"Man's Best Friend" seemed to be the consensus favorite of last night's Super Bowl ads.

Without a doubt, the Super Bowl is the biggest TV event of the year. Brand name companies and their advertisers mark the day on their calendars knowing they will be paying an arm and a leg, but the exposure will be tremendous. But with every company looking to stand out, they brought their “A” game.

The Doritos contest strategy paid off immensely. According to USA Today’s Ad-Meter it was the most popular ad to air last night. Brand Bowl 2012, said it was the most tweeted about generating 48,498 tweets. “Man’s Best Friend,” a finalist in the “Crash the Super Bowl” contest, had me cracking up. The commercial centers around a cat-murdering dog who bribes his owner with a bag of Doritos to shut him up.

Also earning a lot of laughs was the other finalist, “Sling Baby.” In this one, a kid taunts his grandmother because he has a bag of Doritos’. Grandma decides she will launch the kid’s baby brother using the bungee-cord jumper to snag it from him.

More on the side of controversy was David Beckham’s risque black and white ad commercial for clothing retailer H&M. The concept is simple. Closeups of Beckham in nothing, but their new man panties, zooming in on his chiseled chest and torso (as well as his tattoos), set to porn music, basically. Although, the women in my household, and presumably all across America, were hot and bothered, this wasn’t what incited an uproar. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) demanded that CNN commentator Roland Martin be fired immediately regarding his tweet about the H&M commercial: “If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him!” This angered the gay activist organization, causing them to respond: “@rolandsmartin Advocates of gay bashing have no place at @CNN #SuperBowl #LGBT.” Roland retorted, “Well you’re clearly out of touch and clueless with what I tweeted. Way to assume, but you’re way off base.” He later tried to justify his remarks to his over 94,000 followers tweeting, “It’s hilarious when idiots…see my Beckham tweet as homophobic and I rip on soccer all of the time.” Whether he meant it as a slight at soccer and his fans or as a denigration of homosexual behavior matters little. GLAAD is not letting up, still rousing supporters and gay bloggers to initiate a campaign for his termination. To get up close and personal with David, click here.

Lovers of women in lingerie were not neglected, however. Adriana Lima, Victoria’s Secret model, appeared as a spokeswoman for Teleflora, an online flower delivery service. Needless to say, it was every bit as sexy as Beckham’s. Lima seems to be getting dressed for a night on the town as we watch her hook her bra and pull on her tights. And unlike H&M’s, it included dialogue: “Guys, Valentine’s Day is not that complicated. Give, and you shall receive.” Message happily received. Pay your respects to Ms. Lima here

Brand Bowl’s third most popular was courtesy of Chrysler. Clint Eastwood waxed philosophic about the recovery of Detroit’s motor industry. Apparently, Eastwood’s rhetoric on “Halftime in America” and us rallying as a nation to “come from behind,” touched the hearts of Americans like Eminem’s ode to Detroit did (set to his “Lose Yourself”) last year.

My personal favorite was from Fiat, who equated the beauty of their new sleek and sporty model with being seduced by an Italian supermodel (picture below). The reveal that he was kissing the window of a car completely caught me off guard, and was probably the most inventive premise of the night, while still going for sex appeal. For a laugh riot, click.

Filling out the remaining contenders, I was underwhelmed by Budweiser’s contributions, but thought the dog named “Wego,” was clever. Hint: If you call the dog, you would say “Here, Wego.” “Here We Go” is the Bud slogan. Going for the nostalgia factor, Acura and Honda shelled out the big bucks for tributes to pop culture. For Acura, Jerry Seinfeld starred in a parody of his “Seinfeld” show and Matthew Broderick showed up in Honda’s homage to his 80s classic, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Yeah, I got all the references, but it just didn’t tickle my funny bone like the others.

So, note to self: Wanna make millions on ads? Include babies, attractive and scantily clad women (but you can throw in a dude), and animal personification. Nostalgia is hit or miss, and involving your customers via contests can never hurt.

I won’t mention the game itself, because I know here in Boston it is a day of mourning, but I hope you at least enjoyed some of these crowd-pleasers up until the final whistle. Was one of your favorites not mentioned? Share links and your opinions of the ads mentioned in the comments section.

wireimage.com

What would the Super Bowl halftime show be without a little controversy? During Madonna’s performance, guest M.I.A. made waves when she flipped off the camera at the end of her bit.

While not as shocking as Janet Jackson’s nipple being exposed on live television, the gesture garnered multiple apologies from NBC and the NFL.

“Our system was late to obscure the inappropriate gesture and we apologize to our viewers,” said NBC spokesman Christopher McCloskey, according to hollywood.com.  NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said that M.I.A. did not indicate any such gesture in her performance during the rehearsals.

Hmm, I would have thought that M.I.A. would ask permission to flip off half the nation on a “family friendly” television network.  Go figure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhkDdayA4iA

Matthew Broderick took on his former role as Ferris Bueller in a Honda ad that resembled the much beloved 1986 flick. The commercial follows Broderick as he calls into work sick, then proceeds to embark on Bueller-style adventures with the aid of his trusty Honda CR-V.

