5:37 PM -- I wonder how many people below the age of 30 caught the
Godfather allusion in the guy-screaming-in-bed
Audi commercial?
5:47 PM -- Of course, I also wonder how many people remember the
Steve and Doug Butabi characters (from
Saturday Night Live and
A Night at the Roxbury) referenced -- through music, and a cameo by
Chris Kattan -- in the
Diet Pepsi Max commercial. Maybe the ad guys are getting a little too arcane with their pop-culture references?
6:04 PM -- The
Wanted spot doesn't look much different than the coming-attraction trailer that's been running in theaters for quite some time now. Shorter, maybe, but not much clearer concept-wise. And, worse, no surprises. IMHO: A wasted opportunity to fine-tune the hard-sell.
6:06 PM -- But the giant pigeons for
Fed Ex? Cool.
6:14 PM -- Isn't it a bit late in the day -- very,
very late, in fact -- for a
Rocky-themed beer commercial? Even
Rocky Balboa is more than a year old.
6:17 PM-- Uh-oh. The
Iron Man teaser looks a little... well, a little cartoonish, maybe? Or, worse, a little
Hulk-ish (as in the first
Hulk movie -- or, more specifically, the notorious Super Bowl commercial for that 2003 flick)?
6:19 PM -- But
Leatherheads looks funny.
6:38 PM -- The
Princess Narnia spot tells me: More of the same. If you liked the first one, you'll like this one. If you didn't, you won't. Will be interesting to see if cable and homevid exposure for Episode 1 will increase the audience for No. 2.
6:42 PM -- The
Pepsi spot tells me:
Justin Timberlake has a sense of humor about himself. Also reminds me: He deserved more props for his self-effacing turn in the under-rated
Black Snake Moan.
7:25 PM -- Enjoyable set by Tom Petty. (But, then again, I'm could hear "Runnin' Down a Dream" four or five times each morning during my workday commute, and never think punching up a new station on my car radio.) On the other hand,
Semi-Pro looks... stale.
7:45 PM -- Clever
Wall-E spot, establishing the Disney/Pixar link to
Toy Story in a way both simple enough to appeal to kids and hip enough to amuse older audiences.
7:53 PM -- In sharp contrast to the aforementioned
Wanted spot, the
Jumper spot rethinks its own coming-attraction trailer(s) to clarify the central gimmick -- and the dramatic conflict. (I have to admit: This is the first time I've had any idea why Samuel L. Jackson's character is such a party-pooper.) Good move: At this point in the football game, many viewers may be too, uh, fuzzy-headed to grasp subtle ironies or complex concepts.
8:13 PM --
James Carville and
Bill Frist come together with a Coke and a smile. OK, maybe I'm easy, but I laughed out loud. Haven't done that since the giant pigeons.
8:16 PM -- But
You Don't Mess With the Zohan? Didn't laugh. At all.
8:27 PM -- A second chance for
Semi-Pro. Funnier. And, yeah, this spot may get more use -- as an ad for
Bud Light.
9:06 PM -- And what do you know? The game wound up having more suspense, and a more jolting surprise finish, than most thrillers released in recent years. Congratulations, New York Giants.
