Former Destiny's Child members praise Beyonce's Super Bowl show

The original Destiny's Child included LeToya Luckett, Beyonce Knowles, LaTavia Roberson and Kelly Rowland. (Albert Sanchez ) From: http://www.latimes.com By Nardine Saad

Millions of fans cheered on Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams during their Destiny's Child reunion at Sunday's Super Bowl. But there are a few particular fans who are making sure everyone knows they're team players, even if they were off the team long ago. 

LaTavia Roberson, who was part of Destiny's Child in its first incarnation, said she had nothing but love for the ladies. 

"Obviously, seeing Beyonce perform was the highlight for me," Roberson told Celebuzz on Monday. "I got a real surprise when both Kelly and Michelle both popped up on the stage like that."

And so did the fans. It was a pivotal moment for the now-defunct group and surely a career highlight for the ladies involved. Beyonce called it "a proud day for African American women" and announced her world tour shortly after.

Roberson and LeToya Luckett, who was also an original member of DC1, left the group in 2000 and were replaced by Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin. Roberson and Luckett attempted to start their own group called Angel, as documented on Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Atlanta,"but it didn't amount to anything. Franklin was dismissed from the group for lack of interest, turning it into a trio, then ultimately Beyonce and Rowland branched off on their own.

"Hats off to Bee's halftime show! She murdered it!!!!"  Roberson tweeted Monday.

"I.N.C.R.E.D.I.B.L.E. #soproud," Luckett tweeted after the halftime show, adding, "The MOST entertaining Super Bowl I've ever seen in MY life from start to finish! #Handsdown"

As for Franklin, she simply thanked a fan on Twitter for insisting that she should have been part of the halftime show too.

Roberson and Luckett filed a lawsuit in 2002 claiming that Destiny's Child's hit song "Survivor" was making derisive comments about the ex-members. Despite that, Roberson said she was "pleased" with the performance she couldn't be a part of.

"I thought they all looked great and did a good job with their dance moves," she added. "Beyonce was especially amazing. She looked fabulous, and her voice was really strong. During the performance somebody texted me to say they could not hear Kelly and Michelle sing. It was so noisy in the house where we watched the performance that I did not really notice anything wrong. But who knows? They probably had some technical problems."

Well, there was that whole blackout thing that happened afterward, but the Ministry doesn't believe that's the kind of shade throwing she's alluding to.

"It was great to see them all performing together and I have no bitter or bad feelings toward any of those women. I wish them all the best," she said. "I am at a good place in my life and things always work out for a reason. I am working on several projects with both acting and music that are exciting to me."

Alas, none of those things are likely to come close to the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

The Super Bowl Loser 49ers Still Win in, Say, Chad

Donated T-shirts hailing the New England Patriots as "Super Bowl Champions, 19-0'' in Nicaragua in 2008
By Scott Bixby on February 04, 2013 From: http://www.businessweek.com

Nothing highlights the thrill of victory like tugging on a T-shirt proclaiming your status as Super Bowl champion—or the agony of defeat, if you’re the losing team now holding pre-printed championship merchandise. While the San Francisco 49ers wound up on the wrong end of Sunday’s game, losing to the Baltimore Ravens, the winner will be World Vision, a nonprofit relief organization that will receive more than 100,000 articles of clothing from the National Football League to donate to underdeveloped countries.

NFL rules state that all gear proclaiming the losing squad as Super Bowl victors, including T-shirts, sweatshirts, and ball caps, cannot be sold. For the first 30 Super Bowls, it had to be destroyed after the final whistle. In the 1990s, however, the NFL was approached by World Vision, an evangelical organization with a presence in more than 100 countries, which wanted to take the apparel to places where the outcome of an American football game was less important than keeping warm. So for the past 17 years, the loser’s championship gear has been shipped off to areas World Vision deems to be in greatest need. After Super Bowl XLIV in 2010, children in earthquake-ravaged Haiti donned shirts celebrating the defeated Indianapolis Colts; in 2007, items celebrating the (not) champion Chicago Bears went to Romania and Chad.

