2024 Super Bowl

21 Feb 2024

Five Usher Albums Shake Up Billboard 200 After Super Bowl

Following Usher’s 2024 Super Bowl halftime show on Feb. 11, four of his catalog albums surge on the Billboard 200 chart (dated Feb. 24), alongside the debut of his new release, Coming Home, at No. 2.

Coming Home arrives on the list with 91,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Feb. 15, according to Luminate. Of that sum, album sales comprise 53,000 – making it the top-selling album of the week, and the largest sales week for any R&B album in more than four years.

Four more Usher albums dot the Billboard 200: his former No. 1 Confessions, released in 2004, flies 92-15 with 33,500 units (up 199%), 2010’s chart-topping Raymond V Raymond re-enters at No. 68 (14,000; up 154%), 2001’s 8701 re-enters at No. 122 (10,000; up 187%) and 1997’s My Way re-enters at No. 197 (8,000; up 175%). The four albums house songs that Usher performed during his halftime show.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album.

In total, Usher’s catalog of albums, including Coming Home, earned 145,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Feb. 15 – up 428% compared to the previous week (27,500 units). Removing Coming Home from the equation, his albums earned 54,500 units for the week – up 98% compared to the previous week (27,500 units).

Meanwhile, Usher’s halftime closer, “Yeah!,” featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris, re-enters the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart at No. 20 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at No. 8. It’s the single’s first appearance on either chart since 2004, when the Confessions’ smash spent 12 weeks atop the Hot 100 and eight weeks leading the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs tally. In the week ending Feb. 15, “Yeah!” earned 13.4 million official streams (up 142%), 8.7 million in airplay audience (up 66%) and sold 11,000 downloads (up 636%).

13 Feb 2024

Justin Bieber Congratulates Usher on 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show: ‘No One Can Sing and Dance the Way You Do’

Justin Bieber sent a heartfelt congrats to his longtime pal and early supporter Usher after the singer brought down the house during his electrifying Super Bowl LVIII halftime show on Sunday. The all-caps Instagram post featured an iconic image of Usher in his blue and black glittery stage attire at the end of the performance with the message, “LOVE YOU MY BROTHER. NOONE CAN SING AND DANCE THE WAY YOU DO. LOVE YOU FROM THE DEPTHS OF MY HEART.”

Bieber also praised the Atlanta singer for staying true to his roots. “BROUGHT THE “A” TO THE WORLD, ONLY YOU BABYYYYYY ?”

Bieber wasn’t the only one who was blown away by Usher’s set, which included guest spots from Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Will.i.am, Jermaine Dupri, Lil Jon and Ludacris. Chrissy Teigen was also super into the glitzy throwdown at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium in the middle of the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, which ended as overtime ended with KC’s third championship in five years.

“I always love halftime. I never ever hate on halftime,” Teigen captioned an Instagram post in which she shared a series of video of her dancing to the medley of Ush’s hits, including a cute one in which she grooved along with her eight-month-old son, Wren Alexander. “It’s such a big deal and the pressure is so insane, the timing is so bananas. It’s all just so much and I’m so proud of anyone who does this show. But man, when you know all the songs.”

See Bieber’s note below.

13 Feb 2024

Taylor Swift Accidentally Partied With Her Parents After Chiefs’ Super Bowl Win, And She Liked It

Forget all the pre-game fretting about whether Taylor Swift would be able to jet across the ocean from her Eras Tour shows in Japan to make it to Las Vegas in time for Sunday’s Super Bowl LVIII. The real headline from the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory over the San Francisco 49ers was that Taylor and boyfriend K.C. tight end Travis Kelce hit the club afterwards… with her folks.

In a TikTok video featuring Ludacris’ raunchy 1999 hit “What’s Your Fantasy” blasting in the background at the Zouk nightclub, Swift captured the always excitable Kelce sticking out his tongue and turning up. The on-screen caption revealed, however, that it was definitely a family affair. “It’s a friends and family party they said,” it read. “Bring your parents they said,” it added, as the camera swung around to Tay’s mom and dad, Andrea and Scott, sitting on a couch as her pops tipped up a cold one and the singer pointed the camera at herself as she comically winced.

The video’s caption said it all: “accidentally going clubbing with your parents is something everyone should try at least once in their life.”

It wasn’t all totally awkward mom and dad time, though. Swift and Kelce also danced and sang along to two of her own hits, “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me” at an afterparty, with Taylor smiling and wrapping her arms around the three-time Super Bowl champ’s neck and kissing him while mouthing the lyrics “it’s a love story, baby just say yes.”

