The StarPhoenix - Entertainment

• Kelly Clarkson Doesn't Screw Up the 'Star Spangled Banner'
  It's not exactly the same, but in the same way that some viewers tune into auto races in hopes of seeing a crash, many of us turn on the Super Bowl hoping to see... well, something go other than the way it was planned.

  
  

  
  
  
• Madonna dazzles with slick Super Bowl halftime show
  Pop superstar Madonna dazzled football fans and more than 100 million television viewers on Sunday when she performed during a glittery, spectacular Super Bowl halftime show.

  
  

  
  
  
• TV Monday: Smash
  It takes less than a minute — just 50 seconds — for the smooth, elegant Smash to set its tone. Katharine McPhee, playing an ingenue fresh off the back of a turnip truck from Anywhere, USA, is standing in the spotlight of a Broadway show, belting out Over the Rainbow in her Judy Garland best, before an adoring public.

  
  

  
  
  
• JC Penney stands by Ellen DeGeneres as spokeswoman
  J.C. Penney Co Inc said on Friday it fully backs its partnership with chat show host Ellen DeGeneres.

  
  

  
  
  
• Resilient Chevy, Chrysler ads win at Super Bowl
  General Motors scored with an Armageddon-proof Chevy truck while a Clint Eastwood pep talk for America won notice for rival Chrysler during the high-stakes brand battle at Sunday's Super Bowl.

  
  

  
  
  
• NBC apologizes for M.I.A. giving the finger at Halftime
  As Super Bowl embarrassments go, it wasn't all that. Nonetheless, NBC issued an apology for the single extended middle finger by guest singer M.I.A. at the halftime show.

  
  

  
  
  
• Timberlake celebrates birthday in B.C
  Residents of a small B.C. town were abuzz this weekend over sightings of pop star Justin Timberlake, rumoured to have celebrated his birthday in the snow-laden ski community of Fernie.

  
  

  
  
  
• Pop Forecast
  On our pop culture radar this week: Safe House, The River, Smash and more.

  
  

  
  
  
• It Happened This Week: Leonard Cohen, Gossip Girl, AskMen's list and more
  From the SAG Awards to Gossip Girl's 100th episode and AskMen's 99 Most Desirable Women list, let's take a look at this week's top trending entertainment stories. We didn't have any major celebrity break ups this week!

  
  

  
  
  
• Super Bowl ad goes to Alberta dogs
  The true star of a new Super Bowl ad that will air in the U.S. on Sunday might be Nitro, an eight-year-old husky from Okotoks, a bedroom community 30 kilometres south of Calgary.

  
  

  
  
  
• First we take Berlin
  Canada back in competition at German film fest.

  
  

  
  
  
• Melissa McCarthy, Chris Rock getting married in romantic comedy?
  Rock is writing a script for a romantic comedy he hopes will star him and "Bridesmaids" Oscar nominee Melissa McCarthy.

  
  

  
  
  
• Idol judges will toughen up, says Randy Jackson
  Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez will be harder on contestants this year, and Randy Jackson said he's retiring his "in it to win it" catchphrase.

  
  

  
  
  
• Britney Spears tweets desire to guest on Modern Family
  Britney Spears is using her Twiter account to try to land a part on the hit ABC show.

  
  

  
  
  
• Black Sabbath drummer says may pull out of reunion
  Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward has said he will not participate in the British heavy metal band's reunion recordings and tour unless he is offered a "signable" contract.