One of the top stories coming out of last night’s Super Bowl wasn’t the Green Bay Packers win [I'm still trying to plot to cut Matthews' nasty hair], it wasn’t the lackluster commercials [though I totally want a VW thanks to the little Darth Vader kiddo] and it wasn’t the horrendous excuse of a half time show with the Black Eyed Peas. Seriously…why are they still relevant?!
Most likely, you’re going to hear about Christina Aguilera‘s debacle as she fumbled her way through the Star Spangled Banner [see video].
Sadly, Christina isn’t the first celebrity to turn our nation’s proud anthem into a train wreck. And she certainly won’t be the last.
Here’s a look at some of the company that Christina now keeps, as a result of this memorable flub.
1. Roseanne
It was July 26, 1990 at the Padres game. Not only did she sound like a dying cat trying to escape the bowels of a grand piano, she grabbed her crotch and spit after being boo’ed by thousands of baseball fans. Way to keep it classy.
2. Michael Bolton
After singing the line “O’er the ramparts we watched” Michael Bolton completely blanks out and freezes. After a quick glance to the cheat sheet in his hand and an awkward silence, he gets the anthem back on track with a slight grin from the Coast Guard standing behind him. Perhaps Mr. Bolton should stick to Time, Love and Tenderness?
3. Keri Hilson
The R&B artist was invited to sing the anthem at an Atlanta Hawks game where she proceeded to chop off part of a verse here and there to create her own version of the Star Spangled Banner. Way to take your creative license a little too far, darlin’.
4. R. Kelly
Yet another artist who felt that the anthem was open to creative interpretation. Now, I’m all for adding your own personal flair to our nation’s anthem, but his R&B remix trying to get the audience to clap along was taking it a bit too far.
5. Hillary Clinton
When Hillary’s campaign trail led her to Iowa she failed to realize her mic was on during the Star Spangled Banner. What was recorded was a lazy, off-key, half-hearted performance that left the public mocking her for weeks.
6. Anita Baker
Last year, legendary jazz singer Anita Baker hit a bad note with the national anthem during game 4 of the NBA Finals. If you listen closely, you can hear Randy Jackson in the background saying “Aww dawg, that’s so pitchy.” The Twitterverse had a field day with Ms. Baker throughout the rest of the series.
7. Jesse McCartney
When the teen pop singer performed our anthem at a NASCAR race in 2009, he goofed by singing “…by the dawn’s early light, whose brought stripes and white stars…” skipping an entire line. The announcer actually said “If he wasn’t so cute, I’d be angry.” REALLY?!
8. Mike Eli
In December 2010, Mike Eli of the Eli Young Band completely blanked on the lyrics while singing the anthem at a Kansas City Chiefs game. He quickly went on the record profusely apologizing for the brain fart, citing it as an embarrassment and hopes that the next time he can blow everyone away. Yeah. Something tells me there will be no next time, kiddo.
9. Tyrese Gibson
In 2009, the singer/actor/model/rapper/Mtv VJ/anthem butcherer reworded the anthem’s lyrics to sing “that our Lakers were still there” instead of “that our flag was still there.” Sadly, the crowd at the Staples Center went on to cheer the rendition. Disrespectful all around. Why do people find this necessary?!
10. Carl Lewis
Oh the performance we all want to forget…but can’t. Not only did Carl Lewis forget the lyrics and sing horrendously off-key…he actually had the audacity to stop mid-anthem and talk for a moment stating “Uh oh, I’ll make up for it now!” before delivering the final line. Stick to the track, Carl.
Happy Friday! As always, we’re giving you our top ten favorite celebrity quotes from the week. This week, we’ve got Spencer Pratt talking about fame and love, Lindsay Lohan talking about getting booked and Jason Sudeikis’ Jennifer Aniston diss!
“It turns out he was far too legit to quit.”
– Mad Men’sJon Hamm, on going up against MC Hammer at the Taco Bell Legends & Celebrity Softball Game, on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
“There’s no way my love for fame and her love for puppies will ever work out successfully.”
– Spencer Pratt, explaining why his marriage to Heidi Montag failed, to People
“The only ‘bookings’ that i’m familiar with are Disney Films, never thought that i’d be ‘booking’ into Jail… eeeks.”
– Lindsay Lohan, making light of her jail sentence, on Twitter
“The first time you do it, you’re deeply considering an adult diaper.”
– Ryan Reynolds, on strapping into a harness for the flying stunts in his new superhero film, The Green Lantern, to EW
“She was like, ‘So let’s review … For 15 years people have been talking about your boobs. Earlier this year, you wrote about your hoo haw in a book. Now you’re playing a crack ho on TV.’ She was like, ‘Do you think maybe you could do an animated movie next?’”
– Jennifer Love Hewitt, sharing her mom’s reaction to her role as a prostitute in Lifetime’s The Client List, to People
“He really made me feel very, like…I don’t know, like, I could fall in love with him! Like a teenager girl getting crazy.”
– Penélope Cruz’s new husband Javier Bardem, admitting his man crush on Brad Pitt, to Elle
“She should be so lucky.”