A vague teaser of the commercial hit YouTube last week, fooling users and fans into thinking that a sequel was in the making. But, dreams were crushed as the full commercial was released, a full week earlier than the Super Bowl.

It would seem after the now legendary 2004 Janet Jackson Superbowl halftime show where the performer accidentally flashed everyone for 2.2 seconds in a blink and you miss it moment, that in addition to banning MTV from planning the entertainment, those in charge also sought to punish viewers in the last few years with mediocre and boring performances from legendary, yet dated performers who lacked the energy required to carry such a show and all of which were forgettable.

This year the producers found a seemingly perfect solution, the super popular, non-controversial, all around likable, and family friendly Black Eyed Peas. This also marked the first time a woman was allowed to perform on stage since Ms.Jackson, because you know all women had to be punished for the accidental indecency of one. So how did this show fare with a relatable young pop band? It was a convoluted mess.

The show set Twitter ablaze. It was a spectacle from beginning to end. I will break down my review by song performed.

“I Gotta Feeling”

This song was the opener and from the beginning it was clear that the performance was going to be full of sound issues. BEP did sing live, which is commendable, but does nothing for a performance when the live singing and sound system is atrocious. They had broken vocals every few minutes. Visually the performance included a mass of dancers in all white jumping around to the beat with flashing lights on the stage, field, and the bodies of the dancers and members of BEP.

It was all very strange; the dancers seemed like an audience more than part of the performance. BEP is on stage in a line only moving when they change lead vocals but otherwise were very low energy.

“Boom Boom Pow”

The dancers are now lit up in a string of green lights on their white jump suits and they are in huddled masses that sometimes form arrows for no reason. This portion appealed to all the viewers who decided to drop acid before the game started, but no one else. The BEP is still on stage barely moving and performing the lyrics with low energy as if they are bored. Fergie is trying her hardest to prove she can sing and accentuating vocals to the point she is almost screaming or doing her best Christina Aguilera impression.

“Sweet Child of Mine”

This was the most confusing and unnecessary moment of the entire performance. The BEP transition into Sweet Child of Mine, Slash gets raised onto the stage and Fergie belts out a few lines of the song while the other members of BEP are standing around awkwardly. I have said this before, but Slash in the past few years seems to be a favorite guest performer and will play a guitar riff on stage with anyone for a paycheck.

Apparently, Fergie will be collaborating with him on his new album, so perhaps this was a marketing ploy to get the BEP fan base thinking about buying the future record. Fergie also decided to dance as if she was an avatar in Guitar Hero next to Slash for some reason. Perhaps there will soon be a BEP Guitar Hero edition, too?

“Pump It/Let’s Get it Started”

After standing around the guys of BEP seem to have a little more energy but once Fergie comes back into the shot, they resume their linear position on stage and kind of sway around to the beat. They also decided to bring out some marching band members for this number, so guys are randomly playing trumpets and dancing behind them in white hooded sweatshirts, which seemed more like a scene from the movie Drumline than appropriate for the crazy futuristic LED stage/Tron dancer mash-up that seemed to be the theme for the show.

“OMG”

Usher had no reason to be a surprise guest, he was unimpressive and out of place. This was clearly an attempt at shock, yet because of Usher’s multiple failed comebacks; he really has not been truly relevant since his 2004 “Confessions” album. The fact that he has two radio hits this year does not make him worthy of a Superbowl performance and his 30 seconds on stage could have been better utilized. Yes, Usher can dance he did great choreography including his cheerleader move where he was raised up by other dancers, but it was nothing new and out of place. Not impressed.

“Where is the Love?”

This was by far the worst portion of this performance. In terms of production, it was a horrible choice and badly placed after an upbeat song like OMG. Also the dancers in their lighted jumpsuits now glow red and form hearts all over the field and the word love. It was cheesy and contrived to say the least.

“Time of My Life/I Gotta Feeling”

The BEP should stop performing “Time of My Life” and release another single so that the world can forget about it. It is a horrible song that destroys a classic. At least they only did a few lines of the song before going back into “I Gotta Feeling” to end. The BEP brought out the box-headed theme from the music video and those dancers surround them on stage in the white jumpsuits again. The dancers on the field are all in symmetrical lines and here we have everyone, including BEP doing marching/skipping choreography all synchronized. This might have been the best part of the show and when the BEP finally started moving and exerting themselves. I suppose they wanted to save their energy for the end. They transitioned back into “I Gotta Feeling” and thankfully ended their performance

Although this performance in every definition of the word, sucked, I am happy to see risks being taken by allowing The Black Eyed Peas to perform. Hopefully in the years to come we will see better and more relevant artists perform the halftime show, more risks being taken, and more collaborative efforts like we used to when MTV produced the show. Either that or we will be doomed to never have good entertainment during the Superbowl ever again- one or the other.

What are your thoughts?

Among all the comments regarding unique Super Bowl commercials, Lipton Brisk’s Eminem commercial got positive attention from a lot of people.

Eminem appeared an animated version of himself in an ad for Lipton Brisk Iced Tea. The commercial was helped developed by Eminem himself and made its debut last night during the first quarter of the Super Bowl.

