That Great Super Bowl Commercial Broken Down

I'll be honest, I didn't immediately recognize that every single scene had been altered when I first saw it.

Credit: bagofnothing.com

Getting Tougher And Tougher

The Security Lines Outside The Superbowl

I find these two screenshots amazing of the Super Bowl crowd having to go through security. The first one actually shows 10 to 12 vertical rows that people had to snake through.

I heard it took two to two and half hours.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Channel 4 and Channel 8 both did preliminary investigations into the seating debacle at the Super Bowl, and the reports are conflicting and all over the place. They'll finally figure it out, but it might take a week or more to do so.
• Was it really that important to try to set a Super Bowl attendance record? A record that none of us could name a month ago. 
• The Internet is acting weird this morning. About half of the sites I'm trying to go to won't load. Others pop right up. I haven't seen anything like that in years.
• The Mavs almost lost to the Cleveland Caviliars last night. Instead, the Cavs set an NBA record by losing 25 in a row. (And 35 or of their last 36.)
• If you ever saw "The Smartest Guys In The Room" (the documentary about the Enron scandal), you'll remember a scene where some kind of energy traders were making money by the minute during rolling blackouts in California.  I don't understand how or why, but I heard a news report about how wholesale prices were skyrocketing during the Texas intentional blackouts last week. I wonder if we were manipulated?
• I wonder how the credit card companies haven't buckled under the defaulted debt over the last two years.
• If the ice and snow come down as predicted, I don't know how schools are not closed both Wednesday and Thursday. 
• But last week did you notice that ice will melt in 20 degrees in direct sunlight but stay frozen in 40 degrees with shade? 
• Dogs and cats do one thing all day when not sleeping or eating: They haul arse to explore any sound that they hear in the house. 
• The No-Body-Murder-Trial in Denton resumed on Monday with the State calling 10 witnesses. Once again, they've got nothing. So far, this is the silliest case I've ever seen. 
• But one of the comments below the story, in all seriousness, suggested waterboarding the Defendant in order to find out what happened to the alleged victim. When all of our civil rights are gone, we will can blame ignorance like that for allowing it to happen.
• I think I failed to mention that the two prosecutors in that Denton case recently authored an article about themselves for the Texas Prosecutor publication regarding another high profile murder case they were in charge of. 
• Is it OK to yell, "Brush your teeth!" because I secretly want to avoid dental bills in the future?
• I think Dallas will certainly get another Super Bowl, and the debacle of last week makes me even more convinced. The NFL is at the point of saying, "Things were so ridiculously bad because of things you couldn't control that we're going to give you a do over."
• From the now completed construction between Decatur and Bridgeport, to the current construction between Decatur and Denton, 380 has been torn up for what seems a decade. Maybe more.
• Ranger Michael Young said last night that he has been "misled and manipulated" and "pushed into a corner" as he demanded a trade. Hey, for $16 million a year over the next three years (what is due him), you can hurt my feelings all you want.

Super Bowl Menus

Source.

Michael Vick Still Being Dogged

A Dallas radio personality who adopted one of Vick's dogs tries to get an interview. I find the video not particularly enlightening, but I was surprised to see Vick get a "key to the city" of Dallas at the beginning.

The mayor was not amused.

I Just Got A Belated Christmas Gift

A loyal reader managed to get me an autographed photo from the greatest Fox 4 anchor of all time.

Yep, she misses me. Not real sure what "Miss you all" means, but it's probably some romantic code.

Faith Hill Super Bowl Ad

A little bit of a debate today about whether this ad, which is pretty funny, was appropriate for the family friendly Super Bowl.  My radar didn't exactly go off, but sometimes I'm not the best judge of stuff like this. 

So does it offend the sensibilities of the average Wise Countian?

Edit: On an unrelated note, the kid in the cute Darth Vadar commercial has been unmasked. 

Let Me Provide A Scalping Lesson

Story.

