Monday, February 6, 2012

The 10 most otherworldly moments of the Super Bowl TV show

1. The Corvette. The cameras leered over the MVP car won by Eli Manning. Everything halted for a long, shameless plug. It was like John saying, "Jeter's double puts him safe at third; keep your family safe and secure..."

2. The promo. In the pre-pre-pregame show, the stars of NBC - including news anchors - sang and danced to "Brotherhood of Man." The National Earthquake Center recorded a 5.6 rumble over Walter Cronkite's grave.

3. Bob Costas' guffaws. In his pre-game Charlie Rose with Madonna, he laughed wayyyy too hard if she said something that seemed funny. Nitrous Oxide?

4. Raymond Berry's amazing hair. He's 78, with an orange face and the power scalp of Beaver Cleaver. As he escorted the Lombardi trophy through the Giants' gauntlet, one player reached out and tried to mess it up. It didn't come off, and the folicles just fell back into place.
5. "World Peace." You knew Madonna would have a Patty Smith moment and bring out some pretentious message. World Peace? Sure. When you think of the NFL, you automatically think: World Peace.

6. "We decapitated them." Vintage Brandon Jacobs. The man is a quote genius. 

7. The replay roar.  The entire stadium crowd watched the Jumbotron to see if Mario Manningham's feet were in bounds. When the replay showed it,  the explosion of sound sealed the verdict.

8. Boston's failed Tyree play. At one point, Tom Brady made an incredible scramble, shaking tacklers, breaking open and heaving the ball up for grabs. In that moment, everybody in the world thought we were seeing a reversal of Manning's historic pass four years ago. But this came down as an interception by Chase Blackburn - practically as unlikely a hero as Tyree.

9. The Coughlin scowl. All season, Coughlin screamed bloody murder on the sidelines whenever things went wrong. This was his lone fit - he wanted pass interference called - but it had him flailing like a puppet.

10. The Hakim hit. In the third quarter, Nicks absorbed an incredible shot to the ribs on a buddy pass from Eli. He went down and stayed down. You figured he was done. Later, Jason Pierre-Paul couldn't get up. The Giants' two best players -- possibly gone. They both came back.
Honorable Mention: Cee-Lo Green's drum major entrance...The Wheat Thins commercial... The moment you placed the voice as Clint Eastwood... NBC's bizarre quick switch to "The Voice." (Five hours of pre-game, 10 minutes of post-game.)

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