Halftime 'shock' is mere overexposure

Who's the real boob here?

Is it Janet Jackson, who, perhaps feeling the need to compete with the scantily clad likes of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, allowed Justin Timberlake to expose her breast during Sunday's overstuffed Super Bowl halftime show?

Is it CBS for allowing MTV to produce the performance and then being shocked -- shocked -- that part of the show crossed the bounds of good taste and good sense?

Or is it the 90 million viewers who got duped into yet another dopey publicity stunt right out of the same cynical playbook that produced last year's Spears-Madonna smooch at the MTV Video Music Awards?

Federal Communications Commission chief Michael Powell called the Jackson moment "a classless, crass, and deplorable stunt" and promised a "thorough and swift investigation."

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who said the halftime show was "offensive, embarrassing to us and our fans, and inappropriate," said the league would change its "policies, our people, and our processes" to ensure a more suitable event in the future. And NFL executive vice president Joe Browne added, "It is unlikely that MTV will produce another Super Bowl halftime."

All the principals involved issued quick apologies: CBS claimed the moment "did not conform" to the network's "broadcast standards," while Timberlake insisted Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" was "not intentional."

But don't let all these regrets fool you. It's hard to believe Jackson's revealing finale was spontaneous, as under her breakaway leather bustier she was wearing what appeared to be a large sunburst pastie. In fact, her whole performance with Timberlake looked like an audition for a "Girls Gone Wild" video. (I'm thinking Katherine Jackson, matriarch of the Jackson family, needs a hug right about now.)

In the days leading up to the Super Bowl, Jackson's choreographer Gil Duldulao told MTV News that the singer's performance would feature "some shocking moments." And both MTV and CBS were crowing about a "surprise guest appearance" during the halftime show, which also featured P. Diddy, Nelly, and Kid Rock. Who would have guessed the special guest would be Jackson's bare right breast? CBS was immediately inundated with telephone calls from angry viewers, although I couldn't verify how many of those callers were upset because the camera cut away so quickly.

What Jackson did was no more shocking than that lavender jumpsuit Lil' Kim wore to the MTV Video Music Awards several years ago, an outfit designed to completely expose her left breast, save for a sparkly pastie covering her nipple. And for Jackson, it's already having a similar effect: People are talking and talking and talking about her. Hours after the incident, Jackson's label, Virgin Records, quickly released to radio stations the first single, "Just a Little While," from her upcoming album, "Damita Jo."

These days, it doesn't matter what people say about you so long as they're saying something, and Jackson, who's kept a fairly low profile in recent years, is about to drop her latest album, on March 30. One of her producers, Dallas Austin, has been chatting up her new CD as "easily the most sexy thing she's done" and compared the album to Prince's 1980 classic "Dirty Mind." So what better way for Jackson to promote her daring new direction and sexual freedom (which already sounds like her same old direction and sexual freedom) than to flash more skin than usual in front of a worldwide audience in excess of 1 billion?

While Jackson has always been an energetic performer, her voice still has all the depth of a thimble. Hence, if you aren't that talented, manipulating the public's attention is a welcome substitute. Madonna has done it for two decades, and Spears has mastered this dubious art in far less time. We all remember that staged Blonde Ambition buss during last year's VMAs -- perfectly timed two months before Spears's latest album, "In the Zone," hit stores. From CNN to "Entertainment Tonight," everyone had something to say about "The Kiss," which was about as spontaneous as day following night.

Now we have "The Rip" or "The Breast," or whatever shorthand reference will forever categorize this silly moment in pop culture. There will probably be more apologies, and more wagging fingers from the FCC.

Most lamentable of all is how this ridiculous moment has already overshadowed an instant classic of a Super Bowl from which the New England Patriots emerged with their second championship in three years.

Forget the claims by Jackson, Timberlake, MTV, and CBS expressing their embarrassment. For again playing right into the dirty hands of a bunch of soulless publicists and their celebrity clients, the rest of us should be both embarrassed and ashamed.

Renee Graham's Life in the Pop Lane column runs on Tuesdays. She can be reached at graham@globe.com