TGIF FEATURE: Superbowl 50 halftime show: Uh ... Cold Play? What happened to Bruno Mars?

BRUNO MARS, the Filipino/American entertainer, will NOT be the headline act of the Super Bowl 50 halftime show after all. The rumors that Mars would star in and "curate" the 50th Super Bowl halftime entertainment proved not to be true. Maybe they were true at one time, but something went wrong with the negotiations with Mars, whose 2013 extravaganza was one of the most watched halftime productions until last year when Katy Perry was the headliner.

Bruno Mars

Instead, the rock band Cold Play will headline the Feb. 7 NFL spectacle. The rumors are still out there that Mars and Beyonce will appear to reprise their spectacular performances when they headlined the halftime show.

We are so excited and honored and thrilled," lead singer Chris Martin told CNN.

RELATED: Mars asked to headline the Super Bowl show again

Meanwhile, the Mark Ronson catchy hit "Uptown Funk," as performed by Bruno Mars won song of the year and best video video of the year at last weekend's SoulTrain Awards.

The announcement about the British band's selection today was a disappointment for music fans and critics.

Writing at Yahoo Sports, Eric Edholm was blunt: "Coldplay is dull, soulless dad rock that's about as energetic as a dose of lithium. They're everything the kids do not want to watch. Their best days were in the early 2000s as Beatles knockoffs, the suburban's answer to Oasis maybe. This is almost laughable, honestly."

The Twitterverse exploded with negative reactions.