Rihanna's Halftime Show Was More Than Enough

The latest in pop-culture news, recaps, and reviews, plus close reads, profiles, interviews, and more from Vulture.com. [Brand Logo]( Rihview [Rihanna’s Halftime Show Was More Than Enough]( It hit the points it needed to — and then got going. Photo: Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images The last time most people saw [Rihanna]( perform on television or anywhere else was at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards ceremony, where she was named Video Vanguard. A series of themed performances demonstrated that she deserved the distinction, putting the Barbadian singer-songwriter and fashion mogul’s musical versatility on display all night, transforming the Madison Square Garden stage into a dancehall club, a lightning-flecked storm cloud, and a beautiful all-white band recital. Four medleys showcased her casual excellence in [singing]( [across]( [genres](, in the process tracing her evolution from teenage sensation to dance-music icon at ease in the listless sequence of psych-rock jams, soul songs, and ballads heard on the same year’s Anti. [Read More]( 72 Hours Only: Save [over 75%]( on unlimited access to Vulture and everything New York during our Winter Flash Sale. The Latest TV Recaps • 1923: [What’s in a Name?]( • Your Honor: [All in the Family]( • All Creatures Great and Small: [A Declaration of War]( • Mayfair Witches: [We Are Never Getting Back Together]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Stories We Think You’ll Like [I’m Sorry, But the Last Act of Tár Is Not a Dream We can all agree that the movie’s ending actively demands interpretation. One interpretation it doesn’t demand, though, is that none of it is real.]( By Emma Stefansky [Lorraine Hansberry Saw It Coming Her nearly forgotten play The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window resurfaces at BAM, now with Oscar Isaac and Rachel Brosnahan.]( [Best Rihanna Memes From the Fenty Bowl Cue product placement.]( By Wolfgang Ruth [Cate Blanchett Doesn’t Understand the ‘Obsession With Labels’ “If [Carol] was made now, me not being gay — would I be given public permission to play that role?”]( By Zoe Guy [Hungry Guys Will Be Treated to Some Movie Trailers at the Super Bowl No time for Totino’s when the Fast X trailer is premiering.]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Today’s Crossword]( 4-Down, Seven Letters: Carly Rae Jepsen dance-pop album. Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty Images [logo]( [facebook logo]( [instagram logo]( [twitter logo]( [unsubscribe](link.nymag.com/manage/588/optout-vulture?email={EMAIL}&hash=39357a76f6d08b16239fd2ffa65e9c6f¶m=vulture-daily) | [privacy notice]( | [update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up now]( to get this newsletter in your inbox. [View this email in your browser.]( You received this email because you have a subscription to New York. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on email newsletters, please contact AdOps@nymag.com Vox Media, LLC 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, 12th Floor Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2023, All rights reserved