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Madonna Calls M.I.A.'s Middle Finger 'Irrelevant,' 'Out of Place'

by Jason Lipshutz, N.Y.  |   February 10, 2012 2:05 EST
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Madonna
M.I.A.

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M.I.A.'s Super Bowl halftime flip-off has not only irked NBC and the NFL, but the Queen of Pop herself. In an interview with Ryan Seacrest, Madonna revealed that she was unaware of M.I.A.'s stunt during their performance of her new single "Give Me All Your Luvin'" until after the Super Bowl halftime show had wrapped, and that she "wasn't happy" about M.I.A.'s middle finger salute.

"To tell you the truth, I didn't even know about it. I actually didn't know about it until I left," says Madonna. "I was really surprised. I didn't know anything about it. I wasn't happy about it. I understand it's punk rock and everything, but to me there was such a feeling of love and good energy, and positivity, it seemed negative… It's such a teenager…irrelevant thing to do. There was such a feeling of love and unity there. What was the point? It was just out of place."

 

M.I.A. Could Foot the Bill if FCC Fines Middle Finger

 

While M.I.A. has remained mum on the middle finger flip (or its motivation), NBC quickly issued an apology following the incident, which was witnessed by millions on the network. "Our system was late to obscure the inappropriate gesture and we apologize to our viewers," NBC said in a statement.

Fortunately, the M.I.A. incident didn't ruin Madonna's halftime experience -- although she does have a pulled hamstring. "I ran off the stage really fast in my high heels, and I had to immediately put ice on my leg," she said. "It was one of those things, like getting through a war and surviving and actually doing really well -- winning the war!"

"Give Me All Your Luvin,'" the first single from Madonna's forthcoming "MDNA" album that features M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj, debuts at No. 13 on the Hot 100 this week after premiering last friday. Meanwhile, M.I.A. returned with a new single, "Bad Girls," last month.

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