The NFL pre-prints about 300 shirts and hats for both Super Bowl contenders to wear in the on-field celebrations immediately following the game. At the same time, sports retailers around the country will be unpacking gear emblazoned with the winning team’s name, logo, mascot, and hometown, while shipping back apparel emblazoned with the sigil of the loser. Back at World Vision’s international distribution center in Pittsburgh, it’s sorted by size, gender, and destination. Sweatshirts go to cold places like Mongolia, T-shirts to warmer areas in sub-Saharan Africa.

World Vision has struck similar donation deals with Major League Baseball, the NBA, and the NHL, but the postseason NFL is the biggest generator of shirts by far. The league also gets a hefty tax deduction for the donated items, the number of which—depending on the size of the hometowns of the Super Bowl teams—can reach the hundreds of thousands.

And if you’re a fan of the winning squad, forget about adding insult to injury. The NFL has a legal agreement stating that the shirts must never appear for sale online or be sold anywhere in the United States. For this bit of schadenfreude, you’ll have to fly to Zambia.

Super Bowl XLVII: CBS drops the ball in Superdome blackout coverage by failing to press the NFL for answers

Not once during the 34-minute delay did a representative of the National Football League appear on camera to attempt to explain what caused half the Superdome to lose power. Why should they? No one from CBS put any pressure on them.

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS fROM: http://www.nydailynews.com

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2013, 2:59 AM

The Superdome goes dark for 34 minutes, and nobody from the NFL offers an explanation.

The fans inside the Superdome were not the only ones left in the dark when half the building’s power went out in the third quarter of Super Bowl XLVII Sunday night.  Viewers were left with unanswered questions as CBS Sports’ sideline reporters, and the rest of the cast, failed to go into a reporting mode.

There was no outrage, no questioning how a thing like this could happen on the NFL’s biggest night of the year.

At a time when they should have been aggressively gathering news, CBS’ crew was satisfied with the crumbs the NFL dropped on them. And they swallowed the scraps gladly. Not once during the 34-minute delay did a representative of the National Football League appear on camera to attempt to explain what caused half the Superdome to lose power. Why should they? No one from CBS put any pressure on them.

Instead of having anyone with a microphone express a hint of outrage, they accepted what was going down. “As soon as they know (what knocked the power out) someone (from the NFL) is going to come down and we are going to interview them to ascertain what knocked out the power,” said Solomon Wilcots, one of CBS’ sideline reporters.

No, that ain’t the way it works. The idea is to find an NFL suit, stick a microphone in his/her face and ask the following question:  What the hell is going on?

Think about it. CBS pays billions for the right to air NFL games. Much of that dough is shelled out to secure rights to the Super Bowl. So, on the big night, there is a major screwup and the NFL won’t put  someone on the air — and CBS won’t push the league — to try to explain what’s going on? That’s mind-boggling.

But not quite as wacked as CBS’ laid-back approach to reporting this story, which will go down as one of the more unusual moments in Super Bowl history. All the players were on the field, waiting, stretching. Why not take a camera and microphone on the sidelines for an interview? If they blow you off, fine — at least viewers would have something worth watching.

Instead of hearing from James Brown, Dan Marino, Bill Cowher and Shannon Sharpe (Boomer Esiason was working the radio) that the 49ers would benefit from the delay, why not ask players from both teams their thoughts on the matter?

Members of the 49ers can only sit and wait for the lights to turn back on.

At one point, CBS had a shot of John Harbaugh screaming at some suit who we assumed worked for the NFL (we take that grand leap because CBS never identified who the gentleman was). Why not stick a microphone in Harbaugh’s face and ask him why he was angry?

Maybe he would have told you his brother’s team was going to benefit from the delay, which it did. At one point Steve Tasker, the other sideline reporter, said he had signaled for “John Harbaugh to come over,” but the Ravens coach had declined. That is the closest viewers got to a legit interview.

For the record, Jennifer Sabatelle, CBS Sports’ VP/communications, said Tasker and Wilcots  “and our studio team reported on the situation as a breaking news story providing updates and reports while full power was being restored to the dome.”

Compared to what? In 1989, when an earthquake (duh, much more serious than a piddly blackout) hit Candlestick Park before Game 3 of the A’s-Giants World Series, Al Michaels and the ABC crew segued into full news mode and covered what was going down thoughtfully and thoroughly. Michaels and Co. showed how sports reporters can handle a news story by just asking the right questions.

