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    The Weeknd's Super Bowl Halftime Show Gets Documentary Treatment

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    Produced by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and Jesse Collins, ‘The Show’ will offer a 90-minute look at months of hard work that went into putting together the ‘Blinding Lights’ hitmaker’s performance.

    Feb 13, 2021
    AceShowbiz – R&B superstar The Weeknd is taking fans behind the scenes of his Super Bowl Halftime Show spectacular in a new TV documentary.
    The “Blinding Lights” hitmaker wowed the nearly 100 million people who tuned in around the world to watch the half-time entertainment during the American football championship game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs on 7 February, and the singer didn’t disappoint.
    Now fans will get to see the months of hard work that went into putting together his 13-minute performance – produced by officials at Jay-Z’s Roc Nation firm and Jesse Collins, the first black executive producer of the event, and staged in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic – in “The Show”, a 90-minute film directed by Emmy nominee and “Becoming (2020)” helmer Nadia Hallgren.
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    Todd Kaplan, Vice President of Marketing for half-time show sponsors Pepsi, says, “The Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show is undoubtedly the world’s biggest stage, producing the most viewed and talked about moment in music every single year. The pressure to deliver an iconic, memorable and entertaining performance is felt well beyond the artist, as there are a number of people – behind the scenes – who are vital to its success.”
    “With our new documentary coming to Showtime, we are taking fans on the emotional and thrilling journey of what it takes to make the biggest show of the year – with the added complexity of doing so amidst a global pandemic.”
    “The Show” will debut on U.S. network Showtime later this year.
    Nearly 100 million people around the world tuned in to watch The Weeknd’s halftime performance, which he reportedly spent $7 million from his own pocket for.

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    The Weeknd Breaks Record With Greatest Hits Album Ahead of Super Bowl

    The ‘Blinding Lights’ hitmaker is celebrating as he scores the most streamed album of all time on Spotify while gearing up for his Super Bowl halftime show.

    Feb 7, 2021
    AceShowbiz – The Weeknd has kicked off his Super Bowl weekend with a record-shattering greatest hits release.
    The Canadian pop star, who will headline the Super Bowl half-time show in Tampa, Florida on Sunday (07Feb20), dropped “The Highlights” on Friday – and it has already become the most streamed album of all time on Spotify.
    The release comes a day after The Weeknd announced dates for his rescheduled “After Hours World Tour”, which will keep him on the road for much of 2022, with 104 dates in North America and Europe planned, beginning in his native Canada on 14 January (22).
    The Weeknd has also dropped a video, entitled “The Last Meal Before the Super Bowl”, in which the “Blinding Lights” singer enjoys a final feast on the field before the big game.

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    The Weeknd has also announced a collaboration with food delivery service Postmates and their black-owned national merchant collection – Postmates users will be offered a collection of local options at the top of their feed when using the app. To kick the collaboration off, The Weeknd chose a local Tampa black-owned restaurant, Mama’s Southern Soul Food, to feed the frontline healthcare workers at AdventHealth Carrollwood, which is near Raymond James Stadium, where the Super Bowl will take place.
    The Weekend’s Super Bowl halftime gig will be set in the stands at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Performers traditionally take over the centre of the field after the first half of the big game, but health and safety restrictions have driven the “Blinding Lights” singer to the terraces.
    There won’t be any special guests either during his performance.

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    The Weeknd: There's No Room for Special Guests at My Super Bowl Half-Time Show

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    The ‘Blinding Lights’ hitmaker teases what to expect from his upcoming performance at the highly-anticipated football game, confirming that there won’t be any special guests.

    Feb 6, 2021
    AceShowbiz – The Weeknd “wouldn’t bet” on there being any special guests when he headlines the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
    The “Blinding Lights” hitmaker has confirmed he won’t be joined on stage by any other stars as he performs when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday (07Feb21).
    Speaking to the NFL network, he insisted there wouldn’t be any surprise guests popping up, sharing, “I’ve been reading a lot of rumours. I wouldn’t bet on it. There wasn’t any room to fit it into the narrative and the story I was telling in the performance. So yeah, there’s no special guests.”

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    And the 30-year-old singer has teased a few details about Sunday’s performance.
    He told reporters, “Due to the Covid and for the safety of the players and the workers, we built a stage within the stadium. We’re also using the field as well, but we wanted to do something that we’ve done before. I’m not going to tell you anything else because you’ll have to watch on Sunday.”
    The Weeknd – who is following in the footsteps of stars like Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez by playing the gig- previously admitted he was “humbled” to get the coveted performance slot.
    “We all grow up watching the world’s biggest acts playing the Super Bowl and one can only dream of being in that position. I’m humbled, honoured and ecstatic to be the centre of that infamous stage this year,” he smiled.

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    The Weeknd Won't Perform in Center Field at Super Bowl Due to Covid-19 Concerns

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    The ‘Blinding Lights’ hitmaker won’t take over the center of the field during his Super Bowl Half-Time show because of health and safety restrictions amid pandemic.

