The Official National Anthem Over/Under Thread

[BetCrimes1984]

Before the Steelers and Cardinals can execute their keys to the game, America (and several countries outside the United States) will be paying close attention to some keys prior to kickoff--the keys song by Jennifer Hudson during the National Anthem.

The former American Idol contestant, whether she knows it or not, will be responsible for what might be the first of many prop bets for millions around the world.

Bodog currently has the following odds:

Super Bowl XLIII - How long will it take Jennifer Hudson to sing the National Anthem?
Clock starts as soon as Hudson sings first Note and Stops when she sings her last note. Singles Only. Max $50. (This Prop is Closed for Betting)
Over 1 Minute and 54 Seconds -250
Under 1 Minute and 54 Seconds +195

Thanks to modern technology, aka Youtube, we're able to disect this proposition wager and determine the best possible bet. And we've determined that the Over is, even at -250 odds, an absolute steal. The evidence is below.

Let's first take a look at the Anthem that Hudson delivered at the Democratic National Convention on August 28, 2008.



<EMBED src=http://www.youtube.com/v/8cJNnS7cQvg&hl=en&fs=1 width=425 height=344 type=application/x-shockwave-flash allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></EMBED>

Her first note starts at about :02 into the video and ends at the 2:03 mark. Simple math will tell you that that equates to a 2 minute and 1 second long anthem, seven seconds longer than the prop bet calls for.

What's interesting about this clip is that you'll notice that she could have been done at about the 1:50 mark when she finished the last word of the song, only to repeat it again immediately after, which would put the anthem at just 1 minute and 48 seconds.

Fear not, over bettors, because she would have held out that last note and dragged out the word "brave" if not for her putting her own creative spin on the Anthem. And, yes, we have more evidence to support our claim.

Here's another Anthem which, despite its phone camera quality, is very telling. This one is from Jackie Robinson Day back on April 15, 2007, prior to a Dodgers-Padres game.



<EMBED src=http://www.youtube.com/v/7qycJGaFADg&hl=en&fs=1 width=425 height=344 type=application/x-shockwave-flash allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></EMBED>

This one, high quality as it is, cuts off the first two words of her performance (Oh Say), beginning with the word "can." It's hard to tell exactly when it stops, but we're going to guess its around the 1:58 mark. Remember, the bet ends on the very last note, and even without two words, she's still four seconds longer than the over/under.

Since the Dodger game is obviously a sports venue, we feel pretty confident that we'll get a similar Anthem out of her at the Super Bowl.

Finally, although Hudson, like many others, tends to drag out more notes or add a creative element during live performance--which the Super Bowl will be, of course--we thought we would go ahead and include her studio release of the famliar tune, in case anyone is paranoid that the audience at either previous performance caused her to go longer than she normally would.



<EMBED src=http://www.youtube.com/v/M56tWMYT6e8&hl=en&fs=1 width=425 height=344 type=application/x-shockwave-flash allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></EMBED>

The studio version begins at about the :18 mark and finishes at 2:16 for a grand total of 1 minute and 58 seconds. So, let's recap.

DNC August 28, 2008: 2 minute 1 second; 7 seconds longer than over/under
Dodgers April 15, 2007: 1 minute 58 seconds (w/o two words); 4+ seconds longer than o/u
Recorded version: 1 minute 58 seconds; 4 seconds longer than o/u

Needless to say, we're pretty confident that when Hudson ends with "And the Land of the Free, Home of the Brave," she'll be well over the 1 minute and 54 second mark.


Be brave and feel free to make that bet.

.

 

[Kramer]

Damn, I asked 5 dimes live help when this line will be posted and here is what they said....

Tony: greetings, have you seen this wagering offering at any other sportsbook?
Kirk: not this year, but I know usually it is offered at some point
Tony: well, if anyone else offers it, we'll consider it
Tony: but its not something that i'm all that interested in offering
Kirk: ok, i will come back to you if i see it anywhere else?
Tony: yes

 

[Kramer]

Good news, 5dimes is going to post the line today.

Another angle to look at this (and I hate to even bring it up), but how do you think the tragedy she went through a couple months ago will affect the way she performs:
1. Does she slow down and go nice and slow?
2. Does she not try to be too flashy and just gets through it?

 

[JumpOnBoard]

I think it's gonna be long as f*ck...hope that helps

 

[Kramer]

I think it's gonna be long as f*ck...hope that helps

Some sites have the o/u at 1:54 and some at 2min (which obv reflects the juice). I am hoping 5dimes has the 1:54

 

[mogo]

sportsbook has o/u 2:01 min (-155)

 

[Kramer]

Well I bit on the over 2min1sec. What is everyone else taking?

