Maybe I'm Crazy, But I Wasn't Blown Away By Beyoncé's Super Bowl Performance

There's no question that Beyoncé Knowles is, at this point, the champion pop star of our time. It's the chief reason (along with her long-awaited relaunch onto the pop charts) for the decision to have her headline the Super Bowl XXXXVII.

Seriously, the list of promising halftime show headliners is dwindling.

All of that noted, I have to say that the diva's performance wasn't as amazing as I was expecting. That, by no means, suggests it was bad; I'm not even sure that exists in her vocabulary. However, considering the venue (the most watched televised event of the year, bar none), I was expecting balls-out, knock my shoes off insanity. Honestly, it was quite tepid.

My biggest issue was with the song choices. While the "Love On Top" intro was promising, the set list left a bit to be desired. I mean, where was "Run The World", for instance? Yes it flopped hard, but the sheer bombast of it begged for an epic Super Bowl appearance? The inclusion of "End of Time" was kind of puzzling, as was "Halo"; surely the more iconic "Irreplaceable" could have been substituted, if this was to be a survey of her career. The songs she did perform had many recycled elements, most notably the wall  hologram thing that she did at the Billboard Awards in 2011 (and killed it, might I add). There really wasn't anything new or fresh brought to the table, which was very disappointing, considering this is her first major performance in nearly two years.

Also, I felt that the performance itself was way too short. I mean, Michael Jackson was on stage at the Super Bowl for nearly a half hour, and Madonna's halftime show last year felt that long. She has more than enough chart-topping material to create a mini-concert. And then, where was the new single? I can't have been the only person expecting Beyoncé to deliver the first single from her upcoming album, and guarantee a number-one hit.

Speaking of her career, the biggest surprise was the inclusion of Destiny's Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Rumors about their appearance were kiboshed by Williams herself, but that was clearly a way to diffuse the leak. They looked excellent together, and there was a clear effort to make them look like a unit, and not Beyoncé's background singers/dancers (although "Single Ladies" slightly defeated the purpose, but oh well).

I was disappointed because I know Beyoncé can deliver a killer, epic performance, and for whatever reason, it just wasn't there for me. I'm glad she performed, though, because there aren't many who could headline a Halftime show.

Here's to hoping she knocks our socks off at the Grammys next week.

Check her performance out below:

Reasons Why I'm Thankful to Christina Aguilera's American Music Awards Performance

Happy Thanksgiving, my BWU readers!

I have a lot to be thankful for, but I had absolutely zero clue that Christina Aguilera would count amongst them. I'm thankful to Christina Aguilera for delivering the most outrageously awful hot mess performance I have seen all year, and maybe last year too.

Thanks to the blog Pop Trash Addicts, I saw Xtina's performance on last Sunday's American Music Awards. The pop diva and reality show judge performed a medley of three songs from her new album Lotus: "Lotus Intro", "Army of Me", and "Let There Be Love". Meaning, she did not perform either of her current singles. For whatever reason, she thought it would be better to perform three random album tracks.

Okay, fine.

If only that were the worst of it. Christina Aguilera delivered a nonsensical, messy performance that could only inspire bounds of laughter (as it did for me). Everything about it was ridiculous, from the dramatic opening, which called to mind Kylie Minogue's "All The Lovers", to her painfully unflattering outfit, to her strained vocals, to the messy drag queen circus catastrophe that was the ending.

The icing on the cake is you could tell Christina put this together thinking it would be an amazing, inspiring performance. Instead, it was a laughable farce that showed just how out of touch with the pop world she is (as if the sales of Lotus didn't prove that fact already).

But as I said, I am grateful to Christina Aguilera this Turkey Day. Thank you, for the laughs.

Check the performance out below:

Jennifer Hudson Performs at Kennedy Center Honors

Jennifer Hudson has had an amazing year, and to end it right, she performed at Kennedy Center Honors, aired last night on CBS.

The Oscar and Grammy-winning diva performed "I'm Here" from the musical The Color Purple. The performance was in tribute to talk show icon Oprah Winfrey, one of the honorees for the night. Oprah was clearly moved by Jennifer's powerhouse vocals, reaching behind to grasp Stedman's hands for support.

Jennifer has performed many times since her time on American Idol. This here might just be her best ever. Powerful, but with more control than she's ever exhibited before, Jennifer has shown so much growth since those days in front of Cowell's table. It's so heartwarming to know that someone deserving of success has made her dreams come true.

