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Now that Super Bowl XLV has come and gone, I wanted to discuss the most important aspects of the event: the halftime show and commercials! Most of my friends panned The Black Eyes Peas’ performance, making lots of Tron jokes, but I enjoyed it. Of course I’m biased because I want my fellow Filipino-American apl.de.ap to do well, but I genuinely liked the set. It was a nice mix of old and new hits. It was awesome that Slash emerged from hell to play “Sweet Child ‘O Mine” and that Usher descended from heaven to perform “Oh My Gosh”. I was disappointed that Justin Timberlake didn’t come out (from purgatory?) to sing the chorus to “Where is the Love?”, but overall I thought it was a fun halftime show that was visually unique.
As for the commercials, they were okay. For me, there were more misses than hits in 2011. Here are my three favorite spots. Coming in at #3 is this adorable VW Passat ad featuring an adorable baby Darth Vader.
At #2 is the Captain America commercial. I thought it was a great spot and was annoyed that my pal Cliffy B disagreed.
My favorite commercial was this House ad that parodied the classic Coca-Cola commercial starring Mean Joe Greene. I’ve included the original for reference.
Now it’s your turn! Please let me know what you thought of Super Bowl (not Superb Owl) XLV’s halftime show and share your favorite commercials.
I don't like Hooter's wings, i like the waitresses at times but not the wings.
I loved the Darth Vader commercial and also the Capt America one. I just wished it was a longer trailer btw stupid IE is preventing me from seeing this trailer again that you embedded.
Darth Vader commercial was the best. It inspired me to make a purchase this morning. I bought the Imperial March from iTunes.
Halftime show sucked. I don't know the Black Eyed Peas and I don't care to know them after seeing and hearing that. I was also told that half the set was covers. I'd rather the whole halftime was sold to budweiser for commercials or something. It was just bad. Last good halftime show was Michael Jackson back in the day.
You were given bad info. Most of the songs were theirs.
I counted at least 2 that were not theirs.
Doesn't change the fact that they were turrible.
What songs were covers? They performed a Guns 'n Roses song with Slash and helped introduce one of Usher's song. As far as I can recall, everything else was theirs. Using a sample isn't performing a cover.
@Ray
One of their songs is a cover from Dirty Dancing. I can't remember the name or artist. Perhaps N8 or someone else might know. I know it was from the 80s though.
That's not a cover. They use a few bars from the song. Like I said before, a sample isn't performing a cover.
@Ray
Ok…fine. They are still turrible for using those samples then. Come up with your own stuff instead of using derivatives and try not to autotune.
Though they prob should have autotuned lol.
Most of the song is original. I'm not sure what you were listening to.
@Ray
Nor was I to be perfectly honest.
You know auto-tune is actually used more in rock recordings than any other music… it's just used on guitars instead of voices.
It's super easy to hit a sour note in the studio. 15 years ago, you would have to do that entire part of the song over again, 25 years ago you'd have to do the entire song again and 40 years ago every instrument on the recording would have to be redone if one instrument hit a sour note. It's a sign of the times and it saves producers money.
Stage performance is a completely different animal… especially for vocalists. Talent like MJ is far and few between (always was). The bigger the stage, the more movement is involved. The more movement involved, the more winded the human body gets.
My point is, it's really unfair to judge the true talent of a performance if you don't consider the physical aspects and base it solely on sound. It's almost like saying a movie sucked because the theater you watched it in left the lights on the whole time… that said, Springsteen was like a 60 year old man when he did halftime. If I can do that when I'm 60 (my father died at 62 by the way), then I will truly consider myself blessed.
@N8
I don't care. They are supposed to be professionals and the production crews know way ahead of time about logistics and what's needed.
However I will critique the rest of it as per your request:
1. costumes – ok. I liked the headpiece WIll I am had.
2. dancing – didn't care
3. cameos – meh
4. lighting – didn't make or break the show
Their peformance outside of the way they sounded wasn't an issue to me. Their sound was pretty awful so outside of a vegas showgirl theme….not much was going to salvage it for me. My opinion though. I understand you are a musician and will linger on details that concern someone with intimate knowledge of the craft/industry. I do the same with tech/business stuff. In the end though I am a spectator and can decide whether or not something is good for me.
Another example for me is TOOL. I just don't get it. I'm not saying they are bad….it's just not for me.
Sound production for the entire broadcast was really bad. I'd blame Fox before blaming the performers.
First off, I actually slept through the halftime show, so I can't make specific points about the Black-Eyed Peas in particular to that performance. I can say that in general, the band has always used simplicity to their benefit. This is a debatable topic in all art. Is it more artistic to do less with more, less with less, more with more, or more with less. I personally think that if you can make an entertaining song with fewer chords and notes, it's more credit to your art (my opinion).
