Rihanna promises ‘jam-packed’ show
Rihanna is putting in the work ahead of her Super Bowl halftime show, focusing hard on what she promises will be “a jam-packed show.”
“The set list was the biggest challenge,” Rihanna said. “That was the hardest, hardest part. Deciding how to maximize 13 minutes but also celebrate — that’s what this show is going to be. It’s going to be a celebration of my catalog in the best way that we could have put it together.”
At a preview Thursday ahead of Sunday’s matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, the music superstar and new mom said her appearance — her first live event in seven years — feels “like it could have only been now.”
“When you become a mom, there’s something that just happens where you feel like you can take on the world, you can do anything. The Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages of the world,” Rihanna said. “There’s something exhilarating about the challenge of it all.”
A nine-time Grammy winner, Rihanna has 14 No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits, including “We Found Love,” “Work,” “Umbrella” and “Disturbia.” She and rapper A$AP Rocky welcomed their first child, a son, in May.
“At the end of the day, if it flops or it flies, my name has to stand by that. And so I really get involved with every aspect of anything I do,” she said of the show.
Halftime performance sponsor Apple Music held the event Thursday, but moderator Nadeska Alexis was the only one allowed to ask Rihanna questions.
Before the game, country music star Chris Stapleton will sing the national anthem, R&B legend Babyface will perform “America the Beautiful” and actorsinger Sheryl Lee Ralph will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
When asked who they were cheering for on Sunday, Ralph said she was rooting for the Eagles, while Stapleton and Babyface said they were backing Rihanna.
Aguilera, Bad Bunny, Pope to be honored at GLAAD
awards: Christina Aguilera, Bad Bunny and Jeremy Pope are being honored for their contributions to the LGBTQ community.
GLAAD, a media advocacy group, announced Wednesday the three award recipients who will be honored March 30 at the GLAAD Media Awards.
Aguilera will be presented with GLAAD’s Advocate for Change Award, an honor bestowed upon a person who has “changed the game for LGBTQ people around the world” through her work.
Bad Bunny will receive GLAAD’s Vanguard Award for his advocacy and “outspoken allyship for the LGBTQ community.”
Pope will receive the Stephen F. Kolzak Award, named in honor of the late casting director who devoted the last part of his life to fighting homophobia and HIV stigma within the entertainment industry.
In January, GLAAD announced nearly 300 nominees across 33 categories for its 34th edition. Feb. 10 birthdays: Actor Robert Wagner is 93. Singer Roberta Flack is 86. Singer Jimmy Merchant is 83. TV host George Stephanopoulos is 62. Actor Laura Dern is 56. Actor Elizabeth Banks is 49. Singer Don Omar is 45. Actor Uzo Aduba is 42. Actor Stephanie Beatriz is 42. Actor Emma Roberts is 32. Actor Chloe Grace Moretz is 26. Actor Yara Shahidi is 23.