'SNL' Set to Gamble on Janet Jackson

By Stephen M. Silverman

Friday March 05, 2004 10:15 AM EST

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Janet Jackson, who has been in the news for one reason or another lately, has her next gig in place: she'll appear on the April 10 edition of NBC's "Saturday Night Live," her first planned network TV performance since baring her star-studded breast at the Feb. 1 Super Bowl.

NBC announced Thursday that the pop diva, 37, will host and perform on the program, marking her first time on the show since she was a musical guest a decade ago, reports Reuters. The appearance happens to coincide with the release of Jackson's newest album, "Damita Jo," which is due out later this month.

A spokesman for "Saturday Night Live" said he knew of no plans by the network to establish a tape-delay when Jackson is on the show, as CBS did for the Grammys and ABC did for the Oscars. (The preventative measures that were added after Jackson's act with Justin Timberlake during the Super Bowl halftime show.)

Jackson was reputedly barred by CBS from the Grammys after she rebuffed the network's demands to issue an on-air apology as a condition for appearing on that show.

She subsequently bowed out of plans to star in an ABC TV movie about big-screen and nightclub legend Lena Horne after Horne, 86, objected to being portrayed by Jackson, saying she was offended by the Super Bowl incident.