All of gay America was rooted to its couch last night when Madonna took the stage at Lucas Oil Stadium. And apparently there was a football going on too.
No, we kid—we actually enjoyed the game. We can’t remember the last time it was such a nail-biter near the end. And with a cute straight guy explaining the game’s finer points, it was like having a private chaperone to an alien world.
The evening did raise a few questions that we graciously waited to raise until now:
* Did Tom Brady just have helmet hair or is he going bald—from the forehead back?
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
* Was it cool or totally lame of Madonna to team up with LMFAO?
*Was the game over after the Patriots’ disastrous first offensive play?
* Did Nicki Minaj drop some N-bombs and other curse words in her rap?
* Did everyone boo when the cameras showed Dave “gay marriage is an abomination” Tyree—or was that just us?
*Where was Peyton Manning to watch brother Eli?
* Was it cool or totally lame when The Voice‘s Cee-lo came out to join Madge on “Like a Prayer”?
* Why was New England Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski (at right) wearing so many clothes?
* Did M.I.A. flash the middle finger during the half-time show? (Yes, she did.)
* didn’t Ahmad Bradshaw just drop down flat when he caught the ball instead of sort of sitting into the end zone?
* What was your favorite commercial? (We didn’t really have one.)
* Was Lady Gaga at home cutting herself?
Have an answer to any or all of these queries? Go for a Hail Mary in the comments!
Photo: NBC Sports
Sean
Madge killed it. Nobody even comes close to topping that Halftime. The GaGa trolls will bitch she lipsynced (but so does everyone else at the Superbowl) or complain about her age (she’s 53 and can still dance better than Britney even with a pulled hamstring). She has been famous for my entire life and couldn’t take me eyes off her performance. Even though I hate the new song Madonna is and will always be the Queen of Pop
JayKay
Madonna is just embarrassing to watch. She’s like a menopausal housewife who shows up to her son’s soccer games in a pink tracksuit with the word “JUICY” plastered across her ass.
Old grey mare just ain’t what she used to be, ain’t what she used to be, ain’t what she used to be…
Jake
53 and OWNED that stage. Love seeing the Queen shut the haters up. Vogue at the Super Bowl? Gayest moment in sporting history and those dudes that pulled her in were so damn HOT!
mattsy
she almost fell over backwards but had a nice save
GREAT JOB !!!!
queerfocused
The halftime show was amazing. I truly loved her final song though. It brought me to tears!
Lazycrockett
She was in slo mo through out the show and lip synched it all. Take the blinders off it was mediocre at best. Go find Prince’s performance where he played actual musical instruments and sang live. I’ll wait.
Chi-sam
Like a Prayer was live. For a pulled hamstring and her age she blew me away. She’d impress if she did that at 25 let alone 50 something
tookietookie
The first several comments on here are always Madonna vomit. If plastic tastes good to you, then by all means, eat plastic.
I used to like Madonna, but lmfao and Minaj? Srsly? Ha ha ha ha! So desperate nowadays. It’s surreal to watch. I bet all the queens who defend this have “growing old” issues themselves.
Ashton cruz
@tookietookie: Tonight I think I love you.
Urethra Franklin
Fuckingtastic!!!! She killed it.
The stage, visuals,the graphics, special affects were stunning…
She looked like she was having fun too….
She did have a stumble when singing “music”…and M.I.A gave the camera her middle finger, what a lame stunt. No one upstages Madonna
hunter
So she’s 53 and “old”..who gives a flying fuck?? That was one of if not the best halftime show in the last 10 years.
DavyJones
As is so often the case, I think the most impressive part of the show was the ‘backup’ dancers (especially during the first song). With the A/V engineers getting a close second for most impressive.
CJ
MADONNA and her crew were great. The artist (MIA?) who flipped the birdy… what a loss. No need for that. I’m seeing more in the press about that vs. Madonna’s performance. Madonna should ensure MIA never gets another job in music.
Portland2day
Try Diana Ross in 1996 – now that was a half-time show!
Lefty
Fantastic.
steve sydney
Madonna was brilliant.. although
snaps to Kelly Clarkson who hit that anthem out of dome!
CBRad
The “Like A Prayer” bit was pretty cool. The rest was rather silly (especially that awful cheerleader thing with the geeky band drummers and stuff..). But, that’s the silly Super Bowl for ya. I think she looked good, though.
