I know after yesterday’s NY Giants upset or the New England Patriots, the question in everyone’s mind is, “Could FOX have possibly plugged American Idol any more during the Super Bowl?” American Idol is arguably the most popular show on Network Television every spring. So was it really necessary to American Idol push it so heavily during the Super Bowl pre-game festivities? The primary American Idol tie-ins were during the Super Bowl red carpet.
Which begs the question, ‘Do we really need a red carpet at the Super Bowl?’ The short answer is no. I know that with nothing sports related on TV for two weeks except for Super Bowl analysis and the Winter X Games that the teams have been sized up every possible way. I still like to watch it that as part of the pre-game show to help me get geared up. I’m not interested in which celebrities are there or what they are wearing. Now that I’ve ranted about the red carpet, I’ll get back to the topic at hand which is American Idol. The host for the red carpet was none other than our favorite American Idol host, Ryan Seacrest. Ryan did a good job. I just question whether this segment was necessary at all.
Then we saw Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson arrive on the red carpet and engage in witty banter with Ryan. In addition to a not so subtle plug for American Idol, the main purpose for this (and possibly the whole red carpet idea) was as an intro to Paula’s performance of her new single, Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow. This is Paula’s first new single in 13 years. her last was the 1995 release of Crazy Cool. Randy Jackson played guitar behind her during the performance. This is no surprise since Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow will be the first single released from Randy Jackson’s new album Randy Jackson’s Music Club, Vol. 1 which is scheduled to be released on March 11, 2008. Randy and Paula both appeared on Ryan Seacrest’s KIIS-FM radio show on Friday morning to debut the new single.
I will say that I actually liked the song. Although for some reason I randomly can’t seem to get Forever Your Girl out of my head now. Paula’s performance was really cool too. I like the mic with the round bottom. It was obviously just a prop since she was also wearing a headset but, I still thought it was cool. Paula showed that she can still move and she looked awesome. Well, except for that hat she was wearing. She wore that on the red carpet too. Not a good look. In case you were watching some real pre-game analysis instead of FOX’s pre-game fluff, here is the video of Paula and Randy on stage:
Next was an Idol tie-in that I didn’t mind. Jordin Sparks the winner of American Idol last season sang the National Anthem. Jordin Sparks is from Arizona where the Superbowl was being played and her father is Philippi Sparks, a former professional football player who played for 8 seasons with the NY Giants, so she was a great choice whether or not she had won American Idol. Plus I like her. She looked fantastic. Jordin has matured quite a bit since winning American Idol last spring. You could tell she was pretty nervous before her performance but her voice sounded great.
Although, I’d be interested to hear Simon’s critique of her performance. My guess is that he would tell her she over sang it. Like too many other performers when they attempt to make the Star Spangled Banner their own, Jordin did too much with it in my opinion. My advice to anyone who is asked to sing the national Anthem at a sporting event is just get up there, sing it and sing it well but, just sing it. Sports fans like to sing along and we have a real hard time when you’re doing all kinds of funky things with your voice. Don’t make it your own. It’s not your song. Its everyone’s. So just sing it the right way and we’ll all be happy. In case you were making a last minute run for wings or beer before kick-off and missed it, here is the video of her performance:
Alright, so maybe FOX over did it a bit. I love American Idol but, really I just wanted some football yesterday. Tuesday night, American Idol returns with auditions in Atlanta, Georgia. I’ll be watching so be sure to check back.
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Posted on: Monday, February 4, 2008
4 Responses to “American Idol at the Super Bowl: How Much Is Too Much?”
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American Idol: Top 24 Results Recap & Reviews - Feb 21, 2008 | Wild Bluff Media : Entertainment Examined
February 21st, 2008 at 8:46 pm[...] I had heard that Paula was going to perform her new single, Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow, on the show tonight. I was disappointed that they only showed the music video. It’s a live show, Paula is there, they have a band, she should have performed it live. I first heard Paula sing her new song when she performed it prior to the Super Bowl. [...]
February 4th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
What you have to realize that there are a lot of us women who want to watch the superbowl but are not interested in watching endless profiles and the history of every superbowl since Roman times. I liked the red carpet it broke up monotiny. Also like the declaration of independence but it could have had more women, even a cheerleader would have worked, a wife a monther, at least they had Tillmans mother, DAMN this war! I felt so bad for her.
February 5th, 2008 at 8:26 am
But we guys like the ‘endless profiles and the history of every superbowl since Roman times.’ It helps to get us psyched up for the game. I liked the Declaration of Independence segment as well. I thought that was very well done.
February 5th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I know people are always talking about Randy’s glasses. Turns out he justlaunched his own eyewear line, Randy Jackson Eyewear, and that’s what he’s been wearing on Season 7. A company called Zyloware makes them. Their website is randyjacksoneyewear.com if you want to check them out.