Super Bowl 2012 [commercials and half-time]

While I do watch the Super Bowl for the actual game play [whoot Giants!], I also enjoy watching the commercials and the half-time show.

In regards to commercials... I was a bit disappointed. While I did miss the first quarter commercials, I saw most of the others. There were the usually distasteful GoDaddy.com commercials [thankfully I only really see them on during the Super Bowl].

I was especially disappointed that there were not many funny commercials this year. And by funny, I mean actually amusing and not just trying to be amusing.

I did think that VW did a pretty good job with this year's commercial. Last year's Darth Vader kid was going to be hard to follow, so I like that they kind of did a follow up on it.

It was certainly a different approach than most of the other vehicle competitors, who decided to pull out heavy hitters for their ads.


There was Matthew Broderick for the Honda CR-V in a Ferris Bueller-esque style

Acura got not one but two big names: Jerry Seinfeld and... Well, I don't want to ruin the surprise for anyone who has yet to see it.

And my personal favorite, Chrysler with Mr. Clint Eastwood. While it was a bit sappy, Mr. Eastwood has that way of speaking that makes you pay attention.

Chevy took a very different approach to their commercial this year. You've probably seen glimpses of the commercial here and there. Honestly, the best part of this commercial is the music used [and if you check the US iTunes charts, it is currently #1]. The stunts are really awesome but the song really brings it all together. For those interested, it is called "We Are Young [feat. Janelle Monáe]" by Fun. And yes, I purchased the song. For those interested, Glee did a cover of this song this season [Hold on to Sixteen]

Outside of David Beckham's ad for underwear, nothing else really seemed to stand out. And either way, it's not like that isn't something we haven't seen before [not that we mind].

---

As for the half-time show... It was definitely better than previous years. Black Eyed Peas was kind of awful and confusing for most people. And while the following artists are very good, they are not very relate-able for/known to younger generations: The Who, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Prince, The Rolling Stones, and Paul McCartney.

But that doesn't mean this year's show was amazing by any means.

I loved that Madonna involved so many different acts in her show. Outside of LMFAO, I felt like all the acts were used well and incorporated in a way that did not seem so awkward as it could have been.

What I can't get over is Madonna's new song "Gimme All Your Luvin'." That would be an ok song... for a twenty something. The song is very pop-like and her enter movement on stage during this segment just doesn't seem to fit right. The whole concept from the dance moves to the musicality of it seemed forced. It also felt like a move back to her old style instead of a move to evolve her music beyond her past.

Also, it's sad when an artist feels the need to pull off a stunt to become relevant, aka M.I.A. It may have helped that I knew who she was before, but pulling off the middle finger did not interest me in her at all. Her part in the song is insignificant, which is a shame because she is an ok performer. I'm not really into rap/hip hop but I have heard her song "Paper Planes." The fact that she did flip the bird to the cameras shows that she is relying on the publicity of the stunt to sell new music instead of letting the music speak for itself. This just shows me she lacks true integrity as an artist. Appearing next to Madonna during the Super Bowl half-time show should have been enough to get people interested.

Outside of LMFAO and the entirety of "Gimme All Your Luvin'," it was a very good performance. I loved all the older songs and most of the guests that appeared with Madonna on stage. Hopefully this performance is the first step back into having [mostly] quality half-time shows in the Super Bowl.

Superbowl [commercials and everything but football]

Yes, I watch the Superbowl. It's really the one sports event that I actually watch. And even though I don't have any attachment to either team, I had to pick one. So I decided to go with the Green Bay Packers. And my instincts aren't wrong. <3

And yes, even though I am a female, I do know the basics of football. I can follow the game with ease. I just have no interest in watching after years of watching high school and college football [my own school teams who were perpetual losers].

Opening singers
Loved Lea Michele. She did a great job, as I expected she would do. She's a live performer through and through. She knows what she is doing.

Christina Aguilera... I was so distracted by her cringe-worthy version of the national anthem that I didn't realize she flubbed the words. I didn't find out till it was posted on Twitter via Perez Hilton and Michael Ausiello. Personally, I despise when people add a bunch of blah to the national anthem, which is what she did. When you do that, you turn it into something else [And 99% of the time, it's bad]. For future note, I also don't like the Whitney Houston version of the national anthem.

Half time show
Liked it but not in love with it. I could have done without Fergie's "Sweet Child o' Mine" and Usher could have actually done some singing.

Fergie basically butchered "Sweet Child o' Mine," which is sad when I think she could have done it fairly well. What the hell was with the voice? She was singing with some sort of weird accent or something. It just did not sound natural with her and even if you hadn't heard her before, you'd know something was off. She wasn't being herself with the performance.

Normally, I love Usher. I like his songs, they're catchy and get stuck in your head [in a good way]... But he really just was not needed. It was like he was there for star power alone because he sure as hell did not sing. And I get it, he's dancing a storm up and stuff... But I'd prefer they have his full vocals pre-recorded than what happened on that stage. He was just... There to look pretty, no?

And I'm seeing that a lot of people were not happy with the Black Eyed Peas' performance but I thought it was pretty good for them. Honestly, I don't expect miracles and did not expect to have great vocals from them. People should know to not to focus on that with them. The Black Eyed Peas is a whole package. The singing, the dancing, the outfits. You need to take it all into account.

Loved the outfits for sure. Such a cool super futuristic feeling to them. And I liked the whole glowing theme. It was very them. The overall theme was great and kept me entertained .

Commercials [which really means the ones I actually paid attention to]


The Force [VW]: This is currently my new favorite commercial ever. Not just this year. Not just for a superbowl ad... Best commercial EVER! It did everything a commercial is suppose to do. It was funny while making sure you knew who this commercial was for. To compare, I think of the Snicker's commercial last year with Betty White. It was a great commercial, funny with a message... A message that got lost. It took me forever to even think about what product was being sold in the commercial!

Alauntra: Got a headache from the commercial. Made me dizzy and a little nauseated.

Chrysler: I actually kind of like the one with Eminem in it... As weird as that seems to me. It's kind of touching, even if it takes forever to really find out which car company is doing the advertising.

Movies I'm excited for: Captain America

Movies I could care less about: Thor, PotC 4, Ringo

Movies I will be looking up on Wikipedia later: Super 8, Limitless

NFL: I liked the little reel of different shows. Definitely liked the Happy Days scenes. Kudos NFL.

Mercedes Benz: I just thought "Hm, I can't remember if Sean "P. Diddy" Combs has been in a commercial before but I don't think he has... Which is weird cause he's kind of a sellout..."

House: The one with the churro kid... Epic. Love Hugh Laurie [even if I forget he's British all the time].

Camero: Amusing. Love the commentary by the guys who are making up the story. Twist ending.

Sketchers: Eh... I don't know if it's cause it's Kim Kardashian but something was just off. Kind of had an amateur quality to the directing maybe.


Final Note

Just a final note, I'm super excited for Glee after the Superbowl tonight. Even though I'm incredibly pissed at iTunes for taking down the Thriller/Heads Will Roll mash up for a few days [before I was going to buy it]... And I may not buy it from them just to make a point. Either way, I'm psyched for this because... Well,  I want to see the entirety of the Thriller/Heads Will Roll scene. Honestly, I could not have thought of a better mash up than this one. It's like... Ultimate and sounds great from the bits I've heard.