M.I.A. Superbowl Controversy

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/02/05/middle-finger-super-bowl-photo/

During the Super Bowl half-time show, singer M.I.A. flipped off millions of viewers during TV’s most-watched telecast of the year. She made the gesture (photos and video below) during a performance of Madonna’s new single, “Give Me All Your Luvin.’” M.I.A. also seemed to say an expletive (“I don’t give a s***”), but it wasn’t really audible.
NBC and the NFL issued dueling press statements. First, the network released an apology and called the moment a “spontaneous gesture” — a phrase that might go down in history alongside “wardrobe malfunction.” “We apologize for the inappropriate gesture that aired during half-time,” the network said. “It was a spontaneous gesture that our delay system caught late.”
But the NFL’s statement had sharper language blaming NBC and condemning the incident. “There was a failure in NBC’s delay system,” the NFL said. “The obscene gesture in the performance was completely inappropriate, very disappointing, and we apologize to our fans.”
Note the network called the gesture “inappropriate” while the NFL dubbed it “obscene.” The latter is a loaded word since the Federal Communications Commission says airing “obscene content at any time” violates federal law.
Then NBC revised its statement to point out the NFL played a role here too, adding this line: “The NFL hired the talent and produced the halftime show.”
According to an NBC spokesperson, the monitoring system tried to blur M.I.A’s gesture, but was too late by a fraction of a second.
The bird flipping is likely to overshadow Madonna’s performance and could taint NBC’s expected ratings victory lap tomorrow. It almost instantly provoked comparisons to 2004′s infamous half-time show when Janet Jackson’s nipple was briefly exposed. The Jackson incident resulted in the FCC going after CBS and inspired a broadcast-wide tightening of live telecast content standards (though, obviously, mistakes can still happen). Ironically, the NFL took over production of the annual Super Bowl half-time show after Jackson’s performance to have better control of the content. An NFL spokesperson says M.I.A. did not perform the gesture during rehearsals.

http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/i/2012/02/05/SUPERBOWL-MIA_510.jpg

qlEUz1IlN70

[Roy Mars III]

I never notice these things the first time around

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

big fuss over nothing :nono:

the comments on yt smh

Stupid ugly bitch MIA now my little daughter does that to me
RAWV3GAN 16 minutes ago

[Roy Mars III]

This is bad becase little kids like my son watched the game and saw her flip off all of America. My 6 year old shouldnt have to be subjected to **** like that.

bcimnotu 1 hour ago

[MTVN]

Disgusting behaviour :bored:

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

i hope you are joking :nono:

she is allowed to do whatever she wants because she is better than everybody else

thats just the way it is sry

[Roy Mars III]

that was career suicide. None of these parents are going to let their kids buy albums from a bird flipper.

[Shaun]

I don't think kids were ever her demographic anyway. Kids texting each other over the criticism of Saudi Arabian driving laws in her latest music video. Not gonna happen.

[Brother Leon]

Sheer and utter disrespect.


Disgusting tbh.

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

GET OUT -throws things-

[Doogle]

MIA :love:

[GypsyGoth]

:laugh2: I think I like her even more now.

[Niall]

Why the fuss over that. It's nothing. O_o

[lostalex]

Why the fuss over that. It's nothing. O_o

Because they need to sell newspapers, duh. And the world would rather focus on a B-list celeb flipping the bird than the massacre in Syria.

[CharlieO]

I feel sick. What kind of monster does that?

[Jack_]

Let me get this right...people are kicking up a fuss because she stuck her middle finger up?

How ****ing ridiculous. Do these people not have any other more important, pressing issues to consider and deal with rather than a spontaneous middle finger gesture which most people have done numerous times in their life? I cannot stand people that think actions like this are the worst type of crime on planet earth. Seriously...get over it.

It's a gesture...which represents a word..which has a certain meaning. Is it important? No. I'll never understand the big deal surrounding swearing. Who the **** cares?

[InOne]

I am sitting here abosolutely outraged. Does this woman have no conscience?

[Novo]

Point is she got paid to perform and not be a ****..

[Benjamin]

i hope you are joking :nono:

she is allowed to do whatever she wants because she is better than everybody else

thats just the way it is sry

She has probably just cost herself a fair few career moves. There is being controversial and there is plain stupidity. That was the latter. You mess with the big-wigs and their ratings and they won't let you forget it.

