It’s all about the Kids
That “America the Beautiful” song melody before the kick-off was too much. I mean, Downs Syndrome kids are great, but when I’m slugging beers to stock the flames of my inner football beast, do I really need to watch them stumble through choreography? I know that the network executives aim to be as inoffensive to the sensibilities of television viewers after last year’s Halftime Peepshow, but to use retarded children to do their evil bidding is just wrong.
Non Sequitor
The WW2 tribute lacked context. Why are we honoring WW2 veterans when US soldiers are dying in Iraq? And how tasteless to have Michael Douglas paying tribute to the military when his acting roles always involve infidelity and lechery. What, was Tom Hanks busy?
And what was with Bill Clinton and George Bush the First chumming around the stadium and stumping for tsunami relief in matching blazers? I realize ex-presidents are politically irrelevant except as pawns of their respective parties, and it’s a great symbol of nonpartisan collaboration for a worthy cause, but it still pisses me off.
Buy This
Fox’s kamikaze-style plugging all during the Pre-Game show enraged me. The commercials were either mini-movies featuring plot lines and character development, or a bunch of morons high on Diet Pepsi and Dunkin Donuts Mocha Raspberry Lattes.
Most memorable: The sexy Tabasco commercial hawking hot sauce with a bikini-clad woman as a direct metaphor for a piece of meat.
Halftime
Ah, how refreshing was the Ameriquest Mortage Halftime Show. Good clean family entertainment, not anything like last year’s smutfest of sexual dancing and pasties. We got Paul McCartney bleating “Baby you can drive my car, beep-beep yah,” and a bunch of white teenagers gathered around the stage pretending to be totally electrified, as if they’re mad wild about Paul McCartney and listen to him, like, all the time. Let’s all sing along to “Hey Jude,” whoever the hell that is.
It would’ve been great if Sir Paul McCartney exposed himself during this year’s halftime show. I bet John Lennon would’ve done it.
They Play Football?
Last night’s game transcended what I typically expect from the Superbowl football game itself. Usually the quarterbacks play with caution. Lesser-known players are nervous; they fear making a mistake that could lead to them blowing the Superbowl, ending any dream of being a spokesperson for a local furniture or car dealership. Maybe because I feel passionate about both teams, but what an effing excellent game of football. I can’t remember such a fist-clenching game. The first quarter was an opera of riveting turnovers, with both teams playing some gutsy, wild football. How about McNabb’s pass to Pinkston in which he evaded about three dozen potential tackles to cannon the ball to a sprinting Pinkston firty yards away, leading to the first touchdown of the game?
The touchdown knocked the Patriots out of their offensive stupor, and they fought back and did me proud. After the Patriots scored their second touchdown, I thought the Eagles would fumble the game completely, so when they tied it 14-14 after a series of solidly excellent plays, I was delighted.
Halfway through the fourth quarter, the score was what I predicted as final, 24-14, Patriots. And then I was confident of a Patriots victory, and I felt really bad for the Eagles and their wonderfully raucous fans, especially when the Eagles continued to give their all through the rest of the game and scored another touchdown to make it 24-21, giving New England a bit of worry all through the two minute warning.
The Eagles are an amazing team but the Patriots are just better. If a football game could really be won with spirit and enthusiasm like Hollywood teaches us, it would have been the Eagles by 77. No doubt the Patriots went to the Super Bowl ready to play, but by and large New England fans just showed up for the game and the victory party. I ache for the Philly fans who wanted this.
