Latest news with #StarSpangledBanner
National Post
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- National Post
Tony-winning actress breaks silence after polarizing NBA Finals anthem performance
Kristin Chenoweth ended both her rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner and her night on a high note Sunday after performing at Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Article content But while she was thrilled to see her beloved Oklahoma City Thunder win the NBA championship at home, many hoops fans weren't very happy with the Tony Award winner's performance of the U.S. national anthem before the game. Article content Article content Article content The Broadway great appeared to reference the backlash she received from users on social media in a couple of posts to her Instagram Stories late Sunday night. Article content Article content Chenoweth took major heat on social media for her rendition of the U.S. national anthem ahead of the deciding game of the championship series between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder. Article content Chenoweth flexed her vocal muscles while belting out The Star-Spangled Banner, which included holding an incredibly long high note at the song's crescendo. Article content PERFECT WAY TO TIP OFF GAME 7 ON ABC! — NBA (@NBA) June 23, 2025 Article content Article content But while the Oklahoma native received thunderous applause from the fans in attendance, the verdict on social media was decidedly a lot more negative. Article content I would have rather listened to Fergie's anthem performance than that one by Kristin Chenoweth… #NBAFinals — Billy (@BillyK253) June 23, 2025
Edmonton Journal
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
Tony Award-winning actress leaves NBA fans divided after Game 7 anthem goes viral
Article content The reviews weren't all bad, however, with many applauding 'Not even 30 seconds in and she already made 3 people cry and 1 ref rethink his calls,' one user joked on X. 'Perfect in every way. Ranks in the top five best ever renditions of the beautiful Star Spangled Banner. Brought tears to my eyes,' another wrote. 'Oklahoma native Kristin Chenoweth nailed the national anthem before Game 7,' a third user posted. Chenoweth, who won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and also has starred as Glinda in Wicked on Broadway, hails from Broken Arrow, Okla., roughly 185 km northeast of Oklahoma City. Chenoweth has been a vocal supporter of the Thunder and was prepped to 'Thunder Up' with her performance, rocking a team T-shirt. GAME 7 TONIGHT. THUNDER UP!!! ⚡️🏀 SO proud of these boys. Let's go!! #ThunderUp #NBAFinals @okcthunder @NBA — Kristin Chenoweth (@KChenoweth) June 22, 2025
The Independent
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Oklahoma native Kristin Chenoweth to perform national anthem before Game 7 of NBA Finals
At 4-foot-11, Kristin Chenoweth is still making it to the NBA Finals. The award-winning actress, singer, Oklahoma native, Oklahoma Hall of Fame inductee and unabashed Thunder fan is performing 'The Star-Spangled Banner' before Game 7 of the title series between the Thunder and the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night, the NBA announced. Chenoweth's performance will air live on ABC at 8 p.m. Eastern, shortly before tipoff of the season's final game. Chenoweth's Thunder fandom has been no secret for at least the last 15 years, though she also has professed at times to liking the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks as well. That said, the Thunder are clearly her top choice — so much so that she once told the Tulsa World she spent three hours bedazzling a Thunder hat. She went to Oklahoma City University after growing up in Broken Arrow, about 115 miles northeast of where the Thunder play. And her dog's name is Thunder. She even dressed the pup up once in a Thunder outfit. Chenoweth has been the anthem singer at multiple Thunder games in the past, sometimes alone and at least once with children from her Chenoweth Broadway Bootcamp. That camp is part of the arts and education fund that she founded to cultivate 'young artistic expression by enriching children's lives through the power of education, entertainment and experience.' Chenoweth won a Tony Award in 1999 for best featured actress in a musical for her role in 'You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.' She also earned two other Tony nominations for best actress in a musical — one in 2004 for playing Glinda in 'Wicked" and the other in 2015 for playing 1930s Hollywood diva Lily Garland in 'On the Twentieth Century.' And in 2009, she won an Emmy for best supporting actress in a comedy series for her work on ABC's "Pushing Daisies.'
Washington Post
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Oklahoma native Kristin Chenoweth to perform national anthem before Game 7 of NBA Finals
OKLAHOMA CITY — At 4-foot-11, Kristin Chenoweth is still making it to the NBA Finals. The award-winning actress, singer, Oklahoma native, Oklahoma Hall of Fame inductee and unabashed Thunder fan is performing 'The Star-Spangled Banner' before Game 7 of the title series between the Thunder and the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night, the NBA announced.
National Post
18-06-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Nezza's Spanish anthem at Dodger Stadium ignites debate over team's immigrant support
As fans removed their caps and stood for the national anthem Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, they were met with a surprising rendition of 'The Star-Spangled Banner.' Latin pop and R&B singer Nezza stood in front of the crowd, closed her eyes and belted the song out — in Spanish. Article content Her 90-second rendition, and a behind-the-scenes video she shared on social media of team representatives discouraging it beforehand, quickly went viral and have become a flashpoint for Dodgers fans frustrated by the team's lack of vocal support for immigrant communities impacted by the deportation raids across the U.S., including numerous neighborhoods in and around Los Angeles. Article content Article content Article content Protests over the arrests made by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have captured international attention and mostly been held in areas a short drive from Dodger Stadium. Article content Nezza says even after the discouragement from the team's representative, she hadn't yet decided whether to sing in English or Spanish until she walked out onto the field and saw the stands filled with Latino families in Dodger blue. Article content 'This is my moment to show everyone that I am with them that we have a voice and with everything that's happening it's not OK. I'm super proud that I did it. No regrets,' the 30-year-old singer told The Associated Press. Article content The team has yet to make a statement on the record regarding the arrests and raids. Article content Manager Dave Roberts has said he doesn't know enough about the issue to comment, but Dodgers hitter Kike Hernandez separately spoke out on Instagram over the weekend. Article content 'I am saddened and infuriated by what's happening in our country and our city,' he said in a post in English and Spanish. 'I cannot stand to see our community being violated, profiled, abused and ripped apart. ALL people deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and human rights.' Article content Article content In her viral TikTok video, Nezza is shown speaking with an off-camera Dodgers employee who tells her, 'We are going to do the song in English today, so I'm not sure if that wasn't transferred or if that wasn't relayed.' She's received an outpouring of support since Saturday from celebrities like Jason Mraz, Kehlani, Chiquis, Ava DuVernay, The Kid Mero, Becky G and more. Article content 'Don't you dare turn your backs on us now. We, as a city, have embraced you and need your support more than ever. Think about who fills up your stadium,' said Becky G, addressing the Dodgers in her Instagram story. Article content The Spanish-language version Nezza sang, 'El Pendon Estrellado,' is the official translation of the national anthem and was commissioned in 1945 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt from Peruvian-American composer Clotilde Arias. Article content Nezza says her manager immediately received a call from an unidentified Dodgers employee saying their clients were not welcome at the stadium again, but the baseball team said in a statement to the AP: 'There were no consequences or hard feelings from the Dodgers regarding her performance. She was not asked to leave. We would be happy to have her back.'
