Why were the Super Bowl ads so dull?
January 27, 2003 8:31 AM   Subscribe

Why were the Super Bowl ads so dull? Was it lack of money, lack of creativity, or something else?
posted by fred_ashmore (79 comments total)
 
Fear of wasting 2.1 million dollars (not including the cost of making the ad) on something edgy or interesting.
posted by jonson at 8:35 AM on January 27, 2003


phew, that write up was almost as 'existentially depressing' as the MJ vs MJ commercial.
posted by xmutex at 8:44 AM on January 27, 2003


Ad critic is pay-per-view, or per month anyway, so where can the proletariat see these commericals online?
posted by Tacodog at 8:46 AM on January 27, 2003


Hmmm, brinkmanship abroad and dullsville stateside. We are reliving the Eisenhower era.
posted by machaus at 8:51 AM on January 27, 2003


Perhaps with the way the commercials are hyped every year we're just expecting too much from them?

After all, they're just commericals.

My favorite was the anti-marijuana one with the "youngest grandparents in town." It's good to encourage kids to not do drugs. We wouldn't want them to do anything that might cloud their judgement.

And hey, how about all those beer ads!
posted by bondcliff at 8:51 AM on January 27, 2003


TacoDog - USA Today's website, I believe.
posted by jonson at 8:52 AM on January 27, 2003


SuperSpots. It seems a bit slow-loading right now. They're realplayer format.
posted by ecrivain at 8:55 AM on January 27, 2003


Also, here is the link from the aforementioned USA Today. Not sure how fast it's running, but I'd imagine the servers have deep pockets buying their bandwidth. The pages certainly loaded quickly.

Also, I was mildly amused by the closing line of the Budweiser clown spot.
posted by jonson at 8:57 AM on January 27, 2003


When was it decided that that all Super Bowl ads needed to be creative or interesting?

I recall that for years Master Lock spent its entire television ad budget on one ad that ran during the Super Bowl. There was nothing flashy about the ad, but it contained the memorable image of its lock remaining in place, even after being the target of a high-power gunshot. To me, that type of ad is more effective in conveying a message than a hundred silly Bud Light ads. Of course, it's no fun to talk about on Monday.
posted by Durwood at 8:59 AM on January 27, 2003


I think it was the lack of the commentator's ability to allow himself to enjoy the ads.

Personally, I liked a lot of the ads. I loved the Budweiser ad that had the zebra acting as the referee during a football game between the famous clydesdales. I thought that the Monster ad, featuring the driverless 18-wheeler was a really funny and memorable way to get the word out that blue collar jobs are also available on monster.com. The Jordan versus Jordan ad was also amazing to me, not because there was some computer wizardry involved, but because the younger Jordan didn't just look like a younger Jordan, he played like the Jordan of the Bulls dynasty.

Maybe I'm not disappointed with the ads because I was watching for the football, not the ads and the halftime show. Maybe I'm just a bourgeois fool. Either way, I liked watching the game and the ads.
posted by mosch at 9:02 AM on January 27, 2003


I thought that review was spot on. This year's commercials were a steaming pile of crap.
posted by mathowie at 9:05 AM on January 27, 2003


Wow, an article that sneers about the lameness of television commercials. How edgy.

For my part, a whole bunch of us yelled happily over the previews of The Matrix and The Hulk, and hurled peanuts at the screen when the predictably awful "drug users support terrorism" ads appeared. Interactive, baby.
posted by Skot at 9:05 AM on January 27, 2003


also, we got a good laugh out of the Rebook ad featuring one of the TB linemen slamming down various office workers.

good one, that was.
posted by xmutex at 9:10 AM on January 27, 2003


although... no ads were as funny as rich gannon throwing 5 picks, including two for TDs, including one with :04 remaining.

hoo hoo hoo!
posted by xmutex at 9:12 AM on January 27, 2003


I was glad to see that moveon.com managed to get the last minute cash to run their ad. Other than that I'm with Matt, steaming crap pile! The only ads that caught your attention were the anti-drug spot and the clown ass, virtually everything else lacked the usual excitement we've come to expect from Super Bowl Sunday. The Oz-monds spot was dreadful!
posted by Pollomacho at 9:13 AM on January 27, 2003


That was two Michael Jordans?
*smacks head with hand*
posted by konolia at 9:29 AM on January 27, 2003


Sounds like my first ever fully Tivo-ized Super Bowl was well worth it. Although I stopped to check out the Matrix and Hulk ads.
posted by norm at 9:32 AM on January 27, 2003


The Super Bowl was yesterday?
posted by lazaruslong at 9:35 AM on January 27, 2003


Hmmm, brinkmanship abroad and dullsville stateside. We are reliving the Eisenhower era.