[Benjamin]

Let me get this right...people are kicking up a fuss because she stuck her middle finger up?

How ****ing ridiculous. Do these people not have any other more important, pressing issues to consider and deal with rather than a spontaneous middle finger gesture which most people have done numerous times in their life? I cannot stand people that think actions like this are the worst type of crime on planet earth. Seriously...get over it.

It's a gesture...which represents a word..which has a certain meaning. Is it important? No. I'll never understand the big deal surrounding swearing. Who the **** cares?


Parents of little kids who now are mimicking that gesture care. If my niece or nephew were to start doing that after seeing it I would be very annoyed too.

[lostalex]

Madonna must have been a bad influence on M.I.A. but atlleast she learned from the best...

http://assets.gearlive.com/music/blogimages/madonna_middlefinger.jpg

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3219/2944972286_57ce7494f1_z.jpg?zz=1

[GypsyGoth]

Even Jesus did it :hmph:

http://i.imgur.com/mFKpf.jpg

[MTVN]

I'd be lying if I said it didn't ruin the half time show for me tbh, I can only imagine how parents must have felt

[Roy Mars III]

Even Jesus did it :hmph:

http://i.imgur.com/mFKpf.jpg

that is a doctored photo Jesus would never do that.

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

I'd be lying if I said it didn't ruin the half time show for me tbh, I can only imagine how parents must have felt

omg

are you honestly being serious D:

[Doogle]

Is MIA even know in America?

[Jack_]

Parents of little kids who now are mimicking that gesture care. If my niece or nephew were to start doing that after seeing it I would be very annoyed too.

But why? Why are we all so concerned about some gestures, and, more importantly...the words that they represent?

It's just words. That's all it is, really. Words that have been given some so-called 'bad' meaning. But is it really that bad if someone swears? Not really. Is it the end of the world? Not really. It's only words, I don't see the big problem...I can't fathom why people get so riled up about the use of words. I just...don't understand, cause that's all it is. I don't know how to convey my thoughts any better than by just saying they're just words.

It's just a concept we all seem to have bought into from an early age. That all swear words are 'bad' and we must avoid them like the plague, and it is oh so bad if someone is heard to be saying one, but when you take those connotations away, all you're left with is some letters stuck together that form words like any other. Like clock, kitchen...they could all have supposed 'bad' meanings if we wanted them to, all swear words have derived over time yet we all still seem to buy into the idea that it's such an awful practice. Yet, let's the be honest, the large majority of adults do swear, have sworn, or wouldn't bat an eyelid if they heard people swearing in the street (albeit adults that is, children are 'looked down on' if heard).

I just don't get it. It's such a strange social concept. And there are far worse things going on in the world than the use of strong language...

[lostalex]

Is MIA even know in America?
My best friend didn't know who she was at first, then i told her it was the one that sang the "all i wanna do is *gun shot sound* " and she knew who i was talking about. That song was big here.

[Doogle]

My best friend didn't know who she was at first, then i told her it was the one that sang the "all i wanna do is *gun shot sound* " and she knew who i was talking about. That song was big here.

Ah, same with people I know. They only know her for that, so I guess she's as "big" there as she is here.

[Benjamin]

But why? Why are we all so concerned about some gestures, and, more importantly...the words that they represent?

It's just words. That's all it is, really. Words that have been given some so-called 'bad' meaning. But is it really that bad if someone swears? Not really. Is it the end of the world? Not really. It's only words, I don't see the big problem...I can't fathom why people get so riled up about the use of words. I just...don't understand, cause that's all it is. I don't know how to convey my thoughts any better than by just saying they're just words.

It's just a concept we all seem to have bought into from an early age. That all swear words are 'bad' and we must avoid them like the plague, and it is oh so bad if someone is heard to be saying one, but when you take those connotations away, all you're left with is some letters stuck together that form words like any other. Like clock, kitchen...they could all have supposed 'bad' meanings if we wanted them to, all swear words have derived over time yet we all still seem to buy into the idea that it's such an awful practice. Yet, let's the be honest, the large majority of adults do swear, have sworn, or wouldn't bat an eyelid if they heard people swearing in the street (albeit adults that is, children are 'looked down on' if heard).

