NEW YORK – Single ladies will be watching the upcoming Super Bowl along with football lovers. That’s because Beyonce is the halftime show performer.

A source familiar with the Super Bowl told The Associated Press the Grammy-winning diva will take the stage at halftime on Feb. 3 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because that person wasn’t authorized to publicly reveal the information.

The official announcement is expected Wednesday, the source said.

Beyonce, whose pop and R&B hits include “Crazy in Love,” “Irreplaceable” and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” has won 16 Grammy Awards. The 31-year-old sang the national anthem at the 2004 Super Bowl in her hometown of Houston when the New England Patriots defeated the Carolina Panthers.

Madonna performed at halftime at this year’s Super Bowl in February with guests CeeLo Green, Nicki Minaj, LMFAO and M.I.A. The New York Giants beat the New England Patriots in a thrilling rematch of the contest four years earlier. Her performance was seen by 114 million people, a higher average than the game itself, which was seen by an estimated 111.3 million people, according to the Nielsen Co.

If Beyonce’s performance at the Pepsi NFL Halftime Show features collaborations, it could likely include husband-rapper Jay-Z and her Destiny’s Child bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.

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New Orleans last hosted a Super Bowl in 2002, making next year’s game the first NFL championship in the city since Hurricane Katrina devastated parts of the Louisiana Superdome in 2005. Pepsi is returning as the sponsor for the halftime show since doing so in 2007 when Prince performed.

A bloody good Booker double

LONDON – British writer Hilary Mantel has won the prestigious Booker literary prize for a second time with her blood-soaked Tudor saga “Bring Up the Bodies.”

Mantel, who took the $82,000 award in 2009 for “Wolf Hall,” is the first British author, and the first woman, to achieve a Booker double.

“Bring Up the Bodies” is also the first sequel to win the prize. It and “Wolf Hall” are parts of a planned trilogy about Thomas Cromwell, the powerful and ambiguous chief minister to King Henry VIII.

The victor was announced at London’s medieval Guildhall Tuesday evening.

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The Booker, established in 1969, usually brings a huge sales and publicity boost for the winner.

Bieber calls Adidas pairing a ‘perfect fit’

LONDON – Teen superstar Justin Bieber has teamed up with the Adidas NEO Label to be its new global style icon.

The two-year partnership with the German sportswear company was announced Tuesday.

The Canadian pop star, who cites James Dean as his fashion idol, says the collaboration is a “perfect fit” because “we both believe in living life to the fullest, being young, free and making our own style.”

The 18-year-old singer will front the company’s ad campaigns and fans will be able to shop for his personally selected favorite looks.

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He describes his offstage style as simple, saying he chooses “clothes that look good” while onstage it’s all about “comfort, great color and fit.”

Bieber is touring the United States on his “Believe” tour.

– From news service reports

 


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