Madonna – Superbowl 2012 Halftime Show (VIDEO)

That new song of Madonna’s, her daughter should be singing it.

I genuinely adored this. The woman, at her age, continues to shine. This was imaginative, fun, and a full on spectacle worthy of being called “the best halftime show in many years.” Especially when you consider what some previous years have given us (hello last year with BYP, ugh).

Anyways, loved it completely- from start to finish. I will probably have more to say later when I can view it again without 10 people surrounding me.

This half time show was a total bore for me.  That was about 15 minutes or so of my life I’ll never get back.  I didn’t think too much of the video honestly.

MJ, your right, she was trying too hard. She’s Madonna, she shouldn’t look so desperate to keep up with the young pop tarts. She once was innovative, now she’s just trying to keep up with girls half her age. The song sucked and she sucked, but when it’s all said and done, she will sell millions and delude herself about being at the top of her game. Those days are a distant memory for her.

Ew. 

Cee-Lo Green at least made it bearable. That was awesome, lol.

you know youve made it when you get bitched at on twitter, mj. lol

Awesome! Wonderful!  Madonna rocks! 

It was a thoroughly entertaining half-time show.  I loved the flashy, classy presentation with guest performers.  Madonna is an entertainer; the results were electrifying.

MJ, you’re young.  Wait until you are 53 years old.  Then try doing cartwheels in 4 inch heels!  You will then realize what Madonna did tonight was unbelievable!!

ps. i felt like i was watching a 60 yr old miley cyrus.

Performing should look effortless but M looked like she was working very hard to complete the moves which made it difficult for me to enjoy her performance.  I guess  it looked better in the stadium.  The new song is terrible.

wow, I felt just the opposite.  I wasn’t even going to watch it and I haven’t been a fan for quite awhile now.  But I thought she did great and looked like she was having fun and not taking the whole thing all that seriously. I was surprised that I found it was so enjoyable! 

Surprised nobody on here is talking about how MIA flipped off the camera and said “f…”. My screen went fuzzy for about one second…but too late.

I enjoyed the show.  I didn’t get to hear it as we had to keep the sound low, but I thought Madonna danced pretty well for being older than I am, and it was amusing to see how many different dancer troupes/marching bands/choirs she could cram into the performance.

I thought she was smart in going for spectacle.  If you are going to do the half-time at the Superbowl, you need to go way, way over the top.  Yes, it’s not Madonna at her best.  Yes, it’s not remarkably more interesting than someone like, say, Gaga might pull off.  But again, Madonna is proving that she doesn’t belong in the old folks’ home just yet.

I hope she keeps this comeback rolling long enough to come up with a better vehicle than “Give Me All Your Luvin’.”  If Madonna and Gaga were to really throw down for the Queen of Pop crown, that would be a fight worth watching.

I liked it. Madonna puts on a much better show than most artists half her age. And I enjoyed hearing the older songs again. Everybody lip syncs on these halftime performances, so that didn’t bother me. And she looks great for 53 — I hope I look half that good when I’m 53

I have to say, every one of your critiques was true but I just loved this. It was fun and over the top and glam and entertaining.And Madonna looks great for 53.

The only thing Madonna had to fear were the gymnastic stunts.  Anyone over 50 would realize the dmands on her, especially in heels.  I would liked to have seen her perform “Holiday” but what she did perform came across perfectly.

You mean Madonna should get a pat on the head for giving it the “ole college try”. Overlook the fact that she couldn’t sing live to save her life. What would have made it perfect, would have been if she had pulled poor Britney Spears out there to lip sync with her.

ha ha. I like “Holiday” too….

I thought she was pretty amazing.  And I loved her singing and mixing with the newer stars.  :)

I was a bit worried how Madonna would do…not her crowd, a little over the hill…wutever. BUT she brought it!  That was a lot of pressure and she delivered.  Sorry to the naysayers but the production value on that show alone was uhmaaaazing.  The Peas last year sucked ass…this was so much better and it wasnt even close.  To all the haters name any half time show in the last 10 years that was even close to this and I’ll call Bullsh*t.