Oh Dear (John From England)
Only gays and their deep self loathing issues think Madonna is great.
Was her 20 year old boyfriend holding her skirt? My mum is 57 and looks 100 times better then Madonna. I’d rather look like a Meryl Streep any day in her 60’s then this creep who’s actually never ever spoken or done anything for gay rights. The ultimate fag hag.
Oh, and AIDS isn’t just a gay decease pluse it was in vogue when she spoke about it. Half naked. With the American flag across her shoulders.
Isn’t MIA and Minaj so……..yesterday? Sheez.
Mike UK
no madonna fan here but looked like a good show, was funny listening to big butch football fans cheering to vogue! the god squadders must have been cringing to like a prayer but that new song is dire and nicki minge? wtf!
jason
How sad was Madge! The woman who was once considered a cutting-edge artist now reduced to cheerleader and gladiator stereotypes. LOL. It’s a true sign of her decay as a performer.
As for her act, it was, as usual, all scenery, no substance.
adam
Madonna lip-synched the whole fucking show. How much more fake can you get? If she used her actual voice – and only her actual voice – it would have sounded awful. She’s got all these distractions, such as dancers, to take our minds off the fact that she is incredibly superficial and mediocre.
And, yet, the useful idiot gay twits will keep defending her.
ct
1) A celebrity appearing in a football game, I do not see why this news item belongs in an LGBT news site.
2)Madonna trying shamelessely to win back the graces of the mainstream american audience by doing the Super Bowl, an idea she would laugh at back in the days when she was huge. Madonna reparing for the next stage of her career which -judging from this show- will most certainly be Las Vegas.
Madonna vampiring off younger entertainers once more in order to get to their audience like she did with Britney, Justin et al.
jason
Madge will probably dump the gays once she realizes we’ve turned against her. Just wait and see. Then she’ll probably do a Donna Summer and tell everybody that we’re immoral or some such.
The woman is as superficial as the layer of cream at the top of a bottle of milk.
Andrew
Madonna’s routine kinda looked like the last Kylie tour.
James
@jason: Speak for yourself idiot.
maxwell
Some of those evil comments are LAUGHABLE! I hope madonna’s dancing and LAUGHING all the way to the bank and I say GOOD FOR HER!
Mike
AWESOME SHOW! LOVED IT!
How do some find the time to actually post and be negative? why???
I wish some would enlighten me and tell them what music they like, then I can just be negative and rip it to shreds.
Madonna put on a great show! It was free and you DIDN’T have to watch it you cu*ty bit*ches!
WillBFair
I was disappointed. I had it in my brain that she’d do a medly of her hits, maybe because of the ageist queens who say mean things about her. That would have reminded everyone how many great songs she has done. But maybe the venue didn’t work for that. It probably needs to be pre-recorded because of the bad accoustics.
Bottom line: two hits? and that new song which is weak? Please. I’m sorry. It was a bit tired.
HeroQueero
C’mon, folks. Love or hate her, you gotta admit that it was a good SHOW. She could’ve come out in a plain ol’boring stage, like so many other performers, but she didn’t. Even my straight macho guy friends were like, “Wow” after her performance. Why can’t we just enjoy a spectacle without analyzing it to death? And really. My fellow queers are bitching about lip-synching?! Please. Lip-synching hits was most of my childhood. And the drag queens out there have no right to complain about her lack of live vocals. Besides, we got to see it for FREE and she came out on a throne, 300-style, on a palanque, drawn by hot guys in spartan outfits! What more do you haters want?! If you think you could do better then by all means, become a pop star and put on a free show for the world so that we can nit-pick your performance. As Katt Williams says, “Don’t worry. I’ll wait.”
Chi-sam
@jason: STFU. You speak for yourself troll
Jayson
Yeah, she lipsynced, but they all do. You have 8 minutes to set-up your stage. You CANNOT do a proper soundcheck in 8 minutes. But then again, I guess the almighty “original” queen of the entire world Lady Gaga could (rolling my eyes). I did not know what to expect, but I thought she, and all involved put on a great show!
the crustybastard
During “Like a Prayer” Madonna should have Tebowed for the lulz.
geo
The show was great. Can’t wait for the album and tour! She had 12.5 minutes to work with. There is now way she could have satisfied everyone. Kudos to Madonna.