    Feb 5, 2021
    AceShowbiz – The Weeknd will not take to the field for his half-time show performance at the Super Bowl on Sunday (07Feb21) – his gig will be set in the stands at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
    Performers traditionally take over the centre of the field after the first half of the big game, but health and safety restrictions have driven the “Blinding Lights” singer to the terraces.
    A source tells Page Six the show will be “phenomenal, different and historic,” put together by a fraction of the people usually employed to set up and take down a stage in record time.

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    “It’s a total of 1,000 people, and they can’t touch the field,” an insider says. “How do you pull off a show that’s not on the field and is as impactful as it’s ever been with same level of entertainment? Wait till you see it, it’s beautifully done.”
    Another source tells the outlet that staging a virtual show from another stadium was ruled out almost as soon as The Weeknd signed on to perform. “The whole idea of Super Bowl half-time is that you’re able to experience that,” the insider adds, “The NFL (National Football League) didn’t want the fans in attendance not to have that experience. The easy way out is to have it somewhere else, but it is part of the overall Super Bowl.”
    Super Bowl executive producer Jesse Collins previously told Entertainment Tonight, “We’re gonna use the stadium to present the half-time show in a way that it’s never been presented before… Instead of focusing on what we can’t do (due to the pandemic), it’s like, ‘Look at what the opportunities are because of the cards we’ve been dealt’.”

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    The Weeknd to Perform His Super Bowl Halftime Show Set Live Despite COVID Safety Fears

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    Revealing that the ‘Blinding Lights’ hitmaker opted not to pre-record any parts of his Tampa, Florida show, co-producer Jesse Collins promises that it is ‘just going to be fun.’

    Feb 2, 2021
    AceShowbiz – The Weeknd will be all live when he performs during the Super Bowl half-time show on Sunday, February 07.
    Jesse Collins, the co-producer of the show, tells Entertainment Tonight the headliner has opted not to pre-record any parts of his stadium show in Tampa, Florida, despite COVID safety fears.
    “It’s all happening in that stadium, in that moment,” Collins says. “We’re not bouncing off to another stadium and then cutting in, like some people have had to do (before). We are fortunate enough in this situation that we are able to do a live, live show.”

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    “It’s gotta be about entertainment from a truthful perspective. Get away from the massive sets, all the hoopla, the flying this and that. And get to the core of what makes an artist special.”
    And Jesse insists The Weeknd’s set at Raymond James Stadium will wow viewers. “I think there’s a lot of stuff happening in the show that people aren’t going to expect. It’s just going to be fun. It’s so perfect,” he gushes.
    “We started creating this thing back in September, and the message of it really worked out. The world worked out for the message that The Weeknd wants to communicate in this performance… It’s definitely a very special show.”
    The Weeknd previously hinted that he would go all out for his Super Bowl performance as he He revealed that he spent $7 million to make the performance like what he “envisioned.” He told Billboard magazine in January, “We’ve been really focusing on dialing in on the fans at home and making performances a cinematic experience, and we want to do that with the Super Bowl.”

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    The Weeknd Reveals His 3 Grammy Wins Mean Nothing to Him After Snub

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    The ‘Starboy’ hitmaker also talks about going all out for his Super Bowl Halftime Show performance by spending $7 million to make the performance like what he ‘envisioned.’

    Jan 29, 2021
    AceShowbiz – The Weeknd continues to put the Recording Academy on blast. The “After Hours” musician got candid about being snubbed at the 2021 Grammy Awards in the latest issue of Billboard magazine, revealing that he changed his mind about the awards that he won previously following the ordeal.
    “Look, I personally don’t care anymore. I have three Grammys, which mean nothing to me now, obviously,” the Canadian singer, who won R&B Performance and Urban Contemporary Album in 2016 as well as the latter award again in 2018, shared. “It’s not like, ‘Oh, I want the Grammy!’ It’s just that this happened, and I’m down to get in front of the fire, as long as it never happens again. I suck at giving speeches anyways. Forget awards shows.”
    Adding that the snub was like an “attack” to him, The Weeknd continued to say, “I use a sucker punch as an analogy, because it just kind of hit me out of nowhere. I definitely felt… things. I don’t know if it was sadness or anger. I think it was just confusion.”

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    The “Starboy” hitmaker, real name Abel Tesfaye, claimed that he “just wanted answers.” He said, “Like, ‘What happened?’ We did everything right, I think. I’m not a cocky person. I’m not arrogant. People told me I was going to get nominated. The world told me, like, ‘This is it; this is your year.’ We were all very confused.”
    After it was revealed that he nabbed zero nominations at the upcoming award-giving event, The Weeknd shared that he received messages of shock and support from people, including those whom “I haven’t spoken to in ages, the entire music community, all my peers.” The Weeknd divulged, “If you were like, ‘Do you think the Grammys are racist?’ I think the only real answer is that in the last 61 years of the GRAMMYs, only 10 Black artists have won album of the year. I don’t want to make this about me. That’s just a fact.”
    In the interview, The Weeknd also talked about going all out for his Super Bowl Halftime Show performance in Tampa Bay, Florida on February 7. He shared that he spent $7 million to make the performance like what he “envisioned.”
    “We’ve been really focusing on dialing in on the fans at home and making performances a cinematic experience, and we want to do that with the Super Bowl,” he told the magazine.

