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Super Bowl LII Highs and Lows: Justin Timberlake, Halftime Fashion, Pink, Prince, the Ad Blackout, and More

From Pink's national anthem to a purple Prince tribute, here are the best and the worst moments of the 2018 Eagles-Patriots Super Bowl.

by | February 4, 2018 | Comments

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Justin Timberlake performs onstage during the Pepsi Super Bowl LII Halftime Show at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Super Bowl LII was a battle of the Northeastern football teams: five-time Super Bowl winners the New England Patriots versus the never–before–Super Bowl champions the Philadelphia Eagles. While the underdog Eagles took the win 41–33 in a close game, here’s what else happened on Super Bowl Sunday — besides, you know, football.

Highlight: Pink Crushes the National Anthem — While Sick!

Philly’s own Pink performed the “Star Spangled Banner” like a pro, earning comparisons to Whitney Houston’s legendary rendition — a feat that is even more impressive when you learn that she has been suffering from the flu. (You might’ve caught her pop a cough drop out of her mouth before she started singing.)

An honorable mention goes to Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr.’s rendition of “America the Beautiful,” which also earned accolades from Twitter.

Lowlight: Justin Timberlake’s Plaid and Camouflage Suit

Before heading out to the field for his halftime show, Justin Timberlake posted a photo that showed off his bizarre, mixed-pattern outfit. If you zoom in closely, you’ll notice that the suit he wore was both plaid AND camo, a feat that didn’t seem possible just moments before. (Turns out it was a custom Stella McCartney Menswear piece.)

Highlight: The Ad Blackout

In the second quarter, many viewers saw their televisions cut from the game not to a commercial, but to dead air. Considering Super Bowl commercials cost millions of dollars for just 30 seconds of air time, the lengthy blackout was very costly. The bright side: It brought out the best in Twitter comedians.

Highlight or Lowlight? Justin Timberlake’s Maybe-Lackluster Halftime Show

Justin Timberlake performs onstage during the Pepsi Super Bowl LII Halftime Show at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 (Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

Plenty of people were pleased with Justin Timberlake’s upbeat halftime show, filled with some of his biggest hits (“Sexyback,” “Senorita,” “Mirrors,” and “Rock Your Body,” which he famously performed with Janet Jackson in the 2004 halftime show, leading to “Nipplegate”) along with his new single, “Filthy,” from the just-released Man of the Woods album.

But other people were not too impressed with the performance, which was definitely dance-heavy and suffered from sound issues.

Highlight or Lowlight? The Prince Tribute

Over the weekend, headlines accused JT of trying to bring out a hologram of Prince during the halftime performance in the Purple One’s hometown of Minneapolis. But it turns out that Timberlake’s tribute wasn’t a hologram after all, but rather a projection of the late singer (on what looked like a white bedsheet). Twitter seemed mixed about the prospect, though most people were thrilled by the Mineappolis skyline lit up in purple with Prince’s symbol.

Share your thoughts on the Super Bowl in the comments below. What were your favorite and least favorite parts? If it was one of the many film and TV trailers that dropped, vote up your favorite here.

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