Super Bowl LIV: Half-Time Show Pt.2.

A direct continuation of Part 1;https://watchitdie.blogspot.com/2020/02/super-bowl-liv-half-time-show_8.html

J-Lo began her segment with her 2002 hit; "Jenny From The Block." She appeared atop of a stripper's pole.

This was a brief reference to the 2019 movie; "Hustlers." Which stars and was produced by J-Lo. Although we are currently in the midst of the American awards season this movie has been well received by critics and won a number of awards in independent film competitions.

This both served to promote the movie and as a reminder to the some of the younger, more easily "triggered," viewers;

Long before she was a popstar Jennifer Lopez was a pretty accomplished actress.

As I've said the Half-Time Show was really the Shakira show. With J-Lo relegated to the role of Legacy Act. The drunk Auntie at the wedding we all get to make jokes about.

Rather than being offended on J-Lo's behalf perhaps we should be congratulating her. For being a big enough person to accept the smaller role. In a show she definitely helped produce.

J-Lo was clad in a black leather outfit. A direct reference to the black leather outfit worn by the most famous Legacy Act of all time. Janet Jackson at the 2004 Super Bowl.

This was a jab at the Federal Communications Committee (FCC) and its absurd; "No Nipples Rule." This defines sexual content purely on the presence or absence of female nipples.

In the previous sequence Shakira has simulated performing oral sex on another woman. A woman who was menstruating at the time.

The FCC is apparently fine with this sort of rather graphic sexual content. But show it a flash of a woman's nipple for a fraction of a second and it will completely lose its mind.

Accompanied by Asian female dancers J-Lo descended from the pole. In reference to Constance Wu. Star of the movie Hustlers.

Constance Wu is probably most famous for the 2015-2020 TV show; "Phresh Off The Boat" and the 2018 movie; "Crazy Rich Asians." Or perhaps for the massive meltdown she had at being held to her Phresh Off The Boat contract, preventing her from starring in more movies.

This little reference promotes all sorts of discussions about the empowerment of Asian Americans in both the entertainment industry and America society more widely.

Particularly the Affirmative Action policy which allows Harvard University to reject Asian candidates in favour of African American ones. Officially on the grounds that no-one likes being around Asians.

It also references the US/China Trade War. The Opioid element of which was a running theme of the entire Super Bowl.

It is of course impossible to mention President Trump's China policy without mocking former President Obama's China policy. To this day Obama seems to believe that all of Asia is made up of just two countries; "China" and "Not China."

Having hobbled her way down from the pole J-Lo performed her 2001 song; "Get It Right." She was accompanied by male backing dancers in the contrasting, Two-Tone colour scheme of the video for "Can't Remember To Forget You" by Shakira and Rihanna.

This was intended to appear as J-Lo suddenly looking up from her performance and going to Shakira;

"Hang On. WTF?! Am I meant to be Rihanna?!"

During the song J-Lo carried a walking cane. As if she needed it to support her aged and decrepit body.

This was a deservedly malicious swipe at the 61 year old Madonna. Who has been forced to cancel a number of shows on her current; "Madame X" tour due to her elderly knees no longer being up to it.

Really the first show of Madonna's Madame X tour was the half-time performance at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest, held in Israel.

Unlike at the Super Bowl at Eurovision the half-time performance is really no big deal. It's really more the background noise as everyone rushes around trying to cast and collate votes.

During that performance Madonna used dancers with Israeli and Palestinian flags glued to the backs of their costumes. In a serious violation of Eurovision's golden "No Overt Politics" rule.

Rather than being a commentary of the Israel/Palestine conflict this was Madonna taking a malicious swipe at Rihanna.

During the 2014 Gaza War Rihanna Tweeted a picture, shot from behind, of an Israeli Jewish boy and a Palestinian boy with their arms around each other. In an apparent call for peace and unity.

The problem was that amongst people who know their way around the Israel/Palestine conflict this photo entitled; "Coexistence" is well known. It was staged entirely by the photographer Ricki Rosen. Both of the boys are Israeli Jews.

I think Madonna can consider herself paid back. Rihanna's fans may see the matter differently.

As the song ended J-Lo turned to leave the stage for a quick costume change. This allowed you to glimpse a small, white detail at the rear of the crotch of her leather thong.

This was obviously Versace couture. However the intent was for you to speculate that it was a sanitary pad. Or at J-Lo's/Madonna's age an incontinence pad.

I think Progressive Liberals obsession with Trangenderism and; "Gender Fluidity" peaked in October 2019.