I guess that makes it official. We will be going to war with Korea.
posted by donovan at 9:36 AM on January 27, 2003


The Super Bowl was yesterday?

I post to threads I don't care about?
posted by Skot at 9:38 AM on January 27, 2003


I've heard you can find the ads here but as of this moment it's pretty slashdotted.

In general it seemed like the whole event (Production and funness) was pretty low. As much as I dispised the bubblegum-pop of Britney et. al last year, at least there was a level of showmanship above Shania Twain lip-synching a 5 year old song. And I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about Sting and Gwen Stefani singing Message in a Bottle, but I'm begining to lean towards 'violently ill' at this point.
posted by KnitWit at 9:43 AM on January 27, 2003


I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about Sting and Gwen Stefani singing Message in a Bottle, but I'm begining to lean towards 'violently ill'

I think Sting probably shares your sentiments (as do I), and I bet he's feeling a mite dirty this a.m. for ever having consented to whoring himself out to that atrocious display. At least I hope that's the case, so that I may retain one shred of respect for him.
posted by boomchicka at 9:50 AM on January 27, 2003


what's a superbowl?
posted by quonsar at 9:51 AM on January 27, 2003


Sting has been a (I hate to use this word, but for lack of a better term..) sell-out whore for decades.

Need I remind you a Video Music Awards performance when he made a duet with Puffdaddy? A rap remix of Roxanne which he sang on? The Winter Olympics?

A bigger question would be, "Who the Hell keeps Booking him for this Shit?"
posted by Stan Chin at 9:54 AM on January 27, 2003


How old is that No Doubt song? And Message in a Bottle has to be almost 20 years old now. Why did they pick those songs? It was just weird.

Anyone else notice that the reason for being physically assaulted by the office linebacker was the office drone not including the cover sheet to his TPS report?

On preview; Stan, remember Sting's Jaguar commercials, featuring the first single off his new CD as the theme for the commercial, to coincide with the release of the CD, and starring Sting, riding in a Jaguar?
posted by dglynn at 10:10 AM on January 27, 2003


"A bigger question would be, 'Who the Hell keeps Booking him for this Shit?'"

Sting is a Man Of The People. What's the matter with you Stan, do you hate America or something?
posted by mr_crash_davis at 10:11 AM on January 27, 2003


I hate any America that has a French-Canadien gag herself with a microphone and by sheer coincidence vomit up God Bless America.
posted by Stan Chin at 10:18 AM on January 27, 2003


As for the age of the songs, neither of them are as old as Walk This Way, which Aerosmith played two superbowls ago.
posted by jonson at 10:20 AM on January 27, 2003


Did anyone but me notice that for most of the pregame show, while interviewing athletes, they were playing tracks off of the new coldplay album?
posted by SpecialK at 10:22 AM on January 27, 2003


Okay, if we're going to discuss Sting and No Doubt, how about those Dixie Chicks? Their rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" was, to my mind, outstanding. It was beautiful. All the chit-chat in the room died after the first couple of lines, and everyone sat and listened. The woman next to me was moved to tears. Moved to tears by the national anthem? That's something else. Those chicks can sing...
posted by jdroth at 10:23 AM on January 27, 2003


Stan you're the man...
posted by thomcatspike at 10:27 AM on January 27, 2003


When was it decided that that all Super Bowl ads needed to be creative or interesting?

Oh, about 1984.
posted by kindall at 10:36 AM on January 27, 2003


A superbowl critique from last year (from my old site, but not written by me, thankee.)

I thought it was funny to see all the folks with hands over heart for God Bless America, just 'cause it had the words "god" and "america" in it. Also funny is that they hired the Dixie Chicks and Michelle Branch to show up and lip-synch to tapes of themselves singing.

The game was good, though! Go Titans--er, I mean, Buc's!
posted by mikrophon at 10:37 AM on January 27, 2003


dixie chicks....that's funny.
posted by billybobtoo at 10:38 AM on January 27, 2003


jdroth, I couln't agree more. I was just chomping at the bit waiting for a chance to make fun of the dixie chicks, but they put together a really well-done version of the anthem. I still think anything that tastefully done has no place at the superbowl, though.
posted by Samsonov14 at 10:39 AM on January 27, 2003


Why did they pick those songs?