The Material Girl is known for appropriating pop culture, but she’s been clever in the past. I just felt her performance here was derivative.

I don’t get that at all.  Who did that sort of thing before she did?  By definition she’s not derivative – everyone who followed and copied her is.

Madonna wasn’t doing anything different than what she usually do. She’s throws on a skimpy outfit, dances around and lip sync. That’s not out of the ordinary for her, because whether it’s half time at the Super Bowl, a Grammy performance or her own concert, it’s not like she would or could actually sing.    

I’m not kidding you and I didn’t even see this in my house because I missed the first part of Madonna (I was picking up my daughter at a friends’ house.)  But apparently my young son said to my husband that Madonna was copying Lady Gaga.  lol… My husband thought that was pretty funny.

 And Madonna copied many performers that came before her.

I thought she put on a fun show. She’s long in the tooth for the pop thing but the audience certainly got their money’s worth. Much better than the BEP last year. Her thing has always been singing, dancing, the visual effect more than the great live singing…and put an entertaining show tonight.

I’m one who expects live singing and cant support acts that lip scync. Her new song is horrible IMHO and I expect much more from a legend.

I feel she should take tips from Cher who does it better.  At this point in her life, she should not be trying to keep up with the Younger folk or competing with her daughter (which is what I think it is).  I think she’s have a mid-life, what should I do next moment…..she’s directing and writing movies, so maybe that’s what she should do?
Her movie W.E. is a bomb, a big bomb.

Well in 30 years when they wheel Lada Gaga out for SuperBowl 76, people will think she’s copying…oh wait, that isn’t going to happen. ;) But I do get the idea that Madonna is getting too old to do the Pop thing. It happens to the best of them.

I’m a pretty big Madonna fan, but she hast lost me with her last few albums. Her new single is horrid lol. This was a pretty solid show I thought. 

With all due respect, I don’t recall Bruce Springsteen and The Who getting the same flack for not being relevant. Yeah, they don’t sound like they used to, but they are legends. Madonna may be a just a pop chick, but she was equally impactive in her own way. I’m already on record saying that her new song sucks, but for the spectacle, the dancing, the great old songs, her longevity and her contribution to pop culture, I say KUDOS Madonna!

I agree with MJ.  It was sort of boring.  I don’t know what we expect from Madonna these days — but she’s going on a world tour, so this is a rev up.  And the new song is ridiculous IMO.  It’s more for somebody like Katy Perry or Kesha.  I can’t believe she’s not singing something more “mature.”  She needs a total hairdo makeover.
She didn’t seem to have much energy….did she?

You like the new song, Black Swan?  It’s more a song for Katy Perry or Kesha, not Madonna.

And the marching band?  Been there done that….each time there’s a Superbowl somebody brings out a marching band.

She lost me a long time ago, but I thought the show was pretty good.  :)

And Madonna copied many performers that came before her.

Name two.  Or even one.  No one did what Madonna did before her.  She led the way into the MTV music video era.  Along the way she pissed off traditional rock and pop artists who didn’t like the trend.  they were pissed because she was at the forefront of changing the music scene.  Today’s pop scene is, imo, pretty derivative of her.  Does she do it like she used to?  Of course not – she’s 53 years old.  But the style of performance is current today, and it’s exactly the same thing she did then.  So it’s both retro and current, which is why I say she’s the original.

The thirty people at my super bowl party all really liked the madonna performance. We are all in our mid 20s, maybe it is a generational thing.

I loved hearing her old songs but that new one does not suit her at all. I wonder if it will do well? She is in terrific shape though, that is for sure.
Also hooray Giants!!!

Also hooray Giants!!!

lol I didn’t know who won until I read this  :)

I am not a fan of hers but I rather watch her then JLo shaking her bootie in transparent dress. She has more class then JLo for sure. the new song (loving) is so boring, I rather watch OH MICKY, sorta reminded me of that.