The party followed the Chiefs’ second Super Bowl victory in a row, in which they bested the Niners 25-22 at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium. Swift, of course, attended the game with her usual star-studded group of friends – Blake Lively, Ice Spice, Lana Del Rey and Miles Teller, among others – and joined Kelce on the field immediately after KC earned their third Lombardi Trophy in the past five years. There, she watched No. 87 make an emotional speech, and scream “Viva Las Vegas” before kissing him in front of NFL cameras. 

Check out Swift’s video below.

13 Feb 2024

Super Bowl LVIII Scores Highest Ratings Since Moon Landing

Whether it was the Taylor Swift effect or not, Sunday’s Super Bowl LVII made history. Only the second overtime championship game ever, it delivered one of the biggest ratings in history. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Kansas City Chiefs’ 25-22 victory over the San Francisco 49ers averaged 120 million viewers on CBS.

Add in the simulcasts on Nickelodeon, Univision, Paramount+ and other digital platform and you have a total of 123.4 million, which bests any broadcast in American history as measured by Nielsen. CBS said the game was the most-streamed ever, with Univision averaging about 2.2 million viewers for its Spanish-language broadcast, also a record for a Spanish Super Bowl broadcast.

The gaudy 123.4 million is based on fast ratings from Nielsen, with final numbers due out on Tuesday morning (Feb. 13). Sunday’s ratings were up by 7% over last year’s game, which drew 115.1 million on Fox for the previous title of most-watched broadcast in U.S. TV history. That means three-time MVP K.C. quarterback Patrick Mahomes has now played in the two highest-rated Super Bowls ever.

How big was it?

THR reported that the estimates for the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing across ABC, CBS and NBC ranged from 125 million to 150 million viewers, with the bigger number representing almost 3/4 of the entire U.S. population at the time. At press time there were no break-out numbers on Usher’s halftime show.

While most viewers likely tuned in for the football, there was obviously quite a bit of attention lavished on Taylor Swift’s globe-hopping trip to see boyfriend K.C. tight end Travis Kelce hoist his third Lombardi trophy. And while it sometimes seemed like all anyone was talking about was Traylor, according to football analyst and data cruncher Jayson Pauley, the cameras were on Swift for .36% of the Super Bowl, for a total of 54 seconds of screen time.

12 Feb 2024

Swizz Beatz Appears to Brush Off Comments About Usher Hugging Up Wife Alicia Keys During Super Bowl Halftime Show

Swizz Beatz has seen all your concerned comments about Sunday’s (Feb. 11) explosive Super Bowl LVIII halftime show and the hip-hop producer/rapper thinks you might need to calm down. “Y’all talking about the wrong damn thing !!! y’all don’t see that amazing dress covering the entire stadium ⚡️????‍??‍??‍??‍?,” he wrote of wife Alicia Keys‘ eye-popping, glittering red Dolce & Gabanna bejeweled catsuit and billowy organza cape.

In addition to a snap of Keys’ flowing train, Beatz also included a shot of headliner Usher hugging a smiling Keys from behind during their joint performance of their 2004 joint hit “My Boo.”

“Tonight’s performance was nothing but amazing with 2 amazing Giants!,” Beatz added. “Congrats @usher and my love @aliciakeys that song is a classic ? We don’t do negative vibes on this side we make history.”

Swizz’s post appeared to be in response to a number of tweets suggesting that the singers got a bit too cozy on stage during the performance in which Usher hugged Keys from behind and put his hand on her hip. “Usher knows he outta pocket for violating Alicia Keys at the superbowl last night,” wrote one X user, with another saying, “It’s wrong to hold someone’s wife like this. I don’t care if Swiss Beatz is okay with it.”

Beatz (born Kasseem Dean), 45 and Keys, 43, first met as teenagers in the 1990s and then reconnected in 2008 and married in 2010; they share two sons, Egypt and Genesis.

The special on-stage moment between the old friends came amidst a glitzy career-spanning halftime extravaganza from Usher — whose recently concluded My Way Las Vegas residency had the singer getting up-close-and-personal with fans and famous friends on a nightly basis — which also featured cameos from H.E.R., Jermaine Dupri, Will.i.am and Lil Jon and Ludacris, the latter on the show-closing, crowd-pleasing run through their 2004 hit “Yeah!”

Check out Beatz’ post below.

12 Feb 2024

Megyn Kelly Was Definitely ‘Not Into’ Usher’s Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show, But Says It Could Have Been Worse

Conservative talking head Megyn Kelly was counting her blessings while watching Usher‘s glitzy halftime show during Sunday’s Super Bowl LVIII from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The former Fox News staffer and current podcast host weighed in on the “Yeah!” singer’s high-energy performance during the championship game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers in a pointed tweet just as Ush was wrapping things up.

