Hideous Halftimes
The Super bowl halftime show took on a life of its own beginning with Super bowl XXVII when Michael Jackson provided the entertainment. This halftime performance actually INCREASED the TV ratings significantly and the rest, as they say, is history. It’s been claimed to be one of the most watched events in American television history. After 1993, it’s been a “can you top this” approach to the halftime shows.
In the Super bowl’s first decade, the halftime show featured collegiate marching bands. The second decade featured a more varied “family fare” type of act with UP WITH PEOPLE unfortunately producing and starring in four of the games. The middle of the third decade saw things ramp up with the introduction of popular music acts such as NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK, GLORIA ESTEFAN, JACKSON, PRINCE, CLINT BLACK, PATTI LABELLE AND TONY BENNETT. The money started to REALLY roll in with Super bowl XXXII when commercial sponsors presented the entertainment.
2004’s show created great controversy when Justin Timberlake caused Janet Jackson not only to expose an areola, but to introduce the term “wardrobe malfunction” to our vernacular. Since then, ensemble performance have been taboo with shows consisting solely of one artist or group.
MOST BIZARRE HALFTIME SHOWS…WHOSE IDEA WAS THIS?
SUPER BOWL IV-Carol Channing and the Southern University Marching Band
SUPERBOWL VI-Carol Channing (She’s baaaaack!) Al Hirt, Ella Fitzgerald and the USMC Drill Team
SUPERBOWL XXI-George Burns, Mickey Rooney, Grambling State Marching Band
SUPERBOWL XXVI-Gloria Estefan and Olympic skaters Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill
MY PICKS FOR WORST HALFTIME SHOWS
Anything with Carol Channing
SUPERBOWL XXXI- The Blues Brothers, Dan Akroyd, John Goodman and James Belushi
SUPERBOWL XXXV-Ben Stiller,Adam Sandler,Chris Rock, Aerosmith, Britney Spears
SUPERBOWL XLIV-The Who….watching Pete Townshend do windmills around his beer belly was tragic
SUPERBOWL XLVI-Madonna….simply put, it’s over, get dressed.
The NFL doesn’t pay halftime performers an appearance fee, though it does cover all expenses for performers and their entourages. Halftime performers regularly experience spikes in weekly album sales and paid digital downloads, however.
Carol Channing and Mickey Rooney…..number one with a bullet!
