Who knew? The FCC is still investigating NippleGate (via):
The FCC has reasserted its power to regulate fleeting nudity and says it wants to further investigate “whether CBS’ indecency violation [in the Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake Super Bowl reveal] was willful.”
“The evidence in this case strongly suggests that CBS had access to video delay technology at the time of the 2004 Super Bowl,” the commission said Tuesday in a brief to the Third Circuit Appeals Court in the Janet Jackson Super Bowl reveal case. The FCC asked the court to remand the decision back to the FCC so it could investigate further its assertion that the violation was “willful.”
Maybe there was a second nipple on the grassy knoll.
freelancer
or her shirt was a controlled demolition
Makewi
Of course it was willful. Slap them on the wrist for public nudity during prime time and get on with your lives. I’d say a $5 fine should cover it.
Zifnab
Christ on a crutch, can’t they just get subscriptions to a skin mag or surf the internet like normal people?
Brachiator
Why hasn’t Obama replaced every dumb ass on the FCC?
Martin
CBS *may* have had access? Shit, they could have done a 360 degree bullet-time shot of the nipple if they wanted.
Maybe they should investigate whether Fox News has access to 60 minute video delay technology every time Glenn Beck goes on. Surely a greater offense is being committed there.
LD50
If the FCC can’t find anything better than this to spend its time on, then clearly it has way too many employees and way too much money.
arguingwithsignposts
@freelancer:
Win!
DougJ:
Win!
a) have you been saving those up, or did they just come to you. b) We may not have enough Internets to go around today.
Laura W
When is Obama going to give his opinion on Janet’s part in this?
DougJ
a) have you been saving those up, or did they just come to you.
I’ve been saving that title up for at least a year now.
DougJ
When is Obama going to give his opinion on Janet’s part in this?
Good point.
BeccaM
So does that mean five years from now, they’ll still be investigating that Fox-affiliate news-anchor guy who blurted, “You keep f***ing that chicken!” live on the air?
Sputnik_Sweetheart
It. Happened. Five. Years. Ago.
Seriously, let it go people.
ellaesther
Ok, clearly there ain’t gonna be no open thread for the Jews before we head off into Rosh HaShana land, SO, I will say this here and now!
SHANA TOVA!! I wish all of my Balloon Juicers, Jewish and non-, a very, very good new year, full of peace, and justice, and all right things. And cats, and dogs, and love, and sweetness.
Thanks you guys! You’re part of what makes my day-t0-day good!
Martin
My professional opinion, having seen Michelle speak a number of times, is that he’s smart enough to NEVER give his opinion on that particular topic.
Obama: “Janet Jackson? Never heard of her.”
Reporter: “You know, at the Superbowl…”
Obama: “Superbowl? Never heard of it.”
MattF
Problem is that the FCC gets its knowledge of female anatomy from Victoria’s Secret catalogs and was unaware of the existence of nipples until five years ago.
JK
On the day Michael Jackson died, the network newscasts of ABC, CBS, and NBC spent something like 16 or 17 minutes discussing his death. For a week or 10 days, the 3 cable news channels devoted virtual wall to wall coverage of Michael Jackson’s death and ancillary issues such as the custody of his children. This was a gross dereliction of duty by broadcast media that was far more obscene and objectionable than the exposure of Janet Jackson’s breast. If the FCC wants to investigate something, why don’t they focus on this horrendous abdication of serving the public interest?
arguingwithsignposts
@DougJ:
Sorry, I was specifically talking about the “grassy knoll” punchline.
Do you have a file, or something, with potential titles. Were you a headline writer for the NY Post in a past life?
mellowjohn
so further investigation is warranted on nipplegate, but delving deeper into cheney’s torture program will make future torturers think reluctant to participate?
good to know.
arguingwithsignposts
OT, but Old Crow Medicine Show and Gillian Welch and David Rawlings do “The Weight.”
Hob
That post title is a thing of beauty.
freelancer
@arguingwithsignposts:
Sometimes I’m a jackass just for the snark. Now if I could get “Won’t get fooled again” to start playing after I snap a pithy line out, put my sunglasses on and walk away, I could get my own TV deal.
arguingwithsignposts
@ellaesther:
Wishing you the best as well.
arguingwithsignposts
@freelancer:
Yes, I agree. I used to joke that I wished I had a horn section that would follow me around all the time to punctuate my sentences like James Brown or something. It would be nice.
JK
@Brachiator:
My understanding of FCC appointments is that Obama can only nominate 3 of them. I think the FCC is supposed to be 3-2 in terms of party affiliation with the 3 representing the party of the sitting president.
The Bearded Blogger
@ 16… The media serves the public interest? who knew?
@ 18 If there had been exposed nipples in Cheney’s torture program, maybe they’d investigate it…
JK
@BeccaM:
The anchor you’re referring to is Ernie Anastos.
We New Yorkers have an annual tradition whereby an anchor of one of the local newscasts will say FUCK on the air. Last year, it was Sue Simmons of WNBC. This year it was Ernie Anastos. I can’t wait to see who does it next year.
arguingwithsignposts
@JK:
Do you have a betting pool as well?
Mike in NC
Yay! Our tax dollars at work!
General Winfield Stuck
Aunt Millie Whitehead of the Kansas Church of the Pentecostal Jeevus Beavers says that nipple needs the bidness side of Gideon’s Sword.
Zifnab
@JK: Now that Obama is in the White House, when are they going to bring back Arrested Development?
JK
@arguingwithsignposts:
No, but that’s a very good idea.
DougJ
Do you have a file, or something, with potential titles.
Pretty much. I’m a shallow person so I like titles more than posts themselves.
gocart mozart
“Of course it was willful. Slap them on the wrist for public nudity during prime time and get on with your lives. I’d say a $5 fine should cover it.”