So why don’t we briefly take a look at what people thought of the halftime show?

Before the show started, Usher, who was preparing to go onstage, tweeted, “#halftimeshow!! they’re gonna kill it,” while will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas tweeted, “I’m in the back getting ready and I can’t see the game .”

The Tweets started immediately from fans and fellow musicians. Most were not supportive.

LeToya Luckett, who was a member of Destiny’s Child, tweeted, “What in the FERGIE???? I want a light up bra too!!!”

Slash’s fans were very harsh and said that Fergie rendition the worst version of “Sweet Child O’ Mine” they had ever heard.

?uestlove of the Roots didn’t sound negative. He tweeted, “ferg is the first woman to perform the halftime show since nipplegate. highly surprised the unmoveable axl cleared this.”

Ryan Seacrest kept tweeting pictures from the show with no personal opinion. A wise way of reporting.

?uestlove of the Roots added, “now if wil is smart, nick will come and do “check it out”.” It was a ‘thinking outside the box’ opinion. No one really talked/thought about Nicki Minaj since they were just emphasizing how awesome or awful the show was. Everyone was ‘black or white’ and he totally went ‘no color’

Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe entered the Twitter war by tweeting “Worse halftime ever. Jesus. Really?”

Estelle focused on Usher’s appearance and tweeted, “Urshface! I love this perf!!! And the whole outfit this go round!!!! #yes!” And she later added, “This is a brilliant halftime show… Makes me wanna go see BEP in concert. The entire performance is visually incredible. #halftime”

Speaking of Usher, Justin Bieber tweeted, “THAT’S MY BIG BRO!!!” He sounded very happy about his mentor’s surprise performance.

Joey Kramer of Aerosmith agreed with Nikki Sixx by tweeting, “R they kidding with this ? Seriously WTF ?” He ended up taking to Sixx and said, “@NikkiSixx I hear ya brother.. WTF ?”

On the the hand, P. Diddy was very excited and said, “W0W!!!!!!!!!!! BEP! LeeGo!” Chris Brown also tweeted, “That’s was dope!!! ” the peas””

Jordin Sparks also liked it and tweeted, “They BETTER do the runnin man in the half time show!! Yessss. As a whole, I loved that half time performance! .” Jay Sean loved it too by tweeting “Just watched the black eyed peas perform at the superbowl. Wow. Wot a humongous production!!! AmAzing!!!!” Kim Kardashian tweeted as well, “Wow Black Eyed Peas killed it!!! Fergie looks sooo gorge!”

Avril Lavigne loved the BEP and said “The Black Eyed Peas just kicked ass at the Super Bowl. Great performance!!!! It was perfect. The dancers were insane.”

It seemed like that rock musicians liked Slash but didn’t like the BEP; pop celebrities loved the BEP and Usher but didn’t mention Slash… except for Justin Bieber who concluded by tweeting, “@BEP and @Slash and my big bro @UsherRaymondIV – #proud of u my dude. that split was crazy. #Halftimeshow.” He was pretty much all about Usher but sounded like he loved the show overall.

Jordin Sparks threw a question, “Did you like half time? Why or why not?”

Perez Hilton tweeted, “I think that was the best Half Time Show in years!” will.i.am replied, “@PerezHilton thanks perez…it means a lot from you…”

Some of them stared noticing that an intense controversy was happening on Twitter. Estelle tweeted, “It honestly doesn’t matter what we think tho…long as we watched it. Which we all did. #it‘sonlyentertainment ” and Jordin Sparks said, “Not saying it was perfect. But it was energetic, visually appealing & lots of surprises! Mixing def could’ve been better. Lol”

But when things were getting cool down, Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe shot this tweet, “WTF was that?”

Perez Hilton gave us the explanation, “So the Peas did not sound amazing, but they were very entertaining! Much better than The Who last year or Tom Petty before!” He was talking about The Who….?

It was a never-ending vicious cycled Twitter controversy caused by the Halftime show, which was even less than 15 minutes.

Christina Aguilera repeated a line while singing a rendition of the National Anthem before the start of Super Bowl XLV Sunday night.

When she got to the line, “O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming,” she instead sang “What so proudly we watched at the twilight’s last gleaming,” which is a repeat of an earlier line, substituting “watched” for “hailed.”

With that, the diva joins the likes of Macy Gray who said it was the “most embarrassing moment” of her life when she garbled the words to the Star Spangled Banner at the 2001 Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction, and Rosanne Barr, whose 1990 Padres/Reds game anthem is largely considered the worst ever.

Aguilera’s muck up set social media ablaze, as tweets started coming up as soon as she finished her mistake.

The national anthem preceded what many in the Twitterverse also consider to be the worst halftime show in 45 years.

So, right after the Super Bowl Halftime show, Twitter has been full of excitement and criticism. It really depends on your music taste and music background but what did you think of the show? We are neutral as much as possible here. Yes, we are.

The Black Eyed Peas kicked off the Super Bowl XLV halftime show with their hit from last year, “I Gotta Feeling.” And they started playing “Boom Boom Pow” while the stage was full of amazing lighting. The sound effect was not very good but it was not the performers’ fault anyway.

