The World Cup halftime entertainment was saved by two performers: Jennifer Hudson and Shakira.
Tom Cruise, looking like he hadn’t slept, made an incongruous speech from the field about nothing, then turned up in a video that appeared to have been shot when he arrived at the stadium. The Fox announced then read the promo plug for Tom’s movie, “Digger,” which explained everything.
If Cruise wants that movie to be taken seriously, he’d better stop the shilling. It’s not working.
What happened to Madonna? Instead of singing “Like a Prayer,” she chose the terrible, “Music.” She was singing about “the bourgeoisie” to 100,000 of them who paid thousands to watch the match. Her set was short, and she never returned. It was a bad idea. She got the short straw, without a doubt. (Also, her introductory part was pre-filmed, and lip synced.)
Justin Bieber played a Temu version of the song, “Hallelujah.” Points to him for singing with an acoustic guitar, but it was all wrong in that setting. For once, he gets serious when it’s a big party. Talk about not reading the room.
Forget about classical conductor Gustavo Dudamel. His whole segment was a wreck. And nothing looked worse than Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger, and Laura Pausini. The official World Cup song was terrible, and they looked like outcasts from “Star Search” or rejects from the Eurovision Awards. The bright blue latex outfits were very cheeseball, and frankly, looked uncomfortable.
What worked? Jennifer Hudson, a vision in white, defying the odds of singing in that unforgiving stadium, was sensational with the national anthem. God bless her. Her pipes are always at top speed.
BTS was inoffensive, which is the best thing you can say about them. They’re the bobbleheads of pop music.
And then there was Shakira. After Bieber’s dramatic calamity, Shakira not only saved the show, but stole it from Madonna. Her whole sequence was pitch perfect: thrilling, almost sexy, and heartfelt.
PS Let’s not get into Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso, introducing someone with “soul,” and then pulling out the whitest kid in the stadium. A low moment.
See it all here:
