Halftime at Super Bowl LIV

My take on the Super Bowl half time show. The good, the bad and the ugly.

It seems people either loved it or hated it, I am in the loved it category. For the most part the Super Bowl was a declaration of Latin pride and diversity.

I fell in love with Shakira way back in 2001 with her album Laundry Service, Whatever Whatever was my jam and although my Spanish is basic at best (What can I say I took Latin in high school) I can appreciate other cultures and I can enjoy music just because it is beautiful. Shakria's performance was everything I hoped it would be! She paid homage to her Latin and her Lebanese roots.

J-Lo did, what J-Lo does and that is put on a SHOW. I’ve been rocking with Jenny from the Block since she was a Fly Girl. The show was high energy, lots of dancing and barely-there costumes. It was J-Lo so if you were expecting something else that’s your bad.

The subtle political statements were what impressed me most. Although Shakria's belly dancing is generally part of her performance it is an Arabic dance that originated in Egypt. Also when she looked directly at the camera and made the Arabic celebration chant (zaghrouta) it was a shout out to Arabic culture even though many people didn't know the cultural significance.

Jennifer Lopez littered the field with kids in cages while her daughter Emme sang a slowed down version of let’s get loud before she went into Born in the USA. It was also not lost on me that J-Lo was wrapped in the Puerto Rico flag and American Flag as a reminder to all that may not understand Puerto Rico is America (cough 45). With the breakneck speed of controversy surrounding this administration it is easy to forget that we still have kids in cages at our Mexico border.

I get it…

The performance was provocative, I am pretty sure folks in Kansas City didn’t want little Johnny and Susan to see Shakira's hips not lying or J-Lo pole dancing. I can acknowledge that perhaps the Super Bowl isn’t a place for pole dancing. Consider the point acknowledged… moving on.

Both women had outstanding performances as did the surprise guest J Balvin and Bad Bunny.

Before I close let's give a moment of silence for Janet Jackson, she made many a career and reputation sacrifice so J-Lo could pole dance at the Super Bowl. Shout out to you Janet, I see you sis, your sacrifice is greatly appreciated.