Photos: (Getty)
The Baltimore Ravens became world champs, Beyoncé announced a world tour, and Americans ate enough chili and cheeseburgers to feed the world….twice! Super Bowl XLVII was a five-hour celebration of sports, music, and 'Murrca! with many great moments worth revisiting.
+ Sandy Hook Choir Sings with Jennifer Hudson
When the Sandy Hook Choir sang a touching version of "America The Beautiful" with J-Hud, even many of the players couldn't keep their eyes dry. "We have come to New Orleans to represent the Sandy Hook Family and the community of Newtown, Connecticut," said the students in a statement. "Our wish is to demonstrate to America and the world that, 'We are Sandy Hook and We Choose Love.'" Jennifer lost three family members, including her mother, to gun violence in '08; together, she and the Sandy Hook kids remind us of the importance of uniting over gun control.
+ Alicia Keys Makes National Anthem History
Alicia Keys' beautiful piano ballad rendition of the National Anthem broke history as the longest version of the song ever performed. It clocked in at 156.4 seconds, or almost two and a half minutes. Alicia thinks that all people should use their voices -- singing or otherwise -- to change the world. "We have everything that it takes to create a really powerful message," she says. "You have to be proactive, as to what you want your future to be, because no one else is going to build it for you."
+ Destiny's Child Returns!
I don't even wanna call it a comeback, because Beyoncé, Kelly, and Michelle looked and sounded so fierce during their halftime show, it was like they never left. The "Bootylicious" threesome performed a few of their classics, then joined Beyoncé for the most epic live version of "Single Ladies" ever.
After the show, King Bey took to Instagram to acknowledge the trio's presence, along with J-Hud and Alicia, as a "proud day for African American women." What these ladies delivered last night, my friends, was the best kick-off to Black History Month...EVER.
+ Superdome Power Outage
When the power went out for 34 minutes in the 73,000-person stadium, it mayyy just have given the 49ers time to re-energize and stop what could have been a total blowout. Although the Niners lost 34-31, their comeback was almost as great as Destiny's Child's. Earth Hour is approaching, so last night's blackout was great practice for March 23 when the whole world goes dark for a whole 60 minutes. If you want to save on the daily, check out these tips for saving power and money!
+ Brendon Ayanbadejo Supports Marriage Equality
Baltimore Raven Brendon Ayanbadejo came out in support of marriage equality years ago, and even used his team's winning status to spread the message even more this morning with CNN's Don Lemon. The biracial player compares the struggle for marriage equality to the Civil Rights movement, saying, "It is about sexual orientation and whom you choose to love, which is no different than a black person loving a white person. Same sex couples should legally marry whomever they fall in love with. So the same plight for equality that affected me in the '60s is relevant again today, it doesn't affect me this time, but it will affect people I love and care about. This isn't a fight for gay rights, this is a fight for human rights." Congrats Brendon, on putting a (Super Bowl) ring on it! Thanks to allies like you, same sex couples are getting closer to rings of their own.
+ The Ravens Win Beyoncé Wins
Sure, the Ravens won the Super Bowl, but the real winner of the night was definitely Beyoncé. She reunited with Destiny's Child, announced a world tour, and put on a halftime show so huge that the lights went out. Oh, and afterward, she went home with Jay-Z. Win.
What was your favorite moment from last night's Super Bowl? Let us know in the comments below, or Tweet us!
