“I disagree with all these guys saying game lived up to the billing. It was supposed to be one of the all time greats. I don’t put it there. Good game, but we’ve seen some great ones of late. This one wasn’t great, IMO.”Nate Bukaty, Twitter
GH: Super Bowl 45 was one of the all-time greats. Great drama, great commercials, great halftime show and great outtakes like ARod getting finger-fed popcorn by Cameron Diaz and Christina Aguilera flubbing lines in the National Anthem. Plenty of juice for the family to cuss and discuss for the four-hour game.
Bob Wolfey, columnist, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
GH: The pop singer was ripped on Twitter almost immediately for her anthem miscues as if she was Jay Cutler sitting out the second half. Did she screw up? Yeah, but that’s what happens sometimes when you sing the anthem on live TV. I was not nearly as bothered by her screw up as some. Read on.
Bob Fescoe, Twitter
GH: I am considering adding “Fescoe” as a new word to the English language. Fescoe: verb; to say or do something remarkably stupid even for you.
Steven St. John, Twitter
Troy Aikman, after the Steelers’ QB’s pass was high, Fox
GH: No take backs on live TV, Troy.
Mike DeArmond, Twitter
GH: How do you write about sports but not watch the Super Bowl? I spent a portion of the fourth quarter explaining “this downs thing” to my sons – neither being much of a sports fan. But even they wanted to watch most of the game. My wife also tried but pulled a Jay Cutler after halftime.
Adam Shefter, Twitter
GH: Great to see the former Riley County High quarterback and K-State walk-on DB turn the NFL onto his talents during Super Bowl 45. Nelson had a couple of crucial drops that could have padded his stats to near record-setting levels. But what he did best is not let the drops affect his play. If anything, the drops made him even more determined and focused.
Nickname for Jordy Nelson in high school according to Wikipedia
GH: Nelson isn’t your typical white NFL receiver. He’s not a gritty possession receiver who is simply outworking the more talented guys on the team. Nelson is more like Anquan Boldin than Steve Tasker. Nelson ran away from the Steelers’ DBs in the Super Bowl because he is fast, not simply “heady.” With Aaron Rodgers as his QB, Nelson’s star power might shine brightly for the next decade.
Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner, on the 1,250 fans who were displayed from their Super Bowl seats due to safety reasons, New York Times
GH: 400 fans were denied any seats for the game. This just cannot happen. It makes me wonder how we can expect Goodell and the NFL players union to figure out a labor agreement if they can’t get organized enough to have a seat for every fan that buys a ticket.
1. Volkswagen: The Force: One of the best ads of the night. Little Darth’s acting was lightsaber sharp (and funny).
2. Bridgestone: Reply All: We can ALL relate and be glad it wasn’t us.
3. Volkswagen: Black Beetle: Cute but not in my top 10.
Most Viewed Ads
1. Doritos: Pug Attack: Doritos win for most consistently funny ads. This one was their weakest.
2. Volkswagen: The Force
3. Bud Light: Hack Job: Bud Light has lost most of their mojo from past years.
Overall Most Liked Ads by Women
1. Volkswagen: The Force
2. Bridgestone: Carma
3. NFL: Super Bowl Celebration: Great ad with The Fonz, Sopranos’ cast, Alf, Seinfeld, etc. In my top three.
Overall Most Liked Ads by Men
1. Bridgestone: Carma
2. Volkswagen: The Force
3. Paramount: Captain America: The First Avenger: Lots of movie ads. None that made me make early reservations at my local cinema. Although Johnny Depp’s animated “Rango” looks fun.
Women Strongly Favor
1. Chevrolet: GMME
2. Play60: Who’s Next?
3. Twentieth Century Fox: Rio
4. Chevrolet: Cruze Status: This Facebook ad had Twitter ablaze with concern over driving while facebooking. I’m more concerned about a guy who can’t read his date without an electronic update.
5. Living Social: It’ll Change Your Life
Men Strongly Favor
1. Columbia Pictures: Battle: Los Angeles
2. Universal: Cowboys and Aliens
3. Skechers: Kim Kardashian: Hello Skechers: Maybe the day’s sexiest ad. A bit uncomfortable viewing it in the family room.
4. Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY: Surgeon – Extended
5. Paramount: Thor
Overall Most Disliked Ads
1. Salesforce: Chatter.com Launch: Still Doing Impossible Things: I still have no idea who or what Chatter is.
2. Salesforce: Chatter.com Launch: Do Impossible Things
3. Go Daddy: The Contract: Hard to believe the Go Daddy ads work. 80-year-old Joan Rivers as a sex symbol?
you omitted one
Best network to give the Super Bowl pregame show a jingoistic, Nuremburg rally type feel:
1. FOX
There’s one more you have to add…
The Careerbuilder monkeys. The parking lot ad made me howl. I remember how funny those monkey ads were a couple of years back. Glad they returned with a solid efffort.
