It has been over a week since Jennifer Lopez and Shakira's Super Bowl 2020 halftime performance, and folks are still talking about it. The performance drummed up a bit of controversy when J. Lo did a pole-dancing routine with moves she first learned on the set of Hustlers. J. Lo had to know the performance would raise a few eyebrows, so why did she bring it in?
To start, Jennifer Lopez thinks the talk of her Super Bowl halftime performance being too sexual is just silly. With that in mind, the pole-dancing bit was something she picked up while filming Hustlers and something she decided to reuse during her performance as a treat for fans.
It was such a skill to learn. I just knew at this time it would be a fun thing for the audience.
As Jennifer Lopez told Entertainment Tonight, the pole dancing was just a fun thing for fans. The Super Bowl halftime performance was her show to the world, and there was an organic opportunity to fit in a pole-dancing sequence. Plus, J. Lo put in a ton of work on the set of Hustlers for her pole-dancing performance, so it's not surprising she would want to take any opportunity she could to bust it back out.
Beyond the fact that she stirred up a minor controversy with the Super Bowl halftime pole routine, the moment helped Jennifer Lopez cement the legacy of her Hustlers character. While Ramona may not live on thanks to recognition from the Academy Awards, there will always be Super Bowl LIV to remind people of where she learned those moves.
She's gonna live forever. This is the end of awards season but it's definitely not the end for Ramona.
In addition to cementing her character's legacy, Jennifer Lopez's Super Bowl halftime performance will be the gift that keeps on giving. While performers are not paid for the performance, statistics on album sales, streams, and tour tickets tend to skyrocket following their performance. This is even true when widespread response to the performance isn't that great, which was the case with Maroon 5. According to Billboard, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez saw a 893% sales increase in download sales in the U.S. the day of their performance alone.
Speaking of Shakira, the singing superstar may have also featured a nod to her film past during the Super Bowl halftime performance. While it hasn't been explicitly said, the singer wore an outfit very similar to the one her animal character wore in the movie Zootopia. If Hustlers' Ramona is forever cemented in Super Bowl history, I guess that's true with the Gazelle from Zootopia?
The Super Bowl is over, it's XFL season, and CinemaBlend is still the place to be for television in 2020. Stick with us for more of that, and for a look at what's happening in the world of movies as well.