I wondered the same thing and made this guess.

I'm a Girl...no girls on the playing field.
Message in a Bottle...impending war.
Or Shania Twain is the Bomb and were behind the times in rock.
posted by thomcatspike at 10:41 AM on January 27, 2003


Off topic, but this has been bugging me for a while... Why is it called the "Super Bowl"?
posted by dazed_one at 10:44 AM on January 27, 2003


jdroth-- good one! clever, subtle, funny!
posted by xmutex at 10:44 AM on January 27, 2003


I'm with you on the Star Spangled Banner, well done, very moving, devoid of the usual BS. As for the age of any songs, particularly the "ancient" Aerosmith songs, when exactly did Santana first cover Oye Como Va, 1965? When did Tito Puente write it 1955? I'm sure old Tito was spinning in his grave last night to hear Beyonce "sing" along, it probably resembled something like her "dancing!"
posted by Pollomacho at 10:45 AM on January 27, 2003


AOL has some ads too... Don't have real on this machine so i can't say how their server is holding up.

For my money, although not really a 30sec spot, I thought the Terminator/Star Players tie in in the pregame show was good. My favorite commercial was definitely the reebok one with the football player - *SMASH* "You forgot a cover sheet on your TPS Reports!".

I also thought the Bud/Zebra ad, the 2 ABC The Practice ads with the girls/guys fighting in the fountain (that was a fast parody, disney), and (contrary to the author in the linked post) the H&R Block Willie Nelson ads were clever. But overall I thought most of the ads weren't so much dull as I thought they were all out flops. I can just imagine a few big execs exclaiming *This* is our ad? Can we make another one in time for the game Sunday? No? Christ, there goes my job!.

And can anyone tell me who the hell these people are and why they would pay so much on a superbowl ad (apparently at the expense of a web site that explains who they are)?
posted by 10sball at 10:48 AM on January 27, 2003


How old is that No Doubt song? And Message in a Bottle has to be almost 20 years old now. Why did they pick those songs? It was just weird.
Actually, I'm glad they picked that choon. I was dreading hearing No Doubt's "Underneath It All" blather (or that sog about Gwen Stefani sipping on chamomile) or Sting's latest ho-hum blah-blah rehash -- both of which would have been A) messy washes of nothing in the Super Bowl context and sound production and B) ample fodder for any itchy clicker fingers.
My favorite was Shan ia Twain's backup band looking for all the world like honkey versions of the Jackson Five circa the Victory Tour.

Well, that and Tampa spanking Oakland.
posted by chandy72 at 10:49 AM on January 27, 2003


dazed_one: Because the guy who named it saw his son playing with a Super Ball, and the name stuck in his head. True story. But I have no citations because I'm lazy.
posted by jammer at 10:51 AM on January 27, 2003


jdroth: Glad you mentioned this. It's a rare thing when the most tasteful and best performed song of the night is "The Star-Spangled Banner". Usually it's a shriek-fest of unwelcome vocal pyrotechnics and overwrought accompaniment.

Last night, it was a beautiful moment. Great arrangement, solid performance, and respectful delivery. The Dixie Chicks did good.

(For the record, I liked the Willie Nelson and Terry Tate, Office Linebacker commercials. And the beer commercial with the guy putting his Puli on his head.)
posted by jmcmurry at 10:51 AM on January 27, 2003


Of course, us Canucks didn't get to see most of the good ads during the Super Bowl (but did see the Matrix ones). So I had to go to the web to see what everyone online was talking about.

I was eventually pointed to http://terrytate.reebok.com to find the 4 minute compilation of his "Office Linebacker" commercial. Very funny stuff, especially the reference to "Office Space".

As for the Coldplay songs, they were the band that was appearing on "The Jimmy Kimmel" show on ABC later that night (12:30am).

BTW, it's called the "Super Bowl" because most college football games that mean something are called "bowl games" (Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl). This was just an extension of that meme.
posted by grum@work at 10:56 AM on January 27, 2003


I thought it was funny to see all the folks with hands over heart for God Bless America, just 'cause it had the words "god" and "america" in it.

but they put together a really well-done version of the anthem. I still think anything that tastefully done has no place at the superbowl, though.

