Did You Catch That 'Bird' During Halftime?

Madonna Scores At Super Bowl

SUPER BOWL XLVI continued a tradition that had little to do with a great football game, when M.I.A., appearing as a guest of halftime star MADONNA, flipped her middle finger -- accompanied by a barely disguised expletive, during the performance of MADONNA's new single, "Give Me All Your Luvin'."

The incident is being compared to JANET JACKSON's "wardrobe malfunction" of eight years ago.

NBC was slow to cover the gesture, blurring M.I.A. one second too late.

"The NFL hired the talent and produced the halftime show," NBC spokesman CHRISTOPHER MCCLOSKEY said. "Our system was late to obscure the inappropriate gesture and we apologize to our viewers,"

Beyond that controversy, MADONNA mixed her new release with some of her greatest hits, opening the halftime show dressed in ROMAN garb, and being carried by muscle-bound men for her opening song, "Vogue."

MADGE also had CEE LO GREEN, NICKI MINAJ and LMFAO as part of the extravaganza, which saw MADONNA stumble at one point, but recovered quickly.

Music also began THE SUPER BOWL, with KELLY CLARKSON singing "The Star Spangled Banner," and BLAKE SHELTON and MIRANDA LAMBERT singing a countrified version of "America the Beautiful."

To see a video of BLAKE and MIRANDA, click here and for CLARKSON's performance click here. If you missed the halftime show, you can catch it on YOUTUBE here.

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