Bono's feeling a touch down..

DISAPPOINTED rocker Bono has been told he can't hijack the world's biggest sporting spectacle to preach to Americans about the worldwide AIDS crisis.

The U2 frontman was hoping to perform AIDS song An American Prayer with Jennifer Lopez during a 12-minute halftime segment of next month's Super Bowl final to raise awareness of the growing catastrophe in Africa.

But National Football League bigwigs have told the outspoken Dublin musician that the February 1 event - watched by a global audience of hundreds of millions - is for entertainment, not for flogging worthy causes.

At last year's Super Bowl final, U2 performed a touching tribute to the World Trade Center victims but this year organisers have apparently decided enough is enough.

Bono - real name Paul David Hewson - is said to have floated the idea during repeated meetings with NFL communications supremo Joe Browne at the league's New York headquarters and even persuaded MTV to back the plan.

However, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy explained: "We don't believe it's appropriate to focus on a single issue. We simply decided that we were going to have our half-time show, and we were going to deliver, as we do annually, an extremely entertaining half-time show.

"NFL officials met with Bono out of their great respect for him and they were listening."

He added that the NFL is still keen to participate this spring in 43-year-old Bono's planned trip to Africa to highlight the AIDS crisis, and that NFL players will be along for the trip.

The half-time show is traditionally an even bigger spectacle than the game, which takes place in Houston, Texas, and this year Internet giants AOL agreed to sponsor it to the tune of $8 million.

"Bono will be hugely disappointed the NFL have taken this stand," says an insider. "But it seems even the prospect of having J-Lo shaking her booty in an impossibly tiny mini-skirt was not enough to sway them.

"In the past, Bono has been to Washington to persuade politicians to provide millions of dollars of federal funding to combat African AIDS, so he isn't used to having people say no to him."

The campaigning rock star is desperate to make Americans aware of the deadly disease.

At Christmas he urged politicians to release billions of dollars to help combat the global Aids pandemic, telling them they should not spend "two months hanging around pulling crackers" while thousands of people died.

"In two months, not to be melodramatic, but why not - 500,000 people will die," Bono said. "Two months hanging around pulling Christmas crackers - this is not the year to do it.

"This is not an issue to play politics with. Don't play politics, there's too many people's lives at stake."

He added that suggestions African states would waste aid money were "preposterous".

"Next year, there's going to have to be more money," said Bono, who recently took part in a World Aids Day concert hosted by Nelson Mandela in Cape Town, South Africa. "It's a lot more expensive the longer you leave it," he added.

THE SUPERBOWL has become the biggest sporting spectacle on the planet, topping even football's FA Cup.

Millions upon millions of American fans tune in each year to view the event, which is beamed out all over the world.

In 2001, 130 million Americans watched the Superbowl, providing CBS with one of the most watched nights in network television history and this year's event is tipped to top that.

The highlight is traditionally the glitzy half-time show, which features superstars such as Bono, Britney Spears, Beyonce and Christina Aguillera.

"There is no bigger spectacle than the Super Bowl," says Janet Jackson, who has been booked to headline this year's halftime show.

"It's a unique and exciting experience that I have looked forward to for many years."

NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue says: "The AOL Halftime Show is an important part of the Super Bowl and one of the most highly anticipated entertainment events of the year.

"We are pleased that a star like Janet Jackson will join the roster of entertainers who have made the Super Bowl Halftime so special."

Traditionally, millions of people pack out bars and restaurants to watch the game which features the top two football sides. Betting on the event reaches proportions comparable to the Grand National.

"The Superbowl is an event which transcends mere sport," says US sports journalist Hank Jones. "Even people who have no interest in sport tune in to see it and Americans who wouldn't normally dream of betting are happy to have a wager.

"In many cases, viewers are more likely to remember what Janet Jackson was wearing at half-time than the actual result of the game."

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