“Not into Usher or this halftime show,” wrote Kelly, mother to three children, Edward Yates (14), daughter Yardley Evans (11) and youngest son Thatcher Bray (10). “However I do appreciate that my kids haven’t had anyone’s vag exposed to them on screen as they innocently wait for the football to start. (Hi J-Lo, Shakira.)”

While the former was the personal takeaway from the host of the daily SiriusXM Megyn Kelly Show, the latter appeared to be an erroneous reference to Jennifer Lopez and Shakira‘s historic 2020 Super Bowl halftime show — during the Chiefs and 49er’s last championship showdown — which drew more than 1,300 complaints to the FCC from parents, many of whom thought the suggestive dancing was inappropriate for children.

While some of the complaints about the first all-Latin SB halftime performance mentioned twerking and skimpy costumes, at no point did either singer — both of who were wearing nude hose and bikini-style bottoms — expose any private parts during the joint set that featured Hustlers star Lopez spinning on a stripper pole while wearing a skin-colored bodysuit with strategically placed strips of sparkling gems.

The responses to Kelly’s tweet seemed to suggest the that a number of commenters didn’t agree with the right wing talker, with one saying, “I’m glad my kids aren’t exposed to you” and another explaining, “J Lo & Shakira were wearing nude bodysuits. Do you also shame figure skaters & gymnasts this way? Do you not let your kids watch those sports? They’re wearing the same thing that J Lo & Shakira wore.”

One even wondered, “So you knew it was a possibility after the J.Lo and Shakira show, and you subjected your kids to the Halftime Show anyway? Sounds like bad parenting to me.”

Usher’s career-spanning set included the singer running through a glamorous, Vegas-themed set of hits, with assistance from Alicia Keys, Will.i.am, Jermaine Dupri, H.E.R., Ludacris and Lil Jon.

Check out Kelly’s tweet below.

12 Feb 2024

Will.i.am Praises Usher’s Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show: ‘There Were a Lot of OMG Moments’

The last time Will.i.am shared the stage with Usher during the Super Bowl was when the Black Eyed Peas headlined the halftime show in 2011. But on Sunday (Feb. 11), it was Will’s turn to be the special guest, when he hit the stage at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas as Usher’s special guest during the “Yeah!” singer’s electrifying Super Bowl LVIII halftime show to lend a hand on the same song they collaborated on all those years ago, 2010’s “OMG.”

“How can I explain it? There’s no words to really explain that,” Will told The Hollywood Reporter after Sunday’s game, where defending champs the Kansas City Chiefs bested the San Francisco 49ers in overtime. “Now 13 years later, it means something totally different. It’s beautiful. It was wonderful. It’s fantastic.”

Will also praised Usher for bringing some special flavor to the set via a group roller skating extras who spun and flipped across the stage during a performance that also featured guest spots from Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Jermaine Dupri, Ludacris and Lil Jon. “The reason I say our section was the most ‘What the F?’ is because we’ve never seen roller skating at any type of big world stage like that,” Will said. “It felt like the urban Olympics. He brought the urban Olympics to the Super Bowl.”

Frankly, the face-shield-wearing BEP leader said, Usher’s 13-minute hits blitz had a “lot of OMG moments… so many OMG moments that 60 seconds of ‘OMG’ was all you needed because the show was ‘oh my gosh.’”

Watch Usher’s Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII halftime performance here.

12 Feb 2024

How Usher Paid Loving Tribute to Late Drummer Aaron Spears During 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Performance

You may have missed it amid the flurry of rollerskating, confetti and parade of special guests, but during Usher‘s electric halftime set at Sunday’s (Feb. 11) 2024 Super Bowl the “Yeah!” singer slipped in a touching, subtle tribute to one of his late longtime band members.

While rocking Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas with a run of greatest hits, the stage for Usher’s show featured a live band with a double drum kit setup. Eagle eyed viewers, however, may have noticed that one of the kits — a golden one — was left empty in a tribute to Ush’s longtime drummer, Aaron Spears, who died in Oct. 2023 at age 47.

Rolling Stone said it confirmed that the empty kit was an homage to Spears, the beloved drummer who worked with Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus and who was nominated for a Grammy for his production on Usher’s massive 2004 Confessions album.

