Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson among Super Bowl’s big acts
Monday, January 26, 2009
Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson and Faith Hill will sing at the Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Fla. on Feb. 1.
Chuck Liddy/MCT
Bruce Springsteen performed at the Obama Inauguration Celebration in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 18.
• Where to watch: the game in Atlanta
• Steelers, Cardinals familiar with each other
• Coke updates famous 'Mean' Joe Greene spot
• Photos:View halftime shows over the years
• Springsteen strikes shallow note on "Working for a Dream"
• Football works its way into many shows this week
• Going to the game? Fun stuff to do around Tampa | Tampa travel guide | Nearby is Sarasota | Road to game flanked by 43 strip clubs
RECENT HEADLINES
Grammy winner Faith Hill, the voice of Sunday Night Football’s theme song, will sing “America the Beautiful” as part of Super Bowl XLIII pregame festivities at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, according to the NFL web site.
Hill joins Vicki Carr (Super Bowl XI), Ray Charles (Super Bowl XXXV) and Alicia Keys (Super Bowl XXXIX) as the only artists to perform the song at the Super Bowl. Hill sang the national anthem before Super Bowl XXXIV in Atlanta.
Jennifer Hudson will sing the national anthem. It will be her first return to the spotlight following the slayings of her mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew.
Hudson hasn’t made a public appearance since her 57-year-old mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson; 29-year-old brother Jason Hudson; and 7-year-old nephew Julian King were slain in Chicago in October. Her estranged brother-in-law has been charged in the killings.
Hudson, who had released her self-titled debut album shortly before the killings, is also scheduled to sing at the Grammys’ MusiCares event in Los Angeles a few days later. She is nominated for four awards at the Feb. 8 Grammy Awards.
The 27-year-old Hudson already has an Oscar to her credit, a best supporting actress win for her role in “Dreamgirls.” The former “American Idol” contestant’s career was continuing its skyrocketing rise, with featured roles in movies like “Sex and the City” and “The Secret Life of Bees,” as well as her album release, when the slayings occurred.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform during the Super Bowl halftime show, which is consistently the most-watched musical performance. More than 148 million viewers in the U.S. watched last year’s show. The show will be broadcast worldwide in more than 230 countries and territories.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band join the list of recent halftime acts that includes the Rolling Stones, U2, Paul McCartney, Prince and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
