
The 9 Moments That Left Us Gagging During Beyoncé, Bruno Mars & Coldplay's Super Bowl Half Time Show

Coldplay may have come to play Super Bowl 50, but Bruno Mars and Beyoncé came to shut the house down.
This year's halftime show was so exciting -- complete with a 50 yard standoff, a dance battle, and a horn and strings section with young kids playing instruments. In a few words, it was dope. It wasn't the best halftime performance ever in the history of halftime shows, but it landed on the top 10 unofficial rankings of awesome sauce Super Bowl performances.
Check out nine moments from this year's halftime show that got us hype from start to finish.
BRUNO MARS GAVE US SERIOUS #SQUADGOALS
We knew Bruno came ready to serve when he and his crew came on stage rocking all black everything and gold chains. With Mark Ronson on the 1's and 2's, Bruno Mars pulled out his cleanest version of the Nae Nae to kill his Grammy Award winning hit, Uptown Funk.
He was so live that when he stopped singing to introduce Beyoncee, we already knew she was going to make a statement we wouldn't forget.
BEYONCé'S MICHAEL JACKSON/BLACK POWER FLOW
Beyoncé said a thousand words without even opening her mouth for the first few seconds of her performance. This time it was she and her dancer's outfits and their stances that stood out. With her dancers wearing black berets and leather, while the queen herself rocked a custom D Squared black leather jacket, with gold criss cross detailing across her chest, Beyoncé used her star power to reiterate that #BlackLivesMatter.
Not only did she rock a cold, modern-looking Black Panther-esque outfit, she used the nation's most televised event to spread a social message. What was even more slick about her outfit was that it paid homage to the Black Panthers 50 years after the organization launched in 1966.
The only other person who was able to flawlessly pull off the look, coupled with a social message, was Michael Jackson.
Speaking of which, Beyoncé's standout outfit was a tribute to the late King of Pop, who wore something similar during his 1993 Super Bowl performance.
BY THE WAY, BEYONCé KILLED HER PERFORMANCE (AS ALWAYS)
"I did not come to play with you hoes"
That's what she said in her day-old hit, "Formation," but she solidified those words with her performance, and you already know she went hard.
By this time time Beyoncé got two minutes into her set, Super Bowl halftime watchers at home were wondering if it was the Coldplay, Beyoncé, and Bruno Mars show, or just the Bruno Mars and Beyoncé show. Or may it was just the Beyoncé show. Regardless, she slaughtered her set, and had us all screaming out loud, "Yasssssss!"
But that wasn't the end of the excitement.
BRUNO MARS TURNED HIS SWAG UP TO 120, AND BEYONCé MATCHED HIS FLY
Bruno Mars was very ready for the next part of the show, which was a dance battle. Of course, he couldn't just walk up and challenge Bey all willy nilly. He had to make sure he didn't overheat the stage as he approached her for battle. Thank goodness his squad was there to cool him off.
Talk about lighting up the stage! By the time Beyoncé and Bruno finished their dance off, everyone was just laid out. Seriously, no one knew what to do with all of that slayage.
THE TRIP SEEN AROUND THE WORLD
I don't think Bruno Mars got Beyoncé's message yesterday - the queen isn't one to be messed with. They had a brief "You don't want none of this" standoff before finishing the rest of the performance. Then we got all of our lives!
THE FINALE ENDED WITH A LOT OF INSPIRATION
The concert ended with Chris Martin, Bruno, and Bey joining up to harmonize to Uptown Funk before Coldplay returned to the stage for "Fix You." As they sang, clips of past Super Bowl performers like Whitney Houston, James Brown, Michael Jackson, and the Rolling Stones were displayed. The songs played during the video tribute, like "Purple Rain," and "Independent Woman," gave depth to the short tribute video, before the group wrapped the performance with a message of love.
This display in the stands was also similar to the one Michael Jackson used in his Superbowl Halftime show performance.
Needless to say, it left everyone feeling all the feels.
AND THEN BEYONCé ANNOUNCES HER NEXT TOUR
The halftime show was lit, but the moment that had black girls grabbing their chest feeling all the feels was the above photo of Miss Tina holding up a Black Power fist with Beyoncee's dancers. This photo alone holds so much #BlackGirlMagic and power, that it may scare a few people. To which I say, good. There's nothing in the world more fierce than a strong black woman empowering more strong black women. #Boom.
Watch the best moments from the halftime show below:
What did you think of this year's performance? Sound off in the comments.
Eva Marcille On Starring In 'Jason’s Lyric Live' & Being An Audacious Black Woman
Eva Marcille has taken her talents to the stage. The model-turned-actress is starring in her first play, Jason’s Lyric Live alongside Allen Payne, K. Michelle, Treach, and others.
The play, produced by Je’Caryous Johnson, is an adaptation of the film, which starred Allen Payne as Jason and Jada Pinkett Smith as Lyric. Allen reprised his role as Jason for the play and Eva plays Lyric.
While speaking to xoNecole, Eva shares that she’s a lot like the beloved 1994 character in many ways. “Lyric is so me. She's the odd flower. A flower nonetheless, but definitely not a peony,” she tells us.
“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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'Leave Quicker': Keri Hilson Opens Up About Learning When To Walk Away In Love
What you might call Black love goals, Keri Hilson is kindly saying, “Nah.”
In a recent appearance on Cam Newton’s Funky Friday podcast, the We Need to Talk: Love singer opened up about a past relationship that once had the public rooting for her and former NBA star Serge Ibaka. According to Cam, the pair looked “immaculate” together. Keri agreed, admitting, “We looked good.” But her demeanor made it clear that everything that looks good isn't always a good look for you.
That was all but confirmed when Cam asked what the relationship taught her. Keri sighed deeply before replying, “Whew. Leave quicker.”
It was the kind of answer that doesn’t need to be packaged to be received, just raw truth from someone who’s done the work. “Ten months in, I should have [left],” she continued. “But I was believing. I was wanting to not believe [the signs].”
Keri revealed to Cam that despite their efforts to repair the relationship at the time, including couples counseling, individual therapy, and even sitting with Serge’s pastor, it just wasn’t meant to be. A large part of that, she said, was the seven-year age gap. “He was [in his] mid-twenties,” she said, attributing a lot of their misalignment to his youth and the temptations that came with fame, money, and status.
“There were happenings,” she shared, choosing her words carefully. “He deserved to live that… I want what you want. I don’t want anything different. So if I would’ve told him how to love me better, it would’ve denied him the experience of being ‘the man’ in the world.”
But she also made it clear that just because you understand someone’s path doesn’t mean you have to ride it out with them. Instead, you can practice compassionate detachment like our girl Keri. “You can have what you want, but you may not have me and that.”
When Cam jokingly questioned what if there was a reality where a man wanted to have both “you and a dab of that,” Keri didn’t hesitate with her stance: “No,” adding, “I can remove myself and [then you] have it. Enjoy it.” Sis said what she said.
Still, she shared that they dated for a couple of years and remain cool to this day. For Keri, being on good terms with an ex isn’t a sign of weakness; it's a reflection of where she is in her healing. In a time when blocking an ex is often seen as the ultimate sign of growth, Keri offers an alternate route: one where healing looks like resolution, not resentment. “I think because I have such a disgust for ugliness in my life. Like, I don't do well without peace between me and everyone in my life. Like, I really try to resolve issues,” she explained to Cam.
Adding, “I think that's what makes things difficult when you're like sweeping things under the rug or harboring ill feelings towards someone. When you're healed, when you've done your work, you can speak to anybody when you've healed from things. I think maybe that's the bottom line.”
Watch Keri's appearance on Funky Friday in full here.
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