Bruno Mars in record Super Bowl show; cries foul over New York Times criticism

NEW JERSEY – While many applauded Filipino-American Bruno Mars for rocking the Super Bowl stage in Rutherford, New Jersey and smashing the ratings in the process, the New York Times apparently was not impressed and criticized his performance.

This despite of the fact that Mars half-time performance at the Super Bowl XLVIII halftime chalked up a record as the most-watched in history.
After the show, the New York Times stated in an article that “he (Bruno Mars) isn’t yet a star, and that the Super Bowl halftime was too big for him.”
Popular television host Ellen DeGeneres came to the rescue by inviting him to her show where she praised the FilAm singer for his showmanship.
Mars, who is Peter Hernandez in real life, told Ellen that he could not say no to the National Football League (NFL) executives who called and invited him to do an appearance in the Super Bowl half-time show.
When asked by Ellen about the NY Times article criticizing him, the Hawaii-born singer said it was “disgusting.”
Ellen backed Bruno asking out loud why the NY Times thought Bruno couldn’t play the halftme show for merely not having a fragance yet. 
Bruno’s appearance on “Ellen” also had a lively and funny part. He played one of those now-legendary hidden camera pranks where Ellen tells Bruno everything he has to do via an ear-piece. Here the “victim” was a nurse that was coming to the studio to check on his alleged “sore throat”.
Bruno Mars performance at the Super Bowl had been described as an “over-the-top spectacle” and Filipinos and Filipino-Americans came forward to support him all out.
According to reports, Mars’ halftime performance was the most-watched halftime act according to Nielsen ratings with 115 million people tuning in to see his set. The previous record holder was Madonna two years ago.
Bruno beat not only Madonna but also other big stars like Michael Jackson, Prince and Janet Jackson, according to the reports.
Bruno has just won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album for “Unorthodox Jukebox,” his second such award when he performed at the Super Bowl.
The FilAm singer wore a shiny gold blazer when he performed “Locked Out Of Heaven” to an excited crowd.
Jodie Packwood quoted Mars stressing that the New York Times criticism was unfair for him and aspiring musicians.
Bouncing around onstage to the up-tempo number, the Hawaii-born singer segued to “Treasure” and then “Runaway Baby/Shout!” where he showcased his Michael Jackson-James Brown moves.
Then he gave way to the shirtless Red Hot Chili Peppers who performed “Give It Away” after which Bruno came back to perform “Just The Way You Are” amid fireworks.
It was learned that the Time Warner Cable customers experienced a one-hour blackout exactly during the time Bruno was performing. His fans were quick to turn to social media to post their anger over the blackout.
Speaking to Ellen DeGeneres about the New York Times article, the singer said: “I think that was by far the most disgusting thing I think I’ve heard. Not because it was taking a shot at me, but I was thinking about aspiring young musicians who want to do this and even hearing the thought you need a fragrance or something like that is just is, you know what I would like to make a little speech and talk to them about this. Can I? Can I do that?”
The star then proceeded to deliver an “inspiring speech” and run around the crowd to the Rocky theme tune. He also dished out hugs to adoring fans in the crowd.
 The Red Hot Chili Peppers was also criticized after it was revealed that their instruments were not plugged in during the Super Bowl show.
In reaction, the group’s bassist, Flea, issued a statement informing fans that the request came from NFL officials who felt it was too difficult to pull off a completely live performance because of potential sound issues. The band decided that the opportunity was too big to turn down, especially as they’re such big football fans.
For Filipinos and FilAms, the performance of Bruno Mars and the play of Seattle Seahawks wide receiver in the game was a double victory for them.
Many also thought it was actually a triple victory with the appearance of a FilAm singing a song in Tagalog in the Coca Cola advertisement during the game.
Baldwin scored a touchdown during the fourth quarter giving the Seattle Seahawks a 43-8 lead over the Denver Broncos, and sealed their victory at the 48th Super Bowl Championship in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Grammy Award winner Bruno Mars shined at the half-time break with his unprecedented performance that entertained and impressed thousands of fans inside the arena and millions of people more who watched the show and game beamed on television in the United States and worldwide.
The Fil-Am pop singer lovingly dedicated the biggest performance of his life to his late Filipina mother Bernadette by putting her name in big letters on his drum set during the half time break for the show of the game.
Just like when he received his second Grammy Award weeks ago, Bruno Mars offered his award also to her mother.
“It was so exciting because Bruno Mars is one of my idols, especially since we’re in the music industry,” fan Kei Uchida Santos was quoted by ABS-CBN as saying after the show. “That is one of his best performances.”
Another fan Tony Gado said: “Impeccable singing and high energy, and that’s what he delivered tonight; really perfect.”
Filipinos and FilAms in  New York, New Jersey and nearby places called Doug Baldwin’s historic touchdown and Bruno Mars’ knock out performance a double victory for Filipinos in America.
Then a young FilAm girl named Leilani attracted the attention of television watchers as she sang in Filipino portions of “America the Beautiful” in a segment of a multi-language advertisement of Coca Cola.