 

[RetroVK]

file://<EMBED src=http://www.youtube.com/v/i6ul7_QA76k&hl=en&fs=1 width=425 height=344 type=application/x-shockwave-flash allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></EMBED>

 

[RetroVK]

starts at :20 second mark .. ends last note at 2:30 mark

2:10 seconds.

Over.

for prosperity.

 

[Smokedawg]

over was money

 

[Kramer]

Nice job with the over, cya again next year

 

[Smokedawg]

She lip synched the whole thing!!

By now, you've probably either read about or seen Jennifer Hudson's stirring rendition of the national anthem before Sunday night's Super Bowl. In her first public performance since her mother, brother and nephew were slain in October, Hudson delivered a stunning version of the anthem.
But after the game, the show's producer, "American Idol" music director Ricky Minor, told The Associated Press that, at his request, Hudson lip-synched the anthem to a previously recorded track.
"This was such an important performance, because it's the first time everyone has seen Jennifer. But she's in such a great place, with such great spirits, and time can heal her wounds. She's on fire right now and totally grounded," said Minor, who has produced a number of Super Bowl pregame performances, including Whitney Houston's iconic 1991 rendition of the anthem, also in Tampa, which is considered one of the all-time greats.
Minor explained that he insisted that both Hudson and Faith Hill, who performed "America the Beautiful" before Hudson, sing to the prerecorded tracks the NFL requires them to submit a week before the game.
"That's the right way to do it," Minor said. "There's too many variables to go live. I would never recommend any artist go live, because the slightest glitch would devastate the performance."
Minor described Hudson as being very calm and prepared for her performance. While many artists try to reach for the Houston standard on the huge Super Bowl stage, he said Hudson's soaring take was more personal than patriotic.
"She's from the church," Minor said. "So we wanted to give it a gospel feel, use a little organ, rhythm and really give it a feel that matched Jennifer. We wanted her to emote the lyrics and connect with the song."
After the performance, Minor said Hudson returned to the dressing room and anxiously asked him, "How did I do?"
"I told her, 'Touchdown!'" Minor told the AP after the performance. Minor added that Hudson's two cell phones lit up "like slot machines" following her performance, including a text from her "Dreamgirls" co-star Jamie Foxx. "His text said 'Amazing. It brought tears to my eyes,' " Minor said. "She's just getting so much love."
Hudson, 27, who has yet to discuss her family tragedy in public, will next appear at the Grammy Awards on February 8.
At press time, reps for Hudson had not granted MTV News' requests for comment.

 

[Kramer]

This year's national anthem has to be the toughest to cap. Do any videos of Alicia singing the anthem at a sporting event exist? I have been unable to find them.

Post your thoughts if you have them.

 

[nbafan88]

Alicia Keys planning a new version of national anthem for Super Bowl
Jan. 21, 2013, 9:06 AM EST
WENN
Alicia Keys has confirmed reports she'll be performing at the Super Bowl, and insists her version of the national anthem before the big game will be like no other.
Bing: Keys tapped for Super Bowl anthem
The singer/songwriter will join Beyoncé in New Orleans for the football final next month between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens, and she admits she has a lot of work to do when she returns home from President Barack Obama's inauguration celebrations this week.
Speaking at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, where she's promoting her new movie, "The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete," Keys says, "I'm really excited about it, I can't even lie. I have to rehearse it totally, as if it's a brand-new song, because it is actually a brand new song in the style that I'll deliver it. I'm actually rehearsing it like a maniac."

 

[Detox]

what's the o/u?

 

[Detox]

Alicia Keys has confirmed reports she'll be performing at the Super Bowl, and insists her version of the national anthem before the big game will be like no other.

The singer/songwriter will join Beyoncé in New Orleans for the football final next month between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens, and she admits she has a lot of work to do when she returns home from President Barack Obama's inauguration celebrations this week.
Speaking at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, where she's promoting her new movie, "The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete," Keys says, "I'm really excited about it, I can't even lie. I have to rehearse it totally, as if it's a brand-new song, because it is actually a brand new song in the style that I'll deliver it. I'm actually rehearsing it like a maniac."

http://music.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=786266

 

[nbafan88]

lol detox i posted the same exact thing two posts above you

 

[Detox]

lol there isn't much info .. i think she goes over ... i guess some books have it at 2:10

 

[Detox]

she'll want to be unique and stretch it out with a big piano bit..