Mike UK
any word on your side of the pond on the number of complaints to tv stations yet? no doubt there will have been!
Jeff
Move over Lady Gaga. The QUEEN has made her case!
Christopher
Turn back time. Watch Diana Ross at 1996 Super Bowl. At the same age Madonna is now she PERFORMED. She SANG, related to the audience and put on a SHOW!! And all without the ‘let’s get the latest hip young artists here to help me make my creds.’ They just can’t compare!!
Jake
Madonna is an icon and the most powerful living legend alive today. She is UNSTOPPABLE. Look, even she OUTSCORED the Superbowl teams themselves in ratings!!!
http://boston.sbnation.com/new-england-patriots/2012/2/6/2775076/super-bowl-2012-madonna-rating
Bryan
@Jeff: Stay pressed and the proof that you had to bring Gaga into it, shows how affected you are
@Jake: It was still just a 1% increase on last year’s half-time show which is disappointing as BEP were terrible.
All in all, it was a good, enjoyable performance that’s about it., I don’t get the positive and negative hysteria it’s generating
Mike UK
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16904511
HHP
Why is everybody here under the thinking that they can only worship one diva?
Steve
@CJ: Seriously? It’s a finger. The media has blown her “stunt” (if you can even call it that) way out of proportion. There was one article that called it more offensive than Janet Jackson’s blunder. Really? Raising a finger is more offensive than public nudity? MIA is actually a decent artist – way better than Minaj and probably half of modern musicians, but you don’t care about that do you, you’re too busy being offended by a finger that, unless you’ve been in a tragic accident, everyone has.
I wish people would quit letting the media sensationalize insignificant things for them. The only reason people might think MIA “upstaged” Madonna (even at 53, is that even possible?) is because that’s all the news outlets are talking about.
I don’t know, maybe I’m just jaded, but really people, it’s a finger. Get over it. What does it even mean, anyways? I overheard people talking about it today and asked them that questions and either nobody knew or they all had different answers as to what the “birdy” means.
Sorry, but why is everybody so quick to judge other people over nothing?
Eddy
Great show, she nailed it! Not keen on LMFAO but Niki and MIA were great. I thought Cee-Lo was a nice little flip for the song. Usually, she’s had a Black woman singing with her, his voice worked well. Love her or hate her, as long as you have a reaction, she’s happy!!
tookietookie
@HHP: It’s not that. It’s that Gaga has come along and is truly talented artistically and interesting, and Madonna…the Madonna people fall back to their “Drink Coke!” and “Just Do It!” catchphrases like “She is an icon!” An icon? Exactly. Like the Nike swish. Madonna queens are just trying to bring pressure to bear that because she *ahem* was *ahem* very popular, she is like some religious concept for the gays that we’re blaspheming against. The sad lulz is that Madonna had her moment, which was really cool and fun, but it’s over now, and what kind of head space do you need to be in to watch that grandma in stretch panties gyrating on a stage lip-synching with the latest kids she’s vampirizing, and you’re like wow, yes, this is totally the point of reference for all of civilization.
The Madonna queens started the pissing match when Gaga came along, dared to comment on Madonna, and became a media darling because it was like the queens before them who were like, “Oh noez! No one after Liberace!” Life moves on. Change is good. Madonna has been lame and a yawn for at least a decade now. I hope you dinosaurs at least taped this halftime show on your VHS machines so you can watch it again.
Matthew Rettenmund
It’s silly to pit Diana Ross and Madonna against each other. But if you really want to go at the parallels, Diana’s show (which did have a track with all the backing vocals) was a fairgrounds kind of set-up—it simply was not a major production. For all the movement and elaborate vocals, Madonna’s show, with no soundcheck possible, could very easily have wound up sounding terrible and there would’ve been nothing to do about it in the moment. Like many other great performers (including Ross on occasion, Michael Jackson, you name it), Madonna & guests lipped.
As far as relevance and etc., remember this—Diana was a hair younger in ’96 than Madonna is now, and yet Diana was many years past being a Top 40 entertainer. Her show reflects that—it is a pleasant, nostalgic oldies show. She had nothing current to promote. Madonna is still on a 30-year streak of pop relevancy. Her songs are still hitting the Top 40, her albums are consistently #1—at some point, that is going to end, and it will be obvious, but it should be obvious to anyone who’s impartial that that time has not come and is not near. So if that means Madonna has to include younger artists, no worries there. If in 1996 Diana Ross had been told, “You need to get the latest hitmakers on stage with you and it might keep you at #1 and as Topic A for the foreseeable future,” you better believe Miss Ross would have done it 10 times over.