When Always, one of the leading global manufacturers of sanitary pads, announced that it would remove all references to women from its product packaging. It did not want to imply that it's products were used by women.

I think that displays an almost offensive lack of understanding of Transgenderism. If a intersex person born female decides to identify as male the long and painful process of confirming their male gender is certainly not complete if they're still using sanitary pads.

Many feminists are also offended by the idea that a man in a dress can truly understand what it is to be a woman without having to go through the near lifelong nuisance of bleeding every month.

In their virtuous understanding, somewhere along the line, Progressive Liberals seem to have gotten Transgender people confused with circus drag acts.

To perform her 1999 Spanish language song; "Waiting For Tonight" J-Lo reemerged, once again atop of the stripper pole. This time clad in an outfit many people have described as; "Silver."

Let me assure you that oh no, Jenny from the Block does not wear mere silver. She wears gold, pure white gold or nothing at all.

In Miami, the city at the centre of the 1983 movie; "Scarface" it seems churlish to mention Opioids without, at least once, mentioning Cocaine.

During this sequence J-Lo performed what can only be described as a pole dance routine. The green lasers representing the green dollar bills thrown at strippers.

This was another promotion for the movie Hustlers. It was also another reference to Cardi B. Who still doesn't seem talented enough to keep herself out of the Super Bowl she said she'd never appear at.

Cardi B rather famously did actually work as a stripper and pole dancer. Using it to fund her song writing and the social media videos which launched her music career. As a result she has a role in the Hustlers movie and provides a song for its soundtrack.

I can't pretend to know what the on set relationships were like during the filming of Hustlers. However I suspect that unlike Madonna, and someone else I could mention, both Rihanna and Cardi B were informed about and consented to all these jokes in advance.

The sequence also served as a reminder of J-Lo's 2016 residency at the Planet Hollywood Casino in Las Vegas. And a promotion for her upcoming tour dates, including in Las Vegas. It's not sold out yet so we're hoping some people are still waiting for that night.

J-Lo then performed a Spanish/English (Spanglish) medley of songs;

2014's "Booty." 2018's "Al Anillo." 2001's "Love Don't Cost A Thing." 2017's "Lento."

Along with "Que Calor." A 2019 song by Major Lazer ft J Balvin. "Mi Gente." A 2017 song by J Balvin.

J-Lo was joined in this performance by J Balvin. Who alongside Bad Bunny featured on "I Like It Like That." In yet another Cardi B reference.

I'm sure Spanish speaking viewers are still having a really good laugh at the non-Spanish speaking viewers who probably still can't work out which one was which or what song they were singing.

They'll certainly be laughing when I tell them how long it took me, a Eurovision veteran, to Google all this.

Provided to you by the Liberal Arts this Half-Time Show was intended to be seen as an attempt to propel the San Francisco 49's to glory in the second half. J-Lo was there in her white gold. Like the 49's gold helmets and white pants.

Behind her J Balvin had sneaked in two dancers in white pants and red hoodies. The colours of the Kansas City Chiefs. Giving the impression that real Hispanics are right there with you, white middle-America.

J-Lo's section ended with her performing 2011's "On The Floor." Notably little happened during the performance of this song.

As I've mentioned the overarching theme of the entire Half-Time Show was one of binary contrast. Between the vibrant, fertile reds of Shakira and the empty, barren whites of J-Lo.

This sparse final song served to drive that message home.

The closing section saw Shakira return to the stage to join J-Lo.

You may not have initially noticed her though. Much like in the Can't Remember to Forget You video she was a playing the drums. An obvious display of her musical talent that J-Lo couldn't match.

The main focus was on the arena floor surrounding the stage. This contained roughly a dozen oval, tubular structures. Each containing a pre-pubescent/pubescent child. All clad in white clothing and white light.

That obviously drove home the point from Shakira's crowd-surfing. Highlighting that this crowd have not simply brought tickets. They've been specially selected and are as much a part of the show as the performers on stage.

Progressive Liberals amongst us have suggested this sequence showed children in cages. A protest against President Trump's immigration policies along the US/Mexico border.

Obviously these grand artistic gestures are always open to interpretation. So I'm not necessarily saying that interpretation was wrong.

However it does seem to be an incredibly literal interpretation. One which completely ignores the wider context of the piece.

It also ignored the fact that the main child in the pod was Emme Muniz, J-Lo's own daughter. J-Lo herself was standing on a stage in the shape of the Venus symbol representing the female gender.