Huh? When did disrespect for others & "done distastefully become the in thing while a song is played in respect to a country you reside under, your nation?
And thank God they didn't have Celine Dion sing our national anthem.
posted by thomcatspike at 11:00 AM on January 27, 2003


But why "Bowl" pf all words? I mean, "ball" seems to make more sense.
posted by dazed_one at 11:00 AM on January 27, 2003


a hundred silly Bud Light ads

besides silly, i thought they were coarse, lame, and generally offensive. Dog-On-Head Rasta Man? just imagine if they'd cast a white guy for that role. Clown Ass? i felt like i was trapped watching a bad summer camp skit. Big-Assed Mother-In-Law? how many tired old jokes can they cram into one ad? and my vote for Barrel-Bottom Moment of the Night, the Yoga/Ogling Class one! first of all, that was more T&A than the entire evening up til that point combined, then the gross crotch shots...uggggghhhhh. lest you think me humorless, i LOVED the "Terry Tate: Office Linebacker" one, and the Zebra ref one. but generally the evening reinforced the notion that SB ads are produced by teams of poop-flinging monkeys and/or drunken frat boys, yum yum.

and speaking of humorless, didn't anyone watch/review the SNL "Alterna-Halftime" thing on NBC? talk about plateau-ing...it was a like a condensed version of a full SNL, starts out funny, gets even funnier, then plummets down into god-awful. i loved the Gollum bit, Horatio Sanz as Gene Shalit, and Tracy Morgan as Al Sharpton ("I will not rest until there's a black elf in that Keebler Tree!"). but someone please tell Jimmy Fallon that Adam Sandler wants his "Wedding Singer" shtick back...
posted by serafinapekkala at 11:08 AM on January 27, 2003


With his strained attempts to find deeper underlying meaning in the pathetic Super Bowl ads, Mr. Mahoney has inadvertently conjured the perfect metaphor for mankind's struggle to glean substance from the shallow sea of popular culture.


Sorry. Couldn't resist. Actually, I liked the piece. I think the lameness of the ads boils down to a current fear of risk on the part of the companies, coupled with our high expectations, as pointed out by johnson & bondcliff. I guess the bubble years really were a golden age. If only we had known...

As for the halftime show, it filled me with nostalgia for the great alternatives of yesteryear, like B&B's Buttbowl, and the cringe-inspiring homophobia of In Living Color's Men on Film Superbowl Halftime Spectacular. We switched over to Cartoon Network. I'll watch almost anything but lip-sync medleys. Damn! Wish I'd known about the SNL thing.
posted by gimli at 11:16 AM on January 27, 2003


The oddest moment of the commercials for me was when Ted Kaczynski hand delivered the FedEx package. I really wondered where they could possible go with that, until they revealed it was a "Cast Away" spoof. I suppose I would have instantly known that had I seen the movie.
posted by ewagoner at 11:16 AM on January 27, 2003


But why "Bowl" pf all words? I mean, "ball" seems to make more sense.

Possibly because the stadiums resemble bowls?
posted by JaxJaggywires at 11:16 AM on January 27, 2003


boring game, boring commercials
posted by adampsyche at 11:17 AM on January 27, 2003


dazed... the championships in college were always bowls. Sugar Bowl, Cotton Bowl, and all that. Lombardi named the AFC-NFC Championship Game the "Super Bowl"; of course, that game is now Super Bowl I.

Why they say bowl in college, I don't know.

As for the linked article, anyone who didn't like that MJ vs. MJ ad has no taste, so I had to stop reading there. And how can you list off the super bowl commercials with Terry Tate and his TPS Reports?!
posted by Kevs at 11:18 AM on January 27, 2003


When did disrespect for others & "done distastefully become the in thing while a song is played in respect to a country you reside under, your nation?

I'm not sure I understand what you're asking . . . all I was saying was that I was under the impression that the standing and saluting the flag bit was a ritual reserved specifically for the National Anthem, "the Star Spangled Banner," and not just any old song that had the name of our country ("God Bless America," "God Bless the USA," "My Country 'Tis of Thee," et al.

And thank God they didn't have Celine Dion sing our national anthem.

The only thing better than Celine Dion not singing the National anthem is Celine Dion not singing at all. Didn't she retire? And what's with all the ridiculous Chrysler ads with her singing along with her own music in the car? Bleah!
posted by mikrophon at 11:22 AM on January 27, 2003


Let's not forget how informative the ads were. I for one was stunned and elated to learn that both monster.com and hotjobs.com are still around. And they apparently can afford a couple million bucks to blow on terrible ads! I couldn't fucking believe it.