Instead of doing just that, CBS stayed in a total sports mode, replaying first-half highlights and getting insight from Cowher on what he would be telling his team under the same circumstance. Imagine if someone from CBS asked one of the Harbaugh brothers that very question? With CBS only updating viewers on when the game might resume, it is reasonable to wonder how many of them bailed out during the delay. CBS was fortunate the game tightened down the stretch, making for an exciting finish.

It’s doubtful Sharpe’s one-liners, like wondering who paid the Superdome’s electric bill, were holding the audience. Same for his other gem: “I’m not saying the fat lady is singing, but they cut the power off so she could warmup in the darkness.”

CBS’ inability to report the news, dig into all angles of the story, is a direct result of how the NFL controls the media. If normal coverage is limited and restricted, it stands to reason that league suits would try to black out all coverage of a Super Bowl blackout.

The lights going out signaled a major embarrassment for Roger Goodell and Co. On the night of the league’s biggest event, a game that media and fans go gaga over for two weeks, the NFL came off looking like a minor league operation.

In the end, the league could have looked even worse.

If CBS had done its job.

Super Bowl: Teams hold final talks before game

NFL Kickoff OT From: http://espn.go.com

NFL Live predicts the outcome of Super Bowl XLVII.

NEW ORLEANS -- Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh played an inspirational highlight video for his team Saturday night in the team's final meeting at the team hotel before Super Bowl XLVII that showed the big hits, big plays and key moments from throughout the season.

More On Super Bowl XLVII

From the battle of the Harbaughs to the final game of Ray Lewis' career, ESPN has you covered for all things Niners and Ravens at Super Bowl Central.

• AFC North blog | NFC West blog
• Topics Page: The Super Bowl
• Super Bowl Q&A | Road to Superdome
• Meet the defenses: Ravens | 49ers

Harbaugh's message to the team was simple: This is the way we got to the Super Bowl, and this is the way we win the Super Bowl.

The San Francisco 49ers' final meeting Saturday night, meanwhile, featured speeches from coachJim Harbaugh and wide receiver Randy Moss, who knows the emotional pain of losing the Super Bowl as he did with the Patriots in failing to complete a perfect season in 2007.

Jim Harbaugh also introduced the 49ers to Colonel Jim Minnick, a friend he's had since the eighth grade. Minnick encouraged the players to leave it all on the field for their teammates, play together and be prepared to overcome adversity because nothing ever goes as planned, offering examples from his military career.

Visitors for the Ravens included New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and newly-inducted Hall of Famer Jonathan Ogden, who played for the Ravens from 1996-2007.

Christie met with quarterback Joe Flacco in the team hotel. Both are New Jersey natives and graduates of the University of Delaware. Ogden's visit generated a lot of excitement in the lobby from fans and players alike.

One 49ers player told ESPN that everybody is well prepared and ready for the game.

"There is nothing but pure excitement,'' the player said.

The 49ers have no obligations until buses leave for the Superdome at 3 p.m. ET. Early buses for the Ravens will depart for the stadium at the same time.

Pro Bowl might be hampered by rainy, windy weather

Andy Fenelon/NFL.com

Rain is in the forecast for the entire island of Oahu, meaning Sunday's Pro Bowl could be a soggy affair. HONOLULU -- The Honolulu Star Advertiser on Sunday morning billed this year's Pro Bowl as Peyton Manning vs. Eli Manning, a battle of the brothers, with the headline: "Footballs Will Fly." But hours away from kickoff of the NFL's all-star game -- a game that likely will determine if others are played in the future -- a weather system coming through Oahu could make footballs fly in all sorts of directions. The National Weather Service has issued a flash-flood watch for the entire island of Oahu, which includes Honolulu where the game will be played. On Sunday morning, winds starting picking up, creating a choppy Pacific. A cold front is expected to bring showers with heavy rainfall to Oahu by the afternoon. Also, there's a chance of thunderstorms that could bring intense rain. The flash-flood watch remains in effect through Monday afternoon when most players and fans will depart for the continental United States. It will be interesting to see the effort level if the weather conditions don't improve. Denver Broncos quarterbackPeyton Manning and the two head coaches -- Broncoscoach John Fox of the AFC and Green Bay Packers coachMike McCarthy of the NFC -- have emphasized the importance of this game. And NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has threatened to pull the plug on the Pro Bowl if it isn't played more seriously. After Friday's practice, Peyton Manning said, "The guys will be ready to play. It will be a good, competitive game, I think. This is an important event for the NFL and for the players. The commissioner's made it clear that he's making considerations to cancel it. And I think it's important to have more of a quality game." But injuries at this event always have been a concern for players and, with inclement weather, the risk of injury seemingly would increase. It might be unfair to get upset with players if they choose to hold back a little in a rain-drenched contest.

