MNF: Cheat And Retreat

Jim Litke of AP looks at ABC’s stunt to promote their Desperate Housewives series by starting Monday Night Football yesterday with Nicollette Sheridan frolicking in a nothing but a towel (and apparently losing even that) with Terrell Owens of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Just as with CBS’s NippleGate (man, thank God Dan Rather wasn’t involved in that), the networks are doing the equivalent of “cheat and retreat”: knowingly going outrageously over the top with their raunch and then mock-apologizing for it afterwards.

Wonder if Michael Powell will come down as hard on ABC as he did with CBS after the Super Bowl in January.

Update: More here, and here’s Michael Powell’s initial take.