Everyone at our Superbowl party thought the same thing you wrote – first, they all swore she was lip syncing.  Second, her new song really sounds like it should be sung by someone in their 20s, not someone who is 53.  And I agreed with them.

Madonna’s new song is ridiculous.
Like a Prayer was the best part of the performance, (and flew up the itunes chart to the 20′s after halftime for a while before droppping. lol)

The rest of the performance was a hot mess.

MIA is a genius, too good for the song, and I really don’t know why Madge recruited her.. It’s a bit of a random choice.

I really like it, and the dancers were really good. It must be hard to have to dance on that benches and Madonna is still fit.
“Like a Prayer” is still her best song IMO.

Everybody watching the game with me( 7 people) thought this performance was very fun .  Its rather silly spectacle was perfect for the ocassion.  She looked super,  and dancing around on those heels was very impressive.  I doubt I could make it across my living room in that pair of shoes.

First of all, it looked like Madonna was lip syncing, and no…not everyone lip syncs in the Superbowl as someone suggested.

Second, you asked for any better halftime shows in the past 10 years – Paul McCartney, The Who, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones. 

And Madonna copied many performers that came before her.

No, she didn’t. She was original and incredibly shocking when she came on the scene.  There was no one like her.  Her songs were provocative and sexual and very much about expressing that women actually love sex, will have sex when they want to, and will have it with whomever they please, just like men. Not an idea people were ready to grasp in the early 80′s, believe it or not.   Even Cher, with her outrageous costumes, sang about love rather than sex. Also, Madonna filled her lyrics and her costumes with religious symbolism, and openly challenged the religion in which she was raised. What she did was not safe or cookie-cutter pop. She wasn’t copying anyone before her nor was she like her contemporaries. Back then, female pop was Wilson Phillips, The Go-Gos, Celine Dion, and The Bangles. The closest performer to Madonna at that time was Prince… a man. And they came out at the same time, so she certainly can’t be accused of stealing his schtick.  

Before you call me a hater…I LIKE Madonna, but haven’t really loved anything since “Ray of Light”–which I REALLY loved.

Sorry MJ- that was 1998.  I find that most haters try to claim that they “like” someone right before they slag them off.

This was one of the best half time shows in quite a while.  I didn’t find it desperate at all.  When I first heard the new song leaked I was taken aback, but it grows on you.  In a word the song is FUN.

Many resent her because they under-rate her talent.  She has a good pop voice, a very good dancer and puts on a hell of a show. 

People use her age against her, and it’s their own ignorance and prejudice.  For those I truly feel sorry. 

EXACTLY
Take the age out of it, and just judge it on the performance.  Madonna puts on one hell of a show.  That is why she can charge the ticket prices she does, and always sells out her tour stops.  There is a reason for that, and it’s called talent.

1. Cher is awesome.
2. She is not competing with her daughter.
3. And how is W.E. a bomb, it JUST came out, and it’s only in limited release and on a very niche subject matter. 

how many live Madonna concerts have you been too?  I’ve been to her last 4 tours a few times during each tour, and she can “sing to save her life”.  Is she Celine Dion?  No.  But she can sing live.

I grew up in Indiana.  It is a very conservative State and this was not her audience.  The show’s sponsors were probably at every rehearsal to make sure she didn’t do anything provocative.  Give her a break.

I grew up in Indiana.  It is a very conservative State and this was not her audience.  The show’s sponsors were probably at every rehearsal to make sure she didn’t do anything provocative.  Give her a break.

“Many resent her because they under-rate her talent.  She has a good pop
voice, a very good dancer and puts on a hell of a show.”

Or maybe they just don’t care for her.  It doesn’t have to mean they resent or hate her. Confessions was the last album of hers I liked, and only some of Music before that.

I loathed Hard Candy, not because I resent her, but because i thought it was dull and weak. This new single I feel the same about. I dislike the chant, and feel that the MIA/Nikki addition was just gimmicky. I think she can, and has done much better than this, and is just coming off as being too desperate.  