Quarterbacks struggle mightily in Senior Bowl, but defenders shine from start to finish

By Doug Farrar | Shutdown Corner – 18 hours ago From: http://sports.yahoo.com

MOBILE, Ala. -- Going into the week of the Senior Bowl practices and game, the primary narrative was the one you'll hear throughout the NFL draft: A year after seven different rookie quarterbacks found themselves in NFL starting positions, the follow-up talent at the position in the 2013 draft class is subpar in comparison, to say the least.

The performances of all six quarterbacks during the game did little to dispel that notion, though there were good moments for some of the signal-callers. The real story of the South team's 21-16 victory over the North squad was the defenses for both teams, and no player better personified that better than game MVP Ezekiel "Ziggy" Ansah, the BYU sensation and former track star from Ghana who exploded off the snap over and over again.

Though he appeared to have issues maintaining leverage in practices this week, Ansah really showed up when it counted, grabbing six solo tackles, 1 1/2 sacks, and 3.5 tackles for loss. At his best (which he most certainly was on Saturday evening), Ansah validated the comparisons to current New York Giants and former South Florida end Jason Pierre-Paul. The Giants took Pierre-Paul with the 15th overall pick in the 2010 draft, and he's proved that freakish athleticism and hard work can overcome limited experience in the game. Ansah looks to be on that same high-drafted path.

Exekiel Ansah shows Denard Robinson who's boss. (USAT Sports Images)

"It was a little bit crazy this week, with all the GMs and coaches all over the hotel getting hold of you," Ansah said after the game. "But when it was time to practice, kit was time to practice."

Ansah knows there's still a lot of work to be done -- as far as he's concerned, today's game is no more than an incentive to continue the journey.

"Now, it's time to stay focused -- today will be gone, and tomorrow, I've just got to start training again. In life, no matter what you do, there's going to be something that will take your focus away. But I will stay focused. I came here to work hard with a bunch of great players -- everyone here is an MVP; that's why we all came together to play here. I came here to learn and to be better."

Of course, getting tutoring all week from NFL coaches for the first time in his young football career was a huge benefit, and Ansah took a lot away from his time with the Detroit Lions staff, which coached the South team.

"Pro coaches have been around for a long time, and my job is to learn," Ansah said. "I just try to get what I can and add that to what I already know about the game. I'm still in the building process, but I've loved this week. I just love the competition. It was fun to make new friends, and just to move forward from here."

Ansah wasn't the only defensive star by a long shot -- just the most visible. Connecticut linebacker Sio Moore showed impressive closing speed on a sack, UCLA defensive lineman Datone Jones rounded off a very impressive week of practice with a half-sack, and Utah State cornerback Will Davis not only grabbed an interception and returned it 25 yards, but showed some nice hitting ability for his size (5-foot-11, 182 pounds).

"They wanted us to come out here and be physical," Davis said of the Oakland Raiders' staff, who coached the North team. "That's what they wanted to see, and you're never going to have this experience again."

Part of the experience that helped Davis was that the North cornerbacks were very strong all the way through the lineup. Washington cornerback Desmond Trufant and Florida International safety Jonathan Cyprien had especially strong weeks, and that made Davis and his comrades even more intent on keeping pace.

Landry Jones was under the gun on every throw. (USAT Sports Images)

"Me and Trufant, we came from [training at] API in Arizona, and we're both from Washington. Seeing what he did this week -- he had a killer week, and that's his game and his confidence. I was really feeding off of him. I started off a little slow, but seeing my boy do what he did made me raise my level, because I wanted to be on that level, too."

