Beyoncé

Madonna

Super Bowl XLV1 was the most watched television show in US history and the halftime show is considered the biggest musical event of the year.

Last year’s annual championship game drew roughly 111.3 million viewers and the half time show attracted even more, according to Neilson Reports estimated that over 114 million people watched the halftime show when it was headlined by Madonna last year.

Madonna opened her set to one of her biggest hits “Vogue” with a band of marching Roman soldiers coming on stage. She followed up that song with another dance hit, “Music.” The hit-making dance music group LMFAO joined her onstage and together they performed their dance song, “I’m Sexy And I Know It.”

Minutes before she closed her set, rappers Nicki Minaj and MIA joined the queen of pop onstage for their collaboration “Give Me All Your Luvin.’”

British rapper MIA caused controversy for Madonna when she flipped the bird during their performance. Unfortunately, NBC experienced a technical failure and did not do a tape delay, an NFL rep told Reuters. It was the first controversy for the Super Bowl since 2005 when Justin Timberlake accidentally ripped part of Janet Jackson’s top and exposed her breast live on television.

This year, Beyoncé will headline the Super Bowl half time show on Sunday, Feb. 3 at the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans. The question in many reports: can Beyoncé deliver a performance that will top the queen of pop?

Last week, an insider gave a rundown of what fans can expect during Beyoncé’s halftime show. The source told Us Weekly that the 31-year-old will kick off her performance with a solo set. Her line-up will begin with the dance number “Crazy in Love.” Beyoncé’s husband, rap mogul Jay-Z, may also perform with her because he lends his rap vocals on the track.

The source said there will also be Destiny’s Child reunion at the Super Bowl. Kelly Rowland, 31, and Michelle Williams, 32, were reportedly planning to join the Houston native on stage midway through her set to perform several Destiny’s Child hits – including “Bills, Bills, Bills” and “Survivor” – and their new song “Nuclear”.

Williams, however, disappointed fans when she said she is unable to join her band mates on Sunday due to scheduling conflicts. There is no word on whether the 16-Grammy-winning singer plans to have any other music acts join her on stage.

An NFL rep revealed that the “Bootylicious” singer was given a budget of $600,000 for production costs and she will not be receiving an appearance fee for the concert. He said Madonna exceeded her budget and that Beyoncé will likely go over hers. The singer’s fans need not worry. According to a report, her record label or Pepsi- who sponsored the Super Bowl halftime show last year and struck a $50 million lucrative deal with Beyoncé last month- might help pick up the tab. (Enstars.com)