Carrie Underwood, Queen Latifah talk about singing at the Super Bowl
Entertainer Queen Latifah points at Oklahoma country music superstar Carrie Underwood during a press conference at the Super Bowl XLIV media center Thursday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Both entertainers will perform during the pre-game show before Sunday’s Super Bowl. (Associated Press photo)
Country music superstar and Checotah native Carrie Underwood and multi-talented diva Queen Latifah talked about their upcoming pre-Super Bowl performances in a press conference Thursday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints will face off Sunday night in Super Bowl XLIV in Miami, Fla. But as usual, the hoopla surrounding the game will begin early Sunday afternoon.
The “Super Bowl Today” live show will begin at 1 p.m. on CBS. The kick-off show will get started at 5 p.m. The game is set to kick off at about 5:20 p.m.
In Thursday’s press conference, Underwood, who will sing the National Anthem prior to kick-off, and Latifah, who will sing “America the Beautiful” before the game, fielded questions about their performances:
Q: On behalf of the NFL, and the 140 million Americans around the country who will be watching you perform on Super Bowl Sunday, any pressure?
Latifah: No pressure.
Q: Looking ahead to Super Bowl Sunday, how difficult is performing a song such as “America the Beautiful” and then also the National Anthem?
Latifah: I think if anything I don’t know if is about a difficulty, but just a responsibility. You feel like when you sing “America the Beautiful” or the National Anthem you feel like you are representing America, so you just want to show up. You want to show up, and want to do a great job because you also know that everyone in that crowd is passionate about our country.
Especially since we are at wartime right now, so you think about everyone who is representing us around the world and you just want to do a great job and there is nothing like the Super Bowl, football, America’s sport. You know what I mean? You just want to be there, show up and make it happen. Yeah so, no pressure. Just the whole world looking at you.
Underwood: Yeah I think it is definitely everybody’s sentiment when they get up to sing a song that is so patriotic.
I think for me, my biggest fear is words. Of course, you sang these songs a million times and everybody knows the words and of course you know the words, but if you’re going to mess up, that would be the one time you would do it. So more than anything, I know I am excited, I know you (pointing to Latifah) are excited and like you (referring to Latifah) said, just want to do a good job. Represent.
Q: F0r Latifah: What is your background on football as a fan, a New York Jets fan?
Latifah: I live in Jersey, let’s get it straight. No, just playing. I am a fan of my local teams, definitely a Giants fan, a fan of my local teams, but I love football. It is actually my favorite sport to watch, used to be basketball, but football is such a short season and they go so hard every week and the wild cards, the playoffs. So I am always excited when football season comes around, it is the end of the summer and you are looking forward for something to go into and it is like a new season.
So I am not just a fan of the Jets and the Giants. I am a fan of the true athletes. These guys work really hard to get to where they are going. You look at Brett Favre and Peyton Manning and some of the young and up-and-coming players and you know they had to cut through a big field to get to where they are today. So I just love watching sports period. So I can appreciate different teams. I am not that diehard of a fan that I can’t appreciate athletes on another team – outside of Jersey!
Q: For Underwood: Last year Jennifer Hudson, another former “American Idol” contestant sang the National Anthem. Did you get a chance to ask her for any advice?
Underwood: Well I watched a few key performances from the past few years just to see how different people did things. I didn’t really get to discuss it that much with her as far as details and things like that.
I know people handle stress in different ways and nerves in different ways, but I got to talk to Harry Connick Jr. (whom she performed with Saturday at the pre-Grammy gala) about it, who has done things like this often in his career. And did have some really great advice, he was just like, ‘oh girl, you know what you are doing, just get out there and do it.’ Just very positive and very excited for me. So yeah, just get out there and do it.
Also at the press conference, Brian McCarthy, NFL vice president of corporate communications, talked about Sunday’s pre-game festivities. Entertainers Daughtry and Steve Winwood will perform, and the NFL will make a special presentation to the Walter Payton, Man of the Award winner.
Halftime entertainment will be provided by British rock legends The Who.
-BAM
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