I just don't get it. It's such a strange social concept. And there are far worse things going on in the world than the use of strong language...


The difference is, this gesture has a negative and rude meaning, one that a lot of people do find offensive. You have kids and then tell me you would be happy for them to see this and start copying this gesture.

And another difference is, yes people may swear in the street etc., but you cannot control that. TV, however, is meant to be suitable for family viewing and is meant to be controlled.

[MTVN]

omg

are you honestly being serious D:

:laugh: No, I didn't even realise she did it at first and don't really care anyway now that I do know

[Jack_]

The difference is, this gesture has a negative and rude meaning, one that a lot of people do find offensive. You have kids and then tell me you would be happy for them to see this and start copying this gesture.

But people shouldn't find it offensive...it doesn't make sense. It's just words. Or finger gestures. Wars, crime and financial crises are happening throughout the world and people can really sit there and be concerned about this? People's human rights are being infringed upon, innocent people being brutally murdered and yet people are really concerned about someone sticking their middle finger up, I mean really?

If and when I have kids, I'll teach them not to swear or use 'rude' finger gestures in public, to teachers or in workplaces as that's the only real thing I can do. If I had a choice, and the rest of society didn't look down upon the use of swearing in the way they do now, as they shouldn't...then I wouldn't need to do that. I wish I wouldn't have to, but I will. But as they'd grow up and mature I'd relay the same beliefs that I have...that really, it's not that important, and that they should be more concerned about the world around them and some of the problems it and they may face, rather than how 'bad' the use of a few words actually are. Which, without me even teaching them, they'll probably learn and realise that themselves as they reach a certain age.

If it were in front of me...well, I have to say I wouldn't really care. If they said they hated me, or something pretty insulting...well that's a problem. But lifting their middle finger up? I don't think so.

And another difference is, yes people may swear in the street etc., but you cannot control that. TV, however, is meant to be suitable for family viewing and is meant to be controlled.

No, I'm sorry but I completely oppose censorship and control over TV networks.

I'm not entirely familiar with M.I.A's work (apart from that Paper Planes song), but I'm assuming she's not exactly a child friendly artist...and so as such, either the network should have made the decision not to have her perform, in the event of her perhaps doing something they don't agree with or want broadcasted, or...the parents of said children should have realised that again, perhaps the content may not have been suitable for their children, and, well...turned it off.

The responsibility to 'protect' children from content on TV lies with parents, not the broadcaster. There are plenty of ways in which to prevent your children from viewing things you don't want them to, it's pure laziness not to act on those options. Other adults shouldn't be denied the ability to watch whatever content they wish (unless it's illegal of course) at whatever time they like. That's a choice they should make, not a broadcaster, or, inadvertently, the parents who are seemingly so concerned about their children not seeing someone's middle finger.

[nicole_burks]

I was at work so I didn't even get to see the half time show.

And she should have thought about it before she did it. Pretty much all of america was watching this, and parents were going to have their little kids watching it.

But what else do you expect from a Superbowl show?

Honestly, you could barely see it. It was like a split second, and you don't even really see it unless you're looking for it.

[Callum]

Is MIA even know in America?

Yeah, Paper Planes was a huge hit over there. Way bigger than it was in the UK.

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

i think paper planes was only big because of slumdog

[LaLaLand]

She does it in the video at the exact same point.

Typical M.I.A, just doesn't give a ****.

Love her, she looked so hot last night also... plus was the only one out of Madge, Nicki and herself to lip-sync in time. Nicki can't even mime her own rap because it's too fast lmao.

[Saph]

some of the comments on here :laugh2:

She only stuck her middle finger up ..its not like she pulled out a dildo and masturbated fgs :bored:

[LaLaLand]

& anyway, wasn't M.I.A. censored in the US a few years ago because many thought she was pro-terrorism? Particular during her "Arular" phase with songs like "Bucky Done Gun" and "Galang".

That's what I thought anyway. SO the fact they let her play SUPERBOWL is amazing really.

Anyway, as someone else said - M.I.A. is NOT a child-friendly artist at all and such actions, as "outrageous" as they may be, should have been expected.

