Madonna's halftime show was AWESOME!

[aaaaaa5a]

I have always been a big fan. I thought she did a great job with her Super Bowl performance.

[seabeyond]

1. i thought it was good. nt

[seabeyond]

79. flippin the bird. one of the singers was bad.... picture

[zappaman]

2. sorry, but are you being sarcastic?

hard to tell.

[godai]

11. It was kind of Lady Gaga in slow motion.

Total lip-sync of oldies and never heard of songs. Sorry, not a fan.

[morningglory]

29. Woman needs two microphones to lip sync? nt

[JSnuffy]

30. I think I heard a hip break....

Seriously though.. she needs to stop...

[anneboleyn]

77. Snort. Yes, Madge's lip-sync and robotic movements were (I thought) just dreadful. Empty.

[Rockholm]

117. Lady Gaga learned all she knows from Madonna.

[aaaaaa5a]

12. No. To be clear I really thought it was good.

I don't understand why everyone was ripping her. She is one of the greatest performers in the history of the business. Its really hard to stay on top of a craft like "pop" sining for 30 years. You have to be absurdly talented just to get on top at all period.


Madonna is one of the greatest singers/performers of all time. And tonight at age 54 she showed us why.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

20. HAHAHAHA

You have to be absurdly talented just to get on top at all period.

HAHAHA

Thanks for the laugh you made my night.

[Scuba]

87. +1

[EOTE]

94. Clearly you speak the truth.

I mean, just look at Justin Bieber.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

133. It looks like it requires a hell of a lot of guts to LIKE Madonna, around here.

What is it, the He-man woman haters' club?
Fuckin bullshit.

I've never been a pop fan, actually, but there's something about her riffs and hooks that always surpassed pop top 40, for me.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. I wouldn't say awesome.

But not as bad as I expected. She's kept her voice, and the show wasn't just a bunch of cheesecake like they usually are. On the other hand, as usual there was way too much flash, smoke and weird choreography.

[brucefan]

10. I enjoyed it.

But she was lip syncing

[Liberal Veteran]

22. She does that a lot.

I went to see her in Baltimore during the Blonde Ambition tour and it was pretty obvious when she was singing and when she was lip syncing.

It was still a blast.

[DontTreadOnMe]

16. re: "She kept her voice"

the entire performance was lip sync'ed. But then, most of the Super Bowl halftimes are all lip sync'd. They don't want to chance the audio, so it is all pre-recorded and scripted.. every Super Bowl act so far - even the Stones.

[godai]

19. Springsteen didn't lip-sync.

Music was pre-recorded, not voices.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

31. Yep.

Neither did Tom Petty. I guess some people are easily impressed by a few million dollars worth of costumes and a Sony Walkman playing your 30 year old cd over the PA.

[winstars]

76. Rolling Stones were live, I was under the stage...

Madonna was all lip sync although she always has been so....

[Webster Green]

26. I thought they were actually singing on the last song.

Maybe not. It looked real to me though.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

32. But it was still her voice, even if prerecorded. She sounds pretty good.

[EOTE]

96. That's about the best I can say about it too: Not as bad as I expected.

Still really bad, but not the train wreck I was expecting. If I was to make a dental analogy, it was a root canal rather than a full on extraction.

[brewens]

4. I took time to vacuum real quick. Was she lip syncing? n/t

[marmar]

13. Yes, except during 'Like a Prayer'

nt

[godai]

14. Yes n/t

[DontTreadOnMe]

5. Worst halftime... ever

lightweight entertainer with nothing to say... she is all jiggle.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

28. Worst ever? Heavens, no.

There have been much worse ones - Black Eyed Peas of a few years ago comes to mind. Tom Petty. Janet Jackson.

They haven't been actually good in many years - they've become all flash and smoke and special effects, but I don't think this was the worst one.

[JSnuffy]

33. BEP was last year wasn't it?

They were the worst in recent memory...

[ForgoTheConsequence]

34. Give me a break.

Tom Petty was fantastic, he's an American treasure. Madonna is a skid mark on the history of American pop music, might as well have gotten Brittney Spears again.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

40. Maybe it's just that I've never liked his music. Just my personal taste.

Not a Madonna fan, either, though I don't think she's near as dreadful as Brittney Spears. Madonna has a decent voice, while Brittney doesn't have any talent at all.

[whatchamacallit]

99. Agree! TP ftw!

[Incitatus]

136. The tightrope walker had way more talent. nt

[dogknob]

6. Ace Of Base would have been better than last year. n/t

[Ter]

82. AOB was awesome

[Nancy Waterman]

7. I thought it was dreadful

My husband and I walked out. But then, we were never big fans.