 

[Detox]

During the Super Bowl, it's now possible to gamble on basically anything that could happen in the game. If Joe Flacco is shown on TV eating a hot dog mid-game, someone probably has action on it. In fact, one of the most popular proposition bets on offer Sunday doesn't involve any of the Ravens or 49ers, but rather: How long will it take Alicia Keys to sing the national anthem before kickoff?
Online sports book Bovada has set the over-under line for Keys at 2 minutes, 15 seconds. (The clock starts from the first word sung and runs until the word "brave" at song's end.) Judging by history, this may be an easy bet: If Keys's version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" clocks in at more than 2:15, it would be the longest version of the song in the last 10 years.
Enlarge Image

<cite style="font-style: normal; text-align: right; display: block; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); margin: 3px 0px 0px;">Reuters</cite>Singer Alicia Keys



Four former "American Idol" contestants (Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson and Jordin Sparks) have performed the song in this span and all of them got it done between Clarkson's 1:35 to Hudson's 2:10.
Rock legend Billy Joel was the lone solo male over that same time period and was also one of the fastest, clocking in at 1:30.
One unpredictable aspect of the pre-game tradition is the personal spin each performer puts on the song. Hudson stretched the word "wave" into more than five syllables, while Joel sang the same phrase in two notes.
As for Keys? The oddsmakers must be expecting some incredibly drawn-out lyrics.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324039504578263924010083486.html

 

[JumpOnBoard]

This isn't as widely offered anymore unfortunately

 

[Detox]

Anyone get a clock on that?

 

[Michael Jackson]

2 mins 17 secs l believe.

 

[JumpOnBoard]

2:34 I had

 

[Michael Jackson]

I read that it ended after the word "brave" was said. I'm sure different sites will have different times. Either way it looks like over bettors should win.

 

[JumpOnBoard]

bumpity bump...believe we got an opera chick singing it this year....this line might be boise/louisville o/u high from the bowl game a few years back....

anybody seen a line?

 

[JumpOnBoard]

pretty irrelevant with who we got singing it though..

 

[JumpOnBoard]

I can't find one video of her singing the anthem.

 

[GoIrish!]

great thread

 

[KowboyKarl]

Usually an auto play on the over like the Pro Bowl, no?

 

[Lareux]

Bovada has the anthem prop set at 2:15

 

[Kramer]

Last year was over with Alicia keys, year before was under with Kelly clarkson. This year will be tough to cap but as usual will be my biggest bet of the Super Bowl.

 

[Kramer]

My site has the line set at 2min 25sec, -140 on the under. Thoughts?

 

[NYGiants25]

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[TD="colspan: 8"]<cite>Renee Fleming sings Star Spangled Banner, from when first note is started until final note is completed</cite>[/TD]
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[TD]Sun 2/2[/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD]915 National Anthem over 140.00 seconds[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]<input id="editx" name="M1_145" size="4" style="font-size: 1em; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> -150 [/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
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[TR="class: linesRowBot, bgcolor: #F6F6F6"]
[TD]6:05PM[/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD]916 National Anthem under 140.00 seconds[/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD]<input id="editx" name="M2_145" size="4" style="font-size: 1em; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> +110 [/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: linesCommentsRow, bgcolor: #F6F6F6"]
[TD="colspan: 8"]<cite>Renee Fleming sings Star Spangled Banner, from when first note is started until final note is completed</cite>[/TD]
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[TR="class: linesRow, bgcolor: #F6F6F6"]
[TD]Sun 2/2[/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD]917 National Anthem over 145.00 seconds[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]<input id="editx" name="M1_146" size="4" style="font-size: 1em; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> +165 [/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
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[TD] [/TD]
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[TD]6:05PM[/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD]918 National Anthem under 145.00 seconds[/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD]<input id="editx" name="M2_146" size="4" style="font-size: 1em; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> -215 [/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: linesCommentsRow, bgcolor: #F6F6F6"]
[TD="colspan: 8"]<cite>forgets/omits one or more words of official National Anthem</cite>[/TD]
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[TD]Sun 2/2[/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD]921 R.Fleming leaves any word out of Anthem[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]<input id="editx" name="M1_147" size="4" style="font-size: 1em; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> +600 [/TD]
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[TD] [/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
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[TD]6:05PM[/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD]922 R.Fleming includes all words of Anthem[/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD]<input id="editx" name="M2_147" size="4" style="font-size: 1em; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> -1200 [/TD]
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[TD="colspan: 8"]<cite>live broadcast of Anthem only, "No tear" is winner if he is not shown</cite>[/TD]
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[TD]Sun 2/2[/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD]923 K.Moreno has tear on cheek during Anthem[/TD]
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[TD]<input id="editx" name="M1_148" size="4" style="font-size: 1em; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> +280 [/TD]
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[TD]6:05PM[/TD]
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[TD]924 No tear on either cheek during Anthem[/TD]
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[TD]<input id="editx" name="M2_148" size="4" style="font-size: 1em; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);"> -400 [/TD]
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[NYGiants25]