[King Gizzard]

Good on her, she's only there once and it's not like she gives a ****, what can they do

[King Gizzard]

and I've found myself strangley attracted to her the past couple of days D:

[lostalex]

i don't give a crap about flipping the bird, i'm just annoyed that MIA is tryna steal Madonna's thunder, cause Madonna's show really WAS amazing, but now instead of everyone talking about how amazing Madonna was, they're gonna talk about MIA's publicity stunt.

If i was Madonna i'd be annoyed.

[King Gizzard]

She wasn't 'amazing' though, she should be glad this has deflected the attention

[Roy Mars III]

The only thing this will do is help MIA's career in America, everyone is talking about her. A smart woman

[lostalex]

She wasn't 'amazing' though, she should be glad this has deflected the attention

don't get me started, don't EVEN get me started.

http://29.media.tumblr.com/4WXMfRJy6qj7kutrqVjJmmyto1_400.gif

[SharkAttack]

:laugh2: I think I like her even more now.

Hipster. http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp32/sharkattack_torrential/laugh.gif

[SharkAttack]

If i was Madonna i'd be annoyed.

If I was Madonna I'd probably visit my Money room and roll around in the raw cash for a few hours before lunch. :joker:

[Marc]

Oh she's so controversial.. oh my god.. arrest her or something totally extreme :rolleyes:

[Marc]

If I was Madonna I'd probably visit my Money room and roll around in the raw cash for a few hours before lunch. :joker:

omg :laugh2:

[Black Dagger]

Bar Paper Planes which was a ****ing epic song, she's a pointless mess :bored:

[rk3388]

It's sad how these "artists" didn't even sing . Anyone could have gone up there and lip synced . Its pathetic. And MIA will never reach her career high wich was paper planes

[Smithy]

I can see why people, parents in particular would be annoyed, but there's a million and one worse things out there to complain about than flipping off the world

[Saph]

It's sad how these "artists" didn't even sing . Anyone could have gone up there and lip synced . Its pathetic. And MIA will never reach her career high wich was paper planes

The reason they lip synced that one song was only because its Madonna's new one, if it was old like the others they wouldnt care if someone messed up words.

[Callum]

It's sad how these "artists" didn't even sing . Anyone could have gone up there and lip synced . Its pathetic. And MIA will never reach her career high wich was paper planes

Every artist is advised to lip synch for the Super Bowl because of the size of the stadium.

[GypsyGoth]

that is a doctored photo Jesus would never do that.

:laugh2:

Hipster. http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp32/sharkattack_torrential/laugh.gif

:laugh:

I wish I was a hipster, but they won't have me :(

[Shaun]

Bar Paper Planes which was a ****ing epic song, she's a pointless mess :bored:

you're a pointless mess.

[Harry!]

You have to aplaud Madonna herself for not doing anything too trademark "controversial":

No overly progatively dressing herself, no crotch grabbing, no spats at celebrities, No overly pushing the buttons of the Christian faith (LAP was perfect - like the Hope for Haiti concert) etc.

It was an amazing performance!

[rk3388]

The reason they lip synced that one song was only because its Madonna's new one, if it was old like the others they wouldnt care if someone messed up words.

i dont care if its new or old- lip syncing is unacceptable imo and who would want to watch someone mouth the lyrics to a song they already have on their ipod

[rk3388]

Every artist is advised to lip synch for the Super Bowl because of the size of the stadium.

Mhm sure just like the black eyed peas last year right? oh wait-

[Shaun]

are you citing the Black Eyed Peas as an example of excellent live performance?

[Jords]

Im deleting her out my iTunes right now.

XXXO? More like FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

M.I.A you been HAZED

[rk3388]

are you citing the Black Eyed Peas as an example of excellent live performance?


THEY HAD A LIVE PERFORMANCE THOUGH.

Thats how its supposed to be, singers sing

and The black eyed peas sucked but that doesnt mean that all people suck live

[Jords]

I havnt seen either Superbowl but BEP tend to know how to get a buzz going in their live performances, despite the whole 'credability' la-de-da

[Callum]

THEY HAD A LIVE PERFORMANCE THOUGH.

Thats how its supposed to be, singers sing

and The black eyed peas sucked but that doesnt mean that all people suck live

Madonna sings live 95% of the time, last night's lip synching was a one off for her. She has more than proved that she can sing live over the years. Most artists who have done the Super Bowl half-time show lip synched and most can all sing great live too, it's because they are advised not to sing live because of the stadium size.