Congratulations Jennifer, and here's hoping that 2011 treats you the same way as 2010 has.

WORST!!! Katie Price Performs Disastrous New Single On TV!

Where a pair of implants will take you in this industry....

British trainwreck Katie Price, fresh off a new marriage to cagefighter Alex Reid, is back at work, this time as a pop star. The glamour model performed her debut single "Free To Love Again" on GMTV this past week, and let me tell you, it is a mess.

The whole thing is just ridiculous. The terrible lipsynching, the lack of dancing, the song itself (one of the worst I've ever heard), it all came together in a fiery display of undeserved celebrity failure. The funny thing is she at least had the decency to admit that she's piss poor minutes later on the couch.

Luckily, it appears that Price's pop star aspirations won't go anywhere. Released this week, the single hasn't even cracked the Top 40.

Watch the ridiculousness below:



Do you think Katie Price has a career as a singer? Comment below!

UNbelievable: Chris Brown's Tears During MJ Tribute at 2010 BET Awards

Embattled singer Chris Brown may have finally scored a chance at redemption with an intense and emotional tribute performance for his idol, the late Michael Jackson.

Brown started the performance with a snippet "The Way You Make Me Feel", before recreating dance routines from "Remember The Time" and "Billie Jean". To the surprise of no one, Brown moved excellently, even if his moonwalk looked a bit off (only MJ could really do it justice).

What most people will be talking about tomorrow was Brown's emotional breakdown during what was supposed to be his singing of "Man in the Mirror". Apparently so overcome with emotion, Brown began to cry as he struggled to sing and move around the stage. The backup singers had to pick up the vocals when it appeared that Brown was simply unable to. He would later be comforted by Michael's brother Jermaine as he walked off the stage. He would appear on stage again to accept the "Fandemonium" award. In his speech, he said that he would not let his fans down again.

While the impact of MJ's loss may have been the most obvious cause of his tears, it may have also been the result of the fact that this was as much his comeback performance as it was a tribute. When the BET Awards did the disastrous MJ tribute last year, the biggest complaint was that Brown wasn't invited to partake in the activities. He was still coming off of the Rihanna domestic abuse scandal at the time, and BET probably felt than wasn't the right time (it wasn't). Now, however, was his chance to prove his worth as a performer. The daunting fact must have been truly overwhelming. It made for a surprisingly raw and real moment during the typical mess that BET puts on every year. While there are certainly valid arguments to support the theory that Chris may have been putting on a bit for a new sympathy bid, I belong to the school of thought that this was a real moment. It was actually his most real and genuine moment since the Rihanna incident.

It was certainly one of the night's highlights, and it might just serve as the beginning of the repairing of Chris Brown's tarnished image. While I still believe he is an immature brat who still hasn't conceived of the damage he has done to Rihanna, his young fans excusing his behavior, and himself, I can respect his genuine emotion and his great performance.

Check out the performance below:

WORST: Drake Performs "Find Your Love" (Badly) on The Tonight Show

Drake has plenty to celebrate this week, with his album Thank Me Later selling over 460,000 copies in its first week.

To promote the success of his debut, he stopped by Jay Leno's late night talk show to perform his hot new single "Find Your Love" (which is now #5 on the Hot 100).

Well, let's just say that it left a lot to be desired.

Or, to put it frankly, it was shit.

Check out the performance below:



Hopefully, this was a one-off, because if this is what the song sounds like live, then he can drop that from his setlist. Forever.

That, and any other song he sings in.

Glee's Matthew Morrison Joins Leona Lewis In London For "Over The Rainbow"

UK pop star Leona Lewis had a big surprise for her fans at the O2 Arena last night.

Leona, in the middle of her Labyrinth tour in the UK, invited Glee star Matthew Morrison on stage to perform a duet of "Over The Rainbow".

Morrison plays Will Schuester, the charismatic Spanish teacher who revives the Glee club and takes it all the way to Regionals. He sang "Over The Rainbow" on the show's season finale, which aired last week in the United States. Morrison and other Glee cast members are in London for a promotional tour for the series.

There are rumors swirling that Leona may be doing an episode of the highly popular show in its second season, and this performance will surely help fan the flames.

Check the great performance below:

Christina Performs National Anthem, Again!

While not as good as last time in my opinion, Christina Aguilera performed the US National Anthem again at last night's NBA Finals game. The growling was annoying, and she didn't really hit the high notes, but she still is a better vocalist that 96% of her fellow pop princesses. She also could use the publicity, since it was revealed yesterday that her album sold only 200,000 copies worldwide last week, coming in at #3 on the Worldwide charts.

