I don't understand why people still care about a finger, but EW says:

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 obscene gesture 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 halftime," the network said. "It was a spontaneous gesture that our delay system caught late."

The NFL issued a statement blaming NBC's monitoring system 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."

Continue reading "NBC & NFL apologize for M.I.A,'s "inappropriate gesture" during the Superbowl"

YouTube's KidATiki wrote on Friday:

After catching the Descendents at Roseland on Friday (9/23), I walked a couple blocks to NBC Studio to see if there were any people waiting to get stand-by tickets (which doesn't guarantee entry) for tomorrow's SNL season premier with Alex Baldwin/Radiohead......first couple people started camping on Thursday. Some dedication for these hardcore fans!

Continue reading "people camped for days in the rain to maybe see Radiohead on SNL (video)"

Patton Oswalt & Conan O'Brien

"The late-night nightmare is almost over. Conan O'Brien is leaving NBC and receiving a payout--and he'll be free to appear on another network before his contract expires, Kim Masters reports.

The NBC-Leno-Conan war is close to ending, according to a knowledgeable source. According to the outlines of a settlement, Conan O'Brien will leave NBC and the network will make an as-yet unspecified payment. The comedian will be free to appear elsewhere on television well before his contract expires, despite earlier threats from NBC that it would prevent him from working anywhere else.

There is still opportunity for the negotiation to fall apart, but clearly, at this point it is in NBC's interest to put an end to this dismal episode." [The Daily Beast] (via Gawker)

Continue reading "Patton Oswalt & Ricky Gervais appeared on Conan O'Brien who reportedly is really leaving NBC "

"In the grand scheme of things, figuring out whether to stay in a job that pays north of $15 million a year or fighting for some sort of buyout that would also be in the millions -- if not multimillions -- is something of a luxury problem. But those are basically the options facing NBC's Conan O'Brien, who is being told "The Tonight Show" is going to move from 11:35 p.m. to 12:05 a.m. to make room for Jay Leno's return to late night." [LA Times]

Continue reading "Vampire Weekend & Aziz Ansari played Conan O'Brien who has issued a statement turning down NBC's 12:05 offer"

photos by Tim Griffin

"Two highly touted bands -- the XX from England and Cold Cave from Philadelphia -- are dedicated, and largely derivative, throwbacks to the late 1970s and early 1980s, when punk met synthesizers. The XX was decidedly understated, matching its austere, quietly morose songs, while Cold Cave deadpanned its way through glum songs with a dissonant wallop, singing, "I've seen the future and it's no place for me." But the Montreal band Duchess Says, whose songs also rode big drumbeats and repetitive synthesizer riffs -- fat ones from a Moog -- was a lot more fun [at the BrooklynVegan day show at Pianos on Thursday]. Its singer, Annie-Claude, had herky-jerk stage moves that she carried into the audience, even climbing onto a fan or two." [NY Times]

...What the "venue" lacked in ambiance (they set up & played next to the frozen yogurt counter upstairs), it made up for in lack of crowd noise: dead silent during and between these quiet songs. I don't imagine that will be the case at the Tribeca Grand tonight, but the band was so good that I may give it a shot anyway... [Anonymous]

Continue reading "The xx played the NBC Experience Store in NYC - pics "

After meeting his biological father for the first time, GE powerhouse Jack Donaghy discovered his dad, professor Milton Greene, needed a kidney. Not being a potential organ donor himself, Mr. Donaghy turned to some very affluent friends in the entertainment world. This partnership created the phenomenon, "Kidney Now!' -- a benefit concert featuring some of the most recognizable names in the music industry. With the help of this song, Milton Green just might find the kidney match he needs and Jack Donaghy may be granted the gift of a father he never knew.

Continue reading "30 Rock 'Kidney Now' w/ Elvis Costello, Beastie Boys, Moby, Talib Kweli, Norah Jones, Steve Earle, Rhett Miller (video) "