So my interpretation was that these oval, tubular cells represented Ova. The female reproductive egg. Given her age and the abundance of cold whites you would assume J-Lo had frozen her eggs.

Emme Muniz and the other pod children then joined Shakira and J-Lo on stage. To perform a version of Bruce Springsteen's 1984 song; "Born In The USA."

Born In The USA has got to be the most misinterpreted song in musical history. It is frequently played by American politicans at their rallies as this great flag-waving patriotic song.

However if you properly sit and listen it really doesn't portray America in the best light.

It's about a man in a middle-America, rust-belt town who is sent off to fight in the Vietnam War. When he returns traumatized he finds he's lost his job. Gets into a fight and kills a man. So spends the rest of his life in prison. Hardly a fitting reward for his sacrifice to his nation.

In the 1995 song; "Not A Pretty Girl" Ani DiFranco posed the question of whether it is truly patriotic to try to hide your nations faults or to highlight and attempt to solve them. Although I feel I'm starting to digress now.

At the begining of Born In The USA J-Lo was wearing a - I assume fake - fur coat in the design of the American flag. As the song peaked she took it off to reveal the reversible lining. In the design to the Puerto Rican flag.

Progressive Liberals amongst us have suggested this was a protest against President Trump. Who they claim does not realise that Puerto Rico is an overseas US territory. Although not a State people born in Puerto Rico are, in deed, born in the USA.

In September 2017 Puerto Rico was devestated by Hurricane Maria.

President Trump and the people of America stepped up to the challenge. People rust-belt towns in middle-American states like the Pennsylvania of the song. Despite not having much themselves through FEMA they immediately dispatched hundreds of millions of dollars of aid to help the people of Puerto Rico.

The Democrats running Puerto Rico then simply refused to hand that aid out to people. Instead keeping it locked away in warehouses. In order to create a humanitarian disaster they hoped to exploit to damage the reputation of President Trump.

On January 7th 2020 (7/1/20) Puerto Rico was struck by a Magnitude 5.8 earthquake. In the 30 days since then it has been struck by a further 11 earthquakes of Magnitude 5.0 or higher. Along with smaller pre and after shocks that must seem like one continious earthquake.

So Puerto Rico's Democrats must certainly feel they're being beaten much for that cover up.

On this occasion the Puerto Rican government hasn't asked FEMA for aid. They know they've got warehouses of the stuff still piled up from Hurricane Maria.

It is almost too poetic for words that there is a Puerto Rican city named; "Ponce." In British slang a Ponce isn't quite a Pimp. But it's someone who certainly lives off immoral earnings.

As the leader of the pod children Emme Muniz was clad in a sort of uniform. Of white tights/leggings, a white pleated schoolgirl skirt and a white hoodie bearing a large Versace logo.

The lesser pod children were clad in the same uniform. However their hoodies were emblazoned with a white American flag.

The sight of them all on stage together, in a sort of mob, made me think of a protest.

Specifically the March For Our Lives protests which followed the Parkland School massacre. Which like this year's Super Bowl took place in the US State of Florida.

That interpretation would mean Emme Muniz was in fact Emma Gonzalez. One of the most high profile surviours of the Parkland massacre.

Emma Gonzalez has obviously gone through a traumatic teenage experience and identifies as bisexual. She is of Cuban heritage and rumour has it her grandfather did something real sketchy for America during the Bay of Pigs/Cuban Missile Crisis era.

So I've always felt a bit of a connection with her. In the sense that I feel I've already lived parts of her life a dozen times over. She can certainly sit with me and Ruth Wilson in our special little mess.

Emma Gonzazlez is rather famous for her short-cropped; "Suedehead" hairstyle. Emme Muniz didn't go that far. Instead having her hair closely scraped back in an attempt to recreate it.

Tellingly, unlike Progressive Liberals and their Gender Fluidity - J-Lo wasn't prepared to mutilate her child simply to give us something to talk about.

The Half-Time Show ended with both Shakira and J-Lo performing a special, extended version of Shakira's 2010 song; "Waka Waka."

As every soccer fan knows Waka Waka was the official song of the 2010 World Cup. You know, THE World Cup.

It was in shooting the video for Waka Waka that Shakira met her common-law husband. The incredibly famous Spanish soccer player Gerard Pique.

So the NFL may well have booked Shakira and J-Lo to get Hispanics interested in American Football. This was Shakira and J-Lo sending a memo;

"To: America."

"From: Rest of World."

"Subject: This is NOT Football."

The full title of the song is; "Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)." Reflecting the fact that the 2010 World Cup was held in South Africa. The first time the World Cup had been held on the African continent.

