SuperBowl Halftime show = BUSH/CALIGULA's America?

[CaptainMidnight]

Gang, My only statement is that I thought it was absolutely the WORST Half Time show in Super Bowl history, and only signified to me how TONE-DEAF and OBNOXIOUS this whole country has become. I'm not even remotely "scandalized" by the display of sexuality or flesh, per se.

In light of the political environment in this country, and our absolutely ARROGANT and F#@K OFF attitude to the rest of the world, the half time show most certainly reflected that. Again, The Captain's no prude. I had no problem with the way Janet was dressed, or undressed. If they kept the show to just Janet, it woulda been kinda cool.

But no, they had to CRAM in all these other these dubious musical "celebs" in the span of 10 or 15 minutes. The only visual metaphor for this display that Captain Mike can come up with is...it made me think of someone trying stuff Anna Nicole Smith into a diver's wetsuit. While in a phone booth.

I know this OTHER metaphor is overdone in political circles, but it reminded me of the waning days of the Roman Empire. WHICH, I think we've arrived at. Bread and Circuses. The Reign of Caligula. George Bush is OUR Caligula. I'll know I'm spot-on prescient when Bush confirms those rumors of dumping Cheney as his running mate by deciding to campaign with SeaBiscuit.

Actually, the halftime show made me think of Bob Guccione's CALIGULA. And the only white guys permitted into the whole affair were two "musical" stars who are trying their gosh-darnedest to be black dudes. Sorry, but Kid Rock is just too WHITE TRASH to ever be black. And that ebonics-spouting Justin dude, while relatively clean cut, had to flaunt his "streed cred" by ripping the top off of Janet's outfit to display her surgically-enhanced by The-Army-Corps-of-Engineers boobie.

Sorry, but instead of making The Captain think, "wow," or "cool" or "that's so risque," the sight of watching a white guy ripping the clothing off of a black woman to reveal her breast reminded me moreso of any one of the more gratuitous scenes from MANDINGO.

Or when Chuck Conners raped Leslie Uggams in ROOTS. This is NOT progress, folks. I mean, c'mon. Was that considered "COOL?" Only in Bush's America.

Keep in mind, I was at a lesbian bar in Hollywood California, surrounded by screaming and hooting women who loved every minute of it. I had several helpings of free guacamole, 2 free hot dogs, several free bowls of chili and SEVERAL dollar-draft beers in my system. Meaning, I was hardly in the "judgemental" or "prudish" vein when I found myself so appalled by this display.

Thusly, the whole exercise, the point of which is NEVER to aspire to "tastefulness," still, will stand IN MY MIND as this country's largest and loudest monument to bad taste and conspicuous consumption, second only to Elvis's Graceland.)

Until next year...Only in Bush's America.

Tacky, tacky, tacky. I mean....Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeugh!

Captain Mike (bring back U2!)

[Dogmudgeon]

1. P. T. Barnum's America!

Only the real suckers are the guys at the top of the "pyramid" with all the money to spend.

--bkl

[childslibrarian]

2. Captain Mike

You're right....
and this from a librarian...I was not so offended by Janet's lack of attire, but the absolute tasteless talentless display of all the participants...
I realize halftime shows are supposed to make you cringe, but this one really did the trick...

[Cleita]

3. Much ado about nothing as far as I'm concerned.

I would much rather attend a ballet rather than a football game and watch real athletes perform something that is pretty with music.

[CaptainMidnight]

5. True,

But it's not JUST it's tackiness; that's almost expected of the Super Bowl half-time show. When the show is actually truly entertaining and within the amorphous bounds of "good taste," it's actually about as rare as a truly entertaining Super Bowl FOOTBALL GAME, whereby it's NOT a blow-out and OVER by half-time. Like yesterdays' game. GOOD GAME!

But in my mind, it's not enough to write off yesterday's half-time as merely the sports show equivalent of that infamous "Singing Rob Lowe and Snow White" Oscar telecast from a dozen years or so past.

It just made me realize how far we've fallen. Oh, there will be "outrage" over this, in the name of political points scored, and distracting us from the REAL ISSUES and OUTRAGES by the Bush Cartel.

I certainly don't want to contribute to that mishegas.

Captain Mike

[Kitsune]

4. Heck, I've been calling B*sh 'Caligula' for years. *nt*

[CaptainMidnight]

6. Addendum

Not saying that the half-time show was Shrub's fault; it's more a reflection of "these times" we live in. Hardly kinder and gentler, as the Dauphin's deliberate destroying of the American economy only brings out the worst in people. It creates a nastier and more vicious social climate, as we fight for the remaining crumbs left to us by the top 1%.

Again, the show is not his "fault." In any given year, if the promoters of the Super Bowl could model the content of the show on the plot of BOOGIE NIGHTS, they most certainly would. But the most recent show IS a symptom of the social climate. Remember, during the Reagan years, it was the rise of the "hate comics," like Sam Kinison and Dice Clay. Reagan, and now Bush, made it okay and fashionable to be a selfish prick, basically, to not care about anybody else but YOURSELF.

There's also the other issue of the more these Calvinistic prudes and naysayers try to suppress human sexuality, human expression, and diverse sexual tastes, what with their Moral Majorities, their banning Penthouse and Playboy in 7-11's, their calling AIDS "Gods Wrath on Gays," their preaching abstinence, the MORE OUR SEXUALITY will burst out from underneath that oppressive thumb, and make it's presence known in what I would consider tacky and inappropriate places, like a Super Bowl Halftime show.

The show was more than just "in your face;" it just plain TRIED TOO MUCH, and did it TOO HARD (pardon that pun). It seemed as though it had something to prove, something to slap back at, by having its presentational cup runneth over. Way over.

Again, not Bush's "fault", but it is soooooo reflective of "these times."

Captain Mike

[Zero Gravitas]

7. Little Boots

Little Boots is an apt comparison for our wannabe Emperor what with playing at being in the military and all.

[Misinformed01]

8. omg

you are completely correct in this post.

I thought it was too tacky for words, but when you compared it to Roman history...bleah.

[nolabels]

9. Heck even ABBA or Whitney would have been better

They could have even brought Kiss and Partridge Family together to do a montage

[CaptainMidnight]

10. one word

ahaahahhahahahahahahhahahahha!!!!!!


(very funny)

Captain Mike

[Loonman]

11. Bring back U2, Sting and Gwen Stefani

I'm sick of that MTV crap.

[SpaceCatMeetsMars]

12. Why was this one worse than the normal ones? I didn't watch it, so I'm

curious to know! I don't normally watch the Superbowl, but I have seen the halftime show now and then, so I know they are always silly and stupid and tacky. Was this one that much worse than usual?

Edited to say "tacky" rather than "tasteless." I don't have anything against that type of entertainment. I guess the shows are always just sort of Disney-fied and brainless.

[Mari333]

13. Illiteracy breeds in poverty

when Faux wrestling events become a norm for entertainment, and almost every news channel becomes infotainment, what do you expect...
Look at the magazines in a grocery store line..they are written at 5th grade level, and promote quick EZ sound bytes for the masses.
I always wondered what would happen if the magazines in the supermarket lines were replaced with literature..
I once worked at a supermarket, and in the break room were piles of National Enquirer mags for the employees..I snuck any number of National Geographic magazines into the room and left them around..
People read them! they said thanks..
a few weeks later they disappeared...
Maybe someone took them home, or MAYBE someone who owned the store didnt want his employees to know TOO much
I thought about leaving the Nation magazines there, but didnt want to get fired...
small town.