July 19, 2026 • 10 mins
We just watched the world’s first ever Half-Time show for the World Cup, and give it two enthusiastic thumbs up. Madonna may have lip synched her opening, but it was iconic to watch her kill it in her 70s. Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso handing it off to Justin Bieber was just perfect. And Beiber, who was armed only with a guitar and a microphone, slayed signing ‘Hallelujah’ with composure and grace. We also loved watching BTS and Shakira, who had the cutest kids on the planet dancing alongside her.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hey, that folks.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
It is Sunday, July nineteenth, and it is actually halftime.
It is halftime of the World Cup, and we were
hopping on because we just discovered a few stars. They
standout stars of that halftime. First ever World Cup Final
halftime show. Whoever those kids were dancing next to Shakira
and Justin Bieber. Welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ.
(00:25):
Just a quick hop on. This is the first ever,
so a piece of history here, just the ideas of
them doing it. What do you think about the idea
in the first place, This is a longer halftime than
we're used to, so we're waiting still for it to
start back up.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
But I love the idea because this is an event,
This is a big deal that it's here in the Americas.
And I thought it was so cool to begin with Madonna,
like a nod to iconic. You might disagree, but this
white girl here grew up with Madonna as her icon
so I love the idea that they kind of threw
(00:59):
a nod to her her. I think she has been
one of these American musical legends, so to have her
and look, she's in her seventies and I was impressed
that she was out there shaking her thing, doing her thing.
It was lip SYNCD for sure, but I was still impressed.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
And again we yes, we claim her, but she is
a worldwide icon and has been for a long long time.
We will get into and I didn't say at the top,
we're going to get into Tom Cruise. We were supposed
to hop on and talk about it just the halftime,
but Tom Cruise almost stole the show for me at
the top of the broadcast. We'll get to that in
a second. Rooms I have been saying, once he got
(01:38):
past that teeny bop stage that Justin Bieber was in
kind of with the baby, Baby Baby, that wasn't my
lane for me, even though I respected what he did
bro it was the last five years, certainly of him
making music. He's been one of my favorite artists. I
am in awe of what he just did.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Right because I mentioned Madonna came out she lip sync
and look, that's understandable, but it was evident from the
moment Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso handed him the mic,
which I loved that little bit, by the way.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
That was perfect, That was perfect to blend things like that.
That was really well.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
They set up the introducing of Justin Bieber perfectly with
sudeikis there as Ted Lasso. And then when Justin took
the mic, you said, is that the wind on his mic?
Which is so cool because look, so much is pre
produced and perfect. It is wonderful to see someone who
is willing to be authentic, real and raw and then
(02:35):
nail it. So there he was with him and his guitar,
strumming with the wind on his microphone as he walked
in front of how many people are in that stadium?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Well, here's my thing. The entire world is watching you
and hearing nothing but your voice and you strum a guitar.
That is incredible to me. What the entire world is
staring at him as he's singing live and playing nothing
(03:06):
but a guitar. There's no safety net, there's no backup singer,
there's nothing.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
I find that. The talent is there, the nerve.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Even I am just I was in awe of it,
and I would saying, wait a minute, is this pre
produced or is this pre shot? Because how is the
crowd of seventy whatever thousand robes this quiet? And y'all said,
because he's that talented.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Yes, you could hear a pin drop, which was quite
the opposite of what was happening when Tom Cruise was speaking.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
But more on that later.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
I would actually say the Justin Bieber moment was juxtaposed
almost to the Tom Cruise moment when they both were
there in front of that huge crowd. But yes, when
Bieber was singing, you could hear a pin drop, which
was incredible. And he's singing Hallelujah, and then he starts
ad libbing World Cup Hallelujah.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
It was unreal.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
And his confidence, his composure, his authenticity, it was his energy.
It just emanated throughout the whole crowd. It was something
to witness.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Okay, and then he added over to Shakira, who who
did what Shakira does? I mean, this is just high energy,
joyful it is. That's just energy, always in what she does,
and not how many of these has she done Super
Bowl performances and whatever made she.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
Shared it with j Lo. It was kind of cool
to see her do it. Those kids you mentioned at
the top.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Those kids with their smiles and then they're dancing. I
could have watched that group go on for another fifteen minutes.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
Just that song was it Let's go.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
It was let's go basically in several different languages, but
it was just it was uniting.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
It was joyful. You couldn't help but smile when.
Speaker 5 (04:49):
You watch that, Okay, and I thought I was skipping
over somebody. Yes, bts Yes, it's They make me happy.
