I would like to say hats off and three cheers to the NFL and executives at ABC. After last year’s major half-time blunder with Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake, they got it right this year.Instead of parading young lip-syncing pop stars onto a stage to do poorly choreographed dance moves, they opted to give the microphone to a man who not only sang with a backup tape but actually played two different instruments. That man was ex-Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney.I attended a Super Bowl party at my parents’ house in Madison, SD. The ages of those in attendance ranged from 2 to 54. Although the first half of the game was close and both teams played well, many at the party opted to eat, chat or play other games while the Patriots worked on their victory. Moments after Sir McCartney began singing "Baby you can Drive my Car," the entire room fell silent and all eyes were on the television.There were goose bumps, a few tears and many claps throughout the performance especially when he started the first verse of "Hey Jude." Those songs, so familiar to every generation for the past forty years, saved the half-time show.Last year I hosted a Super Bowl party. I admit that second at the end of the halftime show did bring the room of men to silence, but it was for the wrong reason. It was disbelief. We wanted to know if what happened had been done on purpose or had it really been a wardrobe malfunction?How could these entertainers have needed publicity so badly that they would resort to flashing during a live public event?Wouldn’t it be better if their publicity could be about their talents, instead of their stunts?A visit to halftimes pastThe NFL Web site has compiled a list of all entertainers who have performed during the Super Bowl Pregame, the National Anthem and during halftime starting with Super Bowl I in 1966.I consulted this list to see if there had ever been an NFL halftime event planner smart enough to just hire talented musicians and let them entertain.Apparently they hadn’t figured that out until this year. I found that wardrobe malfunctions were not the only thing plaguing this event.In the first years, sports fans were entertained by collegiate marching bands at halftime. During Super Bowl IV they let Carol Channing take over as the first celebrity guest.Over the next 20-plus years, event planners decided themes would entertain the millions watching the game at home.Examples include, "200 Years and Just a Baby" a tribute to America’s Bicentennial and several salutes, "A World of Children’s Dreams" and "Super Bowl XVIII’s salute to the superstars of the Silver Screen."These tributes and salutes were performed by an assortment of celebrities, big bands and the old football standard, the college marching band.For the 25th half-time show, planners clearly targeted a new younger market by bringing pop boy band of the moment New Kids on the Block.This trend continued throughout the 1990s. Usually a list of three to five pop stars with albums to promote would uneasily bounce around the stage together. It was during this time that other television networks and pay-per-view television began competing for half-time viewers.The only exception was in 2002 at Super Bowl XXXVI when U2 performed in front of a screen scrolling the names of the victims from the tragedies on Sept. 11.Hopefully the ratings and feedback from Sunday’s show will be good enough for NFL executives to realize the importance of hiring quality entertainers. Not only does it keep them from dealing with embarrassing wardrobe malfunction lawsuits but also it keeps fans happy.A list of performers can be found at www.superbowl.com/features/entertainment/entertainment-honorroll.Commen… or story ideas can be emailed to lexim@star-herald.com or called in to 283-2333 or 962-3561.