RIHANNA has been preparing for the biggest performance of her life.
The nine-time Grammy Award winner is headlining the Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show, and the pressure is immediately on to make it memorable.
GettyJanet Jackson and Justin Timberlake created the term ‘wardrobe malfunction’[/caption]
APM.I.A. flips the bird during the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show in 2012[/caption]
Last year, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J Blige, and Kendrick Lamar had SoFi stadium in Los Angeles rocking with an unforgettable show.
But sometime, the music gets upstaged by a shocking moment.
From wardrobe malfunctions to controversial dance moves and surprise special guests, the Super Bowl Halftime Show has provided some iconic instances.
Take a look back at some of these scandalous show memories.
NIPPLEGATE
Getty Images – GettyJanet’s exposed breast led to complaints, lawsuits, and fines[/caption]
Of course, no list could start without the most talked about moment in halftime history.
In 2004, Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson caused a global scandal during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show, when Janet’s breast, adorned with a nipple shield, was exposed by Justin during their performance.
Many viewers wondered if it was a publicity stunt due to the lyrics Timberlake was singing at the time of the mishap: “Gonna have you naked by the end of this song.”
The blowback was immediate, and the scandalous moment gave birth to the term “wardrobe malfunction.”
The Federal Communications Commission received 200,000 complaints. Broadcasters CBS attempted to cut away from the incident but were still fined $550,000.
BIRD’S THE WORD
AP:Associated PressM.I.A. was a bad guest[/caption]
Singer M.I.A. outraged viewers when she flashed her middle finger and mouthed an expletive during Madonna‘s 2012 halftime show as a guest performer.
Over 200 complaints flooded into the Federal Communications Commission, and the NFL and NBC made a public apology for the slip-up.
The singer initially called the politically incorrect gesture a “display of female empowerment through being punk rock” before claiming that it was a religious symbol after facing legal action from the NFL.
The League sought over $16million in damages from the Sri Lankan performer, but they ultimately reached a confidential settlement.
PRINCE’S SHADOW
AP:Associated PressPrince and his symbolic guitar[/caption]
GettyMany fans felt the singer purposely created a phallic shadow with the guitar[/caption]
Prince‘s 12-minute set in 2007 is still widely regarded as one of the best in the game’s history.
But the music was upstaged by what has been since dubbed a “shadow malfunction.”
Prince’s acclaimed performance included a guitar solo during “Purple Rain.”
The singer wailed away on a special guitar shaped to represent his former symbol.
As he walked behind a large, lighted beige sheet, his pose looked like a different instrument.
Many critics felt the Batdance singer’s shadow pose had phallic connotations.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello tried to cut off the conspiracy theorists, saying: “We respect other opinions, but it takes quite a leap of the imagination to make a controversy of his performance.”
Then he added his own take.
“It’s a guitar.”
SHAKE IT OUT
GettyJ Lo and Shakira proved two are better than one at the 2020 Super Bowl[/caption]
The 2020 show led to another avalanche of complaints, after Jennifer Lopez and Shakira shared the stage, with each shaking their trademark tushies on national TV.
Shakira took the stage first in a gorgeous red sparkly dress and showed off her signature hips as she seductively danced across the stage with a rope.
J. Lo sang next for a sexy performance of her most famous songs which included Jenny From the Block, I’m Real, Get Right, Booty, and On the Floor.
The Hustlers star showed she still had moves from her film during an elaborate pole dance where she showed off her leg strength as she stunningly twirled above the crowd.
The subsequent outcry from viewers included accusations the show contained “indecent, sexual, and risqué content that was unsuitable for all viewers especially young viewers.”
Another viewer complained: “The performers exposed areas of the lower buttocks, abdomen, and cleavage. This content was clearly obscene, and should not have been broadcast.”
PHONY PRINCE
AFPJustin made a last-minute change to his Prince tribute[/caption]
Prince and Justin Timberlake made the list twice, thanks to the Sexyback singer’s return engagement in 2018.
Years after Nipplegate, Justin was slammed for an ill-fated attempt to bring onstage a hologram of Prince, who tragically passed away two years earlier.
The former Mouseketeer wanted to honor the late singer in his hometown of Minneapolis.
But before he could even take the stage, longtime Prince friend and collaborator Sheila E. said no.
“Prince told me don’t ever let anyone do a hologram of me,” she tweeted at the time. “Not cool if this happens!”
So the hologram was gone, and Justin instead paid tribute to Prince by singing I Would Die 4 U as the arena was bathed in purple.