Secondly, you missed my point. I'm saying that since I turned about 23, if I didn't stretch before every show and video shoot I've done since, I couldn't walk the next day because I'd be so sore. The shoes I wear on stage NEED gel inserts or else my feet will surely pay the price. My guitar player that I've been playing with for the past 5 years or so got me into vitamin B12 which is a trick he learned from Ozzy. Ozzy gets a shot of B12 and cortisone before every performance. Without it, his old ass would surely collapse a quarter way through the set.
The reason I feel I can explain this to you is because I know for certain that you respect informed opinions and when someone gives a spectator opinion in say, the field of tech/business, you feel the need to explain. It's like if someone were to say "I can do everything on my Blackberry that I would be able to do on an iPhone"… that person might not be able to figure out more than calling an emailing on an cellphone to begin with (I'm not saying you are CLOSE to that inept when it comes to music, it's just a base analogy to serve a point).
As for Tool… I can't say anything technically bad about them… but I struggle to listen to them for extended periods of time. Same thing with jazz. Some people like to sit and think with music, others like to tap their foot to it. I'm of the foot-tapping variety and Tool and jazz are more for the "think with the music" variety (my opinion).
@N8
I started that off bad. Pardon. I don't care should have been – for the layman I take it at face value.
I know that Robert Plant's voice was sped up in production. It doesn't diminish how much I love their music though.
@Ray
Fergie sounded pretty rough though
I'm from the east coast… it takes alot to aggravate me, so your good.
Not only was Plant sped up… the whole recording (including the guitar) was sped up. And yes… it did and does sound better sped up. Sort of like how instruments (including voices) sound better than they would normally when auto-tuned.
I thought of all of this stuff as cheating for the longest time. But then I asked myself "How much do I really care that it is cheating?'…. and I answered "I don't". I tried to name one negative aspect of it… and I couldn't.
My wife (who "likes" the BEP's) said the same thing about Fergie's voice. I made the comment at the time that their monitors might not have been very good because it did sound to me like she was pushing her voice too hard, which vocalists will often do when they can't really hear themselves well enough.
What Nightshade says is true as well.
No matter the size of the venue or the caliber of professionalism of the sound crew… they can still seem to f**k it up, especially in the monitors.
Agreed on Fergie. I'm thinking it was a production problem. I've heard her sing really well live and they did a great job producing her at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert on HBO (loved her "Gimme Shelter" with Mick Jagger). To be honest, I've never really liked her voice all that much. My favorite thing about Fergie is that she has a bladder problem that causes her to uncontrollably wet herself. I've seen it happen live…twice.
@rpad
i really think it was a production issue too. I could barely hear the ref when he would explain penalties.
No… the last good one was Bruce Springsteen, and before that it was Prince (it started raining when he played Purple Rain).
… or I might have them backwards… but I don't think so.
Agree to disagree. I know we have had this convo before but I cannot get into Bruce Springsteen. I'm not saying he's bad…but his style isn't for me I suppose.
Prince was ok I guess. MJ was just better :)
I completely disagree. Prince's performance was way better for me. MJ included some of his crappy songs like "Heal the World" and "Black or White".
Prince got better with age. Michael Jackson did not.
Not a Prince fan. Only Prince I like is when he's played by Dave Chappelle.
Or the first Batman soundtrack.
I think they should just have the Bayou Classic halftime show. Battle of the bands. This past year Southern SAMPLED (hehe) Thriller and the whole band was doing the dance from the video. It was pretty amazing.
The best one was the U2 halftime show at Super Bowl 36. None of that medley crap. 2 songs hat were extremely well done, and then back to the game.
Extended Darth Vader commercial
Some poor old couple from Wisconsin who spent their entire life savings to go to the Super Bowl ran out of the stadium at halftime screaming because they thought the day-glow box-headed aliens were coming to get everyone. True story.
Also true: when Slash emerged I turned to my wife and said, "Axl's filling out the lawsuit paperwork as we speak."
I bet he did.
There's some loopholes here.
1) Axl owns the name "Guns 'N' Roses" and in fact Slash is listed as a writer for that song.
2) If publishing is the issue, than it's not Slash who owes Axl money, it's Fox.
3) I'm sure Axl is getting paid no matter what.
The Axl comment was a crack about how he sued Activsion for using a G'N'R song in Guitar Hero and then also using Slash's likeness when supposedly was under the understanding that would not happen….in which case I'm sure he was also getting paid no matter what.
I was thinking something similar when I heard Fergi singing next to Slash.
-M
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Damnit! I just bought a couple of things late last night.
-M
On a side note…
SNL on Saturday was awesome.
I'm not sure I like Gizmodo's new layout. It seems more work to use the site.
Not just Gizmodo. It's a Gawker-wide initiative. I really hate it and won't directly visit any of their sites anymore. I'll just use iGoogle to see which Gizmodo, iO9, and Kotaku stories I want to read.
Yeah I clicked for the classic view. It's tolerable that way but I think I will just use their mobile site from now on unless that had to be changed as well.