They did dynamite. They didn't do something from a new
album that I haven't heard yet. They did It's up
like It's dying in my oh, yes, that thing. I
They make me happy every time I see them, And
they get prettier every time.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
My sho, don't they though?
Speaker 4 (05:10):
Look they know how to do skincare over there.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
That is what that is one of the major exports
from Korea.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Believe me.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
When I got to go cover the Pyeongchang Olympics in
South Korea, I came back with about a three year
supply of skin masks. They know skincare in South Korea,
as is evidence by BTSH.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
My goodness, but you didn't even see those.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
Five years where they were off doing duty for their country.
Military looks good on you, Yes, it certainly does.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Were they but they just kind of I don't think
they had no they didn't get an introduction. It kind
of transitioned from one thing to another and then boom,
just there they were and you didn't get a chance
to get prepared for him.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
That was fun. They were the same high energy.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
They ended up doing a big number with a bunch
of dancers on stage robes, and that felt as worldly
as it gets that.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Moment with them.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
I mean, they are a worldwide phenomenon, and it looked
like everybody could have could get behind what they were doing,
no matter where you were in the world.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
I agree with that, and so all we knew about
every single one of those performers, but we had a
surprise performer today that still has some of us scratching
our heads.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
Yes, the Muppets.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
We did not hear about their entree into all of this,
and they were kind of scattered throughout. And I did
see some reaction online. People were very excited. I didn't
quite understand it, but they were there. Look, Chris Martin,
I didn't see.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
I didn't know Chris Martin's team was behind.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Producing of this, and it was a really incredible halftime event.
Speaker 4 (06:42):
I have to say I would give that five stars.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
I just the Muppets maybe was just a nod to
nostalgic Americana, just some levity, some humor, I.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Don't know, some more mind it. It was fine, It
was fine. It was random, but I didn't mind it
at all. Did you like the clothes with the kids
and the closing with the kids up and down? It
felt good energy and yes, Shakira join even Jason Sudeika's
was in the back, Chris Martin's in the middle.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
That I liked it. It was fun. It did feel
like this was something. I think it represented what soccer
football is to the world, what we're kind of experiencing
here for the first time, at least for a lot
of folks here in America. Just how big of a sport,
this is how it does unite countries and just to
see generations, united, races, united countries united.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
I think that was the point. And I think they
landed their plane.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Okay, so the halftime show was fantastic, But we planned
on doing something about the halftime show, but I after
the opening ceremony to the game, was thinking we should
do an episode just on Tom Cruise.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
What was Tom Cruise? What was what was why?
Speaker 3 (07:55):
I think he was supposed to kind of well, I
think he was supposed to be.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
I said, suppose my question, what was he supposed to be?
Speaker 3 (08:02):
I think just maybe like this iconic American actor who
has worldwide recognition more than any other male actor in
this country. Wouldn't you say, Tom Cruise is one of
the most recognizable American faces in the world. Absolutely, so
that's why he was there. He's mission impossible, he is
(08:27):
top gun, he is all of those things.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
To what it?
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Then, to your what you're saying, to your point, it
sounds like they they didn't have a role and needed
somebody to fill it. Rather, they just created a role
for Tom Cruise. It seemed unnecessary.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
Oh yeah, what he did?
Speaker 3 (08:49):
I think that was what the confusing part was not
that he would be a part of somehow the production,
but it was like, what, what is the point of
what he's saying? He was supposed to be in irrational
and just describing what football means to the world, but
in a very hollywood Ish way. It came off as
a little weird, a little bizarre, a little out.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
Of left field.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
But I you know, look and when he started talking
about as soon as you name a country or talk
about who was there, the Argentinian started singing their anthem,
and they almost drowned him out, which was a little
bit embarrassing. Here's Tom Cruise and really he kind of
had a Voice of God role, wouldn't you call that?
Speaker 4 (09:27):
What he was doing was a.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Morgan Freeman esque role at the World Cup, So to
have him drowned out by the Argentinian fans was a
little embarrassing. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
I didn't like that for him, because you remember he
showed up at the end of the closing of the
Paris Olympics, that whole stunt he pulled off in the Yep,
we've seen him do cool stuff at big events. We
don't mind him, didn't mind singing him. I just didn't
the speech went.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
A little long, it went that would be my critique
it he just needed to say maybe thirty seconds. That's
the span of attention you're dealing with when you're dealing
with people who just want to get through the halftime
and they want or they want to actually just see
the game. They don't want to actually just listen to
you pontificate.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Well, let's stop pontificating. Idea is starting back up, folks.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
We'll hop back on when I guess when Trump gets
on stage,
Hey, that folks.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
It is Sunday, July nineteenth, and it is actually halftime.
