Super Bowl promises talent

The Super Bowl Halftime Show is the reward for putting up with endless amounts of football.

Now a billion dollar extravaganza featuring enough weird outfits, pyrotechnics and glaring patriotism to distract us for ten minutes, halftime shows used to be boring things with themes like 1979’s “It’s a Small World,” or 1989’s dancing Elvis impersonators.

Jackson’s 1993 performance, which opened with the pop superstar dancing on top of the jumbo screen, was “an unprecedented Super Bowl spectacular,” as quoted in his introduction.

Though previous years had seen performers like Ella Fitzgerald, Jackson’s performance was the first to feature a single artist.

After Brian Boitano and New Kids on the Block failed to impress, which is hard to imagine, I realize, network officials decided to select Jackson to boost viewers.

Not to be outdone, Michael’s youngest sister Janet teamed up with Justin Timberlake for the world’s most famous wardrobe malfunction in 2004.

Nipple display aside, the performance was pretty awful.

Timberlake, dressed as if he might be running out to the store for milk (albeit stylish and very expensive designer milk), spent the entire performance attempting to grind awkwardly on Jackson, dressed as the daughter of a dominatrix and an early Chinese warrior. 

The following year, Paul McCartney cleaned it up by playing to an audience of adoring fans.

Meanwhile, fans  in the arena held up red, white and blue panels to spell out “USA,” in big enough letters to scare away those football-hating terrorists.

In the best, and most touching, display of honor and patriotism the Super Bowl will likely ever present, U2’s Sept. 11 tribute in 2002 featured the band on a heart-shaped stage with the names of victims scrolling behind them.

Here’s the problem: Paul McCartney is British. U2 is most definitely Irish.

I don’t really get it. At least not when Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, of all bands, didn’t get the same “Go America!” response in last year’s performance.

Sunday, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will take the stage for the 43rd Super Bowl Halftime Show.

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