OMG. Madonna stans who just showed up here out of nowhere? READ MY GUIDELINES BEFORE YOU POST. Or you’ll be feeling my ban hammer

http://mjsbigblog.com/idol-appearances/guidelines

Many
resent her because they under-rate her talent.  She has a good pop
voice, a very good dancer and puts on a hell of a show. 

People use her age against her, and it’s their own ignorance

you are jumping to conclusions and putting words in peoples mouths. Don’t do that.

MJ- Read some of the comments.  Many of them cite her age, as if it means anything. It’s not putting words in others mouths, it’s actually using their words to prove a point.

Since it’s your blog, and I’ve been posting but mostly reading on this site for many years, I will definitely abide by your rules.  It’s your blog, and I love the fact that you put so much effort into it.  Trust that I respect your hard work for putting this all together.  I did not mean to cause a stink on this thread.

I didn’t really notice a new song in there.

And I thought it looked like the Olympics!

Her performance was workmanlike – good – but lacking energy and spark – slightly sluggish.  The Roman costumes were a mistake – looked dated.  Word behind the scenes was she was synching.  Overall, it was enjoyable because of the spectacle.  But don’t think Madonna reached what she was aiming for. 

Okay here are my thoughts thoughts running through my head as a watched….

1) Hmmm this is starting off nice.
2) A lot of times it was too staged, you could see Madonna setting up to do choreographed moves wasn’t fluid.
3) Madonna looked good
4) Is it just me or did Madonna look tiny just how tall is she?
5) I thought Tightrope dude was stupid and were we looking up his skirt only cool thing was when he flipped off the rope.
6) lip-synched
7) Her new song was one of her worst songs and it doesn’t fit her, that’s for a younger person to sing.
8) What’s with the random artists popping up to sing w/ her odd.
9) Hearing like a prayer after her new song made me hate her new song even more, vintage Madonna  is the best. Wish she just sang all her old songs by herself.
10) World Peace at the end kind of weird you’re just like duh state the obvious and so random.

So it was a good performance over all i’ve seen worse, Black Eyed Peas i’m looking at you now that was bad. Hmm looking back at all the issues I had w/ the performance I probably said it was good b/c I loved her old songs and b/c of the grand entrance but whatev.

i thought she took a page out of mj and princes book.  who took a page out of james brown’s and so on…granted they don’t have a vagina.  i just liked the first  album, i was 20 and tried acid for the first time listening to Holiday.  i respect her, she was a bit of a trend setter and maybe revolutionary in some ways….but she started the whore yourself movement that brings us to today.  that’s a summary of what I think. 

Listening, I think Madonna us 5’4″.

I like early Madonna, can’t think of anything I’ve liked since “Take a Bow” or something from the first half of the 90′s.  The new song reminds me of something Katy Perry would sing, totally.

She does look great, but then if I had unlimited time and resources, I too could hire a personal chef to cook nutritious yet delicious meal, and hire a personal trainer to put me through my paces for three hours a day.  But I don’t, so I’ll stick to solidly-wearing-single-digits but not being in any shape close to that.  

All these comments on the heels scare me though… I am 41 and can still wear 4″ heels, but should I be worried that I won’t be able to in another decade?

MJ,  I feel the same way you did about her performance, nothing she hasn’t done before, and I don’t think the new song is one of her best.

The Associated Press: M.I.A. flips bird during Super Bowl halftime
show
For all the pomp and excess of Madonna’s Super Bowl halftime show,
it is likely to be a single extended middle finger by guest singer M.I.A. that
is most remembered. The gesture, accompanied by a barely disguised expletive,
came during a performance of Madonna’s new single, “Give Me All Your Luvin.’” It
was reminiscent of Janet Jackson’s infamous “wardrobe malfunction” — a surprise
risque moment in front of tens of millions of unsuspecting viewers.
The
brief exposure of Jackson’s nipple during the 2004 halftime show raised a storm
of controversy and put CBS in hot water with the Federal Communications
Commission. The Super Bowl, shown on NBC this year, is routinely viewed by more
than 100 million people, the biggest TV event of the year.
The screen
briefly went blurred after the M.I.A. gesture in what seemed like a late attempt
to cut out the camera shot. The NFL, which produces the annual halftime show,
had no immediate comment.