[Shaun]

I havnt seen either Superbowl but BEP tend to know how to get a buzz going in their live performances, despite the whole 'credability' la-de-da

credibility / talent / "being good". tomayto tomarto.

[Shaun]

didn't she sing Vogue and Like a Prayer? I only noticed lipsynching during Give Me All Your Luvin' and Music.

[MTVN]

Madonna sings live 95% of the time, last night's lip synching was a one off for her. She has more than proved that she can sing live over the years. Most artists who have done the Super Bowl half-time show lip synched and most can all sing great live too, it's because they are advised not to sing live because of the stadium size.

Where's the proof of that? Springsteen didn't lip sync, neither did the Who, Paul McCartney, U2 etc. I know they do it a lot for the national anthem but I don't think it's that common for the half time show

[rk3388]

Madonna sings live 95% of the time, last night's lip synching was a one off for her. She has more than proved that she can sing live over the years. Most artists who have done the Super Bowl half-time show lip synched and most can all sing great live too, it's because they are advised not to sing live because of the stadium size.

i dont care if she sings live 95% of the time, it should be 100% of the time because its her job. And even if they were "advised" to do it which im not sure about, theres been many other bands who DID NOT lip sync ( like last years ) so thats what im saying.

And im sure in todays technology theres nothing that would make her be heard in a stadium :rolleyes:

[Callum]

Where's the proof of that? Springsteen didn't lip sync, neither did the Who, Paul McCartney, U2 etc. I know they do it a lot for the national anthem but I don't think it's that common for the half time show

Many have lip synced over the years, Michael Jackson did when he performed. Performers like Whitney Houston, Jennifer Hudson and Faith Hill all lip synced when they did the National Anthem. The pregame producer actually requested them to:
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/WinterConcert/story?id=6788924&page=1#.Ty_XmFyXTYg'

They lip sync because there are no sound checks and they cannot fix failed equipment because of the timeline, also because the slighest mistake would cause national upset so it's better to not sing live. Not to mention some of the perfomers who actually sang live i.e. Black Eyed Peas and The Who weren't all that great.

[Callum]

i dont care if she sings live 95% of the time, it should be 100% of the time because its her job. And even if they were "advised" to do it which im not sure about, theres been many other bands who DID NOT lip sync ( like last years ) so thats what im saying.

And im sure in todays technology theres nothing that would make her be heard in a stadium :rolleyes:

No it shouldn't be. No singer is required to sing live 100% of the time, but Madonna is naturally a good live vocalist. She has more than proved her worth over the years, this was a one off and the Super Bowl half time show is about putting on a good performance and she certainly did that.

Some of the artists who sang live like the Black Eyed Peas were actually awful so it would have been better for them to lip sync.

[rk3388]

azee its for safety, no real artists would lip sync so they wouldnt make a mistake

[rk3388]

would it have been better? maybe sound wise but not in the sense that were being fooled into paying these people millions to move their lips

[MTVN]

Many have lip synced over the years, Michael Jackson did when he performed. Performers like Whitney Houston, Jennifer Hudson and Faith Hill all lip synced when they did the National Anthem. The pregame producer actually requested them to:
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/WinterConcert/story?id=6788924&page=1#.Ty_XmFyXTYg'

They lip sync because there are no sound checks and they cannot fix failed equipment because of the timeline, also because the slighest mistake would cause national upset so it's better to not sing live. Not to mention some of the perfomers who actually sang live i.e. Black Eyed Peas and The Who weren't all that great.

It's a bit different for the national anthem though, they're gonna be more concerned about getting the lyrics and everything all completely right, like the article says:

Robert Levine, executive editor of Billboard magazine, doesn't see anything wrong with that.

"If Bruce Springsteen flubs a line on 'Born to Run' only his fans will notice," he said. "If Jennifer Hudson flubs on the national anthem, people are going to get upset. People want it to be technically perfect as well as emotionally inspiring. Can you guarantee that live? Maybe. But it's good to have insurance."

I'm not sure if it's the norm for half-time show acts though, maybe it is :shrug:

[Smithy]

like xtina last year

-chuckles-

[Callum]

would it have been better? maybe sound wise but not in the sense that were being fooled into paying these people millions to move their lips

Not many people care about lip syncing at the Super Bowl because it's such a common thing. All the greats have done it and they're advised to by the producers. She had loads of choreography too. Artists don't get paid for the Super Bowl actually but it's worth doing because of the huge audience who watch it, it's the best promo you can get.