And Slash emerges from underneath (that’s how he usually appears), performing “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” to which Fergie joined. People had a lot to say regarding this combination (at least on Twitter). But again, it totally depends on your taste, so there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer to admit the combination.

After that, the Black Eyed Peas’ catchy tune “Pump It” started and quickly switched to another famous tune, “Let’s Get It Started.” The Peas generally tend to perform this tune in the beginning of their shows to open up their performance but this time, they performed it in the middle of the halftime show when it has ‘started’ already. However, there was nothing wrong with being in a strange order since the tune definitely helped the show speed up.

When “OMG” started, Usher was coming down to the stage from the above (that’s how he usually shows up onstage too). A camera did not get close to Usher for some reason.

The Peas got together again and performed “Where is the Love.” The song basically talks about unity based on love in the world and it was very touching when they did this song during their The E.N.D. tour last year. (Yes, Blast focused on them at that time.)?The environment of the halftime show was just not a good fit for this. All the people who watched the game were cheering for the biggest NFL game and weren’t necessarily fans of the Peas getting united based on love (or whatever you would have for your favorite musician.) So, there was no wonder people questioned but how they expressed on Twitter was very intense.

Of course they performed their latest single, “The Time (Dirty Bit)” gradually going back into “I Gotta Feeling.”

The show was way different from the last year’s show when The Who performed. But as the Black Eyed Peas were advertising and emphasizing that they would make the show ‘a party,’ the halftime show was quite a party so they fulfilled the promise that they made to people in advance. It was very sad to witness an intense Twitter controversy happening because of music and people’s various music taste but as music is very diversified in general, people’s opinions shouldn’t be the same as well. Fair enough?

For the Super Bowl this Sunday, while Wiz Khalifa, with his tune “Black and Yellow,” will support his Pittsburgh team, Steelers, New Orleans-based Lil Wayne, aka “Weezy,” is about to support the Green Bay Packers by his remix song “Green and Yellow.”

Weezy raps in the tune, “Got a call from my homey, this just in/ The Packers in the Super Bowl and they better win / They call him Big Ben, but he weak, though/ We in Dallas, but we Lambeau Leap, ho/ Long hair, don’t care, Clay Matthews/ We sh–in’ on these fools, no bathroom/ Yeah, got a pocket full of big faces/ Throw it up, touchdown on Ike Taylor.”

For the Super Bowl XLV this Sunday, Pepsi MAX is releasing a new video featuring rapper Snoop Dogg as part of their NFL Audible program.

Previous NFL Pepsi Max Audible spots have featured B.oB, Big Boi, Talib Kweli, and Lupe Fiasco.

What makes for the perfect Super Bowl party? Whether you have a vested interest in the game, or just the commercials, a few Boston area experts have you covered with tips to improve your experience via all five senses.

Many would consider the television to be the most important part of the big game, and we went to the best in the business for the right recommendations. “You need a big TV for the big game, and the bigger the better,” says Brian Gibson of Elite Media Solutions in Wellesley. Gibson recommends having at least a 55-inch screen, but if your wallet allows he’d gladly push you to go for the 60-inch Sony BRAVIA 810 Series. The BRAVIA will give you the smoothest motion in fast action sports and it’s 3D ready, so whether you are rooting for the Packers or Steelers, you are sure to have a sensational viewing experience while watching the game.

Boston-based celebrity chef Rebecca Newell of The Beehive, has done it all, from the Food Network to Martha Stewart Living, but now we know what she’ll be cooking up for the Super Bowl. Her favorite Super Bowl dishes have a unique take on classic tailgating fare.

Newell starts guests off with one of her favorite snacks, Rosemary Truffled Parmesan Popcorn.

Add two cups of popcorn kernels to a heated deep pot with canola oil. Shake vigorously until all kernels are popped. Add freshly shaved parmesan, white truffle oil, dried rosemary and salt and pepper to taste.

While her guests are on the offensive with the popcorn, Newell rubs pork tenderloin with cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Heating the oven to 425 degrees, she adds fresh garlic cloves, poblano peppers, tomatillos and red onion and cooks for 15 minutes or until medium. Take out and let rest for 15 minutes. Sliced on the bias, she adds the pork to warm flour tortillas with the freshly roasted veggies, avocado, cilantro and crème fraîche.

For the last dish, Newell turns a pedestrian standby into a new classic. For her Savory Sweet Chicken Wings she marinates chicken wings in soy sauce, maple syrup and Srirachca for 24 hours. If you don’t have access to a grill, Newell recommends broiling these savory-sweet gems in the oven on high with the oven rack in the center, turning occasionally to ensure perfect caramelization.

Finally, with all the effort you’ve put forth on the perfect experience, ditch the beer and select wine instead. Tina Messina of the Wine Connextion in North Andover recommends both red and white. “Sasyr, is a great Tuscan red and the Rosenblum Paso Robles Zinfandel will go great with any appetizer. However, I would recommend The Villa Mount Eden Chardonnay; that way it won’t matter if guests get too excited and spill a white.” Valued at $10 or below, these wines will wow your guests at a reasonable price.

