WWE legend Bill Goldberg chimed in on the Super Bowl halftime performance of Rihanna, which witnessed the pregnant pop star allegedly lip-sync her way through various crotch grabs and gyrations.
“I thought Rihanna was frickin’ horrible,” he said on his CarCast podcast show. “I was disgusted by it. That’s all. Let’s just say that. I thought it was horrible.”
Although watched by more people than the actual game, according to most figures, with over 118 million tuning in for the 13 minute performance compared to 113 million for the game itself, much of social media was disappointed in the production.
Of course, the first mistake of those social media users was to have expectations at all. They thought it was going to be good?
Rihanna, several years removed from her last solo performance, was accused of faking her vocals. Supporters of the lip-syncing movement suggest it allows the performers to focus on their dance choreography, but that’s a weak attempt to explain away why some of the most popular musical artists of our time can’t actually sing for their audiences.
Even Whitney Houston’s undisputed national anthem performance was pre-recorded in 1991. And while it’s a beautiful number, why even show up if you aren’t going to sing? That’s the whole point of a “live” performance. The American Tribune just reported on Keanue Reeves pointing out why actors even need to be on sets if studios can just create realistic “deep fakes” with the same likeness; the same logic follows with the supposed creators of music.
For Goldberg, it wasn’t all doom and gloom at the Super Bowl. The Rihanna critic praised national anthem singer Chris Stapleton, in part because he “didn’t grab his crotch every 15 seconds” or “make it about himself.”
Stapleton’s performance has earned rave reviews and took the internet by storm for its soulful, beautiful rendition. It even created a second viral clip after it was shown that Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Siranno appeared to be emotionally overcome.
But Goldberg wasn’t done. After sharing his take on some of the biggest musical pieces of the Super Bowl, he also reserved some shots for critics of Rihanna with a certain political persuasion.
Here was Goldberg on Twitter comparing the reactions to Rihanna’s performance to a past comment made by a former president.
“I’ve noticed that a lot of the people that find Rihanna offensive or are ‘disgusted’ by her performance at the SB are not at all bothered by a presidential candidate bragging about “grabbing women by the (cat emoji) or a first lady posting nude. Interesting…” he wrote.
I've noticed that a lot of the people that find Rhianna offensive or are "disgusted" by her performance at the SB are not at all bothered by a presidential candidate bragging about "grabbing women by the 🐱" or a 1st lady posing nude. 🤔
Interesting…— MVP (@The305MVP) February 16, 2023
Of course, Goldberg is trying to come across as insightful, but it’s really just a dull comparison that lacks merit beneath the surface.
For starters, Rihanna is popular among kids, teenagers, and young people in general. Pop culture is devoid of traditional values and this is the modeling they have come to expect. 118 million viewers means a lot of young people were exposed to this rot. Her obscene show was intentionally gross.
As for former president Donald Trump making those remarks, he did so as a private citizen in confidence well before his presidential run. They’re already not the same, and if we’re being honest, the comment reflects less on him as it does the women that throw themselves and wealthy men simply for being rich and powerful.
“Did a presidential candidate brag in front of millions on national TV? NO Did the 1st lady pose nude on national TV? NO Did Rhianna grab her own ___ and then smell her hands on national TV? YES Are you capable of telling the difference? Probably not!” one comment said.
Exactly.
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