Check out Christina performing the anthem below:

Good News, Bad News: Christina Aguilera SLAYS National Anthem at NBA Finals, While Bionic Is a FLOP

It's good news, bad news for Christina Aguilera.

Bad news first.

Her comeback album Bionic has flopped on both sides of the Atlantic. In the UK, although it came in at #1, it had the lowest sales debut in history for a #1 album, with 24,000 copies sold. The results were worse in her home country, where her album will come in at #3, behind the Glee and Eclipse soundtracks. According to Hits Daily Double, she sold just over 110,000 copies, a massive drop from the opening week sales of her last studio album Back to Basics. That album sold 346,000 copies in its first week. With Drake releasing his album Thank Me Later this week, prospects don't look too good for a decent second week.

Now for good news.

Christina was absolutely brilliant at tonight's NBA Finals, where she sang the National Anthem. This performance is why we love Christina:

You win some, and you lose some apparently.

Whitney Performs "I Will Always Love You" at London's O2 Arena

I completely sympathize with Whitney Houston (and I still advocate for Bobby Brown's burning at the stake), but after hearing her voice at her London concert two nights ago, I have some serious advice for ticketholders for the diva's future concerts. First, get a refund, immediately after reading this post. Then, either spend that money on a Whitney greatest hits CD or watch Youtube videos of her past performances. Otherwise, prepare to be disappointed, heartbroken, shocked, or all three at the same time.

Here is the legend performing "I Will Always Love You":



I'm sorry Whit, but you need to not perform live, for a long time. In fact, for the sake of your reputation, I would just cancel the rest of the tour altogether.

Lady Gaga's Stunning Performance at the Royal Variety Performance

ITV aired the Royal Variety Performance tonight, which featured Lady Gaga as the closing act.

Dressed at Elizabeth I, Gaga performed "Speechless" suspended in the air on a bench, playing a piano on 12-foot stilts.

It was a great performance. Gaga really has a great voice, and this song is proving time and time again that she is very talented.

The Most UNbelievable Performance of the Year! Kim Zolciak Performs "Tardy For The Party" on Ellen

How this made television, I will never know.

But God bless the producers of Ellen for doing so.

Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kim Zolciak appeared on Ellen Degeneres' talk show to perform her debut single (yes, she sings now) "Tardy For The Party".

Everything about this performance was a complete disaster, from the wack dancing to the shockingly off-key live "singing" from Kim. It was the definition of hot mess.

But, there is something to commend her on.

Even though she is shit, she sang live, which is more than can be said for some pop stars.

So, kudos to Kim.

Just don't ever sing again, please.

Check the performance below:



What did you think of the performance?

Lady Gaga Meets The Queen At The Royal Variety Performance

Pop sensation Lady Gaga has experienced quite a few huge milestones this past year, but I doubt many of them could top this.

Tonight, Gaga performed "Speechless" at the annual Royal Variety Performance, held before the senior members of the British Royal Family, including Queen Elizabeth II. For her performance, Gaga appeared to pay homage to the Queen by dressing in a Victorian-style red leather gown (complete with the frilly neck piece and red panda eye makeup). The pop star, who performed on last night's X Factor as well, played an extremely elevated piano suspended in mid-air on a swing.

After her show-closing performance, which will be aired December 16th on ITV, Gaga met the Queen in full costume. Despite worries that Gaga's unpredictable behavior would cause some sort of international crisis, the eccentric singer was very respectful, bowing to the Queen.

Other performers at the Royal Variety Performance included Alexandra Burke, Miley Cyrus, Lulu, and Mika.

See more pictures of Lady Gaga at the Royal Variety Performance after the jump...

Janet, Lady Gaga Rock The X Factor!

Janet Jackson and Lady Gaga both performed on tonight's The X Factor results show, the last before the final next week.

Ms. Jackson performed a medley of "All For You" and her new single "Make Me" from her greatest hits album. Gaga performed "Bad Romance" dressed as a robotic devil in a bathroom.

Both performances were great (Janet's better than Gaga's), so expect both to occupy spots in next week's top 10 of the UK charts.

Check their performances out below:

Gaga:



Janet:

Jennifer Lopez Performs "Louboutins" on Ellen (And She Doesn't Fall This Time)

Jennifer Lope gave it another go on Ellen Degeneres' talk show today, performing her new single "Louboutins". She did the same routine that she did at last month's American Music Awards, except she didn't fall from the guy's back this time (and she didn't have her hair ridiculously tied up). It was a really great performance.

