Super Bowl XL
The Ads, The Stones, and Some Other Stuff
Isn't it amazing that in a BIG championship sports activity, even the most die-hard fans get up and go to the bathroom during the game so as not to miss one of the commercials. But such is the story of the Super Bowl where the ads get as much play as the game itself.

My favorites:
FedEx caveman.

The stunt double- for the Pepsi can.

Hummer's Monster- Love Is Strange

And, of course, from Budweiser:
American Dream Clydesdales (heartwarming)
The Wave
Superfan
Hidden Bud Lights

The ESPN Mobile ads also were a good concept.

But overall, I wasn't as impressed as some years. Or maybe the quality has evened out so some don't stand out like some years. Or are we just getting overhyped. Anyway, the ads can be seen here at IFILM

Then comes half-time:
The 3-song performance by the oldest rock and roll band in the world was fun to watch. Of course they had to start with a song that the modern generation knew- the theme from Microsoft Windows uh, Start Me Up. Then there was the fun trying to find the over-40s in the on-field audience. I saw several. But the band was definitely the oldest ones visible.

Then the closing song- (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, arguably the greatest rock and roll song ever written. As Jagger said, they could have sung it at Super Bowl I (and it would have been an oldie then!

But what was most interesting for this old Boomer was to listen to Satisfaction on "live" television where they didn't censor the words. The Stones were not allowed to sing some of those words on live TV 40+ years ago. Many radio stations wouldn't play the last verse, fading the song before Jagger sang about "girlie action" (or "girl reaction" or "girl with action") and "trying to make some girl."

But finally, in the biggest sports event around (other than the every four years World Cup), he got to sing it as it was written. With no malfunctions.

Oh, yes, the other stuff?
The final score was

Seattle Seahawks 10
Pittsburgh Steelers 21

as Bill Cowher wins his first Super Bowl along with Jerome Bettis and Ben Roethlisberger. Quite an accomplishment. The first 6th seed to win it all - on the road.

And thus ends this NFL season. Next year- the Pack will be back.

Update: Well, I guess I wasn't paying close enough attention. Here from Yahoo! News:

Two sexually explicit lyrics were excised from the rock legends' performance Sunday. The only song to avoid the editor was "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," a 41-year-old song about sexual frustration.

In "Start Me Up," the show's editors silenced one word, a reference to a woman's sexual sway over a dead man. The lyrics for "Rough Justice" included a synonym for rooster that the network also deemed worth cutting out.
--Link

It just goes to show you that what was edited 40 years ago is now tame. Does that mean that we continue to get worse in our lyrics as time moves on?