Me: What? Monster.com is still around?

Someone else: Not for long.

[Time passes]

Me: What? Hotjobs.com is still around?

Someone else: Not for long.

Me: I'm kind of stupid, huh?

Someone else: Yes.
posted by Skot at 11:26 AM on January 27, 2003


Did anyone else notice that Terry Tate woks at FELCHER and Sons, as in felching? I didn't want to have to explain that observation at the SB Party I was at.
posted by jonah at 11:40 AM on January 27, 2003


Re: Song choices for halftime.

According to TV Guide, the half time show was meant to celebrate the "female experience." Hence, girl ("I'm just a girl") and woman ("Man, I feel like a woman.") related songs. Did it accomplish this goal? In my opnion, not really. This does not explain "Message in a Bottle," though perhaps they were "sending out an S.O.S." to get them away from the big sweaty hooligans from the Raiders.
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:42 AM on January 27, 2003


Opnion? Argh. Always spell check after changes in preview.
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:44 AM on January 27, 2003


What is wrong with you people?

Having just come out of a cave, I was not familiar with Celine Dion before she had the baby and took some time off. She has a fantastic voice and I thought she did great.
And I had never heard the Dixie Chicks before, and was very impressed.

I thought the halftime show was sheer fertilizer. But that's just me.

While I am at it, Donny and Marie scare me a lot more than Ozzy any day.
posted by konolia at 11:50 AM on January 27, 2003


saluting the flag bit was a ritual reserved specifically for the National Anthem,

Now I know what you were saying, mikrophon. ; )

Having just come out of a cave, I was not familiar with Celine Dion before she had the baby and took some time off. She has a fantastic voice and I thought she did great.

I'll speak for myself, she is not an American. Yet I only thanked God for the song she didn't sing.
posted by thomcatspike at 11:58 AM on January 27, 2003


x: I'm more jaded than you!
y: No! I'M more jaded than YOU!
x: Oh no...I'm more jaded than you.
y: UhnUhn, I'm MORE jaded than YOU!
x: NahNahNahNAH! I am DEFINITELY more jaded than you.

(Total accomplishment to date of generation x-y)
posted by HTuttle at 12:00 PM on January 27, 2003


I'm just glad that beer (bud light for example) has never caused a "lack of judgement", whew, imagine all the unexpected grandchildren...
posted by Big_B at 12:01 PM on January 27, 2003


Why they say bowl in college, I don't know.

For the same reason the Stanley Cup is called a cup. Presumably it originally referred to a trophy and only later came to refer to the game to win that trophy.
posted by kindall at 12:02 PM on January 27, 2003


Why were the Super Bowl ads so dull?
Who cares?
I'm starting to wish there was something like a MetaTivo that would spare me from every single post about TV commercials.
111<--- on a monday mood
posted by 111 at 12:12 PM on January 27, 2003


Total accomplishment to date of generation x-y

Damn kids! Stay offa my lawn! "Greatest Generation EVER!"

Why they say bowl in college, I don't know.

Its called a bowl for the type of stadium its played in, bowl, dome, field, stadium, etc. For example, Super Dome= big dome, Rose Bowl= big oval bowl shaped stadium. They got the Super Bowl because all the big college games were played in bowl stadiums because they were the stadiums with the highest capacity at the time (see Rose Bowl above) Bowl came to mean big championship game, thus the Fiesta Bowl might actually be played in a horseshoe shaped stadium or the Super Bowl might be played in the Super Dome, but they are still called Bowl games.
posted by Pollomacho at 12:15 PM on January 27, 2003


Oh, 111, its called IGNORING the posts you don't care about, try it some time instead of adding your snarks to something other people might actually be talking about. Thank you, my silly soap box moment was brought to you by the good people at Charmin, remember "please don't squeeze the Charmin."
posted by Pollomacho at 12:18 PM on January 27, 2003


jonah: I caught that too. No way I was splainin' it to the crowd I was with either.
posted by Cyrano at 12:33 PM on January 27, 2003


The zebras-as-"zebras" ad would've been moderately funny if it had come out during the Super Bowl that followed the season instant replay started, but it's a day late and a dollar short now. (But then I'm really tired of the giant-horses-playing-football commercials.) Similarly, the parody of Cast Away would've been funny if it came out three years ago, but now it's stale.
posted by kirkaracha at 1:06 PM on January 27, 2003


Anyone else notice that the reason for being physically assaulted by the office linebacker was the office drone not including the cover sheet to his TPS report?