OMG I agree with Makewi. Treat it like a parking ticket. If only Makewi could get his wingnut friends to go along.
MattF
@DougJ
It’s well-known that the headlines in the Onion are written first, and the articles are written to fit the headlines– so you’re in good company.
trollhattan
@19 arguing…
That’s terrific. Have you heard her rendition of “White Rabbit” from this year’s Newport Folk Festival? She never ceases to amaze.
Why, oh why, does the Preznit not set those FCC asswipes straight?
gocart mozart
And Obama, get rid of the Bush holdovers in the FCC for Chrissakes. I say this as a devout Chrissakian.
Donald G
As my then nine-year old daughter exclaimed during the controversy five years ago, “It’s only a breast. What’s the big deal?”
General Winfield Stuck
I think the wingnuts need to pay a fine for this and making us live thru their repressed autoerotic Victorian fantasies of forbidden nookie. It gives my a headache and I want some payback.
arguingwithsignposts
@trollhattan:
Had not heard it. Apparently she’s been doing it for a while. I had a discussion once about Welch’s covers of old-time gospel songs and asked if she was a Christian. The consensus was that Bluegrass was so influenced by gospel music that even if one weren’t a Christian, one would need to “hat tip” to the tradition. Course, she does do some damn fine covers of those trad. gospel tunes.
Calouste
“Get government out of my television!”
(Ok, somehow I don’t think that the teabagger movement will be that consistent that they are going to make the case that teabagging should be allowed to be shown live on daytime TV.)
Laura W
@DougJ:Pretty much. I’m a shallow person so I like titles more than posts themselves.
Once you’ve nailed your title, the next 1,000 words are fluff, right, DougJ? I like your style:
[Alvy addresses a pair of strangers on the street]
Alvy Singer: Here, you look like a very happy couple, um, are you?
Female street stranger: Yeah.
Alvy Singer: Yeah? So, so, how do you account for it?
Female street stranger: Uh, I’m very shallow and empty and I have no ideas and nothing interesting to say.
Male street stranger: And I’m exactly the same way.
Alvy Singer: I see. Wow. That’s very interesting. So you’ve managed to work out something?
SiubhanDuinne
@ellaesther: L’shana tova tikasevu. Gut yontif!
Nutella
They usually travel in pairs. h/t Woody Allen
JK
@Laura W:
Win
Svensker
@The Bearded Blogger:
@ 18 If there had been exposed nipples in Cheney’s torture program, maybe they’d investigate it…
Yes. This.
Svensker
@arguingwithsignposts:
OT, but Old Crow Medicine Show and Gillian Welch and David Rawlings do “The Weight.”
A dang fine version of a great song. Still, my favorite is Mavis Staples doing it with The Band in The Last Waltz.
Morbo
Can we get the FCC to investigate Gitmo and Bagram then?
wlrube
Why don’t we call a spade a spade and start referring to the FCC as the Mutaween?
John O
Doug, that was very funny.
Your tax dollars in action. Perhaps we’ll get a bagger-esque protest out of it.
Desert Rat
@Zifnab:
This was kind of my thought. Damn, I think that shot of Janet’s exposed, sagging 40-something boob has been watched and rewatched more than the friggin’ Zapruder film.
Bob In Pacifica
Rushbo says it’s another reason to have segregated halftime shows.
Steeplejack
DougJ:
Nabokov. Really? Dude.
tc125231
@Zifnab: My hero! A perfect summary of this foolishness.
tc125231
@LD50: Also completely on target.
Maus
let’s spend millions on this
Wile E. Quixote
I was watching that SuperBowl and I don’t even remember seeing the nipple. OK, we weren’t really paying much attention during the half-time show, we went outside to smoke and play with the dog but I didn’t even know about the controversy until it was bought up the next day by the thousands of sex-obsessed morons who had nothing better to do with their time than obsessively go through Jackson’s dance routine frame by frame with their TiVOs to find a glimpse of tit. The fauxtrage expressed over this the next day was just one more reason why I think it should be legal to hunt and kill conservatives.
CodpieceWatch
A tassle-covered boob that was shown for a split second not acceptable, but it’s A-OK to show horny couples in bathtubs, Bob’s wife smiling because he takes penis enlargers, and to subject us to those idiotic ExtenZe commercials.
If everyone’s so worried about what to tell the children about the boob, how in the hell are they explaining what that couple is going to do after they get out of their bathtubs or why the guy has to go to the ER after 4 hours?
This country is messed up.
Chris Johnson
Nipples are BEST when they are wilful :)
DougL
The magic phrase that comes to mind is: “Sometimes you need to just keep walking…”
Derelict Dog
I’m sure that at least seven former CIA directors will send a letter to the White House asserting that this issue was already decided and that no further criminal investigations are necessary. I’m sure the technicians responsible were acting under color of law based upon memos written by politically-appointed lawyers in the DOJ.
That being said, both my children are still receiving psychiatric care as a result of the Near-Breast-Trauma Incident, and my wife still won’t take off her bra without complete darkness…
Bombs'R-Nuts
@ The Bearded Blogger
AG Ashcroft threw a curtain over the violating statues under his reign, making us all safe from the evil of nipples.
usatoday.com/news/nation/2002/01/29/statues.htm
Roger
They do not want to go back in time to investigate whether the last executive branch violated international law, treaties signed decades ago, our Constitution or domestic domestic law, but they want to go back to check whether the uncovering of a nipple was Where are the priorities?
“I do not believe you are serious!” – John McEnroe
DougJ
Nabokov. Really? Dude.
You don’t like Nabokov?
Bonncaruso
Oh, my, this is a certain case of people with way TOO MUCH TIME on their hands….