It is halftime of the World Cup, and we were
hopping on because we just discovered a few stars. They
standout stars of that halftime. First ever World Cup Final
halftime show. Whoever those kids were dancing next to Shakira
and Justin Bieber. Welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ.
(00:25):
Just a quick hop on. This is the first ever,
so a piece of history here, just the ideas of
them doing it. What do you think about the idea
in the first place, This is a longer halftime than
we're used to, so we're waiting still for it to
start back up.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
But I love the idea because this is an event,
This is a big deal that it's here in the Americas.
And I thought it was so cool to begin with Madonna,
like a nod to iconic. You might disagree, but this
white girl here grew up with Madonna as her icon
so I love the idea that they kind of threw
(00:59):
a nod to her her. I think she has been
one of these American musical legends, so to have her
and look, she's in her seventies and I was impressed
that she was out there shaking her thing, doing her thing.
It was lip SYNCD for sure, but I was still impressed.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
And again we yes, we claim her, but she is
a worldwide icon and has been for a long long time.
We will get into and I didn't say at the top,
we're going to get into Tom Cruise. We were supposed
to hop on and talk about it just the halftime,
but Tom Cruise almost stole the show for me at
the top of the broadcast. We'll get to that in
a second. Rooms I have been saying, once he got
(01:38):
past that teeny bop stage that Justin Bieber was in
kind of with the baby, Baby Baby, that wasn't my
lane for me, even though I respected what he did
bro it was the last five years, certainly of him
making music. He's been one of my favorite artists. I
am in awe of what he just did.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Right because I mentioned Madonna came out she lip sync
and look, that's understandable, but it was evident from the
moment Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso handed him the mic,
which I loved that little bit, by the way.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
That was perfect, That was perfect to blend things like that.
That was really well.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
They set up the introducing of Justin Bieber perfectly with
sudeikis there as Ted Lasso. And then when Justin took
the mic, you said, is that the wind on his mic?
Which is so cool because look, so much is pre
produced and perfect. It is wonderful to see someone who
is willing to be authentic, real and raw and then
(02:35):
nail it. So there he was with him and his guitar,
strumming with the wind on his microphone as he walked
in front of how many people are in that stadium?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Well, here's my thing. The entire world is watching you
and hearing nothing but your voice and you strum a guitar.
That is incredible to me. What the entire world is
staring at him as he's singing live and playing nothing
(03:06):
but a guitar. There's no safety net, there's no backup singer,
there's nothing.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
I find that. The talent is there, the nerve.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Even I am just I was in awe of it,
and I would saying, wait a minute, is this pre
produced or is this pre shot? Because how is the
crowd of seventy whatever thousand robes this quiet? And y'all said,
because he's that talented.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Yes, you could hear a pin drop, which was quite
the opposite of what was happening when Tom Cruise was speaking.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
But more on that later.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
I would actually say the Justin Bieber moment was juxtaposed
almost to the Tom Cruise moment when they both were
there in front of that huge crowd. But yes, when
Bieber was singing, you could hear a pin drop, which
was incredible. And he's singing Hallelujah, and then he starts
ad libbing World Cup Hallelujah.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
It was unreal.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
And his confidence, his composure, his authenticity, it was his energy.
It just emanated throughout the whole crowd. It was something
to witness.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Okay, and then he added over to Shakira, who who
did what Shakira does? I mean, this is just high energy,
joyful it is. That's just energy, always in what she does,
and not how many of these has she done Super
Bowl performances and whatever made she.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
Shared it with j Lo. It was kind of cool
to see her do it. Those kids you mentioned at
the top.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Those kids with their smiles and then they're dancing. I
could have watched that group go on for another fifteen minutes.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
Just that song was it Let's go.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
It was let's go basically in several different languages, but
it was just it was uniting.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
It was joyful. You couldn't help but smile when.
Speaker 5 (04:49):
You watch that, Okay, and I thought I was skipping
over somebody. Yes, bts Yes, it's They make me happy.
They did dynamite. They didn't do something from a new
album that I haven't heard yet. They did It's up
like It's dying in my oh, yes, that thing. I
They make me happy every time I see them, And
they get prettier every time.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
My sho, don't they though?
