NBC last night confirmed that singer Katy Perry will headline the Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show at Univ. of Phoenix Stadium on Feb. 1. NBC's Bob Costas made the announcement at halftime of the "SNF" Cowboys-Giants game. Pepsi then launched an original digital video featuring Perry, and re-released its "There Since The First #Halftime" spot featuring Perry's song "Firework" (NBC Sports). In L.A., Raab & Roberts noted Perry last night posted a tweet that was "a nod to the Pepsi-branded promo" video in which she "walks around a 'halftime show testing facility' full of glittery and fantastical elements, including a unicorn, a time machine and a fire-breathing shark." A female performing "during the coveted slot" serves as a "potent symbol for the NFL, which has suffered a series of blunders this year." The league "can use all the female energy it can find" (LATIMES.com, 11/23). YAHOO SPORTS' Jay Busbee noted Perry is the "third female artist in the last four years to headline the show," after Madonna in '12 and Beyonce in '13. It is a "reasonable choice, as Perry can work a 110-million person room with the best of them" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 11/23). In DC, Cindy Boren notes the selection of Perry "continues a recent trend in which the NFL looks for younger acts," such as Bruno Mars for Super Bowl XLVIII (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 11/24). CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin notes there was "no word on the issue of pay-to-play." That had been a "big topic," as the NFL got "some criticism from the music industry after suggesting performers help contribute financially to play at the show” (“Squawk Box,” CNBC, 11/24).
HARDLY A DARK HORSE: CNN.com's Breeanna Hare wrote it is "not hard to see why the NFL would want to pursue Perry." Hare listed "three reasons why we think she'd kill it." First, Perry's music is "essentially the stuff Super Bowl halftime dreams are made of." Much of her catalog is "high-energy, danceable pop that's just cheeky enough to be entertaining without losing a sponsorship." Second, "everyone from your grandma to your 3-year-old nephew knows her music." And finally, Perry gives a "show-stopping performance" (
CNN.com, 11/23).
