Singing the national anthem

Miley Cyrus tore through “Prisoner” and welcomed guest Billy Idol while headlining the Super Bowl LV pregame on Sunday. Standing at Tampa Bay’s Raymond James Stadium, Cyrus – in cheerleader gear – kicked off the “TikTok Tailgate” with a take on Toni Basil’s “Oh Mickey” (as “Oh Miley”) before shifting to her “Prisoner” and Blondie’s “Heart of Glass.” Joan Jett first joined Cyrus for “Bad Reputation,” and Cyrus then brought out Idol for their Plastic Hearts collaboration “Night Crawling” as well as a duet of his “White Wedding.” “Thank you so much! Welcome to the TikTok Tailgate everybody. This is my first show in about a year, and I couldn’t imagine a better way to do this than in Tampa, surrounded by healthcare heroes,” Cyrus told the crowd of vaccinated frontline workers. “We are so appreciative of you and all your diligence. … [Read more...] about Watch Miley Cyrus Headline Super Bowl LV Tailgate, Bring Out Billy Idol

The Super Bowl LV kicked off Sunday with a performance of “America the Beautiful” by H.E.R., who accompanied the patriotic song on electric guitar. [email protected] sings America The Beautiful! #SBLV pic.twitter.com/X5cxxotkwQ — NFL (@NFL) February 7, 2021 Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan then duetted “The Star-Spangled Banner” — it was the first time in 15 years that the NFL championship game has featured a collaborative rendition of the song. Church led the rendition on twangy electric guitar, Sullivan joining in on “broad stripes and bright stars.” They sang in unison on “rockets’ red glare” as fireworks erupted above the stadium. As they brought the song home, a trio of jets cut through the sky. The National Anthem duet marked the first time Church and Sullivan have performed together. In an Apple Music interview (via Tennessean) following the “Star-Spangled Banner” duet announcement, Church said of … [Read more...] about Watch Eric Church, Jazmine Sullivan Perform ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ at Super Bowl LV

Surrounded by dozens of drones, dancers and a five-second delay, Lady Gaga’s hits-heavy Super Bowl LI halftime performance today on Fox was more conventional than controversial. Beginning on top of Houston’s NRG Stadium singing parts of “God Bless America” and Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land,” last year’s Super Bowl National Anthem singer kicked off her ultimately mediocre 13-minute spectacle as the score stood at 21-3 in favor of the Atlanta Falcons over the New England Patriots. After those two potentially loaded tunes, Gaga followed by a predicted and suspiciously pre-recorded looking leap onto the field and her 2008 hit “Poker Face” followed by 2011’s “Born This Way” — with plenty of pyrotechnics but no overt mention of politics on Sunday. Related Story Donald Trump Compares Iraq War Political Advocates To Vladimir Putin In Super Bowl Interview With Bill O'Reilly Straight off … [Read more...] about Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl Halftime Show More Mediocre Than Monster – Review

The usual bluster and bombast preceded the actual game at Super Bowl LV. There was poetry, appeals for activism, and, of course, a few songs, all packaged along with hours and hours of talking, talking, talking about the Big Game. H.E.R. gave a stirring version of America the Beautiful to start the entertainment. Poet laureate Amanda Gorman kicked things off in the pre-game. Alicia Keyes gave an emotional rendition of the Black National Anthem, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing.” Finally, Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan did a guitar and vocal duet on the Star-Spangled Banner. For those who stuck around after all that, there was also a football game. … [Read more...] about Super Bowl Pre-Game: H.E.R., Amanda Gorman, Alicia Keyes, Eric Church And Jazmine Sullivan Light It Up

EXCLUSIVE : While 2020 was most everyone’s worst year, you’d be hard pressed to find a filmmaker who got more done than Spike Lee . He’s in the middle of the awards season race with his superb Netflix drama Da 5 Bloods; got raves for the virtual Toronto Film Fest and HBO premieres of American Utopia , based on the live Broadway show by former Talking Heads front man David Byrne; and generated the short films New York, New York and 3 Brothers , the latter of which played on CNN and drew connective tissue between the police custody deaths of George Floyd, Eric Garner and Radio Raheem, latter a fictional character from Lee’s 1989 film Do The Right Thing . Here he reflects on 2021 and the year ahead. DEADLINE: Aside from the Groundhog Day reality most of us are living as we await Covid vaccine distribution, how are you doing? Related Story Remembering Chadwick Boseman: Colleagues Reflect As His Final Performances Generate Oscar Talk SPIKE LEE : … [Read more...] about ‘Da 5 Blood’s Spike Lee On Covid Vaccine, Trump Impeach Trial, Heading 2021 Cannes Jury & What’s Needed To Keep Film Inclusion Wave From Crashing