We, at home loved it! We enjoyed the spectacle, amazing visuals. It was something different for a change – no tacky costumes or ridiculous random, crazy performances on stage. Her age is showing on her movements though, a bit rigid & slow. But overall, it was pure entertainment.

No 53 year old should have pom poms, jumping around with 2 rappers. That song and performance seemed like she was trying too hard. Every time a mega star gets an opportunity to play a big show, they add a song so i am not surprised she did it. However, I am a child of the ’80s, and hearing Like a Prayer and Vogue etc was great and she looked fabulous for any age. Adding the Party Rock guys made my kids have something to relate with.

Also, I don’t care if an artist lip syncs. Especially in an arena, she’s dancing around, they can have so many things go wrong, I don’t blame them. Better safe than sorry. This isn’t Milli Vanilli. We all know she can sing.

Sorry, but all of us don’t know if she can sing. When was the last performance she had on tv that wasn’t lip sync? 

The whole beginning of the performance was cringe inducing. The awkward choreography had twitter abuzz at the time. The obvious lip synching (so Madonna) and throwing every current act on the stage to make her appear current came off as desperate.

The whole show came off as desperate. Her new song is horrible. She should have stuck with her old stuff and lip-synched her way through that.

Someone above asked if she ever sung live. She did one time and it was so bad that she was ripped to shreds. This is why Elton John hates her so much. He believes if you can’t sing live you shouldn’t be on the stage. 

When she first appeared in the Roman gladiator outfit, I thought it odd because I think of Madonna as wearing things that are either more self-referential, or about famous movie icons & scenes, or about sex & sexuality. I never really think of her as wearing costumes per se, but rather her clothes being part of her self-expression, so the Roman stuff was a bit WTF.

OTOH, she was probably referencing the SuperBowl itself, which is essentially our modern version of watching Roman gladiators fight in a stadium for entertainment. Duh!

My first thought when I saw how well she’s maintained herself is that she should be in movies or on a cable TV series, not in music, and certainly not in pop music.  The new song confirmed that. OTOH she’s been “a movie star without a movie” for too many decades now, so I guess that ain’t happening.

I like electronica-trance-era Madonna the best (her song “Ray of Light” could be a hit right now), so I really appreciated that she included “Music” in her set. Having the circus acts during “Music” made it slightly Burning-Man-esque.

It’s crazy how similar Gaga and 80′s Madonna are. Both sang extremely safe pop music (safe from a musically artistic perspective) but put their artistry and self-expression into the videos, clothes, performances, and “statements”.

In a nod to her age, and probably the superbowl audience, she was pretty well covered up head to toe. Except for a bit of upper leg, she really didn’t expose any skin. A refreshing contrast to today’s pop tarts.

“With all due respect, I don’t recall Bruce Springsteen and The Who getting the same flack for not being relevant. Yeah, they don’t sound like they used to, but they are legends. Madonna may be just a “pop” chick, but she was equally impactive in her own way. I’m already on record saying that her new song sucks, but for the spectacle, the dancing, the great old songs, her longevity and her contribution to pop culture, I say KUDOS Madonna!”

You can be relevant and then you can be relevant. :) Her body of work makes her relevant. Her latest lack of growth makes her irrelevant with what she has shown so far from this album. She has done little to show growth as an artist or done anything to propel growth in this genre. The shocking thing for me is that I agree with the characterization that this sounds like a kids bop song. What I’ve noticed is that the under 20 crowd sings about sweet romances or crushes, the 20 – 30 crowd sings about having sex and getting smashed and the 30+ crowd usually has a little more depth to their music (think P!nk) but is still poppy. At age 50, M looks hot, but her music doesn’t match her age and experience. There should be some depth there rather than trying to keep up with pop chicks. 

