After the Whistle
There were many great ads during the big game, but space is limited, so I’ll only mention a few. It was great seeing Ozzy in the Pepsi Twist ads, and I thought the Jordan versus Jordan ad was very well done. The Budweiser ad with the horses waiting for the zebra to review the play was good, but it kind of hit a nerve so soon after the Giants’ loss. An actual zebra could have made that call…but I digress.
Today’s column is devoted entirely to the recent “Superbowel,” suposedly one of the greatest sports events of the year. I would like to begin by talking about the game itself, which I found to be considerably less entertaining than the commercials. The game looked good on paper, and at first it seemed like the teams would live up to the hype. That was just before the Buccaneers began to destroy everything in their path. By the time Shania Twain began lip-syncing to kick off the halftime show, the Bucs were already winning 20-3. By the way, I thought that one of the reasons Shania was so successful was that she could perform so well live. Perhaps she is actually one of those “Terminators among us” that Schwartzenegger was referring to during the Super Bowl’s opening. At least No Doubt and Sting put on a good show. Of course, by halftime I was only watching for the commercials, anyway.
There were many great ads during the big game, but space is limited, so I’ll only mention a few. It was great seeing Ozzy in the Pepsi Twist ads, and I thought the Jordan versus Jordan ad was very well done. The Budweiser ad with the horses waiting for the zebra to review the play was good, but it kind of hit a nerve so soon after the Giants’ loss. An actual zebra could have made that call…but I digress. Here are my top three ads:
Third Place: The Sierra Mist ad with the monkey catapault. I’m a firm believer that you can’t go wrong with monkeys under any circumstances. Very entertaining, although I will probably still never drink Sierra Mist.
Second Place: The ESPN ad in which Joe Montana and the kitchen staff are frantically looking for his Super Bowl ring. Anyone who watches Sportscenter would probably agree with me. I laughed out loud when Stuart Scott puts on the lost ring and Rich Eisen tells him, “Very nice. Bling-bling.”
First Place: The Reebok ad featuring Terry Tate, office linebacker. Tate was sent to help Ron Felcher and associates improve production in their offices. He does so, apparently, by tackling everything in his sight. I got a kick out of seeing Tate throwing people around like rag dolls. The best moment of the commercial came when Tate, standing over one of his victims, shouts “You know you need a coversheet on your TPS reports, Richard! That ain’t new, baby!”
I also counted 11 commercials for upcoming movies, including “The Incredible Hulk,” “Daredevil,” “Bruce Almighty” and “The Recruit,” among others. There are also many sequels on the way, such as “The Matrix: Reloaded” (due in May), “The Matrix: Revolutions” (November), “Bad Boys 2,” “Terminator 3” and “Charlie’s Angels 2,” prompting a friend of mine to remark that this is “the year of the sequel.” I thought that last year was the year of the sequel. I’m pretty sure that this year is actually “the year of the sequel: the sequel.” I’m excited about The Matrix movies in particular, but I am going to avoid “Daredevil” like Rich Gannon avoided throwing to his receivers during the game (Sorry comic fans). “Daredevil” looks so bad I think I would rather watch the Super Bowl again than donate my $7.50 to Ben Affleck’s next stint in rehab. On second thought, maybe I’ll check out “Daredevil” when it comes out on video…which should be around the same time you finish reading the paper. Thanks and goodnight. I’ll be at the CT all week.