"Nipplegate" Four Years Later

The world stood still on Super Bowl Sunday 2004 in Houston, as Justin Timberlake made good on his promise during the halftime show (lyrically speaking) to have Janet Jackson "naked by the end of this song", titled "Rock Your Body". Boy, did he ever. Everyone got a good look at one of Jackson's breasts. Parents, decency groups and the National Football League went nuts over it, eclipsing what turned out to be a pretty good football game, won by the New England Patriots over the Carolina Panthers.

The Federal Communications Commission, in its zeal to dumb down everything in broadcasting to the level of an eight-year old, fined CBS (which televised the game) $550,000 for failing to catch the exposed breast in a timely manner. The network took the FCC to court, and on Monday got the fine overturned by a federal appeals court in Philadelphia, which said the commission had overstepped its bounds.

The FCC has not said whether it will take this case to the Supreme Court.

So what else has happened to the players involved since "Nipplegate"?

CBS, and the rest of network TV, now go to ridiculous lengths to keep foul language and other questionable behavior form America's eyes and ears. People are bleeped so often that you can't understand what they're saying. But the networks have no problem running ads for erectile dysfunction remedies, or the prescription medication featuring mature women wearing nothing but white sheets.

MTV, which produced the halftime show, is no longer in that business. They'd rather concentrate on reality shows such as The Hills and The Real World.

The NFL now books classic rockers like Paul McCartney, Tom Petty and the Rolling Stones for the Super Bowl halftime show, putting the chances of another "wardrobe malfunction" as low as a repeat performance by the New York Giants. Who can they drag out of semi-retirement for this year's game in Tampa?

Justin Timberlake's career has been on the upswing. Besides bringing sexy back, he's appeared in two movies that we know of (Black Snake Moan and The Love Guru), and recently hosted the ESPY Awards show on ESPN.

As for Janet Jackson, it seems her career has plunged along with her neckline. Her recent CD's have tanked in sales and with the critics, trying to stay relevant in a world of Rihannas and Beyonces. It seems misery loves company in the Jackson clan.