Finally, when it comes to singing, Madonna can fucking sing. And she usually does sing, whether in concert (there are definitely tracks, but she sings audibly over it all or just plain sings) or live TV gigs. Check her amazing, totally love “Like a Prayer” on the Haiti and Live 8 gigs or her so-so “Imagine” for tsunami relief or any number of her other live performances.
PS Yes, I agree, why must it always be that diva lovers think you can only love one?
CJ
Madonna was awesome. This “old” talk is pathetic. All artists get older. Do we say the same thing about all of the other Rock and Pop stars that are still pushing out hits? She’s continued to keep her youth… and to age at the same time. She’s a mom, music artist, performer and movie director. She’s very diverse and active in her talents. She’s not sitting around or growing stale.
On the other hand you have Elton John who is still a great artist… but is not aging gracefully. He whines about Madonna and needs to relax. He’s bitter and his harassment of Madonna is childish.
As far as the “middle finger” part. I think 95% of the people missed it… yet the press picked up on it and THIS is what is getting more press than is needed. It’s a program geared towards adults and kids. So, Madonna respected that. But, MIA didn’t and wanted to try to grab some attention. This is what is sad. Madonna brought on an amazing team of artists to be a part of HER halftime show and one person tries to grab some attention.
It was a great show. It was extremely entertaining and involved both old/new – something that older listeners will relate to (and be entertained by). Her new stuff just shows she’s still pumping out great music. I’m NOT a huge fan of Madonna’s. But, she’s definitely an amazing musician and artist.
jason
Madonna is a fake. Her whole show was lip-synched. I suppose some of you tragic queens enjoy lip-synch. After all, you applaud drag queens who can’t sing a note.
Get real and get a life. Start admiring real talent for a change.
Jake
@jason: Get some dick and quit spewing venom on every post on Queerty. Madonna rocked it
Catman
I am not just frivolosuly hating on Madonna. I could care less if she lip-synched or not and like someone else pointed out…everyone gets old. With that said the only thing impressive about the half time show was everything but Madonna. The production was kick ass, of course her dancers were on point, the light show was tight and the costumes were the bomb but…. Madonnna herself was a major bore. Her dance moves were tiiiiired to say the least, her new song sucks big time and she just overall didnt do it for me. That’s why I’ve always been so dumbfounded about the incredible worship of Madonna by some gay men. She’s always been a medicore talent that has to have so many other things to make her look good. THe best half time show ever, puleeze. Go back and look at Michael Jacksons halftime show, thats the best halftime show ever and that’s REAL talent!!!
Catman
@jason: AMEN!!!
Maddow
Jason was certainly a busy little girl today spewing his hate for a pop icon on
every blog she could find.
I couldn’t believe all the back lash against her today, especially in our community, I was shocked and applaud. I’m still shocked on what a brilliant job she did. I got goose bumps when I saw the Cleopatra float. Pure delight.
Why are gay men so jealous of her.
BubbasBack
My two cents here babes: She should’ve started and finished with something more recent. Most of the players weren’t even born when she sang those songs, and particularly “Like a Prayer” has not aged well; the new song is horrible. The outfits, crappy Las Vegas stuff that did not flatter her at all. The stage was amazing, and she could’ve been as well, but this all seemed mediocre… Sorry, not a touchdown in my book. Burp.
Nick
MIA actually has much more class than most people. She is an activist and fights for rights of individuals all around the world. She is highly against the abuse of human and civil rights. She was brought up in a war torn country and with her father being a political activist against a corrupt government she has been through a lot and she really is a person who is changing the world for the better. TIMES magazine named her in the Top 100 World’s Most Influential People of 2009.
For people speaking about her as a “no name,” she has received much praise from her music across the board. However, I agree that she probably should not have given the middle finger. The only reason some of you think she is “trash” or “garbage” is because it was on cable TV. MIA is real and acts as herself no matter what the situation is. She does not try to gain approval from everyone and she is a controversial person. If giving the middle finger is the worst thing MIA can do, then she must be a pretty good person. Much better than you people criticizing her.