[Callum]

It's a bit different for the national anthem though, they're gonna be more concerned about getting the lyrics and everything all completely right, like the article says:



I'm not sure if it's the norm for half-time show acts though, maybe it is :shrug:

It's not a requirement to sing live at the half-time show or for the National Anthem although like you mentioned before some artists do choose to. A lot don't though, it's nothing new. Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Kiss and Shania Twain are just a few performers who lip synced their half-time shows.

[Shaun]

Article from the New Yorker:

The most important artist of the aughts played the Super Bowl last night. Maybe you saw it. In the middle of Madonna’s set, Maya Arulpragasam—professionally known as M.I.A.—performed her part in the new Madonna song, “Give Me All You Luvin’.” In the original video, she ends her kind of meh verse by saying “I’ma say this once—yeah, I don’t give a ****.” Also in the video, she makes the “finger gun” hand signal, synced to a gunshot that references her biggest hit, “Paper Planes.” Last night, she flipped America the bird, rather than a gun. Cue apologies and hand wringing.

As reported by Todd Martens and Patrick Kevin Day on the Los Angeles Times Web site, the NFL, NBC, and M.I.A. have all apologized. Tim Winter of the Parents Television Council, whose job is to get mad, got mad about this “offensive material.” So we have two subjects: the incident and the artist.

The outrage is tiresome and deeply hypocritical, in all the tiresome ways you’ve been tired out by before. M.I.A. was illustrating her line, acting out the attitude of the words: performing. Fine, it may not be legal to flip the bird on television, but that’s simply a remnant of the fifties we haven’t shaken. Unless somebody was handing out Xanax with the foam fingers, Lucas Oil Stadium was ringing with the music of profanities last night. More to the point, television viewers were submitted to ad after ad that likened women—negatively—to sofas, cars, and candy. Mr. Winter didn’t have anything to say about that, so I’d like to raise both of my middle fingers to him and anyone who thinks profanity is somehow more harmful to our children than images of violence and misogyny. (My two sons, fourteen and eleven, thought the Fiat ad was corny, so I guess they will be safe without Mr. Winter’s intervention.) I say we get out of The Pretending To Be Moral game altogether and use the Internet for important things like posting pictures of cats looking at croissants and PDFs of sensitive government documents.

The artist, of course, is M.I.A. About seven years ago, I praised her for several things, including turning the noxious generalization of “world music” into an idea that represents life as it is lived, and affords huge aesthetic possibilities. She made two albums that received all the praise they deserved, and then a third album called “/\/\/\Y/\,” which received a deeply weird and negative review in Pitchfork (unless you think M.I.A. is here only to provide “bangers” and hasn’t already vaulted way past her “potential as a pop artist” many times) and, most damagingly, the worst profile ever written about a musician, in the New York Times Magazine. (The trend of letting people who know nothing about music profile musicians is as outdated as fretting about cursing. Quite rightly, nobody would ever let me profile an Al Qaeda member; somehow, though, pop music is such a culturally light topic that no background is needed to cover it.)

Maya provokes, over and over, and if some of the provocations don’t entirely work, that hardly invalidates the ones that do. Her new single, “Bad Girls,” isn’t up to much, but director Roman Gavras makes it an uncanny combination of club swagger and rebel time-wasting in this video, a bit like a Syrian version of “Two-Lane Blacktop.” On the other side of the scale, Gavras and M.I.A. teamed up for the “Born Free” video, which was banned by YouTube (your go-to source for family-friendly material). Unless you’re living somewhere very unusual, the sight of white people being rounded up and shot is genuinely unsettling and not trivial, not when the U.S. is expanding its ability to detain people indefinitely and innocent people have been detained and tortured at Guantánamo Bay. Remind me why we’re talking about a middle finger again? I’m just sorry Maya apologized.

Read more http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2012/02/im-sorry-mia-apologized.html#ixzz1leZA8OYi

[King Gizzard]

Casually brushing off the controversy.

http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyzhhwGDfm1qc1vfso1_500.gif

[Brother Leon]

Only just found out she is 36 :o

[Locke.]

