NFL Officials Say N.Y./N.J. Super Bowl Pre-Game, Halftime Shows Are On

There will be in-stadium halftime entertainment at Super Bowl XLVIII next year at MetLife Stadium, sources said, contradicting to a published report that suggested the first outdoor cold weather Super Bowl would make that impossible. “You can certainly say there will be halftime entertainment, but I would not categorize the type,” one source said. The source said the halftime entertainment would be in the stadium, and not indoors at an off-site location and then televised on MetLife’s video boards. And the entertainment will be done in a big way, the sources said. Whether it will be a traditional Super Bowl halftime show though is uncertain. Much is still up in the air over the type of entertainment, and it is unclear exactly when plans will be finalized. There has been much speculation about the difficulty the NFL might encounter next year with the first outdoor cold weather Super Bowl, and the report yesterday that there might be no halftime show fueled that concern. The report said the cold would make it near impossible to set up a stage and musical act in the amount of time required (Daniel Kaplan, Staff Writer). NFL VP/Communications Brian McCarthy said, "We've planned for it, we've mapped it out and there will be a pregame and a halftime show." McCarthy "declined to offer any further details -- but noted that during the 2007 Super Bowl halftime show in Miami, Prince performed 'Purple Rain,' during a deluge, with no problem." A source at Fox, which is broadcasting the Super Bowl next year, said, “It’s a good bet that every bit of electronics that could be exposed to the elements will be weatherproofed" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/5).

DON'T MESS WITH SUCCESS: SportsNet N.Y.'s Marc Malusis said the idea of not having a halftime show is a "miss." Malusis: "That’s really part of the festivities that you want to have a halftime show. That’s why you can’t have it in a cold-weather city” (“The Wheelhouse,” SportsNet N.Y., 2/4). SportsNet N.Y.’s Adam Schein said the halftime show is "officially part of the celebration part of the Super Bowl,” and it is good for “football fans and non-football fans.” Schein said not having a halftime performance “would obviously be a negative” (“Loud Mouths,” SportsNet N.Y., 2/4). ESPN's Mike Greenberg said, "I’m a football fan. ... I’d be perfectly happy with 20 minutes of Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson, Michael Strahan. Just give me 20-minutes of football conversation. But obviously that’s not what the world wants.” ESPN’s Mike Golic added, “I could take that as well, but if they want to show a concert from the Prudential Center, I’d sit and watch that as well” (“Mike & Mike in the Morning,” ESPN Radio, 2/5).

PUTTING A BOW ON BEYONCE: ESPN's J.A. Adande asked of Beyonce’s halftime performance Sunday night, "What else could you ask for from the Super Bowl show?" Her set ranks “right up there” all-time, but it is “not as great as Prince doing ‘Purple Rain’ in the rain in Miami.” ESPN's Bomani Jones said it "wasn’t quite up there with the Michael Jackson performance at the Rose Bowl, but what are we talking about there? It was spectacular" (“Around The Horn,” ESPN, 2/4). ESPN’s Michael Wilbon said Beyonce should have lip-syched her Super Bowl halftime performance “so she could dance in the way we’re used to seeing Beyonce dancing” at her concerts. ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser said the performance was "very athletic,” and the show was “enjoyable to watch." Kornheiser: "It was better than Madonna, who tried to do the same thing, but not as good as Michael Jackson.” He added he preferred Beyonce to The Who’s Roger Daltrey “taking his shirt off."  Kornheiser: "I don’t think we need to see that anymore. I think we’re done with that” (“PTI,” ESPN, 2/4).