Who’s headlining the Super Bowl?
Jay-Z will headline the Super Bowl halftime show, while Taylor Swift makes songwriting history, Dune releases its final trailer, and Harry Kane wins his first Ballon d’Or. Qazinform News Agency correspondent looks at these and other events of the week.
His turn at halftime
The rapper Jay-Z will headline the Super Bowl LXI halftime show on February 14, 2027. The show takes place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
His company, Roc Nation, has worked with the NFL on live entertainment since 2019. The announcement follows concerts celebrating 30 years since his debut album, Reasonable Doubt. Guest performers have yet to be announced.
Nashville remembers
Taylor Swift has become the youngest member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Brad Paisley inducted the 36-year-old during the October 26 ceremony at Nashville’s Music City Center. Fellow inductees included Lyle Lovett, Shawn Camp and Lee Thomas Miller.
Swift thanked the Nashville songwriters who helped her learn her craft. Lainey Wilson paid tribute with a bluegrass version of Love Story.
But Swift also had unfinished business with Paisley – a tour prank from 2007. He filled her tour bus with thousands of live crickets, she recalled. Their chirping kept her awake for months. She even considered buying a pet lizard to solve the problem.
Nolan vs Grok
Homer’s Odyssey is getting an AI adaptation, and its first seven minutes are on X.
Grok Imagine released the opening episode, crediting Wonder Studios and director Dev Walker as collaborators.
Elon Musk promised a full-length adaptation before the year ends.
A meme with a price tag
Kylian Mbappé’s comments about a Mao Zedong meme have cost him partnerships with Chinese brands.
The Real Madrid forward apologized in French, Chinese and English on X. He acknowledged that his words had hurt people in China and beyond.
“My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world. I apologize to everyone my words have upset. This was absolutely not my intention. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I am sincerely sorry,” he wrote.
Dongpeng, Mengniu and Milkground ended their partnerships with him.
The fallout reached La Liga, with China Media Group suspending match broadcasts. League president Javier Tebas met China’s ambassador to Spain to address the dispute.
You can read last week’s edition of Popcorn in form here.