Super Bowl XLI

By Laura Nachman

Bucks County Courier Times

February 5, 2007

 

Here’s our “Super Bowl XLI” telecast report card.

 

Purple Rain – All of the high definition cameras in the world couldn’t stop the raindrops on the camera from “sunny” Miami.

 

Announcers – In his first “Super Bowl,” play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz was excellent.  Phil Simms was his usual insightful self, and the camera work was great on that Kelvin Hayden interception.  Katie Couric got more airtime in her promos than game reporters Solomon Wilcots and Steve Tasker. 

 

Best commercials – Sprint Mobile’s “Connectile Dysfunction,” Bud Light’s “Wedding Auction,” Godaddy.com’s “Marketing Department,” Nationwide’s Kevin Federline (yes, Kevin Federline and best are in the same sentence) ad, Robert Goulet’s ad for Emerald mixed nuts.

 

Worst commercial – The Snickers “Two mechanics almost kissing” ad.

 

For the most part, the commercials were overshadowed by the CBS promotions department.  The best promo was the David Letterman/Oprah Winfrey “lovefest.”  There were also sharp spots for CBS shows “Two and a Half Men,” “CSI,” “CSI: Miami,” “CSI:  New York,” “The Grammys,” “The Final Four,” “Survivor” and “Shark.”

 

Animal House – Fittingly, for a game that featured the Colts and the Bears, animals played a big part in the commercials. There were talking lions for Taco Bell, talking gorillas for Bud Light, talking cows and pigs for California cheese, crabs for Budweiser, and talking hamsters and bunnies for Blockbuster, and dogs in another Bud commercial.

 

Star Watching – Sheryl Crow, Kevin Garnett, Mary J. Blige, Robert Goulet, Jay Z., Don Shula, Charles Barkley, Dwayne Wade, Jessica Simpson. Tracy Morgan, Michael Ian Black, Jim Gaffigan

 

I Lost My Appetite - While America was chowing down at “Super Bowl” parties across the country, King pharmaceuticals ruined the fun warning against Diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity with the www.beatyourrisk.com ads warning against heart disease. Now go have another chip.

 

Trailers – “Norbit” with Eddie Murphy, “Pride” with Terrence Howard, Disney’s “Meet the Robinsons,” “Wild Hogs” with John Travolta.

 

Halftime Concert Review – How ironic that Prince, the man that formerly scrolled “slave” on his cheek to rail against “corporate greed” performed at the biggest corporate event of the year with a Pepsi logo in the bottom of the screen during his performance?  There were no “wardrobe malfunctions,” unless you count the head covering.  He sang his hits “Let’s Go Crazy,” “Baby I’m a Star,” and “Purple Rain,” along with covers of “Proud Mary,” “All Along the Watchtower” and “Best of You.” 
 
Biggest Waste of Airtime - A cutaway in the stands of David Spade and Patrick Warbarton of the upcoming show "The Rules of Engagement," which will be off the air by May.