Super Bowl With a Smirk: How NFL’s hip-hop halftime makes noise to keep its set list secret
Super Bowl With a Smirk is back with the fourth of five daily notes columns needling the self-important NFL and the gravitas of its big game. Flying under the banner, “Make Fun, Not War,” Smirk is an annual Super Bowl Week feature in the Miami Herald years we remember to do it.
Congrats to the NFL for gingerly stepping into the 21st Century with a hip-hip based Super Bowl Halftime Show. That pretty much was Dr. Dre’s pointed message at Thursday’s Super Bowl Halftime Show news conference in L.A.
“We’re going to open more doors for hip-hop artists in the future and making sure the NFL understands that this is what it should have been a long time ago,” he said.
Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige and Snoop Dogg attended the moderated event that did not allow reporter questions. The two other performers, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem, were not there.
The show is going to great lengths to keep the set list and other details under raps — under raps, get it??
While rehearsals have gone on inside So-Fi Stadium this week, music by Bon Jovi and Red Hot Chili Peppers have blared loudly outside so eavesdropping passerby cannot not hear the hip-hop inside.
Meantime Terry Bradshaw, 73, evidently would like to see an all-dead halftime show. Asked who he would like to hear perform, he said Freddie Mercury, Merle Haggard and Glen Campbell.
“That’s more like it!” said the NFL.
▪ NFL Honors awards show: The NFL Honors awards show Thursday night was to dole out its top prize for league MVP. Most thought anti-vaxxer Aaron Rodgers would win, but many others felt he didn’t have a shot.
▪ Stephen Ross said what!?: Dolphins owner Stephen Ross chatted with Mike McDaniel prior to Thursday’s introductory news conference as the new head coach held his small daughter. Ross is believed to have offered the toddler $100,000 to not cry during the event. OH WE’RE JUST FOOLIN!
▪ Anti-counterfeiting alert: A Super Bowl Anti-Counterfeiting News Conference was held Thursday. One tip given: If you paid big for a Super Bowl ticket that seemed unusually small and and reads, “AMC Theaters / The Power Of The Dog / Admit One” — it may be a fake.
▪ Rampage, meet Who Dey: You know it’s getting late in Super Bowl Week when we’re down to the mascots. Rampage has been the Rams mascot since 2010, winning out over other finalist names including (inexplicably) Archie. Who Dey, named after the fans chant, is the Bengals mascot name wantonly stolen from New Orleans’ Who Dat.
▪ Poll: Sorry, halftime. The ads got it: We asked in a one-hour Twitter RapidPoll which you would watch Sunday night if you couldn’t watch both and, with 169 votes cast, the Super bowl commercials beat the SB halftime show, 55 to 45 percent.
▪ Media party on Friday: The L.A. Host Committee Media Party is Friday night at Universal Studios Hollywood. Smirk had a daydream. It involved himself, Shrek, Donkey, Princess Fiona and a hot tub.
▪ Super Bowl Tip du Jour: Break the mold. Surprise Your guests. Turn off the TV and make your party radio-only — and no alcohol! It’ll save you the trouble of hosting again next year.