Go Giants!

[Lucky Luciano]

8. When I saw the openIng with the Roman costumes

and them carrying her out on a big chariot, I said, "Wow, this is an expensive show!"

That show must have cost $20MM+ to put together.

[glinda]

70. I thought Lady GaGa.

[hunter]

101. I was just laughing... it was so over the top.

But, it's the Super Bowl. Everything about the Super Bowl is bizarre over the top U.S.Americana.

[virgogal]

9. Her voice was great,the production stunk.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

15. I suppose it was.

If you're a fan of lip syncing.


Elton John was right. He has been right about her the whole time.

Make sure you lip-sync good. Of course you have to play live, but I don't think you can. In all fairness to everyone who's done it before, I think you may be able to sing live, but it's really hard to play live.

[dhill926]

17. thought the overall production

was well done. Musically, not so much.......

[bluedigger]

18. Thumbs up for the Skyrim outfit!

[whatchamacallit]

100. +1

[jillan]

20. CeeLo was singing with her. It was a great halftime show.

[aaaaaa5a]

23. I thought the production was great.

Its entertainment. its suppose to be grand. Its suppose to be bigger than life. Its suppose to be bright and colorful. Its suppose to be eye catching.


There are some of us out here who think that a man in jeans with one microphone standing there with a guitar all night boring.


This show was pleasing to the ears and the eyes.

[provis99]

60. Madonna is the musical equivalent of a Big Mac.

[LanternWaste]

116. your learned opinion will be given all the credibility it warrants...

I am fairly certain that your own musical tastes are not considered craptastical pieces of feces by anyone who is you, and that everyone with your precise tastes in music hates the right notes. In fact, I imagine you would even go so far as to see one of your own favorite Quarter Pounders in concert in given the opportunity.



(Of course, your learned opinion will be given all the credibility it warrants...)

[sendero]

137. You nailed it..

.. it was a show for those who like Broadway Musicals, not music. No thanks.

[tularetom]

24. There hasn't been a decent halftime show in, well, ever

Possibly because they insist on recruiting their performers from the home for geriatric rockers.

[jillan]

36. But CeeLo Green and Nikki Manaj performed along side her. So it was current.

[Son of Gob]

48. I beg to differ

[glinda]

71. hehe

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

72. Prince was the best!! PERIOD!! :)

[whatchamacallit]

102. Interesting comment

considering your avatar

[rubberducky]

25. Totally agree!

I thought it was great.

[cbayer]

27. Agree. I thought it was one of the best I have seen.

to Madonna!

[itsrobert]

35. I was hoping for Up With People

Ugh. On second thought. No I wasn't.

[lordsummerisle]

37. I also really liked it

Of course if you're not a Madonna fan you wouldn't like it...

I spent many hours in the early 90s working out to her music so I guess I'm biased...

[xchrom]

38. She was Great! Nt

[NorthCarolina]

39. I agree. nt

[YellowRubberDuckie]

41. While not the worst ever...

...it was a train wreck. She nearly fell several times and the acrobatics were silly. Seriously, if she would have just sang and let the dancers dance, it would have been much better.
Cee Lo totally pulled it out and helped for a good ending, but that was the only part of it that wasn't a train wreck.

[anneboleyn]

78. I agree. She looked like she was about to fall over. It made me nervous.

[bermudat]

42. Her show was ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS

I know the haters will be out en masse, but she brought it. I've watched shows with the Stones and
Springsteen and thought hohum. The halftime show in Houston with Janet Jackson was great
but the "nipple" incident shut out everything else.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

43. I think the last good one was U2...

[Whisp]

66. it was Fabulous!

&src_vid=YnlWZiiiBa0&feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_64095

missed it real time but found this vid. wow. garish and conspicuous consumption over the top but lovin it! No one else like madonna, she got it.

[GeorgeGist]

92. Seriously shallow.

Just saying.

[Whisp]

93. opinions vary.

I like Madonna because she took the whole sex thing and made it her own thing, not some guy's thing. I will always admire her for that.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

113. same here....I'm wondering something as well:

there seems to be a special venom aimed at her. Is it that special malice that people love to hurl at women?

