That Titilating Controversy

For all the debate raging about whether yesterday's Janet Jackson peep show was premeditated, I think the only thing I can be sure about is that CBS did not know ahead of time. People like Matt Drudge insist that the network was eager for the publicity, but there's no way that CBS would voluntarily subject itself to the heavy fine about to be levied by the FCC.

The incident raises an interesting dilemma for CBS, because Jackson is scheduled to perform at next Sunday's Grammys, which will be shown on the Eye network. So if you're the head honcho at CBS, do you:

A) Scratch Janet from the lineup as a punishment for embarrassing the network and costing it thousands of dollars in fines; or
B) Keep Jackson on the show and promote the hell out of it, knowing it would lead to a surefire ratings bonanza?

If I were running the show, I'd pick B, because why should I sacrifice ratings when my network was not at fault? We're the ones who have to deal with all the offended Super Bowl viewers, so we should at least be able to benefit from the fiasco with some extra eyeballs next Sunday.