Hamilton’s Leslie Odom, Jr to sing ‘America The Beautiful’ at Super Bowl LII

With all the turmoil surrounding the NFL regarding its support or lack thereof for the message of Colin Kaepernick and the protest action he undertook. The move was WIDELY followed throughout sports, the entertainment industry, in the gymnasiums of colleges, high schools and even middle schools about equality and accountability…which seems to be an issue still skirted by the old guard.

In this writer’s opinion, there isn’t enough good that can be said for Mr. Odom to be a highlighted performer at this year’s Super Bowl festivities. It takes guts for the NFL to provide a platform of ANY size for which this metaphor stands. Way to go folks! ~ JD

Here’s the official line on the announcement from the NFL

NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 15: Actor Leslie Odom, Jr. performs on stage during “Hamilton” GRAMMY performance for The 58th GRAMMY Awards at Richard Rodgers Theater on February 15, 2016, in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/WireImage)

Tony and Grammy Award-winning performer LESLIE ODOM, JR. will sing “America The Beautiful” as part of Super Bowl LII pregame festivities at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, February 4, the NFL and NBC announced today. The performance will be televised live on NBC prior to kickoff.

The Super Bowl is annually the most-watched television program. The appearance will be the first time Odom, Jr. an original cast member of the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit “Hamilton: An American Musical,” will perform on the Super Bowl stage.

Odom, Jr. joins VICKI CARR (Super Bowl XI), RAY CHARLES (Super Bowl XXXV), MARY J. BLIGE & MARC ANTHONY (Super Bowl XXXVI), ALICIA KEYS (Super Bowl XXXIX), FAITH HILL (Super Bowl XLIII), QUEEN LATIFAH (Super Bowl XLIV & XLVIII), LEA MICHELE (Super Bowl XLVI) in singing “America The Beautiful” at Super Bowl. In 2013, JENNIFER HUDSON, along with 26 children from the Newtown, CTcommunity, sang the song in advance of Super Bowl XLVII.

The NFL previously announced that P!NK will perform the National Anthem, ALEXANDRIA WAILES will sign the National Anthem and “America The Beautiful” and JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE will headline the Pepsi Super Bowl LII Halftime Show. The pregame and halftime shows are an NFL NETWORK PRODUCTION and will be executive produced by RICKY KIRSHNER.

ABOUT LESLIE ODOM, JR.
Tony and Grammy Award-winning performer, Leslie Odom, Jr. has taken the entertainment world by storm across a variety of media – spanning Broadway, television, film, and music. Best known for his breakout role as ‘Aaron Burr’ in the smash hit Broadway musical, Hamilton, Odom, Jr. won the Tony Award for “Best Actor in a Musical” for his performance. He most recently appeared opposite Kenneth Branagh, Penelope Cruz and Judi Dench in Murder on the Orient Express for Twentieth Century Fox. Odom, Jr. is one of the stars of the forthcoming feature-length directorial debut of pop music sensation Sia. He also recently returned to the New York stage in a solo concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center, which will be broadcast as an hour-long PBS special on April 24, 2018. This spring, Odom, Jr. adds the title of “Author” to his resume with the release of his book – FAILING UP: HOW TO TAKE RISKS, AIM HIGHER, and NEVER STOP LEARNING. The book is being published by Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers, for release March 27, 2018.

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Tags: #TheHypeMagazine, America The Beautiful, Broadway theatre, Colin Kaepernick, Leslie Odom Jr, NFL, Super Bowll LII, The Hype Magazine, Tony Award-winning, World News

About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.