At the time of his death, Spears’ wife, Jessica, wrote in an Instagram post, “Aaron was not only an incredibly accomplished drummer, admired by many for his unparalleled talent and passion for music, but he was also a devoted father to our precious son, August. His love, guidance, and warmth were the pillars of our family, and his absence leaves a void that words cannot describe. We were blessed to have him in our lives, and his legacy will live on through the beautiful rhythms he created and the love he shared with us. We appreciate all the thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Please remember Aaron for the incredible person he was and the amazing music he brought into our world. At this time we ask for privacy as we work our way through this.”

The subtle Spears shout-out came amid a powerful set in which Usher cycled through a series of hits, beginning with “Caught Up,” before hitting “My Confessions, Pt. II,” “U Got It Bad” (featuring H.E.R. on guitar), duets with Alicia Keys on “If I Ain’t Got You” and “My Boo,” an appearance by Jermaine Dupri and later Will.i.am for “OMG” as well as Lil Jon and Ludacris for “Yeah!”

09 Feb 2024

Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson and Valerie June Talk Outrageous Health Care Costs in Regional Power to the Patients Super Bowl LVIII Ad

There will be plenty of jokes, stunts and look-at-me celeb cameos in the commercials that air during Sunday’s (Feb. 11) Super Bowl LVIII. But one star-studded ad will also serve up a spoonful of hard-facts sugar with its A-list medicine courtesy of Grammy nominees Jelly Roll and Valerie June and this year’s best country album Grammy winner Lainey Wilson.

“Hospitals and insurers are robbing all of us,” says Wilson in a 30-second ad slated to run on Sunday during the big game in Washington, D.C. and other select markets. “100 million Americans drowning in medical debt,” adds Jelly Roll in the spot from Power to the Patients, a group founded in 2001 that said the aim of the high-profile commercial is to “force hospitals and insurance companies around the country to publicize actual prices for their services and procedures in advance instead of billing patients after the fact.”

The trio then go on to say that when hospitals and insurers don’t show their prices they are able to charge patients whatever they want. “Their greed is destroying the American dream,” adds Jelly, who last month joined Fat Joe and Wyclef Jean at aPower to the Patients event in Washington, D.C. to advocate for fair billing to a group of 500 government officials and members of Congress.

“We look to our elected officials in Congress to put a stop to the overcharging,” June and Wilson say in the PSA in which the trio appear in front of a white backdrop, the camera zoomed in on their faces. A statement alongside the ad notes that federal rules require hospitals and insurers to post prices, though the organization claims that three years after the rules went into effect only 36% of hospitals are fully complying.

It also notes that a bipartisan group of Senators introduced legislation in December aimed at strengthening and expanding healthcare price transparency requirements and empower patients, employers, unions and workers to shop for the “right care, be protected from overcharges and lower their care and coverage costs.”

The spot will air during Sunday’s match-up between defending champs the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, with Usher headlining the halftime show; the game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Check out the Power to the Patients Super Bowl LVIII ad below.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZZltVb0mlY0&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

09 Feb 2024

Post Malone ‘Very Nervous’ About Super Bowl LVIII Performance: ‘I’m Just Gonna Do My Best’

Post Malone has seen a million faces and he’s rocked them all. But 115 million faces? “Nerve-wracking, I’m very nervous,” Posty told Apple Music’s Nadeska Alexis during an interview on Thursday (Feb. 8) when she asked how he felt about singing “America the Beautiful” before Sunday’s (Feb. 11) Super Bowl LVIII.

“But excited. I’m excited. It’s just fun and super-epic to be able to go out and sing a song so many beautiful artists have sang before,” Malone, 28, said as he shared the stage with his fellow pre-gamer performers, Reba McEntire and Andra Day. As always, Posty — who noted that while he’s a well-known presence at the gaming tables in Las Vegas this will be his first Super Bowl — said he’s just going to give it his all and try to please the audience in Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and the many millions watching at home.

“I’m just gonna do my best, just do my best, and give it what I got,” he said. “My dad told me, ‘You’ll never make everybody happy. So just be yourself and do your best at everything you do.’ Do it your way and do it with love,” Malone added in answering a question a youth correspondent in the audience about the best advice he’s ever gotten.

While Malone will tackle “America the Beautiful,” McEntire is on tap to sing the National Anthem and Day will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

Veteran Anthem singer McEntire said she’s been getting ready by singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” in the shower and just making sure she’s totally prepared and knows all the words. “Just to be prepared and know that everybody’s going to be singing it with me,” she said. Malone said he does the same, singing his part all the time around the house. So much so, he joked, that his family “just tries to get me to shut up.”

Usher will perform the halftime show at the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Super Bowl LVIII will take place on Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and air on CBS and stream on Paramount+, Sling TV, Hulu+Live TV and FuboTV.

Watch Malone’s interview below (begins at 10:00 mark).