Fox and the NFL have officially announced that Christina Aguilera will sing national anthem at the Super Bowl on February 6.

The singer commented in a statement, “I have been performing the Anthem since I was seven years old and I must say the Super Bowl is a dream come true. I am really excited to be part of such an iconic event.”

Also, the Black Eyed Peas will perform in the halftime show.

For Super Bowl and commercial advertisement during the game, so many interesting things happen every year. Here is another interesting collaboration to millions of Super Bowl viewers. Justin Bieber, 16, will team up with Ozzy Osbourne, 62, and his wife Sharon for a Best Buy commercial. The spot is the first Super Bowl commercial from Best Buy.

This Canadian pop sensation-British rocker combination team filmed the commercial in Los Angels this month.

No details have been revealed so we have to wait and see.

The 2011 Super Bowl will be held on February 6 in Dallas.

By 2015, there will be approximately 804 million smartphones worldwide. Lucky for football fans, the NFL and  mobile advertising agency Adzookie.com are already looking to the future, promising that by 2015 the Super Bowl will be streamed live via an iPhone.

Romeo Mendoza, CEO of the Orange, Calif.-based company that plans to handle the advertising, Adzookie.com, said in a statement that “Streaming the Super Bowl on a phone just makes sense. Cell phones already outnumber television sets 5-to-1.”

Given that the 2010 Super Bowl brought in 106 million viewers and earned over $300 million in network advertising sales — that’s $2.8 to $3 million per 30-second advertisement — streaming the Super Bowl on smartphones is a smart business decision. Further, through cell phones, advertisers can run multiple ads at the same time, catering to individual viewers based on age, gender, income and location, something that television ads cannot do.

“Companies prefer to promote their business via mobile ads than other forms of advertising,” Mendoza said.

Because of the increasing popularity of smartphone use and the edge that mobile advertising has over television advertising, viewers can expect to eventually watch all of their favorite shows via cell phones, said Mendoza.

“The Super Bowl is just the beginning,” he continued. “Eventually all programming will be mobile. We plan on being there when it happens.”

When you think Super Bowl, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Football, commercials, cheerleaders and beer, probably. Maybe Janet Jackson. But did you ever wonder how much it would take to ensure that all 76,500 fans that walk into Sun Life Stadium on Sunday, walk out safely?

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) have unleashed their best four-legged agents to guard against explosive threats at this year’s Bowl. The top K-9 units from around the country have been shipped down to Miami, along with local, state and federal law enforcement, to make sure the fans, players and staff can enjoy the game in safety.

Trained dogs from Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Colorado, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia and Florida are all helping to make sure Sun Life is free of explosive devices and other threats that could endanger any fan, staff or athlete during the big game on Sunday.

Harmonix and MTV Games today revealed next week’s Rock Band digital content, naming selections from hard-rockers Megadeth the songs in question.

In fact Megadeth’s 1990, Grammy Award-nominated album “Rust in Peace” in its entirety, will make its way to the Rock Band Music Store next week.

$14.99 gets you the entire album and $1.99 affords you each individual song. So it saves to buy it in its entirety, but only if you want every song, of course.

Available on Xbox 360 and Wii (Feb. 9) and PlayStation 3 system (Feb. 11):

"Holy Wars… The Punishment Due"
"Hangar 18"
"Take No Prisoners"
"Five Magics"
"Poison Was the Cure"
"Lucretia"
"Tornado of Souls"
"Dawn Patrol"
"Rust in Peace… Polaris"

Classic-rockers The Who are the half-time spectacle this weekend at Super Bowl XLIV but if you want to do more than watch the dudes shred guitar and rock the drum set, you too can join in, via Rock Band.

When the game concludes, Harmonix will release the same version of the jam-session The Who play on-stage in Florida in the Rock Band Music Store for all to download.

When the final whistle blows this Sunday evening and the New Orleans Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts 35-31, you can download the song on Wii and Xbox 360 for $1.99.

The song will look like “The Who Super Bowl S-mashup” in the Rock Band Music Store when it releases.

PS3 rockers, you’ll have to wait until Thursday. No reason as to why was provided.

EA Sports, makers of Madden NFL games, today released the results of its Super Bowl XLIV simulation and said the New Orleans Saints will dismantle the Indianapolis Colts by a 35-31 margin to take home their first Super Bowl title.

Here’s how EA says the game will go down:

“The first three quarters display the offensive fireworks that both teams have become known for, with the Colts leading 24-21. A nail biting fourth quarter begins with a big play, courtesy of the Saints’ special teams, when Reggie Bush returns a punt for a 42-yard touchdown. However, with minutes left in the game the duo of Joseph Addai and Peyton Manning put the Colts back on top with a go-ahead touchdown pass. With the game hanging in the balance, Drew Brees hits David Thomas for an 11-yard touchdown and the game winning score.”

How accurate is the simulation? Well, EA has simulated the Super Bowl every year since 2004 and, with the exception of the Giants victory over the Patriots in 2008, has been freakishly correct every year.

