The Super Bowl Halftime Atomic Bombs

The Super Bowl has become just as important for entertainment than what actually happens on the field. I think we talk as much about the halftime show as much as the game, especially when it's so boring as SB XLI. Now you have a pre game show (a big puke for the Cirque De Solie performance), big name national anthem singer, and the biggest single live televised concert. Before other channels would fight for viewers to switch over to their channel at halftime (remember the Lingere Bowl or NBC's Saturday Night Live?).

Now the NFL gets the biggest star they can get so the halftime show is as eagerly anticipated as the commericals. Since nipplegate (which is a moment in history you'll always remember where you were when it happened. I do) they've rolled out Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, and Prince. Love them or hate them, many forget that the Super Bowl halftime show used to be less than stellar. They were down right ugly.

X, XIV & XX (1977, 1982, 1986) - Up With People. I have no idea who they are and even after Googling them I still don't know. They must have been awesome.

XXI (1987) Southern California area high school drill teams and dancers. If I wanted to see drill teams and dancers I would just never graduate high school.

XXII (1989) South Florida-area dancers and performers and 3-D effects. I think the effects were you could see pigs flying, Elvis alive, and UFOs.

XXV (1991) New Kids on the Block. Funny enough soon after, its streak of Top 10 hits ends.

XXVI (1992) Gloria Estefan with ice skaters Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamil. Hospitals all over the country see a spike in people coming in with trauma to the eye with a sharp object.

XXVII (1993) Michael Jackson and 3,500 school children. Almost as good as heaven. O.J. Simpson as the game's honorary coin tosser. As crazy as that is it cannot be made up. Years later Jacko is a bit too friendly and O.J. turned out to be not friendly at all. (video on Youtube)

XXIX (1995) Disney performance of Indiana Jones as a musical with Patti Labelle, Tony Bennett, Arturo Sandoval and Miami Sound Machine. I do not remember seeing this halftime show and I thank my memory for forgetting something for once.

XXX (1996) Diana Ross sings and then is taken off in a helicopter. I hope one day they launch a space shuttle from halftime. Biggest audience ever. (video on Youtube).

XXXI (1997) The fake Blue Brothers try to get cheap publicity for their upcoming movie. John Goodman played the John Belushi role. Too bad it wasn't a fake halftime show and the real one was coming up. What a disaster.

XXXIV (2000) Disney at its worse again with a lot of people on the field not having a clue what they are doing. I think they were told to meet there 10 mins before halftime completely shit faced. (video on Youtube).

So next year when they announce some big name aging rocker, just be glad Brian Boitano won't be doing a triple axel live in person.

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