Sports

M.I.A.'s Superbowl halftime appearance elicits apologies from NBC and the NFL

by Nicole Villeneuve

On last night’s Super Bowl halftime show, Madonna was joined by M.I.A. and Nicki MInaj (as well as LMFAO and Cee Lo at other points) for a performance of new single “Give Me All Your Luvin’,” and a split-second adrenaline-fueled gesture has M.I.A. the centre of a (really mild and boring) controversy.

During her verse, M.I.A. threw up her middle finger at the camera. NBC blamed the NFL (“They hired the performers.”), while the NFL blamed NBC. “There was a failure in NBC’s delay system,” said NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy in a statement. “The obscene gesture in the performance was completely inappropriate, very disappointing, and we apologize to our fans.”

While M.I.A.’s label Interscope couldn’t be reached for comment, the L.A. Times reports word from a source that says it wasn’t an intentional move. “She wasn’t thinking,” said the source, “It wasn’t any kind of statement. She was caught in the moment and she’s incredibly sorry.”

Watch the offending finger above. Just don’t blink.