Backstage at The Show

Bill Scheft has a few parting shots for Super Bowl XXXVIII

You can't spell Super Bowl 38 without XXX ...

Oh, you nasty boy! Janet Jackson glares at Justin Timberlake after the end of their halftime performance. AP B. Duane Cross So this is how far Janet Jackson's career has plummeted -- playing the part of an "unwitting" boob? And let's be honest here: It was staged, whether anyone wants to admit it. Click here for full story. Phil Taylor An event like Sunday's was the inevitable result of the insistence on mixing sports and entertainment, a marriage that ought to be annulled immediately. Click here for full story.

Not everyone was surprised by the Janet Jackson incident. Vegas had Justin Timberlake 4-1 to score first ...

Jake Delhomme started 1-for-9 passing, then turned things around after he watched some film -- of Mike Ditka throwing it through the Levitra tire ...

Not a lot of trash talk leading up to the game. The nastiest thing said all week was when Romeo Crennel accused He Hate Me of poor syntax ...

It was a star-studded evening. Beyonce performed the national anthem, and Ugie Urbina shot off the gun at halftime ...

Aerosmith performed at the Super Bowl for the second time in four years. Did you ever think Steven Tyler would be tied for career appearances with Wendell Tyler? ...

CBS' squeeze play

Four hours! I felt like those guys on the mechanical bull. I couldn't stay up longer than 15 seconds ...

At one point, the NFL Today crew was depicted in video game animation. Go ahead and laugh, but Deion Sanders' suit actually fit better ...

President Bush appeared on the pregame show. He was acting on a tip from the CIA, who heard cell chatter coming from inside the south goal post ...

Bush was a good sport. He was on for five minutes and charged Jim Nantz only $250 a plate.

Bill Scheft is the head monologue writer for the Late Show with David Letterman.