[Whisp]

114. Madonna gets that extra special treatment

doesn't she?
regular woman hating stuff then an extra helping just because she's Madonna

[GOTV]

124. Why do you think she "took the whole sex thing and made it her own thing"?

I'm not trying to say she's any worse than anyone else but she produced material that ranged from sexually suggestive to sexually explicit, including revealing photos of herself such as those in her "sex" book and offered them for sale to men to buy and drool over.

So it seems to me she made some % of her money selling herself as a sex object - as many many thousands of women have done. She may have made more money than most of them but how did she make it any different than Mae West or any other performer/model/stripper.

I've never gotten a good answer for that. It's usually something along he lines of "she's such a great business woman". But how much of a business woman does one need to be to realize men will pay for stuff that has sexy women on it, in it or associated with it.

[Whisp]

130. This is how I see it.

Madonna was no one's fool in the bedroom. This is the basic message she was sending, I believe. She wasn't going to pine away while her married lover forgot to call her. She wasn't going to act like a little girl waiting and crying over a prince that never appears but a grown strong woman who had sex with whoever she wanted, just because that was what she wanted at the time, and her way. She reversed gender roles in ways that not many have been able to do previous. She called the shots.

[LanternWaste]

119. As opposed to the depth of your post.

As opposed to the depth of your own post.

Just sayin' that sometimes six of one is little more than half a dozen of the other.

[Ilsa]

44. Performances were good, but I thought it was "blah".

I am disappointed. What the hell was that "L-U-V Madonna" song with the pompoms?
A very forgettable show.
On edit: I really like Madonna. I think she's fantastic. But this was just not her best stuff.

[tammywammy]

68. I didn't care for the third song either

And with pom poms????

[Whisp]

95. the third song with the pom poms...

is that her newest one? I heard it a couple times and can't decide whether I care for it but it sure reminds me of the kind of duet/trio of women singers from the 60s, like the Ronettes, etc.,

I met him on a Sunday and my heart stood still
A do run run run a do run run,
--- that kind of feel to it.

[glinda]

73. Filler. Nothing had anything to do with each other. Totally disjointed.

[tridim]

45. I'm still hoping someday they just have a good band play with no fluffy crap going on around them.

But I know that'll never happen.

[aaaaaa5a]

50. Get off my lawn!

?w=278&h=300

[zappaman]

53. Ha!

That's the average age of a Madonna fan!

[Whisp]

62. then Stones fans would be 6 feet under.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

112. same for zappa fans

If he were still with us, he'd make Madonna look like a kid.

just sayin.

[tridim]

54. Prefering real music isn't a "get off my lawn" complaint.

[aaaaaa5a]

55. I know... I know... and I agree!

I was just messing around!

[LanternWaste]

120. Of course it's not. It's simply a "I'm more musically evolved than you" complaint.

Of course it's not. It's simply a "I'm more musically evolved than you" complaint. And bless your little heart, of course you are.

[Jennicut]

105. Like Tom Petty or Bruce Springsteen?

They have had good singers in the past. Those were two that were really great, in my opinion. The Black Eyed Peas last year and Madonna this year were not so great. At least the Peas sang live. I mean lip syncing? In this day and age? Thumbs down from me and I used to love Madonna in the late 80's early 90's when I was a preteen. But the no singing live is so lame.

[tridim]

106. I'm thinking maybe a good band that didn't pass their peak in the 70's and 80's.

[Jennicut]

107. Not too many true rock bands left.

Which is sad. Nickleback??? I can't think of anyone else.

[tridim]

110. Foofighers? Or did they already play the superbowl?

LOL at Nickelback.

[bayareamike]

46. I didn't like it all that much. The "World Peace" at the end was so gimmicky and cheesy.

[gregtownsand]

47. Liked it but she was lip syncing some of it.

No doubt.

[Evasporque]

49. Her last tune was a big bird flipped to her past critics...

As she sunk below the stage to "burn in hell"

My partner was super impressed and proud of her....back in the day she was highly criticized for this video....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Like_a_Prayer_(song)

SNIP:

"The single is also memorable for its accompanying music video, which Mary Lambert directed. It features Madonna as a witness to a murder, as she hides in a church for safety. The clip also portrays Catholic symbols such as stigmata and burning crosses, and a dream about making love to a saint. After its release, the Vatican condemned the music video, while family and religious groups protested its broadcast. They boycotted products by soft drink manufacturer Pepsi, which used the song for a commercial. Madonna's contract with Pepsi was subsequently canceled, although she was allowed to retain her initial fee."

[retired af major]

59. flip off is an interesting choice of words ...

did you catch MIA's flip off on national TV during the half time show?

http://deadspin.com/5882497/yes-mia-just-flipped-off-the-world

I missed the symbolism you picked up on though. Perceptive.

