Thursday, February 04, 2010

Stuper Bowled 44


Coming Sunday it's the annual NFL Budweiser Clydesdale Commercial Celebration with a football game. Wait that's not right, OH yeah it's the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue? Um the revival of Rock 'n' Rollergames? Oh that's right the SUPER BOWL. The Indianapolis Colts vs. The New Orleans Saints. It's the first time for the Saints to the big show, and the umpty umpth for the Colts.

So what commercial will everybody be talking about on Monday morning 8 February 2010? I don't know and I don't really care. I will of course watch the game and actually pay attention to the commercials, except for when I really really gotta go to the head.

Sometimes I take pride in the fact that I am as old as the Super Bowl, but since Super Bowl XL that pride has fallen by the wayside along with my youth and my excellent health. Just call me Middle-Aged Man!

The first Super Bowl I recall watching or being interested in was SB VII (7) The Washington Redskins were the favored team, even though the AFC Miami Dolphins had an undefeated season, and ended up winning 14-7. It was a major disappointment. It was also disappointing because my fave quarterback Sonny Jurgensen didn't play because of a leg injury he had during the season. I recall my brother used to (and probably still does somewhere) have a joke book that had photos of the Redskins season that year with cartoon "thought" balloons. One of the pictures was of Sonny on the sidelines on Crutches. I forget what the saying was. I don't have many clear memories of the actual game, like so many other games though the years. The Skins did have revenge 10 years later in SB XVII. My fave Super Bowl though is XXII when the Skins beat the tar out of the Broncos 42-10. That was the best 2nd quarter of any Super Bowl I've seen, and as I said the first one I saw was number 7 and I've seen every one ever since. I've been bored with some of them especially during the 1990s but the last few have been exciting. For a few years there the commercials were more exciting than the game.

I do have some vague memories of a commercial campaign around that time for Noxzema cleansing cream. One of the Super Bowl commercials from back then was with Joe Namath and a the Noxzema girl who was a then unkown Farrah Fawcett. I recall she used to sing the jingle part of which went "Let Noxzema cream your face.." something something "it can't be beat"

Joe Namath and Farrah Fawcett from Noxzema shoot.

If I recall correctly at the end of that commercial with Joe and Farrah she smacks him in the face with a handful of the stuff. see it on youtube OK so maybe the last part of my quote isn't right.

Anyway a classic Super Bowl commercial is the famous Coke commercial with Joe Greene and a kid, where the kid gives "mean Joe" his Coke and Joe gives the kid the sweaty jersey from his back. My faves have always been the Budweiser Clydesdale commercials. One of the best I think is the one where the horses are playing football and you see a zebra "reviewing" the last play, two cowboys are standing against a fence, one of them says "That referee is a jack-ass" the other one says "Nope I believe that is a Zebra".


Remember during the 80s, if you were alive then, the Bud Bowl commercials? It was one of the first concept "mock Super Bowl" commercials where they pitted regular Budweiser Bottles up against Bud Light, the bottles had on little helmets instead of bottle caps, I think they were stop motion type animation. Pretty silly but they had them for a few years until people got sick of them. I think they are much better than the "Waaazz UP?" or that STUPID E*Trade talking baby. UGH I can't stand those things.

There have been some side line gimmicks that feed off the success of the Super Bowl. The Puppy Bowl, Various Half-Time Specials like the "In Living Color" Live Half-Time Special one year and more recently the Lingerie Bowl. The LB is apparently a real thing though as there is a real Lingerie Football League. I think it started as a joke, but got such a super reaction it became a reality. CSI:NY a couple of weeks ago had an episode that featured the LFL the story centered around the death of a quarterback for the NY team that was found dead floating in the whirl-pool sauna. I've never really watched any of a Lingerie Bowl, or a LFL game if those are real.


Anyway with the game I hope the Saints win because I always think its cool when a team that has never been before beats a more established team.

Mabye I'll cheer to see more of this:

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