– Saturday Night Live’sJason Sudeikis, on rumors of a reported romance with his Horrible Bosses costar Jennifer Aniston, to GQ
“I feel like a pilgrim from the friggin’ ’20s!”
– Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, on washing her clothes in the sink on season 2 of MTV’s Jersey Shore, premiering July 29
“You should assume that if he makes it down the aisle in one piece, it’s going to be a major accomplishment.”
– Secretary of State and mother of the bride-to-be Hillary Clinton, on husband Bill’s emotional state as they prepare for daughter Chelsea’s impending wedding, to NBC News
“Not to use a James Cameron reference, but it was like being in a little bit of an avatar. It’s going to sound like, ‘Oh, I was a frickin’ avatar,’ give me a break, I’m already vomiting.”
– Leonardo DiCaprio, getting sick to his stomach talking about his Titanic fame, to Rolling Stone
My favorite quote this week was from Javier Bardem about Brad Pitt. Brad’s market value has skyrocketed since he shaved off his beard, so I can see all the love there. What I didn’t like was Ryan Reynolds making me picture him with an adult diaper on. That’s just wrong.
Huffington Post is catching some grief over a post by Anya Strzemien titled “Sarah Palin’s Toenails: What’s Painted On Them? (PHOTOS, POLL).” Apparently, the Alaska governor and former Republican vice presidential nominee had some manner of decorative adornment on her nails which were in display in some orange strappy sandals:
While some are taking HuffPo to task for journalistic silliness and questioning whether they have a foot fetish, the most prevalent theme of the critics is whether it’s sexist to comment on how a female public figure looks.
We’ve said many times that focus on a woman’s body parts instead of her ideas and actions is sexist, and that such belittling is aimed at women on both the left and right by both men and women. In this case, some will argue that HuffPo is just having a little fun. However the comments posted after the stroy are classist, sexist, and hateful, which can’t be a surprise to Huffpo. So what about encouraging comments that you know are going to be a mysogyny fest? Is that sexist, too?
Teresa Kopec, who tipped me to the story via Twitter, observes, “There is a lot of anti-woman BS that is going around lately against Palin, Sotomayor, the women targeted by Playboy, etc.”
While perhaps it’s splitting hairs, I would distinguish between sexism and double standards. There’s not much doubt that the way women look is more commented upon than the way men look. That doesn’t necessarily translate into thinking women’s intellects or skills are less important than those of men.
I don’t think, for example, that Hillary Clinton or Sonia Sotomayor have been viewed as silly sex objects. It’s certainly true that Clinton’s appearance has been at issue as long as I can recall her being in public life (which is to say, since 1991 or so). When she was First Lady, her hairdo was especially commented on, as was her choice of pantsuits vice dresses. And WaPo’s Robin Givhan devoted a whole story on C1 to Hillary Clinton’s cleavage. And then there was the case of Condoleezza Rice’s commanding clothes which, according to a C1 story in WaPo, spoke of “sex and power,” also from Givhan.
Do we comment like that on how male public officials dress? No, we don’t.
Still, Clinton is almost universally perceived as an extraordinarily bright and competent woman. She catapulted to the United States Senate despite no real record of her own and was considered the hands-down frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination six years later. And Sotomayor’s words and judicial record, not her toenails or fashion sense, are what we’re focusing on.
Palin is almost a separate case. She was a virtual unknown on the national scene when McCain tabbed her, so her national image was forged by instant impression. By vice presidential standards, she’s extraordinarily attractive. She’s young and a former beauty queen. Further, she dresses in a way that plays up her sexuality. Why, a recent scientifical study found that Palin’s sexiness hurt the ticket. Naturally, the news of said study sparked a round of blogospheric discussion about Palin’s hotness and a backlash against bloggers talking about Palin’s hotness.
Still, while the focus on her appearance goes well beyond what would be normal for a male candidate, it’s not like there wasn’t plenty of commentary on her preparation for the job. Indeed, I’m sure she’d rather we spent more time talking about her legs.
As to this particular controversy, it’s a silly blog post and some of the commentary it drew was particularly unattractive. Palin is a polarizing figure, which doesn’t help. Then again, one can scarcely imagine, say, Tim Pawlenty appearing at a public event in jean shorts and sandals, the male analog to what Palin was photographed in.
The final note of Hillary Rodham Clinton‘s presidential campaign may very well be sung by Jon Bon Jovi.
The musician is performing at a fundraiser for the former presidential candidate as she tries to close out her campaign debt, which stood at $6.3 million as of last month.
The Jan. 15 performance at Manhattan’s Town Hall is being billed as “a final evening in support of Hillary Clinton for President Debt Relief.” Ticket prices range from $75 to $1,000.
The former first lady and New York senator has been working to pay down her debt to clear the way for confirmation as President-elect Barack Obama’s secretary of state. Federal ethics rules prohibit Cabinet officials from actively soliciting campaign contributions.
Clinton wrote off $13.1 million in personal loans to the campaign.