Last year the simulation said the Steelers would defeat the Cardinals and they did, with the simulation only missing the final outcome of the game by one point for each team. Scary, right?

Sounds like we’re in for a showdown this weekend. Also, keep an eye out for the Dante’s Inferno commercial, though it won’t look like this.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw a football in front of his team and the media at Gillette Stadium yesterday afternoon. It was his first time in front of an audience since tearing his ACL and MCL during the first game of the 2008 season.

Brady, wearing a brace on his surgically-repaired knee, threw five passes in a drill for two completions. He was careful not to give definitive answers about his preparedness for next season.

“Life doesn’t always go how you plan it, and it’s a matter of dealing with it and understanding ‘what do I have to do to get on the right track?’,” Brady told the media. “Talk is cheap. I could sit here and tell you guys I’m going to play until I’m 80, but that doesn’t matter. I’m going to go do the best I can do, and I’m going to try to be the best leader and the best teammate and supporter of the guys on my team.”

Brady developed an infection in his knee a week after undergoing surgery on Oct. 6 of last year. He was treated aggressively for the “very treatable” staph infection and it won’t cause him any long-term problems.

“Part of surgery and rehab is you have setbacks, and you just deal with them,” he said.

The Patriots open their season on Sept. 14 against the Buffalo Bills.

A source close to the situation told the Associated Press that the 2010 NFL Pro Bowl will be played in Miami one week before the Super Bowl, which will also be held at Dolphin Stadium.

It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Pro Bowl will return to Hawaii, although it’s doubtful that it will be on a regular basis as it has been since 1980.

Moving the Pro Bowl to the week before the Super Bowl is great for people who already feel that it’s taken too seriously. Many Pro Bowl players are “injured” the week after the Super Bowl and unable to play. As it is, many players love the honor, but hate playing in the actual game.

Playing the Pro Bowl a week prior to the big game will almost ensure that players who will be participating in the Super Bowl will play in a meaningless game. It’s one thing to play for that elusive championship trophy, it’s quite another to risk your entire career in a worthless game the week before. Who wouldn’t want to play in the Pro Bowl at that point?

While Super Bowl tickets have been selling for thousands of dollars a pop for years now, this year’s Super Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL will be the first to feature tickets with a $1,000 face value. This will ensure that, as always, the average fan is able to attend and enjoy the game.

The tickets for this year’s big game were released at $800 and $1,000, up from last year’s $700 and $900.

For the whole article, see our Off the Record blog with sports editor Micah Warren!

Yes, it could happen. Remember the Super Bowl of the 2001 season? The underdog Patriots came in with no shot against The Greatest Show on Turf. They were lucky to be there and had no chance against the offensive superpower that was the St. Louis Rams. Well, whether they cheated or not, they won (and by the way, cheating only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. Wait…do I have that right?). [...]

See our Sports Blog for more!

In the end, it was one of the greatest Super Bowls of all time. If you are a Giants fan, it was probably the greatest.

It wasn’t just that they won but how they won. Facing “The Greatest Team Ever,” the New York Giants were forced to stare down the immortal Tom Brady. And they did.

Here are my thoughts from the game:

If Asante Samuel catches that ball on the Giants’ final drive, we aren’t talking about Eli Manning today.

I know they say cornerbacks are just wide receivers that can’t catch, but you have to make that play. Instead of 19 and 0, it is 19 and Uh Oh.

The Manning scramble out of trouble and toss to wide receiver/special teams ace David Tyree is one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history.

It wasn’t the best decision to throw that ball up for grabs, because let’s be honest, Tyree isn’t Lynn Swann. But it worked. Tyree made a catch for the ages, clutching the ball between his hand and helmet as he was wrestled to the ground.

Memo to Giants General Manager Jerry Reese: Cut Jeremy Shockey.

It is painfully obvious that Manning relaxed and progressed as a quarterback after that guy broke his leg. Rookie Kevin Boss did an admirable job and the Giants have been more productive sans Shockey.

In the middle of the game, the Patriots had a drive stall on the Giants 31-yard line and faced 4th and 13. Send in kicker Stephen Gostkowski, right? Nope.

They passed up what would have been a 49-yard field goal to go for it on 4th and forever. This isn’t Bill Belichick being arrogant. This is Belichick not trusting his kicker.

Can we finally just come out and say that the Super Bowl commercials are no longer worth the hype?

I can’t believe the amount of money spent and that was the result. What a waste of time.
How good is the Giants defensive line?

Brady was harassed all day and never got comfortable. Sure, everyone says that you have to pressure Brady to win, but no one has been able to do it. The Giants did. Justin Tuck is a monster. Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora dominated a very talented Patriots’ offensive line. And it wasn’t just edge pressure, they were having jailbreaks up the middle. Pressure in the middle disrupts offenses completely.

An hour before the game, life was superb for Belichick.

He had an 18-0 team and was facing what was essentially an inferior opponent. Now, the perfect season is blown and he has some ‘splainin’ to do to Senator Arlen Specter. If it is determined that he has been cheating this whole time — as is alleged by an unknown source with knowledge of the situation — and that he really did tape walkthrough practices of the Rams before the Super Bowl in 2002, this guy’s life and legacy could go south very quickly.
Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer thought it was ironic that Tyree played so well in the Super Bowl considering his recent practice.

