Madonna Wags the Dog

Although I didn't watch the game or the halftime show on Sunday, I saw the 'controversial' video of the bird flipping Sri Lankan singer M.I.A. performing "Give Me All Your Luvin." I wasn't shocked or offended: it was part of the show, the spectacle of a Madonna TV appearance. I think the NFL is woofing when it calls M.I.A.'s gesture "obscene", and I certainly don't believe the NBC presser that calls it a "spontaneous gesture."

I watched the YouTube video of the performance a couple of times to see how spontaneous the gesture seemed, and it was much as a part of the show as the lyric "I don't give a sh--," which was bleeped at the game and is part of the original song (it appears in the official video). I wouldn't be surprised if the NFL told NBC before Sunday that it was going to be included in the show so have the pixelation ready. The fact that they missed it was just poor timing.

For me the only really surprising thing about the bird here is that it came from M.I.A. and not Madonna.

It's the same old thing from her, the same as the 'shocking' kiss at the Grammys, the same as the fellated Evian bottle in her 1991 'documentary' Truth or Dare. And let's be completely honest, Madonna was the focus of the broadcast, not Cee-Lo, not M.I.A., not Nicki Minaj, and certainly not LMFAO, who I initially mistook for clownish looking extras until they began using microphones. (I had to look them up because I didn't know who they were).

For the purpose of full disclosure, I am a fan of M.I.A., which is to say that I own a couple of her albums and enjoy them if they pop up on my Shuffle. She's the daughter of a Tamil Tiger rebel and an ex-pat Sri Lankan. Her political background is completely centered on the Tamil's revolutionary struggle for equality in her native country. She's certainly not as sophisticated, nor as cognizant of FCC regulations, as Madonna, which is why I believe her flipping the bird wasn't anymore spontaneous than Howard Stern's appearing as Fartman at the MTV awards in 1992.

I think Madonna put M.I.A. up to it because the younger singer didn't know that the gesture isn't kosher on TV in the United States. Afterall, she grew up in England where people use the word the gesture represents without the shock that accompanies it here.

Now I'm sure the FCC will have a much dimmer view of it than I do, which will of course prompt lots of talk show appearances for Madonna, lots of mention of the song, lots of replaying of the video of the game day performance (with pixelation in place, of course). Her album will be as hot as a two-dollar pistol on a Saturday night in the city, and she'll be laughing all the way to the bank.

So spare me the outrage, people, it's just another case of the Madonna tail wagging the dog.