She really could have changed the game of pop music by coming out with something worth listening to. It could still be on her album I suppose, I certainly hope so. I like the idea of people not having to cash in at age 40+. Lets face it.. JLo did ok, but even was more interested in keeping up with the pop chicks as well. I don’t think you have that issue with Bruce and The Who mainly because of the music they sing and their audience. They aren’t aiming for a new audience of 15 -30 year olds, that is one thing. The second is that the themes of their music are mature, so whether they are 30 or 50 or 60 what they are singing about is relevant to their lives. At age 50 I expect someone to sing something that means something to them… even if it is pop music. 

Apparently I need to crawl out from under my rock more often, I guess, because actually I don’t know who M.I.A. is. I didn’t notice the bird/expletive.  I was paying more attention to Madonna dancing Vogue and balancing on one leg in those shoes. I will agree with what most have said about her new song which is highly forgettable, but she ended with Like a Prayer which was awesomeness.

Well, MJ, you are in good company; even the local news described Madonna’s performance as boring and passe.  KInd of surprising.

It was a fun trip down memory lane for me. Madonna was my Lady Gaga when I was a tween.

I did think that initial costume made her look like something out of an opera – you know those Viking women with the big spike headdresses and long blond hair. Madonna is in better shape though. LOL

Madonna has sung live before, she was dancing in high heeled boots, had wardrobe changes, marks to hit…. As MJ pointed out, Madonna slipped a bit on a riser. If this was a band just standing there strumming a guitar fine. If you somehow think Madonna has lost her voice and can’t sing, them you must love conspiracy theories, because its just standard operations. Janet, Britney, a lot of dancer singers pull out a track for this type of event.

I liked the new song – it’s fun and light. However, she was very tentative in her movements. I was afraid for her that she might fall completely. Thought the marching band was a rip off of Gwen Stefani. Still love “Like a Prayer”, though.

Yes they do it lip syncing.. and anyone that thinks M did it live is fooling themselves IMO. Its extremely hard to both sing and dance well at the same time and for more than a few minutes. This is *one* reason why many pop singers who have lots of performance on stage lip sync. 

I woke up this morning and the news headlines were all about MIA…hardly nothing about Madonna….I wonder if Madonna likes that?  I betcha she don’t.

It’s ironic, it was Madonna’s show, but MIA got all the press this morning.

The old jokes are redundant. I’d like you to send me a video of yourself at 53 doing what Madonna did. Besides,  Male artists don’t get that kind of backlash when they are in their 60′s and 70′s so why Madonna? Because she looks effing great for her age? I’m 20 yrs younger and Madonna looks better than me. What do people expect from her? I thought she did great and she proved to be amazing after 30 yrs in this business. MJ, I tend to love your blog but I thought you were a little harsh on Madonna. However that it your opinion and I respect it. I have been a long time Madonna fan so for me this was an epic performance and a hell lot better than the hot mess performance of The BEP.

It’s ironic, it was Madonna’s show, but MIA got all the press this
morning”

Not in NYC. The tabloids are giving her show very positive coverage. I even heard the local sports guys saying she did great. Good comments on the morning TV shows as well. I don’t think MIA giving the finger is going to be overshadow a good show.

I’m not the biggest Madonna fan and she seems to have lots of people who don’t dig her but the overall buzz on the halftime show seems very positive to me.

 Madonna invented that whole being inspired by artists, movies , painters, fashion designers and making it a part of her art/show. Her Blond ambition tour is an excellent example of that and that show was spectacular. Everyone needs to watch her documentary Truth or Dare. I mean really. U MUST! Britney, Christina, gaga all of these ladies continue the pop era as Madonna created it weather people like it or not that’s the truth. I love pop music and I respect all these ladies in a different way but Madonna, for me, will always be the original pop queen…just like Kelly haha the original AI who I love so much. she did that National anthem JUSTICE!!!

I thought it was a terrific performance and it really reminded me of why Madonna is the queen of pop. My favorite part was “Like a Prayer” with Cee Lo. I was at a superbowl party and lot of people were singing along (including the guys!). It was a great moment. I’m not crazy about her new songs but I liked the Niki Minaj and M.I.A. appearance. The highlight of the Vogue dance was the set and costumes and I loved how the patterns and words on the floor kept changing. Big points go to Madonna for dancing on bleachers in heels. Pretty gutsy! 

I enjoyed the half-time show, but I’m a pretty big Madonna fan.  The other people at my party seemed to enjoy it as well.  None of us had any idea who M.I.A was, so we were all kind of wondering why she chose such a big moment to flip one hundred million people the bird.  (I’m assuming I’ve seen her before, but honestly, I have no recollection of her whatsoever).

I’m trying to figure out how that seemed like a good idea to her?  I mean really, these performers know by now that the NFL and the networks don’t want to have to put up with the aftermath of crap like this.  Way to ensure that you’ll never get a performance slot at the Grammys!

And, just my own 2 cents on Madonna’s vocal abilities: I’ve seen her live twice.  She can carry a tune.  She’s no Kelly Clarkson voice-wise, but on the other hand, her concerts are easily the most entertaining ones I’ve ever been to. 

She looks great in this video and in such good shape, she can dance like nobody’s business in high heels at her age; she was lip syncing, but it’s hard to dance and sing in the same time, many artists do that especially for big events… The halftime show was good overall, but a little bit too much in some places, for example, because she can do them, “gymnastic stunts”? She has made an entrance in the stadium festive, like the queen of a country in ancient era and than she’s started all the cartwheels like the queen of circus, Cupid on wire, cheerleading, some of the guests in her set not good fit to keep the festive tone but to continue the other tone. I was expected for a more modern, crisp, sharper performance/spectacle from her; overall it was entertaining, how someone has said: “it was enjoyable because of the spectacle.  But don’t think Madonna reached what she was aiming for.”

As someone who really was never into Madonna, I thought that the show was entertaining and the production first rate.  I think that it’s a shame that M.I.A.’s gesture seems to be overshadowing Madonna.  Lame move to get attention.

The thirty people at my super bowl party all really liked the madonna performance. We are all in our mid 20s, maybe it is a generational thing.

It might be the fact that you have no point of reference of how great Madonna USED to be.  What she did at the half-time show was an embarassment IMO.  She was stiff and uncomfortable and clearly trying to hard.  Every artist needs to grow and mature and the fact that Madonna, at 53, is still trying to do the same thing she was doing at 23, 33 or even 43 is just sad to me.  I guess I understand it.  It’s not like has the voice to transition into something more adult contemporary.  But trying to recapture your former glory in this manner is never good be a good idea. 

We had 2 other couples over to watch the Superbowl. One of the wives was a big Madonna fan. She loved it. The husband in the other couple hated it. Their rest of us were rather indifferent. Everyone loved the stage – the floor drew lots of oohs and aahhs. CeeLo got couple of “Yay Ceelo!”s. Everyone was happy to hear “Like A Prayer”. 3 of us knew who MIA was and joked that we couldn’t believe she was there without a gun or something. Nobody noticed when she flashed the finger at the camera. But then again, we were a little drunk. Oopsies.

At the end we all agreed it was entertaining, but no one except the Madge fan was all that impressed with Madonna herself. The guy who hates her was impressed with the fast costume change however.

Odd, I didn’t see Madonna being stiff and uncomfortable at all. She looked like she was having fun. As far as being 53, should she just roll over and die? I don’t see anyone telling Tina Turner to stop what she is doing, or Cher. Oh, and I grew up listening to early Madonna. You are assuming what Madonna’s motivations are…you know what they say when you assume?

Wrong. Where do you think Madonna got a lot of her ideas from? The CLUBS. She took what she saw from the clubs, mostly gay oriented, and used it as her own to propel herself into a career. People were voguing in clubs before her song ever happened. She copied Marilyn Monroes blonde look, almost to a T. Remember Dick Tracey? I like Madonna, but she didn’t just make all of her career moves up on her own.

