sync band mates, JC Chasez, in Sunday's Pro Bowl halftime show. The new halftime plan is for a Hawaiian extravaganza featuring hula dancers, drummers, conch shell blowers and local singers, the AP reports.
Timberlake offered a statement to Los Angeles, California, station KCBS-TV on the controversy Wednesday.
"I do understand that there were a lot of people that were completely offended by what happened, including my own family. And I think that's probably the part that's frustrating the most for me, and it's completely, completely, completely, regrettable," he told KCBS-TV outside the Staples Center, where he was rehearsing for the Grammys.
Timberlake said he received a call before the show from Jackson and her choreographer saying they wanted to do a "costume reveal."
"Now I was under the impression that what was going to be revealed in the costume reveal was a red brassiere, bustier," he said.
Timberlake said he didn't have time to rehearse it before taking the stage and was stunned by the outcome.
"I mean I was completely shocked and appalled, and all I could say was 'Oh my God, Oh my God,' " he said.
CBS facing investigation; MTV deal called off
Jackson apologized for the surprise breast-baring during the halftime show.
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The Federal Communications Commission has launched an investigation, and FCC Chairman Michael Powell said he did not believe the breast exposure was an accident.
Powell said MTV and the CBS network's 16 owned-and-operated stations and more than 200 affiliated stations conceivably could be fined $27,000 apiece.
MTV has suffered other fallout as well. The school board in Laguna Beach, California, voted unanimously Wednesday to forbid the network to build a reality show around the lives of its high school students, according to the AP
Board members had tentatively approved the deal last week. It would have given the district as much as $40,000, plus royalties for college scholarships, the AP reported.
The deal was nixed after the board faced opposition from angry parents. "The tenor of the landscape has changed in light of the events during the Super Bowl," school board member Bob Whalen told the news service.
The NFL was also upset by MTV's halftime show, saying the network, which has produced halftime shows for the Super Bowl in the past, will never work again for the sports league.
The one-second flashing revealed Jackson's right breast clad only in a sun-shaped nipple covering to some 89 million viewers.
Copyright 2004 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