Speaker 4 (05:10):
Look they know how to do skincare over there.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
That is what that is one of the major exports
from Korea.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Believe me.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
When I got to go cover the Pyeongchang Olympics in
South Korea, I came back with about a three year
supply of skin masks. They know skincare in South Korea,
as is evidence by BTSH.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
My goodness, but you didn't even see those.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
Five years where they were off doing duty for their country.
Military looks good on you, Yes, it certainly does.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Were they but they just kind of I don't think
they had no they didn't get an introduction. It kind
of transitioned from one thing to another and then boom,
just there they were and you didn't get a chance
to get prepared for him.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
That was fun. They were the same high energy.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
They ended up doing a big number with a bunch
of dancers on stage robes, and that felt as worldly
as it gets that.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Moment with them.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
I mean, they are a worldwide phenomenon, and it looked
like everybody could have could get behind what they were doing,
no matter where you were in the world.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
I agree with that, and so all we knew about
every single one of those performers, but we had a
surprise performer today that still has some of us scratching
our heads.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
Yes, the Muppets.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
We did not hear about their entree into all of this,
and they were kind of scattered throughout. And I did
see some reaction online. People were very excited. I didn't
quite understand it, but they were there. Look, Chris Martin,
I didn't see.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
I didn't know Chris Martin's team was behind.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Producing of this, and it was a really incredible halftime event.
Speaker 4 (06:42):
I have to say I would give that five stars.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
I just the Muppets maybe was just a nod to
nostalgic Americana, just some levity, some humor, I.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Don't know, some more mind it. It was fine, It
was fine. It was random, but I didn't mind it
at all. Did you like the clothes with the kids
and the closing with the kids up and down? It
felt good energy and yes, Shakira join even Jason Sudeika's
was in the back, Chris Martin's in the middle.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
That I liked it. It was fun. It did feel
like this was something. I think it represented what soccer
football is to the world, what we're kind of experiencing
here for the first time, at least for a lot
of folks here in America. Just how big of a sport,
this is how it does unite countries and just to
see generations, united, races, united countries united.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
I think that was the point. And I think they
landed their plane.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Okay, so the halftime show was fantastic, But we planned
on doing something about the halftime show, but I after
the opening ceremony to the game, was thinking we should
do an episode just on Tom Cruise.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
What was Tom Cruise? What was what was why?
Speaker 3 (07:55):
I think he was supposed to kind of well, I
think he was supposed to be.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
I said, suppose my question, what was he supposed to be?
Speaker 3 (08:02):
I think just maybe like this iconic American actor who
has worldwide recognition more than any other male actor in
this country. Wouldn't you say, Tom Cruise is one of
the most recognizable American faces in the world. Absolutely, so
that's why he was there. He's mission impossible, he is
(08:27):
top gun, he is all of those things.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
To what it?
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Then, to your what you're saying, to your point, it
sounds like they they didn't have a role and needed
somebody to fill it. Rather, they just created a role
for Tom Cruise. It seemed unnecessary.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
Oh yeah, what he did?
Speaker 3 (08:49):
I think that was what the confusing part was not
that he would be a part of somehow the production,
but it was like, what, what is the point of
what he's saying? He was supposed to be in irrational
and just describing what football means to the world, but
in a very hollywood Ish way. It came off as
a little weird, a little bizarre, a little out.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
Of left field.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
But I you know, look and when he started talking
about as soon as you name a country or talk
about who was there, the Argentinian started singing their anthem,
and they almost drowned him out, which was a little
bit embarrassing. Here's Tom Cruise and really he kind of
had a Voice of God role, wouldn't you call that?
Speaker 4 (09:27):
What he was doing was a.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Morgan Freeman esque role at the World Cup, So to
have him drowned out by the Argentinian fans was a
little embarrassing. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
I didn't like that for him, because you remember he
showed up at the end of the closing of the
Paris Olympics, that whole stunt he pulled off in the Yep,
we've seen him do cool stuff at big events. We
don't mind him, didn't mind singing him. I just didn't
the speech went.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
A little long, it went that would be my critique
it he just needed to say maybe thirty seconds. That's
the span of attention you're dealing with when you're dealing
with people who just want to get through the halftime
and they want or they want to actually just see
the game. They don't want to actually just listen to
you pontificate.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Well, let's stop pontificating. Idea is starting back up, folks.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
We'll hop back on when I guess when Trump gets
on stage,
Hosts And Creators
Amy Robach
T.J. Holmes
Popular Podcasts
Betrayal Weekly
Betrayal Weekly is back for a new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. If you would like to share your story, you can reach out to the Betrayal Team by emailing them at betrayalpod@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram at @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com