Singer Katy Perry "will perform" at the halftime show of Super Bowl XLIX Feb.1 at Univ. of Phoenix Stadium, according to sources cited by Mohr & Smith of the N.Y. POST. Perry has "been rumored as a contender for the coveted Super Bowl slot, along with Coldplay and Rihanna." Perry last Saturday on the set of ESPN's "College Gameday" said, "I’m not the kind of girl who would pay to play the Super Bowl." Mohr & Smith note the halftime show is "sponsored by Pepsi, which has previously worked with Perry to promote her film, 'Part of Me.'" Perry's "bubble-gum pop brand could certainly sweeten the image of a league that’s been rocked by bad press this season over domestic abuse and questions regarding player safety" (N.Y. POST, 10/10). In DC, Des Bieler writes, "Whatever the financial arrangement, if any ... the NFL appears to have landed the kind of mega-star it prefers to provide the entertainment at the Big Game" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 10/10). ESPN’s Mike Golic said of Perry's reluctance to pay to play the halftime show, “Quite honestly, I don't blame her a bit. They were asking for a percentage of the sales going forward thinking that we're going to up your sales. (If I'm) Katy Perry, I'm saying, ‘Have you seen my tour? It's going okay for me right now’” (“Mike & Mike,” ESPN Radio, 10/10).