I noticed this. Is a TPS report a real thing or was that an Office Space reference? My friend james said it was real, but...james says a lot of things.
posted by jeb at 1:07 PM on January 27, 2003


I'd ask anyone here who liked the national anthem by the dixie chicks (which I agree, sounded good): did you know that they lip sync'd it? It was pretty obvious, as two of them were nowhere near the mic, and none of their throat muscles seemed to be working. It was all a sham, a facade. That negates it as the "best moment of the evening" for me.

The best commercial I saw was for some new ABC reality show trying to find the "sexiest" person in america. I don't know how they did it, but ABC finally managed to out Fox the Fox network. Bravo, ABC, for sinking to a new low.
posted by mathowie at 1:31 PM on January 27, 2003


Reality TV + Robin Leech = Ultimate Schlock! I think it has something to do with the Diz-nee connection. Nobody can do it better than Disney when they turn the Schlock control knob all the way up to 11!
posted by Pollomacho at 1:48 PM on January 27, 2003


Need I remind you a Video Music Awards performance when he made a duet with Puffdaddy? A rap remix of Roxanne which he sang on? The Winter Olympics?

And how to forget that he actually played a whole fucking concert on the night of 9-11-2001. the guests were already in his Tuscan villa, so were the tech guys, the cd was supposed to come out, then he just went on and he sang and played.

His biggest crime, anyway, was those lame-ass ads for *shudder* Compaq
posted by matteo at 1:50 PM on January 27, 2003


Dixie Chicks Lip Synced? If Huey Lewis, the god of all things square committed this egregious foul then I guess it's okay.

Oh, and I can't believe nobody brought this up:

WHAT.
THE.
FUCK.
BON JOVI?
posted by Stan Chin at 1:51 PM on January 27, 2003


Mathowie, sorry, but I have a hard time beleiving that. If that's true, then the newscasters must've been lip-synching, too -- their little ear-bud microphones were halfway around their heads, and I their necks are so big that I can't beleive that their voiceboxes haven't collapsed under the weight by now.

*shrug* Either that, or it was the most convincing lip-synch I've ever seen, because one of them goofed once and came in two beats behind the other two. I have a hard time beleiving that they recorded it that way and practiced enough to replicate it perfectly...
posted by SpecialK at 1:55 PM on January 27, 2003


Is a TPS report a real thing or was that an Office Space reference

It's not solely an Office Space reference. What, you don't remember Christina Applegate lying about producing TPS reports in "Don't Tell Mom, the Babysitter's Dead"?

I know I'm not the only one who remembers that...

**crickets chirping**
posted by thewittyname at 2:26 PM on January 27, 2003


I thought that the Dixie Chicks and Shania Twain (more obviously) were lip syncing and that No Doubt and Sting were actually singing. Did you notice the pained look on Sting's face as Gwen's harmonies came out sounding so terrible?

And while I sincerely wish that Celine Dion would get run over by a truck or at least have her vocal cords ripped out by buzzards, I thought she did an okay job (better than that song in her fucking commercial!) on "God Bless America," which actually took me a while to realize was not the national anthem, ha ha. God bless Ray Charles!

Also, did anyone else notice that it's no longer monster.com? It's just "monster" now. Dot coms are baaaaaad.
posted by elvissinatra at 2:28 PM on January 27, 2003


No one here has worked a sound board, I see. Lip synching in a venue like this is something I can forgive. But I am sure the halftime show was real because it sounded like crap. Total crap. I was embarrassed for the performers.
posted by konolia at 2:52 PM on January 27, 2003


My question: Are these live acts paid (beyond expenses) or do they do it for the exposure?
posted by DBAPaul at 2:53 PM on January 27, 2003


Q: Why has MetaFilter gotten so dull?
A: Boring, humorless stick-in-the-muds.

Lighten up, folks. It's the Super Bowl, not Masterpiece Theater. It's not just the AFC-NFC Championship, it the championship of low-brow pandering. Might as well enjoy it.
posted by Down10 at 6:24 PM on January 27, 2003


This slate article claims that Shania was not lip-syncing. I suppose it's not impossible that they could send her live vocals through a vocoder to get the stupid Cheresque effect on there, but it sure didn't look like she was singing to me.
posted by elvissinatra at 11:50 AM on January 31, 2003


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