There wasn't much to talk about from the quarterback perspective -- many of the senior quarterbacks looked overwhelmed by the pressure brought from each defensive line, and there will be many questions in NFL front offices when teams break down the All-22 tape of this game and the practices. North Carolina State's Mike Glennon finished with a lot of reps and little to show -- just eight completions in 16 attempts for 82 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. Syracuse's Ryan Nassib threw a terrible pick to Georgia safety Bacarri Rambo, and completed just 4 of his 10 attempts.

Michael Williams provided one of the game's few offensive highlights. (USAT Sports Images)Arkansas' Tyler Wilson looked tentative for most of the day, throwing checkdown after checkdown, and he was nearly intercepted on one his few long passes. Oklahoma's Landry Jones may have had the worst day, completing 3 of 9 passes for 16 yards. Miami (OH)'s Zac Dysert, who was perhaps the most underwhelming quarterback through practice week, padded his stats late in the game with throw after throw to Oregon running back Kenjon Barner when the South team was playing not to lose and had basically vacated the middle zone.

The only passing down that wasn't a screen from Dysert to Barner came halfway through the first quarter, when Florida State's E.J. Manuel connected with Alabama tight end Michael Williams for a 20-yard score. As Williams recalled after the game, it was the exact same play in which Manuel threw a nice touch pass during Wednesday practice.

"It worked out much the same way," he said. "I had a corner route on that play, and if I see myself get even with the safety, I just take it to the backside pylon. I got even with the safety and headed toward that pylon, and E.J. threw a perfect pass. It fell right into my hands, so I had no choice but to catch it."

Indeed, but that was the rare occurrence in which a quarterback and receiver hooked up on what might be called a "wow" play. Defense will rule the 2013 draft, and the Senior Bowl simply forwarded that narrative.

Super Bowl 2013 Ticket Mania Kicks Off

(Image credit: Mark Humphrey, Matt Slocum/AP Photo)

Now that the two teams for Super Bowl 2013 are known,  fans of the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens who don’t have tickets are off to the secondary market, where the average price of a ticket is about $3,195.14.

As of Monday morning, the lowest price for resale tickets was $2,168, according to ticket tracker TiqIQ.

Last year, the average price on Jan. 21 was $3,678.12, with the lowest price, $2,037.

Even before Sunday’s playoff games that determined who would compete in Super Bowl 2013, marketers and others in the industry were watching with anticipation who would be competing in one of the most-watched sporting events of the year.

Chris Matcovich, director of data and communications at TiqIQ, said the National Football Conference’s San Francisco 49ers and American Football Conference’s Baltimore Ravens going head to head would be the “golden game” for ticket sales for two reasons.

First, advertisers and the media have already become excited about the match-up between coaching brothers Jim Harbaugh, 49, of the 49ers, and John Harbaugh, 50, of the Ravens.

Second, the 49ers have a large market in San Francisco, meaning a large fan base that might  be willing to travel to New Orleans. Plus, the 49ers  haven’t won a Super Bowl since 1994.

“At the end of the day, marketers and ticket sellers are hoping for a good game and praying for the right teams,” Matcovich said.

Tim Nelson, president of Chicago-based advertising agency Trisect, said a match between the 49ers and Patriots may have been a favorite among other advertisers.

“I think some of the appeal in the games is the quality of the franchises, plus their heritage and history in the game,” said Nelson, who  grew up in New England and admitted he was  a Pats fan.

For any fan, getting a ticket to Super Bowl XLVII will cost a pretty penny.

The National Football League held a fan drawing of about 1,000 tickets last year.

In the past two weeks, the NFL began distributing tickets to its teams to sell to fans through drawings, or to distribute to sponsors. The NFL give out  17.5 percent of tickets to the AFC team and 17.5 percent go to the NFC team. The host of the 2013 Super Bowl game on Feb. 3, the New Orleans Saints, received 5 percent of tickets. Each of the remaining 29 NFL teams receives 1.2 percent of the tickets.

The official list prices for the Super Bowl’s upper bowl, lower bowl and club seats are $850, $950 and $1,250 for 2013, according to Brian McCarthy, an NFL spokesman.

McCarthy cautioned that the only guaranteed secondary ticket seller of the NFL is the NFL Ticketmaster Ticket Exchange.

“Buyer beware beyond that,” McCarthy said.

From: http://abcnews.go.com