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    The Weeknd Is Not Included in 2021 Grammys Performers Line-Up After Snub

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    The Canadian hitmaker previously criticized the Recording Academy after he nabbed zero nod at the upcoming event despite his record-breaking and critically-acclaimed album ‘After Hours’.

    Jan 8, 2021
    AceShowbiz – The tension between The Weeknd and the Recording Academy seemingly continues to heat up. According to interim Grammy chief Harvey Mason Jr., the “After Hours” artist has yet to be asked to be included in the line-up of the performers at the award-giving event, which is set to be held on March 14.
    In an interview with Variety, Harvey was asked if The Weeknd, who was snubbed at the award event despite his successful “Blinding Lights” track, would be more involved at the upcoming event. To that, Harvey responded, “Not that I’m aware of.”
    During the interview, Harvey also addressed the delay due to rising coronavirus cases in the United States, especially in Los Angeles. “Doing it on January 31st, with the numbers and what was happening in L.A., just didn’t feel like the right move,” he explained.
    “We felt, from what we’re hearing from government offices and health-care experts, that the next two weeks are going to be extreme here in L.A., and after that, we’ll see some improvement in the numbers. Obviously, we’re not going to be free of Covid and I don’t think the vaccine is going to be widely available by March 14, but we think there will be better circumstances once we get past these next two weeks,” he went on saying.

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    Grammy Awards announced on Tuesday, January 5 that the show, which will be hosted by Trevor Noah, will be pushed back. “The deteriorating COVID situation in Los Angeles, with hospital services being overwhelmed, ICUs having reached capacity, and new guidance from state and local governments have all led us to conclude that postponing our show was the right thing to do,” read a statement signed by interim Grammy chief Harvey Mason jr., CBS Executive VP Jack Sussman and the show’s executive producer, Ben Winston.
    Back to The Weeknd, the Canadian hitmaker criticized the Recording Academy after he nabbed zero nod despite his record-breaking year on the charts and critical and commercial acclaim with the album “After Hours” and hits like “Blinding Lights”. “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency…,” he demanded on November 24, 2020 after the nominations were announced.
    In response to the criticism, Harvey said in a statement, “We understand that The Weeknd is disappointed at not being nominated. I was surprised and can empathize with what he’s feeling. His music this year was excellent, and his contributions to the music community and broader world are worthy of everyone’s admiration.”
    Shutting down speculations that the snub had something to do with The Weeknd headlining the Super Bowl, Harvey clarified, “To be clear, voting in all categories ended well before The Weeknd’s performance at the Super Bowl was announced, so in no way could it have affected the nomination process.”

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    The Weeknd's Fans Convinced He Takes a Jab at Ex Bella Hadid in 'Save Your Tears' Music Video

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    Theories about him taking a low-key dig at his model ex-girlfriend emerge among his devotees after the ‘Blinding Lights’ singer flaunts a new dramatic look in ‘Save Your Tears’ music video.

    Jan 7, 2021
    AceShowbiz – The Weeknd’s fans were convinced that his latest song has something to do with Bella Hadid. Shortly after the “Blinding Lights” singer flaunted a new dramatic look in the music video of “Save Your Tears”, his online devotees came up with theories that he took a jab at his ex-girlfriend using the faux facial enhancements.
    The 30-year-old, whose real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, dropped the music video on Tuesday, January 5. In the clip, he could be seen with a thinned and crooked nose, bloated cheeks and puffed-up lips all the while sporting visible scars. Many on Twitter have since suggested that his new look was a reference to his ex’s rumored plastic surgery.
    One user threw in the speculation by stating, “IS THE WEEKND TRYING TO LOOK LIKE BELLA HADID BC I CAN SEE IT.” Another chimed in, “With the nose job and cheekbones is the Weeknd mocking Bella Hadid.” A third echoed, “I think The Weeknd is shading Bella Hadid, look at the nose and the lips and the pout lol, plastic!”
    The shading theories did not stop there. More came forward with other kinds of likeness. One tweeted, “the weeknd is definitely bashing bella hadid with the whole plastic surgery themes.” Someone else pointed out, “I’m sure he’s mocking Bella Hadid cause she always says she had nothing done.”

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    The Weeknd’s fans believed that he took a jab at Bella Hadid in ‘Save Your Tears’ music video.
    Bella herself shut down rumors about her going under the knife back in June 2018. “People think I got all this surgery or did this or that, and you know what, we can do a scan of my face, darling… I’m scared of putting fillers into my lips,” she told InStyle at that time. “I wouldn’t want to mess up my face.”
    While some people claimed The Weeknd threw shade at the younger sister of Gigi Hadid in “Save Your Tears”, others believed that the song is about his other ex, Selena Gomez. They claimed to hear him whisper Selena’s name in the middle of the track. Despite the swirling speculations, the Canadian crooner has yet to dish on the inspiration behind his song.
    The Weeknd began dating Bella in 2015. The two initially broke up in 2016. However, they got back together in 2017 following his 10-month romance with Selena. They ultimately called it quits in 2019.

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