Sports, Entertainment SuperBowl: Postgame Notes

(Well, another Super Bowl has come and gone, and I've got to say that this time, the whole event -- from the game to all of the ancillary programming -- was about as fun as watching paint dry. Still, even though the evening wasn't a stream of consistently interesting televised imagery, there were some moments. Here's my Top Eleven, because the knob goes that high:

1. Funniest Commercial: GoDaddy.com - any company willing to mock last year's "wardrobe malfunction" and the FCC's prudish response to it by staging a congressional hearing on "broadcast censorship" gets my vote. And it didn't hurt that the GoDaddy "spokesmodel" was foine. Forget about the fact that most folks still have no idea what GoDaddy.com does. Ironically, the NFL stuffed shirts can't take a joke and censored, er, cancelled the second airing of the spot. Lighten up.

2. Best Musical Moment: Beautiful Alicia Keys doing "America the Beautiful" with a video doppelganger of the late Ray Charles accompanying her on the jumbotron, and the kids from his alma mater, the Florida School of the Deaf and the Blind, hand signing the lyrics in the foreground.

3. Coolest Historical Moment: the living members of the Tuskegee Airman joining the other war veterans who were honored before the game, during Black History Month no less.

4. Most Motley Crew: The Black Eye Peas, Earth Wind and Fire, Gretchen Wilson and Charlie Daniels all sharing a stage at the same time. Talk about trying to hit all demographics in one fell swoop.

5. Worst Outfits: The Former Presidents Bush and Clinton - they looked like they were wearing "Sears sucker" suits, as opposed to seersucker suits, of course.

6. Most Amazing Performance: Terrell Owens playing, and catching 9 balls for a buck and change, on an ankle that was broken just 6 weeks ago, and was held together with screws and metal plates.

7. Biggest Bonehead Moment: The entire Eagles team not going into their no-huddle offense when they were down 10 points with under 4 minutes left in the game, but then it was just the Super Bowl.

8. Best Old Fogey Moment: regardless of how I feel about the halftime show, you have to give it to Paul McCartney: he's 60-something and still rocking. When you get that old, you can only hope to be half as crisp.

9. Worst Hi-Tech Gimmick: Fox Pylon Cam - the Super Bowl is where broadcast innovations such as the onscreen "chalkboard" get introduced, but the miniature camera Fox stuffed into a goal line pylon was a dud. Broadcaster Joe Buck captured it perfectly when he said after New England's third TD, "If you were an orange pylon, that's how the touchdown would have looked," which is to say: like not much.

10. Funniest Commerical: Fedex - I thought this was a brilliant deconstruction of the 10 things it takes to make a Super Bowl commercial. The ironic thing is most of the other funny commercials, and there were a few, definitely played right into the Fedex model. Bravo.

11. Most Uptight Organization: The National Football League - their fear of having anything interesting happen during their big event, coupled with the fact their league is a multi-billion dollar industry, led to about five hours of the dullest TV imaginable. With so much money at stake, taking risks ceases to be an option. I suppose it's better to put out a bland product than actually provide a compelling experience. But then, these guys can't even laugh at themselves (see #1 above.) We constantly hear people say that the sports business is really the entertainment business. After yesterday's Super Bowl, I'd like to see the proof, beause it was more tedious than it was entertaining. But wait until next year. )

« 7:52:21 PM »    

History, Black People The Tuskegee Airmen

Before 1940, African Americans were barred from flying for the U.S. military. Civil rights organizations and the black press exerted pressure that resulted in the formation of an all African-American pursuit squadron based in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1941. They became known as the Tuskegee Airmen. The Tuskegee Airmen overcame segregation and prejudice to become one of the most highly respected fighter groups of World War II. They proved conclusively that African Americans could fly and maintain sophisticated combat aircraft. The Tuskegee Airmen's achievements, together with the men and women who supported them, paved the way for full integration of the U.S. military.

(Seeing the living members of the Tuskegee Airmen honored, along with other veterans, at Super Bowl XXXIX, was one of the highlights of an otherwise surprisingly dull event. They fought the war under segregation, but were recognized side-by-side with veterans who probably would have had nothing to do with them during the war time. Their participation helped pave the way for desegregation of the military, but as for the desegregation of our greater society, well that's another story. )

« 7:36:51 AM »