[Kookaburra]

51. I enjoyed it.

Yes, a lot of it was lip synched, but so what? It was still fun.

[BlueJazz]

52. I've seen better

http://swellguy.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341d1ea853ef0111686491b1970c-450wi

[Logical]

56. Are you being sarcastic? I assume you are.

[aaaaaa5a]

58. Nope. I thought she did a good job. nt

[Logical]

69. I guess you have to be a fan to like her.

[tawadi]

57. I liked it

Her voice still sounds good. Liked her boots!

[Honeycombe8]

61. I thought it was sort of boring. I was disappointed, but maybe I'm too old now (I'm MaDonna's age).

The costumes were interesting, but the characters passed through so quickly that I couldn't get a good look at some of them.

I didn't know who those other people singing were. I gather they're famous with the young crowd. That one gal flashed her middle finger, which is disappointing. Can't we get one clean performance, seein' how there are lots of kiddos watching this game?

[VioletLake]

63. The cultural pageant crowning the Empire's premier entertainment event...

Not many people have the self-confidence and skill to command such a beast.

I'm not a fan of her music, but she is an impressive person.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

111. you put it really well. She's totally aware of the cultural/historical

traditions embodied in the Super Bowl, Entertainment, Hollywood extravaganza, making visual reference to Roman gladiators, classic movie stars, sports rituals

[demosincebirth]

64. This is what

I thought

[deutsey]

65. I was never a Madonna fan so maybe

that's why I wasn't impressed.

But to each his/her own.

[rollin74]

67. I thought it was very good!

first one I've actually enjoyed in a long time

[donheld]

74. I loved it.

[musette_sf]

75. ....

[Zanzoobar]

80. Wrong. Sucked.

It's not really worth the argument, is it?

Esthetics are subjective.

[scubadude]

91. I agree, it stank.

She's never had any talent and never will.

Scuba

[Johonny]

81. I honestly didn't watch it

I thought half time show was meant for you to goto the bathroom. The super bowl is kind of funny in that the best show in a while was Prince. Acts that should be good often aren't and acts I have no interest in watching are often good. Something about the cheese of half time makes cheesy acts work. The Who are a vastly more talented band than Madonna ever, but really didn't work as half time show stuff.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

83. Everything about it looked fake

They might as well have taped it a week ago.

[Zanzoobar]

84. As if they didn't.

[Ter]

85. I still can't believe the middle finger and the word "shit" got zero media attention

I honestly think everyone missed it but my friend. He rewound it and there it was.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

132. I'm glad it got no attention

since it was a cheap attempt to get attention.

[LibertyorDeath]

86. Vomitous

It was Vomitous

[meaculpa2011]

88. Of all the silliness...

involved in the Super Bowl, halftime is the silliest.

PLAY THE GAME!

Thirty plus minutes in the locker room at halftime so that some washed-up exhibitionist can preen for the non-sports fans makes me want to puke. It's an insult to the players and the fans.

[BumRushDaShow]

89. A bit over the top

And as a newly minted 50 yo myself, I could see her feeling her own 53+ years too, although I'll give her an "A" for the acrobatic effort.

Meanwhile Lady Gaga, who is 1/2 Madonna's age, carries on the "tradition" thanks to entertainers like Madonna and their influence.

[rucky]

90. I wouldn't consider myself a Madonna fan, but thought it was a great show

and lip-synched or not, that was her voice and the sound quality was great this year - especially compared to last year's BEP debacle.

[Myrina]

97. As an Indy resident, I apologize to you all ...

... and really wish the NFL would stop trying to be in the 'halftime show' business.
The video fx on the 'floor' were pretty cool to look at, but the rest Sucked.

[DevonRex]

98. I am not a fan But she did update her music

by having current artists perform with her. And she did make good choices in the songs she performed. Bad lip synching, though, on her part. Way too obvious. Another thing I don't like about quite a few female artists these days is that I spend most of the time being afraid they're gonna trip and fall because of those stupid shoes. I know I'm not alone.

As a whole, it was much better than I thought it would be.

[NoGOPZone]

103. One of the few halftime shows I've ever liked. nt

[n2doc]

104. I enjoyed it!

I really enjoyed the light show/stage. I wish they had pulled back and showed that more. Would have been amazing to be there in person.

People take things too seriously. It was meant to be a spectacle, and it was.

