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Tag: super bowl XLIX

  • Idina Menzel, John Legend: Super Bowl’s Patriotic Voices

    Idina Menzel and John Legend will serve as the patriotic singing voices of Super Bowl XLIX at Phoenix Stadium on February 1st. Menzel, best known for her vocals behind ‘Let It Go,’ from Disney’s Frozen, will belt out the National Anthem. John Legend will rouse patriotism with his rendition of ‘America the Beautiful.’

    Legend follows in the footsteps of some strong voices with his performance. ‘America the Beautiful’ has been performed at past Super Bowls by the likes of Ray Charles, Alicia Keys, and Jennifer Hudson. While those are big shoes to fill, there’s no doubt that John Legend has what it takes. Anyone who has heard his recent performance of ‘Glory,’ from the Academy Award-nominated film Selma, knows they’re in for a treat when he sings.

    Idina Menzel follows in some pretty amazing footsteps as well, although her spot has occasionally served as an embarrassment for both the singer and everyone at the Super Bowl. Christina Aguilera, for example, blew it big time back in 2011, when she flubbed a few lines of the song most have been singing since childhood.

    In addition to Christina, Idina Menzel succeeds a throng of music greats including Garth Brooks, Diana Ross, and Beyonce in singing ‘The Star Spangled Banner.’ Hopefully, when she is announced, the commentator doesn’t do a ‘John Travola‘ and completely slaughter her name.

    While Katy Perry is the headlining half time act at the Super Bowl, she might not hold a candle to the voices of Idina Menzel and John Legend. Frozen fans–even those who aren’t football fans–will likely tune in to Super Bowl XLIX–simply to hear the voice of their beloved Elsa. Hopefully if Chrissy Teigen (John Legend’s wife) is in the stands, she’ll leave her ‘cry face‘ at home.

    Fans can hear both Idina Menzel and John Legend raise their patriotic voices on Sunday, February 1st on NBC.

  • Katy Perry: Is She Playing Super Bowl Because Ray Rice Decked His Woman in That Elevator?

    Back when Katy Perry started talking with the NFL about playing the halftime show at the upcoming Super Bowl, the NFL was in a tight spot. They were catching flak from all corners about their handling of the Ray Rice “incident.”

    For those of you just emerging from a coma, Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens was caught on security video knocking his then-fiancee out cold after an argument. The League had to deal with the blowback from yet another of its players looking like an out-of-control thug, walloping on women. Regardless of what actually happened between Ray and Janay Rice — and regardless of the fact that they both insist this was a personal incident that should not have involved Rice losing his career — the League had to deal with public perception. Enter Katy Perry.

    “It wasn’t an image problem, it was a problem,” Perry said about the issue the NFL faced. “We were all watching and asking ourselves questions about what this year would mean. But I think that the problem that the NFL is dealing with is a global problem … we need to work out — or educate people on.

    “I’m all about female empowerment and uplifting people’s spirits, and people finding their own voice with songs like ‘Roar’ and ‘Firework,’ so maybe there is no better person” for the NFL to bring in at this time, Perry reasoned. “Hopefully I can bring that incredible strength and empowerment to people through the performance.”

    Perry has already dished a little bit about her Super Bowl show plans.

    “My first special guest is going to be an incredible rock & roll icon, a guitar god,” she said when announcing that Lenny Kravitz would join her on the field that day.

    “The music is going to be a medley of songs that hopefully you all know and love. I’m gonna do all the songs that work,” Perry joked.

    Read more here about Perry’s road to the Super Bowl and her plans for the show.

  • Katy Perry Dishes On Her Super Bowl Show Plans

    Katy Perry will be performing at the Halftime Show for Super Bowl XLIX this year. We already know that, so set your calendar for February 1.

    Katy Perry has also announced that she will have at least one musical guest performing with her.

    “My first special guest is going to be an incredible rock & roll icon, a guitar god,” she said of Lenny Kravitz, who will pause his touring behind his most recent album Strut to join Perry on the field.

    But Perry is also eager to make this show her own, including her costumes.

    “I called one of my best friends,” she told E! News recently. “I thought this would be an incredible moment to share with one of my favorite designers, Jeremy Scott. So he’ll be designing all of my costumes. Because on my real tour — the Prismatic World Tour — I have up to nine or ten different costumes. So it would feel very bored if I didn’t change my look at least once on the show.”

    Her “real tour” that Perry refers to has really helped her prep for this huge performance.

    “I’ve had a lot of production preparation [for the Superbowl Show] since Thanksgiving,” she said. “I have an incredible team around me, but you know what’s been the best preparation is that I’ve been on tour for a year. I’ve done 108 shows that are two hours and 10 minutes long. So, it feels a little bit like a piece of cake, but it’s not. It’s not a piece of cake. But comparatively, it’s a 12-and-a-half minute show.”

    And what about the music? Perry has some big shoes to fill at the Halftime Show. One of the most notable Super Bowl performances was from Prince, who must have called in a favor from the gods to give him literal purple rain as he performed “Purple Rain.”

    “The music is going to be a medley of songs that hopefully you all know and love. I’m gonna do all the songs that work,” Perry joked.

    Perry knows how lucky she is to get a call like this.

    “I’ve got my mind, my body, my soul, and my focus really intact. It feels like I’ve outdreamt my dream. When I heard the news I was overwhelmed. It was the most wonderfully overwhelming moment of 2014 for me. I was just weeping the whole day, just balling. Woke up the next day, looked like I had been hit by a truck.”