If you ever hear anyone say "Wait until right before the game starts, and ticket prices will plummet", don't listen because he doesn't know a thing about scalping.

If you've ever tried to do it, you'll find out that it's simply not the case -- and this has been going on for years. In the late 1980s, I stood outside Texas Stadium trying to get tickets to a Cowboys Monday night game.  The two or three remaining scalpers had about 20 customers left who wouldn't agree to their excess price. (I think it was a whopping $80 a ticket back then.)  So I watched and waited.  First quarter came and went. The scalper wasn't budging. Then the Second Quarter started. No change.

And as the game got close to halftime, the one scalper I was watching put the tickets in his pocket and walked off into the darkness.  I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• Fox 4 just told me that today will be the "busiest day of the year" at DFW Airport. Any bets that they say the same thing around Thanksgiving?
• I bet our work day will be a beating. 
• And there's another winter storm coming in on Tuesday night? They sound pretty sure about that.
• I've heard several people say that the Decatur Walmart was "insane" on Saturday.
• The NFL beats me down because of its obvious money grabbing.  Moments after the Super Bowl ended, it was offering a Green Bay T-shirt, cap, and DVD package for $89.99. And that NFL Experience over in Dallas ($30 to get in) sounded like a bunch of junk surrounding an overpriced gift shop.
• Speaking of, Phil Simms almost attacked Desmond Howard on Saturday due to Howard correctly pointing out that Simms son at the University of Tennessee is one awful quarterback. 
• How would you have liked to have had to deal with the 400 displaced ticket buyers at the Super Bowl? That would have been one angry crowd.
• And the story is that 1,250 seats were declared unsafe and that 850 were able to be seated elsewhere. Where in the world did they come up with 850 seats?
• And that whole seat debacle is still a mystery. The Fire Marshal now says he had nothing to do with the bleacher section being declared unsafe because he only inspects "completed bleachers." So the NFL just decided to "deal with it" on game day? And how in the world were they not completed? 
• Jerry Jones was no where to be seen after the game. Not a single interview. He had to be running for cover.
• A jet fly over when it's a domed stadium seems a little silly. 
• I think if you spend a week cooped up in a house and you don't end up wanting to kill each other, then it's been an outstanding success.
• Except I wanted to kill the dog when she looked straight at me while she peed on the carpet. Did they teach you that in Puppy School? 
• Katy Perry "Hey, Now".
• After every Super Bowl don't you hear people say, "The commercials didn't seem that good this year."
• It's a strange phenomenon how we get excited over celebrities. I would have thought I'd be disinterested in seeing Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston at Sundance Square, but when I saw them I couldn't take my eyes off of them.
• The flooding at Bridgeport High School had to be from a broken pipe.
• Pretty good headlines: A Brett Favre reference in Green Bay and a play on words on an old movie title in Pittsburgh.