Noticed it on Kotaku this morning as well and it's not very user friendly. Mind you, I wasn't fond of their old layout either….
@N8
I'd agree. Whatever helps helps.
I can imagine if you are a foot tapper then without proper prep you would be sore as hell. Like tonight I work out legs…I know that I can't work my abs til Thursday at least. It's proper prep. I getcha.
@ SG
Correct… but the proper prep would be for not if it wasn't a physically strenuous act in the first place.
So… imagine the breath capacity alone it takes for a group like the Black Eyed Peas to do what they do. Let alone what it took MJ or Madonna.
Then… there's Springsteen. This is a guy that's been playing 2 and a half to 6 hour sets since 1972. He's been playing arenas since 1976 or so. I've seen him live. He played for 3 hours and was on every side of the stage at one point belting out hits with that vein popping out of his forehead… The man is a legend.
Also, if you're scheduled to play halftime of the Super Bowl…. and you get sick… you can't call off. You have to go through with it no matter what. For vocalists… this is an especially hard thing.
It's not just halftime either. There are shows you can't just call off. Have you ever bought tickets to a show and got there to find out they canceled due to someone catching a cold? I have. It throws off the whole tour and chances are they skip that city. I had tickets to see Danzig and the Samhain reunion to get there and find out that Glenn Danzig called off sick and my ticket was non-refundable (the non-refundable part was the promoter's doing, not Danzig's. Glenn didn't get paid either I'm sure).
@N8
Yep…I have bought tickets to see the Cult 3 times. Only saw 1 show.
I had tickets to see Chuck Berry twice and he canceled both times. I was SO pissed.
@N8
True but some folks don't need all the prep. A friend of mine smokes heavily, survived leukemia and runs marathons still. Some ppl are just that bullsh when it comes to things.
I wonder if Keith Richards works out?
Keith uses a supplement called "heroine".
It's very popular in the music industry yet not so popular in the Mr. Universe competition.
Mick Jagger on the other hand… he works out.
I really hated the halftime show, I thought it was painful to listen to. It looked cool, but that wasn't enough for me.
I liked some of the commercials, but none of them really are standing out to me. The Eminem commercials are some of the only ones I remember, and the Chrysler/Eminem one was edited and put together very well. I did like the Darth Vader commercial, and I was hoping that the Captain America commercial would have been more exciting than it was. The Bridgestone Tires commercial with the 'reply all' email was one of the funnier ones I thought as well.
I was not a fan of the halftime show at all, but it dis have thre very important things working against it:
1) I'm not a fan of the style of music
2) I hate medleys.
3) The sound quality (particularly in Fergie's vocals) was poor
I can usually get around one of those issues and at least "enjoy" something that I would not usually choose to listen to. But when you add all that stuff together, the only thing that kept me from changing the channel was the fact that my wife and one of her friends that was over were both fans of the Black Eyed Peas.
*did have three
So I am pretty pissed at the quality of my xbox controllers that came with my Halo edition 360. That was only purchased a few months ago, and the controllers are already cracked. One worse than the other, but when I set it down the battery pack comes loose and the controller turns off. The second controller isn't quite as bad, but it is starting to get there. My previous controllers had no problems like this, and they were older and suffered more abuse than these have.
@bsu
check the warranty and call MS
I wonder if it has something to do with how the controllers are colored. Perhaps the solution MS used made the plastic brittle.
@rpad
exactly what i was thinking, this is why i was telling him to check the warranty. I've held one of those silver Halo Reach controllers and they plastic feels thinner or more lighter than my regular black and white controllers.
That would make sense. These controllers feel much lighter than the white or black ones that I have used before. Definitely not as sturdy. I hadn't realized it until yesterday when one of my friends mentioned that every time he set the controller down it shut off on him, then I looked and saw how big the cracks were.
You know, when I bought my new black 360 S, I really liked the new, shiny controller that came with the console, but I stopped using it after a few days since it was glitched. For some reason, after a while, the left analog stick would continuously be stuck giving the command to go left, even though the physical stick was in the neutral position. Thus, every time I played with that thing, I would eventually keep going left no matter what game. I tried "resetting" the controller and everything, but it didn't work.
Eventually, I said "screw it" since I already have like four other 360 controllers and I just use one of those. Still, it would be nice to color coordinate the controller with the console, though.
-M
@tokz_21 Yeah, as I mentioned in another comment, the sound production was poor all around. It was actually quite hackish.
Woot. Successful OC to 4ghz on my i5 760. I love my iMac but tinkering on a PC is so fun.
I used to love building and tweaking my own PC, but as I got older I started liking warranties better.
The best was that Celeron 300a that could be easily overclocked to 450MHz. That was an outstanding value.
@Ray
I hear ya. I am buying BC2 off of Steam as we speak/type. My gfx card is the Asus Radeon 6850. I can't wait. I'm also using my 46inch Sony TV as my monitor lol. My iMac will only accept 720p in.