Top moments at the Super Bowl XLV

 

While much hoopla is going around Cyberspace about Christina Aguilera's version of the National Anthem on the Super Bowl XLV(see the video here), we must say that we hardly noticed it, right? 

Right.  Most of us did not even hear the flub until we saw it on the Web and how people were calling it disrespectful, with some calling to ban Aguilera.

Luckily for Aguilera, there were just other things going on that we soon forgot about that.  For starters, Lea Michelle showed us why she's the star of Glee, which had a special episode that night where they went on the field as zombies in football uniforms.  In her almost effortless and perfect rendition of America the Beautiful, the only other thing that kept us distracted while being glued to our screen was the bling on Michele's finger.

Of course, we have already showed some love for the annual parade of ads that are shown during the breaks.  Our best bets are here:

Super Bowl would not be Super Bowl without the great half-time entertainment, and this year that is provided by the Black Eyed Peas. 

Of course, we do get the feeling that everything else BUT the BEP was outstanding here.  Usher and Slash stole the show, even the back up dancers and the flashing lights on their wardrobe did a better job at keeping us awed than BEP.  Oh well.

Other distractions include jumbotron moments with former president George Bush with wife Laura, Cameron Diaz feeding A-Rod popcorn, Michael Douglas looking a lot better even with throat cancer and Catherine Zeta Jones, Jennifer Aniston, Adam Sandler and Hugh Jackman.

And then, there is the game itself. 

Who did you root for?  It doesn't matter because both teams put up a good fight.  Some of the best moments we can't stop talking about:

1. Rashard Mendenhall's Crucial Fumble.  Mendenhall is often steady-handed, bringing the ball over 60 yards more than a dozen times.  But his late fumble was ominous of a Packers' win.  Mendenhall knew it.

2. Troy Polamalu might as well have sat the whole thing through.  We were expecting some great clutch plays from Polamalu but he just did not deliver.  He didn't recover any fumbles, he made three tackles and absolutely did not intercept anything. 

3. Jordy Nelson was on a roll.  Who can forget that touchdown?

Of course Greg Jennings had two touchdowns.  And we were betting on Nelson or Jennings to get the MVP nod, but it went to Rodgers instead.

Monday, 07 February 2011

2011's Best Super Bowl Ads

 

It's Super Bowl Time.

It's that time of the year again when the National Football League determines the league champion for the past year.  Yup, the Super Bowl is now on its 45th year.

The Super Bowl is the most-watched TV program year after year with more than 80 million to 90 million Americans tuning in annually.  Plus around 20 million more from other countries.  It commands a 60 share and 40 rating on the Nielsen TV ratings.  Not bad for a 45 year old huh?

What's more, 1982's Super Bowl was watched by almost half of the households in America during that time.  That's more than 40 million households!  It is the fourth top-rated program of all time.  What's more, three other Super Bowls made it to the top ten: XII, XX and XVII.  Last year's Super Bowl had around 106.5 million people watching it.  That makes it the second most watched annual sporting event after the UEFA Champions League.

And while we watch the action, there has been a tradition that formed over the years.  Nope, we're not even talking about the half-time shows!  With that many eyeballs glued to their sets, it is not the venue to actually forget the lyrics to your own country's National Anthem as Christina Aguilera did:

Ooops... what we meant to say was that, with the number of people watching it, it's not going to be a suprise that we have a flurry of advertisements. 

For this year, it is said that advertisements spent close to $3 million for a 30 second spot during Super Bowl breaks.  That's close to $100,000 per second, more than what most of us makes in a year.  The hefty price tag and the time limit has pushed the advertisers to their wittiest streaks as they vie for your attention.  So what we have are the most attention grabbing, witty, funny and downright memorable ads of the year. 

Every year, people have come to anticipate the Super Bowl ads, much like how they anticipate the games itself.  And the advertisers are hoping that their $3 million will be money well spent.  Meaning, they hope that you see it, it sticks to your mind, you go on Facebook.com and share it, or tweet about it to your friends.  They also hope that you discuss it with your family or around the watercooler at the office.

So what did top the advertising line up this year?  Here are our bets:

Bud Light's Dog Sitter:

More canine fun with Doritos:

Pepsi Max's Love Hurts:

And our runaway winner? Volkswagen's Darth Vader ad:

But while we love Danica Patrick on the race tracks, the GoDaddy.com spot just plain sucked.  Double :(

But that does not really qualify for the worst in our list.  At least, there is a world of possibilities for the GoDaddy.com ladies.  Hyundai's Elantra takes home the trophy for the Duh? Super Bowl Ad of the Year.

Monday, 07 February 2011

Ski Cross Athletes Form ASCA

 

Ski cross athletes have formed the American Ski Cross Association.

This was after the United States Ski and Snowboard Association, or USSA, stopped funding to elite sports, which includes ski cross.

The USSA's president and CEO Bill Marolt announced the changes last month after the USSA adopted the USSA Strategic Plan.  The cuts were part of the changes initiated in the Plan.

Thus, with absolutely no funding from the USSA, racers such as Daron Rahlves and Michael Duran stepped up efforts to form the American Ski Cross Association.  The ASCA aims to provide funding for ski cross athletes to develop, train and compete at a level that is world-class.  ASCA's Mike Jaquet says that the association's first goal is to get world-class athletes and funding to win the Sochi Russia competitions in 2014.

The ASCA has already gathered enough funding to support a team at the 2011 International Ski Federation World Cup's first event in Italy, and is currently boosted by John Teller's win in Austria.

John Teller Brings Some Good News for ASCA

John Teller, an ASCA skier, made history by being the first American to win a Ski Cross World Cup, leaving behind Canadian Nick Zorici and Austrian Thomas Zangerl.  

Teller has credited the ASCA for his participation in the World Cup and has said that he would not have been able to compete without its support.

ASCA for its part would be able to capitalize on Teller's win to help boost its credibility and help it secure a long-term source for its financing and development of the sport.  ASCA hopes to have men's and women's teams composed of 8 to 10 racers each in future events, as well as coaching younger ski cross racers.  This would put the U.S. team at par with the Europeans and even the Canadians.

Other Changes at the USSA

Together with the cuts at the USSA, personnel movements were also announced.  Luke Bodensteiner became the Executive Vice President for Athletics.  Mark Lampe retains his post as chief financial officer, but this time he will also be in charge of building management, human resources, and several operational tasks.  Andrew Judelson will now oversee revenue and marketing, as well as other areas such as corporate partners, licensees, media, content development and membership among others.

Aside from these, Bodensteiner, Judelson will now report directly to Marolt.  Dick Coe, the Association's chief operating officer will no longer hold that title as the COO post has already been eliminated.  Coe, however, will still be working closely with Marolt on some projects.


Related pages:

ASCA Like Page

Updated: Tuesday, 11 January 2011