<header class="section_header" style="margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 28px 50px 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; text-align: center; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); font-family: BrownStd-Regular, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">Renee Fleming Vows To Sing National Anthem Live at Super Bowl

• By Associated Press<time class="no-padding" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">| January 31, 2014 1:35 AM EST</time>

</header>

​

Renee Fleming says she only knows how to sing the national anthem one way: live.
The 53-year-old opera singer will perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Sunday's Super Bowl. She said in an interview Thursday she won't sing to a pre-recorded track and that she "wouldn't know how to lip-sync if you paid me."

"It would be a disaster. I only know how to sing live," said the singer, known as "The People's Diva."
Some artists choose to lip-sync, especially in cold weather. Whitney Houston's unforgettable performance of the national anthem in 1991 at the Super Bowl was sung to a track, and Beyonce did the same at President Barack Obama's Inauguration last year.
But Fleming promises it will be entirely real when she walks onto the field at MetLife Stadium, where the Seattle Seahawks will play the Denver Broncos. She'll be singing along to an arrangement from the New Jersey Symphony and have 32 military singers from all the service branches as backup.

Fleming, who has performed around the world and serenaded Queen Elizabeth and President Barack Obama, will be the first opera singer to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl.
"The thing I love to remind people about what I do is we're not even amplified," the soprano told The Associated Press after a news conference in New York City. "We are the final, major art form that is 100% acoustic and unplugged."
Fleming says when the NFL first asked her to sing the national anthem, she didn't think it was real.

"Really, I just rejected it out of hand," she said. "I just thought, `Oh that's ridiculous, you know, it must be a joke.' Nobody's going to ask me to sing for the Super Bowl, even the national anthem, because it's just never been done, that anybody who was in classical music or any other genre, frankly, other than really mainstream, successful, top-selling, commercial, mainstream artists. So I was stunned when it was real!"
Fleming is performing at the Met Opera in "Rusalka" through February. She received the National Medal of Arts, the highest honor the government gives to artists, in 2012.

 

[NYGiants25]

i cant find any video on this chick ... I also searched for some New Jersey Symphony performing the national anthem and couldn't find anything ...
my local currently has o/u set at 2 minutes and 22.5 seconds over at -130 and under at -110

ive done some quick searches of opera versions of the national anthem and it seems like most of the straight forward variations are closer to the 2 minute range ... I have no expertise in opera singing but I know they can obviously draw out parts of it longer, but seems like a decent gap ...

anybody done any additional looking?

leaning under on limited available information

 

[Kramer]

I cannot find anything either but I lean under. I could be looking at this the wrong way, but the fact that she has 32 singers as backup makes you believe that she will keep it moving in a more traditional way.

 

[Gandolf]

Amazing how much higher the prop number is this year than in recent years past.

 

[JumpOnBoard]

I'm also taking the under.

 

[bones]

The New York Philharmonic Orchestra performed National Anthem in N Korea in 2008 in 1:42 https://www.google.com/search?q=NEW...j8&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8

 

[Schrute]

The New York Philharmonic Orchestra performed National Anthem in N Korea in 2008 in 1:42 https://www.google.com/search?q=NEW...j8&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8

Time the fuck out....our national anthem was played in NorthKorea?

 

[bones]

Time the fuck out....our national anthem was played in NorthKorea?

have to have somebody there when The Worm is not in town

 

[T-Squared]

Because I have no life, I just timed Vanessa Williams singing it before Duke-Cuse. Either she left something out or she sang it fast. Time: 1:31.7.

 

[twinkie13]

Wait the fuck up

Whitney Houston's rendition(most say the best version EVER)....was a LIP SYNC????

wow..first I ever heard

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Amazing how much higher the prop number is this year than in recent years past.

when I clicked on this thread and saw the first page, o/u 1:42 I was like damn all over the over than realized oh this thread was started in 2008 lol

 

[B.A.R.]

when I clicked on this thread and saw the first page, o/u 1:42 I was like damn all over the over than realized oh this thread was started in 2008 lol

+1

 

[NYGiants25]

Damn my book is down to 2 min 17.5 seconds

 

[Kramer]

Ok so all said and done we got $420 to win $300 on under 145seconds

 

[Fondybadger]

Ok so all said and done we got $420 to win $300 on under 145seconds

hopefully it's like a minute 30, lol

 

[B.A.R.]

I timed it at 130 Seconds. Winner.