Haven't got a clue who she is to be honest, and if she isn't known in America either how did she get this slot?

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

bad girls is climbing on itunes in the US :amazed:

it was 60something when i checked before now its 43 :amazed:

[Callum]

Haven't got a clue who she is to be honest, and if she isn't known in America either how did she get this slot?

She is known in America, her song Paper Planes was a big hit over there and her albums have done well there too. She is featured on Madonna's new single and was there to perform the song with her.

[rk3388]

shes not rly well known, but most people will know paper planes

[iRyan]

I don't understand what all the fuss is about. Just America being so ****ing uptight as usual.

[iRyan]

Only just found out she is 36 :o

WTF. How is that possible!?

I thought she was like 24....

[Shaun]

She's a mother as well... I think she gave birth 3 years ago? (it was the night of the Oscars when Slumdog Millionaire won IIRC). You wouldn't think it with that body.

[Ninastar]

I remember seeing a gif of her in concert like 9 months pregnant and she was still dancing

[lostalex]

Article from the New Yorker:

Obnoxious superfan. That writer for the New Yorker sounds no different from all the Madonna fans insisting that she didn't lip-sync. sycophants...

M.I.A. is a spoiled self-righteous brat that doesn't know her ass from her elbow.

[Shaun]

it criticises some of her material :crazy: i don't see how it's a super-fan... I posted it for the comments re: the "controversy", and how it's really nothing when compared to the messages of the advertisers.

But okay, lol.

[Roy Mars III]

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/425954_10150634379205874_12637555873_11435078_4621 98688_n.jpg

[Smithy]

Apparently Madonna was really pissed coz it was unprofessional

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a364297/madonna-furious-at-mia-over-super-bowl-middle-finger-incident.html

Nobody knew she was going to pull this stunt. Madonna wanted to put on a world-beating performance. But everyone ended up talking about this girl's middle finger.

ha3

[bbfan1991]

Madonna's thunder got well and truly stolen:joker:. Parent groups are not happy, her next video will have to be more political correct now:bored:.

[Shaun]

yeah that won't happen.

[Omah]

Let me get this right...people are kicking up a fuss because she stuck her middle finger up?

How ****ing ridiculous. Do these people not have any other more important, pressing issues to consider and deal with rather than a spontaneous middle finger gesture which most people have done numerous times in their life? I cannot stand people that think actions like this are the worst type of crime on planet earth. Seriously...get over it.

It's a gesture...which represents a word..which has a certain meaning. Is it important? No. I'll never understand the big deal surrounding swearing. Who the **** cares?

Middle America .....

[Omah]

But why? Why are we all so concerned about some gestures, and, more importantly...the words that they represent?

It's just words. That's all it is, really. Words that have been given some so-called 'bad' meaning. But is it really that bad if someone swears? Not really. Is it the end of the world? Not really. It's only words, I don't see the big problem...I can't fathom why people get so riled up about the use of words. I just...don't understand, cause that's all it is. I don't know how to convey my thoughts any better than by just saying they're just words.

It's just a concept we all seem to have bought into from an early age. That all swear words are 'bad' and we must avoid them like the plague, and it is oh so bad if someone is heard to be saying one, but when you take those connotations away, all you're left with is some letters stuck together that form words like any other. Like clock, kitchen...they could all have supposed 'bad' meanings if we wanted them to, all swear words have derived over time yet we all still seem to buy into the idea that it's such an awful practice. Yet, let's the be honest, the large majority of adults do swear, have sworn, or wouldn't bat an eyelid if they heard people swearing in the street (albeit adults that is, children are 'looked down on' if heard).

I just don't get it. It's such a strange social concept. And there are far worse things going on in the world than the use of strong language...

You don't appear to be swearing ..... :conf:

[BBfanUSA]

I don't understand what all the fuss is about. Just America being so ****ing uptight as usual.

you do realize that she did it during the biggest live program with at least 1/3 of america watching. But if no one pointed it out then we'd be on our merry way.

I hate the soccer moms they're dictating everything today on tv

[Saph]

Obnoxious superfan. That writer for the New Yorker sounds no different from all the Madonna fans insisting that she didn't lip-sync. sycophants...

M.I.A. is a spoiled self-righteous brat that doesn't know her ass from her elbow.

Why do you think that :conf: