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Performer M.I.A. — Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam — deftly disguised herself as a singer and infiltrated the heavy Super Bowl security of NBC, and the TSA, and the DHS. Her mission? To flip a middle finger to the camera all while singing a four-letter word that is part of “Luvin”‘s original lyrics.

Might as well get the wWAAAAH-mbulance on standby for the outraged parents groups that will surely come out of the woodwork over something their kids probably didn’t even notice. I know I certainly didn’t catch it during the live broadcast. It got past, after which an attempted digital blurring came oh so late. NBC censors either fell asleep at the wheel, or someone thought it was good entertainment (it is, now).

The real question is if stage-mate Madonna will ultimately come forward to stick up for them or let them twist in the wind should an FCC fine be levied. In 2004, Janet Jackson’s wardrobe fiasco ultimately led to a whopping $550,000 headache payable to the finger-wagging nanny state.

UPDATE: The New Yorker is erroneously reporting that M.I.A. has apologized, based on an LA Times story that cites a “source, who requested anonymity but was with the artist at Lucas Oil Stadium.” Her publicists at Interscope have issued a “no comment.” We are following this story intently, mostly because we know at the end of the day an entourage lackey speaking out of turn doesn’t mean squat.

As I predicted before, Parents Television Council has become the first outraged parent group to rush to the scene with stern words. I humbly suggest they spend their time and energy providing a useful product for parental television control, not blowing hot air over a bunch of known provocative artists.

MIA’s third album, /\/\ /\ Y /\ has been released today!

You can purchase the album here and stream the album is streaming here: myspace.com/mia.

Influences on the sound of /\/\ /\ Y /\ include dubstep, electro, punk, and pop, but the end result is not so easy to define. With songs geared towards the dance floor (XXXO, Teqkilla), the rock club (Born Free), the album is sure to please a wide audience.

This is insanely cool and it sounds good, too. It’s a mix of a bunch of different styles of music all in one neat tidy package. Love it.

Listen to “XXXO”, “Tell Me Why”, and “Teqkilla” after the jump: (continue reading…)

Queen Latifah came to the stage in a nice dark blue dress. She announced Dean Martin as the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Grammy.

She also introduced M.I.A., who looks like she’s about to pop. Her due date is today, so I’ll bet she’s ready any day now. Along with her, Kanye West, T.I., Jay-Z, and Lil’ Wayne, they all performed “Swagger Like Us“.

M.I.A. looked cute with her belly and her hat. Can’t say much for what she was wearing, though.

After the “Rap Pack” performed, Kate Beckinsale got on the stage to introduce Paul McCartney along with Dave Grohl (of the Foo Fighters). Paul sang, “I Saw Her Standing There” and it was good. It’s good to see Macca is still going strong.