This was intended as a big celebration of a nearly 30 year, global effort to lift Africa and other Third World nations out of poverty and into economic prosperity.

The election of President Trump has caused many Americans to talk about "Political Awakenings." The point in your life where you really start to become aware of and understand politics.

Many have talked about the election of President Trump being their political awakening. The thing that prompted them to participate by joining the Women's March or March For Our Lives. Or whatever dumbass idea the Muslim Brotherhood could trick them with next.

Earlier this Half-Time show featured a woman everyone assumed was just Hispanic ululating. Like; "Some sort of dirty, filthy raghead, Muslim, Hajji terrorist!"

I'd say that every time she opens her mouth Alexandria Oscasio-Cortez may as well just be screaming; "Death to America!"

But that would only force me to apologise to people who actually understand the nuances of Farsi.

Some talk about Black Lives Matter (BLM) being their political awakening. For others it was the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

My own political awakening is so last century.

Specifically the; "Jubilee 2000" campaign of the late 1990's/early-2000's. This set out to use the Juedo-Christian notion of a Jubilee to see much of the Third World debt incurred during the Cold War be forgiven as a way to mark the new Millennium.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank and World Trade Organisation (WTO) were among the key global institutions responsible for running up those debts. So it's sometimes referred to as the; "Anti-Capitalist" or; "Anti-WTO" protests. Things like the N30 - November 30th 1999 (30/11/99) Battle in Seattle riots.

The climax of the Jubilee 2000 campaign was the 2005 Live 8 concerts. Or more accurately the pressure those concerts put on the 2005 G8 Summit to write off a huge amount of Third World nation. Particulary amongst African nations.

Shakira performed on stage at the concert in Paris, France. I also performed. Somewhere else, off in the shadows.

So when I say that President Trump withholding a gift to Ukraine in order to achieve a national security objective is the most normal thing in the world. Trust me. I can back it up.

Although it is really fun to make the US intelligence community squirm by refusing to back it up.

It is also highly amusing to watch Twitter's Jack Dorsey being surprised by the fact there is now suddenly a vibrant tech economy developing in a host of African nations.

Obviously I can't claim sole responsibilty for either Live 8 of the Jubilee 2000 campaign. it was truly one of those things where hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of really talented people all came together to create something far greater than the sum of its parts.

However Jack Dorsey was never one of its parts.

Given that experience I can't help but be a little concerned by China's "Belt And Road Initative."

This is an effort by China to boost its economy and standing in the World with a global infrastructure building program. So you can now get on a train in London, UK - an island state - and ride it all the way to Hong Kong, China. Also an island state.

Much of this infrastructure building is being done in Africa. Much of it is being done on credit.

So I'm not opposing the Belt And Road Initative. I'm just saying its something people in Africa need to keep a really close eye on.

After all I didn't put up with 14 years of internment just so you guys could run up a whole new mountain of debt.

Obviously I don't want to jeopardise what is a justifiably substantial compensation claim. However I think it's fair to assume a certain someone really had their life thrown away just after Live 8.

So it's perhaps appropriate that 2019nCoV is really highlighting the Belt And Road Initative.

The exchange of migrant workers means that there are a lot more Chinese in Africa and Africans in China than you would probably first assume.

As the name suggests 2019nCoV is so new and so novel that no-one really knows what it is. Certainly no-one can work out what it's meant to do.

However it seems to be slightly less serious than the Influenza virus that is typical at this time of year. This means that the overwhelming majority of people who catch it will feel crappy for a couple of days and then get better entirely on their own.

The real threat is economic rather than a threat to life.

However in a small minority of cases both Influenza and 2019nCoV can induce Pneumonia.

Pneumonia itself is eminently surviable. However in small minority of cases you did need what are known as; "High Dependency Beds" to manage the symptoms of Pneumonia while the patient gets better entirely on their own.

Suddenly having to find an extra 10,000 High Dependency Beds is going to challenge any healthcare system. I think a typical British hospital only has 10 open at any given time.

There has certainly been a lot of economic development across Africa in the last 20 years or so. There hasn't been that much.

The Half-Time Show ended with Shakira and J-Lo provactively shaking their bare, naked asses at us.

J-Lo was still 'dressed' in the white gold of the 49's gold helmets and white pants. While Shakira was now wearing the all gold of the 49's helmets.

As the Liberal Arts attempted to propel the 49's into the second half and victory over middle-America.


(Originally Posted at 11:50 on 7/2/20 (UK date).)

18:10 on 8/2/20 (UK date).