Bad comparison
Agree with what you said about Jordy Nelson. However, your comparison to Steve Tasker is a bit off target. Tasker made it to the NFL because of his speed. Like Nelson–he was a track star in high school and may even had been faster. Other than that–I agree. This Super Bowl was memorable. Sometimes when not everything goes perfect–it just makes it more memorable.
Halftime show SUCKED, save for Slash.
He didn’t need a costume that lights up to look ultra cool. He’s a rock star in every sense of the word. He epitomizes it. Black Eyed Peas? Not even close. Slash has more charisma in his pinky toes.
One more thing
Jordy Nelson and Clay Matthews were both walk-ons in college and Aaron Rodgers had to go the Juco route. That shows how we put too much stock in those recruiting rankings. Rivals never put a star next to their names but they all got rings.
Kardashian
That Kardashian ad was bullshit. Everyone knows she doesn’t date white guys.
Slash is a rock star, but I disagree that he has any real charisma. Still, I’m sure Axl Rose was at home thinking, “If some botoxed diva is going to ruin ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’, it’s going to be ME.”
Good game, though the 3rd quarter seemed interminable.
Don’t care that C Aguilera forgot the lyrics; didn’t even notice, but I wasn’t listening too closely. Wasn’t listening closely because she is possibly the most annoying singer ever created. She has an amazing, powerful voice, and she uses it to ruin every song she ever comes near, with her show-offy 12-extra-notes-per-measure that destroys a melody, and her I-can-hold-this-note-longer-than-you (if the note lasts longer than 4 hours, she must consult a physician.). Even Celine Dion, on the tribute a few days after 9/11, reined herself in and sang a no-frills, respectful version of God Bless America, and it was all the more powerful because of its simplicity. That’s a word Christina is unfamiliar with.
Commercials schommercials
While I will concede that Super Bowl commercials sometimes have a smidgen of entertainment value, I can no more become interested in them than wearing someone’s brand on my butt, feet or torso (and paying premium prices to do it). It’s the function of advertising to attract interest; it’s only a testament to how low our standards have become that the commercials which debut on the Super Bowl telecast are viewed uniquely.
Of course, I still consider Facebook and Twitter cultural twitches which will eventual lead to the end of civilization as we know it. Hopelessly Old School (and too old and stubborn to change).
LUCKY FOR LITTLE DARTH…
that car wasn’t a toyota…or the little darth would have been run over
by his daddys car.
AND SINCE WHEN IS IT SAFE FOR A LITTLE KID TO BE STANDING RIGHT
IN FRONT OF A IDLING OR RUNNING CAR….BAD SAFETY AND VOLKSWAGEN
IS ALREADY CATCHING HELL….
NO KID SHOULD STAND IN FRONT OF A CAR….VERY DANGEROUS…
Chimp driver was from Nebraska
My wife pointed out while watching the job-site commerical that the parking-challenged chimp’s car had a Nebraska license plate. Dan Beebe strikes again!
in order
Game: good
Commercials: forgettable
Halftime Show: bloody awful
Am I the only one…
Am I the only one who thought that
#1. Fox missed a lot of instant replay opportunities that I wanted to see
#2. I would rather have had Cris Collinsworth and Kevin Harlan than Aikman and Buck.
#3. Aguilera’s missed words didn’t irritate me as much as her overuse of melisma (look it up)
#4. I’ve heard lots better than the BEPs–my whole family loved halftime show and I was not impressed
#5. there were a lot of dull commercials that weren’t funny and were a waste of money. Who approves them anyway?
#6. I was glad the serial date-rapist didn’t win
#7. I was glad the smallest market and least obnoxious team won
#8. Diaz and Arod popcorn moment was awful–bet his spring training locker is filled with popcorn. No wonder his stats are down
#9. Favre was rooting for Steelers.
#10. It was an ok game because I was rooting for the Pack but not even close to being one of the all time greats
How much did Greg drink…
Game was above average, but not great. It could have been a great ending, but the drive never even got started. Rest of the game wasn’t particularly well played with all of the dropped passes and turnovers.
The halftime show was the worst of the last decade, if not ever. Poor singing, no musicians (except Slash?), and lame production. I hear Black Eyed Peas put on a great concert, but last night offered no evidence.
The commercials were below average for a Super Bowl.
Slash Rulez
Slash Rulez…… Great Game…… John Madden should have been calling the game not texting during it ……. IIt should have been me feeding Cameron Diaz’s mouth my sausage..
25 minutes of hell
mu’s “25 minutes of hell” is tough.
Good job KU, that is 12 wins in a row against mu at KU,, keep up the good work …. one game at a time.
Forget Fergie
Fergie ruined Sweet Child O’Mine. They should have let Slash’s new singer, Myles Kennedy (from the band Alter Bridge), sing with him. I mean, if you prefer your ears to NOT bleed.