Poor performance

Christina Aguilera’s performance of the national anthem at Sunday’s Super Bowl is getting attention for all the wrong reasons.

Aside from discussing the current situation in Egypt, the outcome of the Super Bowl game and the dismal weather situation throughout the country, the No. 1 water cooler conversation around the country on Monday might have been the manner in which the national anthem was delivered at the Super Bowl.

One question: Who was in charge of selecting the singer, and what was the grading system used to pick Christina Aguilera? Who was to have the honor to sing the anthem before the nation’s top sports event, which probably drew one of the largest live and television audiences of any national or international event?

Did the individual in charge of choosing Aguilera base the selection on who does the best and most inspiring job of singing the national anthem or is it based on who has the most star power? On either scorecard, Aguilera would have scored a C-minus.

Whatever the grading system, in the eyes of many, Aguilera was a disaster. She seemed determined to make herself the center of attention rather than to deliver an inspiring rendition of one of this country’s most important symbols. She forgot the words and injected too many variations from the original musical score.

Again, in the eyes of those selecting the singer for this very special presentation, what is more important: the impact and meaning of the song or the visual appearance and star power of the vocalist?

For football fans who have followed this year’s National Football League post-season games, the best and most powerful rendition of the national anthem was delivered by a male bass singer before the two Chicago Bears playoff games.

There was genuine and enthusiastic applause following his performance, whereas millions of those watching and hearing Aguilera must have wondered what her motive was in delivering the song in such a disrespectful and unprofessional manner.