As I sat down this past Sunday to watch the big game, I couldn’t help recalling the great Super Bowl moments of yesteryear. I’ve laughed, cried and become excited to the point of resorting to a deep drag off my trusty asthma inhaler just to breathe normally again.
Of course, as a long-suffering Detroit Lions fan, you must realize I hold no vested interest in the actual game itself. I stopped watching football regularly on the day Barry Sanders retired, which was undoubtedly the hardest blow dealt to the Motor City since crack first hit the streets in the ’80s.
Yet, year after year, I never miss the Super Bowl. Why, you might ask? It’s all about the commercials, baby.
Think about it for a second. Thanks to our good friends at Anheuser-Busch, we have the Bud Bowl, Spuds Mackenzie, the Budweiser frogs, lizards and the “Whassup! Guys” permanently established into the pop culture lexicon.
Surely I can’t be the only one that has friends who actually gambled on the outcome of the epic struggle pitting Bud against Bud Light. If it weren’t for the Super Bowl, that unique brand of idiocy wouldn’t be possible. Visa is always reliable for producing a humorous segment featuring big-name celebrities, and Pepsi caters to the adolescent male in us all by providing the latest pop starlet of the moment wearing next to nothing while singing of “the joy of cola.”
Perhaps I’m reminiscing too much, but bear with me, as the only thing more disappointing than the game this year was the commercials that accompanied it.
Yao Ming’s broken English made his delivery of, “Can I cash a check?” during the Visa spot humorous at first, but the subsequent abuse of the antiquated slang word “Yo” ran this one-trick pony straight into the ground. Due to the fine folks at Cadillac, I still have Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll” ringing in my ears.
Was I the only one who thought that Led Zeppelin music is more appropriate for a commercial with a Camaro instead of a Caddy?
Unintentional mullet humor aside, two commercials that were intended to be funny ended up doing the job. Jack and Kelly Osbourne turning into Donny and Marie Osmond in front of their father’s eyes was worth a chuckle or two, particularly when the Ozzman rolled over in bed to discover Florence “Mrs. Brady” Henderson lying next to him.
Finally, Reebok’s Office Space-inspired antics of Terry Tate, office linebacker, had fans of the cult movie (in other words, almost every Saint Louis University student) laughing out loud.
Sneak peeks of this summer’s hottest blockbusters were also in abundance. Marvel Comics served up a double whammy of superhero mayhem with trailers for The Hulk and Daredevil, while Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger will be storming theaters with big budget action films in Tears of the Sun and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, respectively.
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the single greatest moment of Super Bowl Sunday, including the game, when the latest Matrix trailer premiered.
If you didn’t completely geek out at the sight of Neo squaring off against 100 Agent Smiths, you’re cooler than me. Remember, the game might not always be super, but at least one commercial is guaranteed to bowl you over, so make sure its not the one airing during your designated restroom break.