“It was funny because at practice on Friday, [Tyree] was dropping everything,” Toomer said. “He dropped every ball. It goes to show he’s a tough guy and he represents our team well. We fight until the end and that’s why we win.”

Randy Moss was virtually invisible for the first half of the game.

The Giants game plan was to take away Moss on the deep routes. So, why did the Patriots go to the dink and dunk and ignore the intermediate come-back routes?

Give Reese a ton of credit for his 2007 draft class.

Aaron Ross, Steve Smith, Zak DeOssie, Kevin Boss, Michael Johnson, Jay Alford and Ahmad Bradshaw all played key roles throughout the playoff run. That’s very, very impressive.

Can someone tell me why the Patriots left Ellis Hobbs in single coverage on Plaxico Burress on the deciding touchdown?

That area of the field is where Burress is most dangerous. That is not a one-man job.

Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo just made himself some money.

Redskins owner Dan Snyder has been waiting to interview him for their vacant head-coaching position and you can better believe he watched Sunday’s game. Why even interview him? Spagnuolo should just mail him the Super Bowl game tape and wait for a contract offer.

The world looks to the Patriots and Giants as they do battle Sunday — will it be Michael Strahan or Junior Seau who takes home their first Super Bowl ring?

But while the focus is on sports and Mexican journalists proposing to Tom Brady, I decided to look at what some people below the radar are doing to prepare for football’s annual gluttony festival.

Here in Boston, RC SILK is waiting for the final gun to sound so they can flip the switch on either the Patriots or the Giants Super Bowl XLII championship “locker room” t-shirts. The Giants one is traditional, while the Pats shirt makes specific mention of the “Perfect Season — 19-0.”

Reps from Reebok, whose label will be on all the shirts, are standing by at RC’s 20,000 sq. ft. facility in South Boston to help get the shirts to dealers.

“RC Silk is proud to offer its full production capabilities to this event: three fully automated, pneumatic/servo, multi color industrial printing presses, feeding a gas powered, 800,000 btu, 72″ belt drier,” the company said in an email Friday. “RC SILK operates the largest production shop in Boston.”

Over in East Boston, Danilchuk Auto Body is no stranger to ripping apart cars and trucks, but these guys get creative with it!

Danilchuk has done their part to crush the Giants in Boston. Beingin Boston, this auto shop gets to do this almost every year — they made similar displays of the Red Sox against the Rockies in the World Series and the Patriots versus the Panthers a few years back.

Finally, my favorite, Amber, the Louisville Zoo’s 20-year-old orangutan made her pick known by sporting a Patriots t-shirt.

Zoo officials laid two shirts out for her — Giants and Pats — and she walked right up to the 18-0 team’s shirt and threw it on.

Amber is not only a sports fan, but she’s also quite the fashionista. Her t-shirt prediction was part of the zoo’s “animal enrichment program.”

“Animal enrichment is an important aspect of animal management at the Louisville Zoo,” said Animal Training Supervisor Jane Anne Franklin. “Amber and other animals at the Zoo are given regular enrichment that provides them with mental and physical stimulation.”

Playing with T-shirts and other items of clothing is one of Amber’s favorite activities.

“When she is given a shirt, she often likes to take it and rub it across her face and feel the texture before she puts it on. Oh, and she really likes handbags!” Franklin laughed. “If she had to choose between two handbags that might have been hard for her, because I bet she would have carried both of them around and not let them out of her sight.”

Let us be thankful that there are no Super Bowl locker room handbags.

Super Bowl Sunday is coming and you are hosting a big party. You’ve got your HDTV all set up and your huge Houston Texans #1 foam finger ready to go (because you are a Texans fan and don’t really have a rooting interest in the game. Hey, we can’t all make it this far).

But what should you serve your friends? The beverages are easy — a ton of beer and a small box of wine for that one friend who doesn’t like the taste of beer.

Well, Jerome Bettis is here to help with the food. He is working with cardiologist Dr. Richard Collins to help provide healthy Super Bowl food options. They are hosting a Cardio Kick-Off Party that will break the Guinness World’s record for World’s Largest Food Spread.

Hopefully, “The Bus” doesn’t eat the whole thing.

Here are four sorta-can’t-miss recipes that are easy to make and pretty healthy to eat. Now, you can make the case that your friends should fend for themselves because they are a bunch of mooches who never pay for anything, in which case, simply email them this story and have them make these and bring them over.

Let’s discuss.

The Turkey and Black Bean Super Nachos will be a hit for sure. If you are afraid of the ground turkey as opposed to beef, don’t be. You don’t even have to mention anything to your guests. I’ll bet they won’t notice. And if they do, kick them out.

Buffalo Chicken Bites? I’ll eat Buffalo anything.

Creamy Spinach and Hearts of Palm dip. This is the one the host has to start selling to the guests in the fourth quarter. “Hey guys, don’t forget we’ve got plenty of spinach and hearts of palm dip left. Jerry, you want to try this dip? Mark, did you try the spinach dip? There is plenty left. Jack, please don’t tell me you haven’t tried the dip.”

Hearty Game Day Potato Skins. Why the “hearty” and “game day” in the title? Can’t go wrong with these. Potato skins are marvelous.

So if you get stuck with greasy pizza, you can’t blame Bettis.

Turkey and Black Bean Super Nachos

12 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes — Cook Time: 15 minutes

2 Tbsp. Promise Buttery Spread
1 cup finely chopped orange or red bell pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
8 ounces ground turkey
1 can (15.5 oz.) black beans beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp. chili powder
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 bag (12.5 oz.) baked white corn tortilla chips
1/2 cup low fat shredded cheddar cheese (about 4 oz.)
1 large tomato, chopped

In 12-inch skillet, melt Promise Buttery Spread over medium heat and cook orange pepper and onion, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until tender. Add turkey, beans and chili powder and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until browned. Stir in 1 tablespoon cilantro.

On oven-safe platter or pizza pan, arrange chips. Top with turkey mixture, then sprinkle with cheese and tomato. Broil until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro.

Nutrition Information per serving: Calories 230, Calories From Fat 60, Saturated Fat 1.5g, Trans Fat 0g, Total Fat 7g, Cholesterol 10mg, Sodium 500mg, Total Carbohydrate 29g, Sugars 2g, Dietary Fiber 4g, Protein 12g, Vitamin A 15 percent, Vitamin C 30 percent, Calcium 10 percent, Iron 10 percent

Buffalo Chicken Bites

36 skewers

Prep Time: 20 minutes — Cook Time: 8 minutes

2 Tbsp. Promise Buttery Spread
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded 1/4-inch thick (about 2 breasts)
2 Tbsp. cayenne pepper sauce
12 ribs celery, sliced into 2-inch pieces (36 pieces)
36 cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup Wish-Bone Fat Free! Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing

In 12-inch nonstick skillet, melt 1/2 tablespoon Promise Buttery Spread over medium heat and cook chicken, turning once, 8 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked; cut into 3/4-inch pieces and keep warm.

In medium microwave-safe bowl, microwave remaining Spread with cayenne pepper sauce 15 seconds at HIGH or until melted. Add chicken; toss to coat.

On 36 wooden skewers, alternately thread celery, tomatoes and chicken. On serving platter, arrange skewers and serve with Dressing.

Nutrition Information per serving: Calories 90, Calories From Fat 20, Saturated Fat 0g, Trans Fat 0g, Total Fat 2g, Cholesterol 20mg, Sodium 240mg, Total Carbohydrate 7g, Sugars 2g, Dietary Fiber 2g, Protein 10g, Vitamin A 10 percent, Vitamin C 20 percent, Calcium 4 percent, Iron 4 percent

Creamy spinach and hearts of palm dip

4-3/4 cups dip

Prep Time: 20 minutes — Cook Time: 10 minutes

2 Tbsp. Promise Buttery Spread
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 bag (10 oz.) baby spinach leaves
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 package (8 oz.) fat free cream cheese, softened
1 cup nonfat sour cream
1 can (7.75 oz.) hearts of palm, rinsed, drained and finely chopped
1/2 cup fat free mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
2 loaves (12 oz. ea.) French baguettes, sliced

In 12-inch nonstick skillet, melt Promise Buttery Spread over medium-high heat and cook onion, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until onion is tender and golden. Stir in spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until wilted. Stir in garlic powder and let cool.

In large bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, hearts of palm and cheeses. Stir in spinach mixture. Serve with your favorite dippers.

Nutrition Information per 4 tablespoon serving including bread: Calories 150, Calories From Fat 25, Saturated Fat 1g, Trans Fat 0g, Total Fat 5g, Cholesterol 5mg, Sodium 400mg, Total Carbohydrate 23g, Sugars 2g, Dietary Fiber 2g, Protein 7g, Vitamin A 15 percent, Vitamin C 6 percent, Calcium 10 percent, Iron 10 percent

Hearty Game day Potato Skins

24 servings

Prep Time: 1 hour — Cook Time: 17 minutes

6 large baking potatoes (about 3-3/4 lbs), unpeeled and baked
3 Tbsp. Promise Buttery Spread
3/4 cup low fat cheddar cheese (about 3 oz.)
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup light sour cream
2 large green onions, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 425.

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Remove about 1/3 of the potato pulp, leaving 1/2-inch shell (save pulp for another use). Generously brush inside each potato half with Promise Buttery Spread.

On baking sheet, arrange potatoes. Bake 15 minutes or until potatoes are crisp. Evenly top with cheese and tomatoes. Broil 1 minute or until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream, then sprinkle with green onions.

Nutrition Information per serving: Calories 70, Calories From Fat 15, Saturated Fat 0.5g, Trans Fat 0g, Total Fat 2g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 40mg, Total Carbohydrate 10g, Sugars 1g, Dietary Fiber 1g, Protein 2g, Vitamin A 6 percent, Vitamin C 8 percent, Calcium 4 percent, Iron 2 percent