DJs on my radio station this morning said that it looked like she was going in slow motion and everyone was dancing around her.  I just couldn’t get over the fact that she is over 50 yrs. old and dancing around with cheerleaders while singing a ridiculous song that sounded like something off the Disney Channel.

She was just trying way too hard to seem current. And, MJ, you’re right, it came off as desperate.

OK. I’ll buy that.  Everyone gets their artistic inspiration somewhere. But, when she hit the scene, she couldn’t be accused of copying any other artist out there.

Anyway, I see Madonna continues to be polarizing.  There are people on my facebook page acting as if she committed a crime against America last night just because she wasn’t beyond amazing.  They actually seem angry with her.  

Agree with MJ’s assessment.  I was completely underwhelmed by Madonna’s performance last night and I was ‘baffled’ as to why she needed a supporting cast of LMFAO, MIA (neither of whom I like), Nicki Minaj (meh) and Cee-Lo (he’s OK and was the best of the lot last night.)

Lip syncing always bores me to tears, even though it’s always done during spectacles like this …

It left no impression on me and it was outta my mind the second it ended.

Kelly, OTOH … she killed the National Anthem … may have been the best I’ve ever heard including Whitney’s rendition years ago.  Kelly was Super!

I never understood the appeal of the song “Music,” it was a big #1 hit, but I never got why.  

I thought Madonna was a little stiff and slow…I say it comes with age.  Should she still be trying to compete with the performers 1/2 her age??? – why not.  I don’t see any reason she should retire (although she has boat loads of $$$) if she isn’t ready too.

Not the worst superbowl show that I’ve seen over the years – the would go to the BEP for me.

 Sorry but I didn’t Like Madonna at all she really looked out of place. maybe  the costumes are  what threw me off and the cheerleading outfit was so sad. It seemed she was going so slow-grant it she was injured &  not being as young as she looks but Oh my it just didn’t work for me.  Kelly-Great vocals  Blake & Miranda Fantastic together  & even Melanie Amaro’s Pepsi Commercial-Very funny & also great vocals But Madonna less would of been better!

Oh And Yeah Giants!!!!!!!

I didn’t watch the SuperBowl, but watched the halftime show here. I was amused last night when exactly half of my facebook friends who were watching the game thought it was the worst halftime show they had ever seen and half said it was best. No one who posted was in the middle of the road.

The vast majority of those who posted who hated it tended to be the more traditional, middle age, sports loving, male, middle of the road types who probably wouldn’t have been into Madonna anyway.

The vast majority who loved it tended to be non-traditional, younger, artistic types who were probably watching for entertainment value first and sports second (or third). These were mainly my friends who are DJ’s, my friends who are gay and my friends from the theatre. Most were Madonna fans going into it.

Now that I watched it, I have to say I wasn’t blown away, but I did enjoy it. Overall it looked like a larger produced version of some of her concerts I have seen of late. Everything kept going, despite Madonna’s stumble, despite MIA’s attempt to steal the spotlight, despite lightening quick costume changes and a couple of hundred people moving in and out.  I don’t think Madonna was moving slowly due to age or injury, rather I think she was keeping to a choreographed effort to hit her mark at the appropriate time for camera angles, lighting  changes and rising platforms. You could almost feel her keeping time in her head. The whole thing felt rehearsed within an inch of its life, and I think that’s where most of the criticism is coming from. We are used to a Madonna that feels as those she might provide some shock value at any given moment. This time around she felt very safe.  But who is to say that isn’t what the producers wanted?

Talk OTT!  Marching band, pom, poms, a choir!   WTF?  I thought I was watching Cleopatra storming Rome.   If the message was we are all here to honor  Madonna, and if I look like a toady or I’m clueless, not my fault.    MIA’s bird seemed to take on a little more significance.  The only thing that could have made this more of a super fail if Madonna had actually fallen.   Girl, dancing on metal bleachers would have given a 15 year old some trouble.  

You said it all Lol-Thank you!