People: Perry to highlight Super Bowl halftime
Will Katy Perry be a firework at the Super Bowl? Will she show them what she’s worth? Will she let her colors burst?
NFL announced late Sunday – after rumors swirled for weeks – that the pop star will headline the Pepsi Super Bowl halftime show Feb. 1 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona. It will air on NBC.
Perry, 30, has dominated the Billboard charts since releasing her debut in 2008, including nine No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Her sophomore effort, 2010’s multiplatinum “Teenage Dream,” matched the record Michael Jackson set with “Bad” for most songs from a single album to hit No. 1, with five.
Perry released “Prism,” another platinum effort, last year. It includes the No. 1 smashes “Roar” and “Dark Horse.”
The Grammy-nominated star’s upcoming performance is the fourth consecutive halftime show to display the NFL’s push to include younger acts on its large stage: Bruno Mars had a show-stopping set at this year’s Super Bowl at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey; Beyonce electrified in 2013 in New Orleans; and there was Madonna, with Nicki Minaj and M.I.A ., and the Black Eyed Peas in 2012 and 2011, respectively.
Sting playing the role of a savior
Sting is hoping his star power can plug up a leaky ship.
The singer-songwriter will play the role of an inspirational foreman onstage in “The Last Ship” starting Dec. 9 at the Neil Simon Theatre. The musical, for which Sting supplied songs and lyrics, has been struggling at the box office.
“I’m so excited. I think it will give us a little light. Frankly, we need a blip in sales to be viable,” Sting said Monday. “You have to do whatever it takes.”
The show, with no big stars and a challenging story to sell, brought in only $497,000 last week, less than 40 percent of its $1,243,000 potential, and the theater was only 66 percent full. Mixed reviews haven’t helped.
“This was never going to be easy. I didn’t anticipate a shoo-in at all. I expected a battle because I want to succeed against the odds,” Sting said.
The move isn’t unprecedented. Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong made several onstage visits to his show, “American Idiot.” But others from the pop world – including Bono and The Edge from U2 and Trey Anastasio from Phish – chose to stay offstage even after their shows sprung a leak.
Sting, born Gordon Sumner, drew on his childhood growing up in Newcastle to write the story.
The birthday bunch
Actress Noel Neill is 94. Actress Kathryn Crosby is 81. Singer Percy Sledge is 74. Author, actor and economist Ben Stein is 70. Actor John Larroquette is 67. Singer Amy Grant is 54. Actress Jill Hennessy is 45. Actress Christina Applegate is 43.