[blogslut]

108. It was fun

Ms. Ciccone has always understood her strengths versus her weaknesses in regards to her talent. She knows she's not a strong singer so she's always staged big productions with lots of eye candy. She's pretty damned good at what she does despite all the harrumphs from her critics.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

109. What a woman!!! She is awesome!!!!!!

Great show, AND a total class act!

WIN!

[zappaman]

115. Awful

On every level.
I will give her credit for having someone actually relevant on stage(M.I.A.) but that's it.
The only thing likely worse is the movie she directed.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

129. you're entitled to your opinion

isn't it nice that arts and entertainment are subjective matters?

I liked all the performers sharing the stage with Madonna...everyone really enjoying performing as a team. Good stuff

[Kwarg]

118. I watched it again last night

And yeh it was awesome!!!

[Raffi Ella]

121. It was pretty cool and so much better than last years!

I liked all the songs she performed except for her new one. The dance beat behind it was alright but the overall sing songy cheerleader like sound seemed unworthy of the others she sang(lipped). Nicki Minaj and MIA made it better though, I liked their parts.


Anyway, woohooo! GIANTS won

[LanternWaste]

122. No high praise of a person or thing exists without

No high praise of a person or thing exists without the concomitant verbal urination on that same thing. Some call it balance, others call it petulant irrelevancy. I like to maintain my position in the latter group.

Many of the responses to your OP have "bless your little heart" written all over them....

[dana_b]

123. Madonna acts just like a serious male artist would – and people hate her for it

As her new film reminds us, Madonna is as unapologetic as ever – and it's doing wonders for the collective female psyche
Naomi Wolf
guardian.co.uk, Monday 6 February 2012 13.30 EST

Last night, at half-time during the Super Bowl – that military-industrial complex factory of western masculinity, in which beefed-up men were pounding the stuffing out of each other, in between shots of the troops in Afghanistan – Madonna was marched on stage by a glistening gladiator muscle-troupe and flipped the flowing cape of LMFAO's RedFoo. Madonna was invited to perform at the Super Bowl — and ended up satirizing the Super Bowl. The girl can't help herself, and thank God for that.

So Madonna's refusal to be less powerful, less entitled, less desiring and less not-ordinary, is always going to bring out the haters, whether she is playing with sacred iconography or just pissing people off. But I would say that this ongoing hostility is just the proof she should need that she is doing her proper job in the collective female psyche.

more at link:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/feb/06/madonna-hating-we-superbowl?fb=optOut

Actually those are the last two paragraphs of the article which is about her new film. However with the OP's topic, I found this appropriate.
I am not a huge Madonna fan but I love her spirit, her creativity and her drive.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

131. great article, thank!!

I noted the excessive hate directed at Madonna...lotta dooods around here especially are reveling in their contempt for her. It makes them oh so cool, doesn't it? What is it about men who trash women because it makes them feel oh so big-in-the-dick?


Exactly right, she took the assignment to CREATE a 12 minute piece of entertainment and gave us a visual explosion. She included the archetype of the Roman coliseum for the 21st century (perfect, since football players are our equivalent of the Roman gladiator), played with icons of entertainment and the ritual of sport (cheerleaders and pom poms)....all in total control and class. It's absolutely supposed to be spectacle and she created a visual feast.

You can bet your ass, if a man had created this piece, we wouldn't be needing to defend him.

I had to give ya a heart for this!

[dana_b]

134. thanks Blanche!!

and I completely agree: You can bet your ass, if a man had created this piece, we wouldn't be needing to defend him.

I don't know why she's trashed so vehemently - maybe they are simply threatened.

[polly7]

125. I give her an A+ for Like a Prayer. nt.

[CreekDog]

126. I liked it and thought it was better than the last one

some of the criticisms here reflect more on the posters than the performers yesterday.

these shows are spectacles of costumes, sound and movement. not sure what one expects from an 12 minute interlude between halves of the Superbowl.

they got a world famous performer like Madonna and instead of just making it "oldies", they had other performers and even she did a new song.

it was lively, fun, loud and quickly over.

that's what it's supposed to be and for what it's supposed to be, she was excellent.

the critics should go to a dance performance or the symphony. halftime at the Superbowl is not what they're looking for, obviously.

[Ron Green]

127. And to think pop culture once included

Duke Ellington and Artie Shaw. We've slipped a few notches over the years.

[Taverner]

128. They say Gollum stormed off "The Hobbit" set on Thursday. Now we know where Gollum went....

[Bluenorthwest]

135. The Super Bowl was yesterday?

Missed the entire thing. Oops.