Phoenix New Times: Pop culture expert discusses Super Bowl halftime shows

Elayne Rapping, professor of American studies, is quoted in an article in the Phoenix New Times on the Super Bowl halftime shows that have backed away from hip-hop entertainment and become more conservative following the 2004 breast-baring halftime performance by Janet Jackson. "I think that, in general, celebrity culture has reached such a degrading level, and Nipplegate was over the top," she said. "Now they want it to be more wholesome and all-American. They're pulling in the reins. The winds have shifted, and now we're getting a more wholesome event. I don't think anybody's gonna tear off Tom Petty's clothes."