National

Janet Jackson's 'wardrobe malfunction' lasting memory of Houston Super Bowl

Singers Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake perform during the halftime show at Super Bowl XXXVIII between the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers at Reliant Stadium on February 1, 2004 in Houston, Texas. 

HOUSTON — It's rare when New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady takes a back seat in a Super Bowl.

But Janet Jackson managed to make that happen back in 2004, the last time a Super Bowl was played in Houston.

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Jackson's wardrobe malfunction overshadowed a thrilling win by the Patriots and forever changed how the NFL handles halftime performances.

Jackson -- baring one of her breasts to a live audience of about 143 million -- left viewers to sit through several years of halftime shows headlined by mostly aging rockers before the NFL returned to more contemporary acts in 2011.

Lady Gaga is set to headline this year's show, giving fans a current superstar expected to wow in a family friendly performance far removed from international scandal the 2004 show in Houston created.

"After the last Super Bowl in Houston was pretty much when we brought the show back in house, to make sure we have a voice in how the show is produced and what it is all about," said Mark Quenzel, NFL Media's senior vice president of production and programming.

That performance was the last produced by MTV before the NFL began producing the show on its own.

Justin Timberlake and Jackson performed their hit "Rock Your Body" as the finale. They wrapped up the provocative performance with Timberlake ripping her costume to reveal her right breast, bare except for a nipple shield.

The incident drew CBS a $550,000 fine from the Federal Communications Commission (which was later overturned), sparked an international debate about decency, and landed Jackson in the Guinness Book of World Records as "Most Searched in Internet History."

Thirteen years later the incident has become ubiquitous in popular culture, being mentioned or parodied on various television shows and in at least a dozen rock and rap songs. Timberlake's apology was the genesis of the term "wardrobe malfunction," which was eventually added to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.

That performance and its fallout is far from what the NFL aims for, and Quenzel shared the league's vision for the show.

"Our belief is it is the day family and friends get together to watch the game and that is the environment we want to set for the halftime show and the game," he said. "It's to entertain people and to have a great game."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.