"Louboutins" is being serviced to radio next week and her new album Love? will be out next year.

Check the performance out below!

Classic Performances: Whitney Houston's "There's Music In You"

While the big chart news this week is Susan Boyle selling 700,000 copies here in the States (more on that later), but comeback queen Whitney Houston has got something to smile about too; her album I Look To You went platinum, selling 1 million copies in total so far.

In celebration of that, I went back into Houston's impressive performance catalog and picked this festive-like appearance on The Rosie O'Donnell Show in 1998, where she sang "There's Music In You". The song is from the Cinderella TV movie, where Brandy was Cinderella.

This clip shows why, even today, Whitney is a force to be reckoned with.

Check it out below (and P.S., Whitney is nominated for eight BWU Awards, so don't forget to vote for her if your a fan):

Whitney's Wacky X Factor Performance!

Pop diva Whitney Houston was on the results show of Britain's X Factor tonight, and delivered a whopper of a performance, in more ways than one.

Her first UK performance in over a decade, Whitney sang the Freemasons remix of her current single "Million Dollar Bill" with a group of backup dancers. She was very energetic, diva-like, and a bit all over the place, up until she busted the strap of her dress. She played around with the wardrobe malfunction and continued with the performance, which was one of the best since her comeback.

What many will surely be talking about is her interview afterwards with host Dermot O'Leary. Talking to him, she seemed a bit off slightly belligerent. She was clear enough to promote her upcoming UK tour (although she struggled remembering her album release date, which is tomorrow across the pond).

We can pass off the slightly zany antics of Whitney's showing a X Factor staple. Last week, Robbie Williams delivered an wide-eyed, awkward dance-filled performance of his new single "Bodies" (which was beaten by current X Factor champ Alexandra Burke).

The exposure, good or bad, from the performance definitely did its job. Whitney's album is #1 on UK iTunes, and "Million Dollar Bill" is in the Top 10.

Keep it up, Whitney!

This Definitely Makes Up For The GMA Performance...

Yesterday, Whitney Houston performed the Diane Warren-penned ballad "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" on her second day at Oprah, and I have to tell you, "The Voice" isn't lost.

It may never reach the level of clarity and power that sold millions and millions of The Bodyguard soundtrack, but she still has an extraordinary vocal talent.

Apparently, people agree, because the song is racing up the iTunes charts as I speak.

Check out the performance below:

Mariah Carey Apologizes For MJ Memorial Perfomance: Should She Have?

In a move that's quite stunning, Mariah Carey has apologized to her fans for her vocal performance at Tuesday's memorial for Michael Jackson at the Staples Center. The singer performed the Jackson 5 classic (and her 1992 #1 single) "I'll Be There" with Trey Lorenz. Afterwards, the pop diva wrote on Twitter, "Trying to sing today was basically impossible for me. I could barely keep myself from crying. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to pull it together and really do it right, but I was literally choked up when I saw him there in front of me."

The "apology" comes as a surprise since no one referred to her performance as bad at all. It was clear that Mariah wasn't up to form, especially compared to her vocals on the original. It is clear that she was choked up and very emotional upon seeing the casket, which likely affected her performance.


However, how much was grief, and how much was just a gradual change in her vocal ability, noticeable in the past few years. For instance, here is Mariah on David Letterman in 2005, singing "We Belong Together":




Here is her performance at the Inaugural Ball in January:





Finally, here she is performing at the memorial:





While Mariah's performance was hindered by the emotions of the day, it is clear that her live vocal performances have gotten progressively worse. At the same time, Mariah didn't need to apologize for her lacking vocal ability at the memorial. Both apparent causes of the performances were beyond her control, and she shouldn't be faulted for that.

Girls Aloud are "Untouchable" on ITV's Dancing on Ice

Fresh off their trek up Mt. Kiliminjaro for this year's Comic Relief campaign, Cheryl Cole and Kimberley Walsh join their fellow Girls Aloud members to perform the group's new single "Untouchable" during the semi-finals of popular British program Dancing on Ice.

The five girls descended from the sky before launching into the song, which was danced to by Olympic gold medalists Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean.

After disappointing performances of their last single "The Loving Kind", this one definitely puts the girls back on top (Nicola and Nadine particularly sounded spectacular).

Check it out below: