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?

This weekend is the Superbowl, the biggest game of the year, but still a dark cloud looms over the NFL, the possibility that there won’t be a 2011-2012 season thanks to a labor dispute between the NFL Players Association and owners.What does that mean for the sports famed gaming series? In a conference call with investors today, EA’s Chief Operating Officer John Schappert assured everyone that yes, there will be a Madden this year.

We, like you, are looking forward to the NFL and the [players] resolving their differences and starting the season on time this year,” said Schappert, “but in terms of a planning assumption … we’ve baked in the most conservative assumption, meaning no season. We’re optimistic it can be better than that, so there’s an upside.”

The possibility of a lockout could mean both good and bad things for the multi million dollar series, as no actual football means that more people will buy the game, but many of the franchise’s key modes are based on actual events each week in the NFL.

By the way, Packers by 10. Take that Guilfoil.

College football star Tim Tebow’s Super Bowl advertisement, funded by Focus on the Family, did not live up to its hype, according to The Celebrity Caf©. The anti-abortion commercial featuring Tebow and his mother was expected to very controversial, but was quite tame in actuality.

Blog Critics states that in the days leading up to the Super Bowl there was much discussion around the question of whether or not the ad should be allowed to be aired. Over the years, several ads have been banned from the big game because they were too "racy for the masses." Last year, PETA’s pro-vegetarian ad was banned for being too sexual, and this year an ad for the gay dating website mancrunch.com was also rejected.

Despite the building controversy, Tim Tebow’s ad was mild. According to The Celebrity Caf©, the ad was more of a lighthearted take on a mother-son relationship than it was an advocate against abortion, or a heartwarming story about a mother ignoring doctors’ advice and having her baby anyway. Tebow’s mother suffered a life-threatening infection while she was pregnant. Doctors expected a stillbirth and recommended she have an abortion. But Pam Tebow, despite the odds, made her own choice.

The actual ad briefly narrates Tebow’s story, and then shows Tim tackling his mother in a lighthearted way. The abortion issue is never explicitly mentioned or discussed in the commercial.

Jamelle Hill of ESPN wrote “I don’t care if you’re pro-choice or pro-life, conservative or liberal, God-fearing or atheist, you’ve got to admire Tebow for standing with conviction, even as he’s opening himself and his family up to criticism.”

All ad space is officially sold out for the Super Bowl as of Monday, said CBS spokeswoman Shannon Jacobs. CBS, the broadcaster for this year’s NFL championship, had some difficulty selling the last few of more than 62 spots, according to CNN. t.

CNN reports that a 30-second spot sold for up to $3 million, and Anheuser-Busch is the top advertiser this year having purchased five minutes worth of ad time.

Several first-time advertisers are in the lineup, according to the LA Times, including Kia Motors America, Qualcomm’s Flo TV and KGB texting information service. In addition, the Christian group "Focus on the Family," will be displaying a controversial anti-abortion commercial featuring college football star Tim Tebow. In addition, CBS rejected a gay dating website advertisement for ManCrunch.com, reported the LA Times.

“This year we are going to call it the Controversy Bowl,” said Mike Sheldon, chief executive of the Los Angeles advertising firm Deutsch LA. “It used to be a championship football game, then it became an advertising showcase, and now the Super Bowl has turned into a microphone for special interests."

Last month, CBS said it was selling 62 spots, but spokesman Dana McClintock said that the number has grown and is now very close to last year’s 69 spots.

“We’re happy campers over here,” said Jo Ann Ross, the president of network sales at CBS. Ross also said that there are some spots still available during the pre-game broadcast.

Last year’s Super Bowl had a record 98.7 million viewers, according to Nielsen, and Kantar Media says ads during the 2009 game brought in $213 million.

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