Random Thoughts: Super Bowl Live Edition

• Christina messed up the National Anthem? Heck, I didn't even catch that.
• Sneak peek of the halftime dancers.
• Seems like they'd have to sell a lot of Doritos to recoup the cost of all of those commercials.
• At Sundance Square this morning, there was a guy walking around in blue carrying a Denver Bronco flag. That's a man who won't be upstaged regardless of dignity. 
• A shot a Jerry Jones' box showed Cameron Diaz feeding A-Rod popcorn.  This is like Roman Dignitary watching the Christians and the lions. (Screenshot.)
• The new Sandler/Aniston movie had a commercial showing a shot to the groin. One of the first commercials in the Super Bowl did as well (Pepsi). Idiocracy. 
• Something seems weird about this Super Bowl and I think I finally figured it out: Both teams having yellow pants on bugs me. 
• 3:20 left in 1st: Big Ben throws an interception returned for a TD. Obviously, hanging out at Pete's Dueling Piano Bar should have been a bigger story. #kidding
• The NFL ignores arrest after arrest but readily flags someone for excessive celebration in the Super Bowl? 
• The GoDaddy.com with Joan Rivers made me smile because I just watched her documentary. Otherwise, I'm not sure I would have giggled. (Still power down whenever I see Danica Patrick.)
• It may take 50 years, but I bet there will be a technology one day that will allow you to virtually walk around the field during live action. I'm serious. 
• The "Tiny Dancer" Budweiser commercial made me think of Almost Famous. Was that their intent?
• The Teleflora "You're rack is unreal" ad is the early leader in the clubhouse. 
• I like the idea of The Ticket's "Fake Jerry Halftime Dance Party" but it's hard to turn down the sound on Fergie. No way Mrs. LL would let me do that anyway. (Praying for podcast later in the week.)
• I read that the NFC has won the coin flip for 14 straight years. Is that right? 
• Did I need to be on acid to understand the Coke dragon commercial? (Stolen line.)
• First shot of the people outside who paid $200 to watch it on TV screens. Look, if I'm young, I understand paying $20 to do that. Maybe $50 if I went with a bunch of friends. But even then I'd feel idiotic. 
• 21-3 before halftime.  For all of us who didn't spend $1,500 for a ticket, high five! (Uh, or fist bump.)
• I'm sorry, I really thought the CarMax "I feel like . . . " commercial was funny.
• I'll admit: I get all of the Woodson defensive backs over the last 10 years confused. 
• Oops. Not so fast. 21-10 with under a minute left before halftime. It's a million to one chance, but do you think there's a Steeler fan that was walking outside to his car to leave when that happened? 
• Just saw a tweet saying that Cowboyrita's (sheesh) were priced at $19.00.
• Halftime verdict on Blackeyed Peas: Despite some audio issues, I thought it was fantastic. 
• The Mrs. just wanted to watch the halftime show and decided to go to the bathroom when it started. Get some bladder control, woman!
• Actually listened to a couple minutes of The Ticket's halftime show. I hate to say it, but the Fake Norm with Fake Goose has turned from a funny bit into an unlistenable bit.
• Break: Had to go look for the dumb Family Cat that hasn't been seen in three hours. Found her. (Ugh.)
• Now 21-17, Pack, just inside the 3rd Quarter. "I've got a feeling" that the Steelers may roll. (Rimshot.)
• Isn't it a little tough to pay attention to the commercials? Once I hear that Fox-go-to-break music I immediately power down. 
• I remember the first time I saw the down, distance, score, and time icon in the corner on Fox. It was an NFL preseason game -- their first I think. Can't imagine not having it now. 
• Eminem is the most mainstream bad boy we've had in a while. 
• Third quarter winding down. Not bad. But not exactly riveting. 
• Total attendance just announced: 103,219. Not a record despite the fact it includes folks outside IN THE RAIN!
• Re: The catch/no catch at :25 left in the 3rd. You know, that looked like a catch to me. Third and 10 now not converted. That might be a pivotal play. (I just turned into serious sports guy.)
• The NFL commercial with bits from Sitcoms was great. With a late entry appearance by Cartman to top it off. (And Seinfeld's Newman was a Cowboy fan? I don't remember that.)
• Now Pack is up 28-17 with the 4th underway after a Steeler fumble. As much as I hated Bill Parcels, he was absolutely right about preaching "hold onto the ball." 
• Now a Flozell Adams holding penalty. He has remembered he's in Cowboys Stadium. 
• Wow. Pitt TD with 7:34 left. And going for two. With the option! Golden. I felt like I was watching Nebraska in the 1980s.
• The Beaver-save-the-guy from the bridge that was out was very cute. What do you call the chest pound and then point move?
• Now the Packers are driving with 4:00 left. There's more momentum shifts than my multiple personality disorder. Huge drive. And on 3rd and goal and incomplete pass. 2:10 left. Pack up by 6.  Will Steelers come back? I'd be scared to bet. 
• On the Steelers return, there was a 15 yard personal foul penalty (which was Huge and Stupid) but we never got to see it because of commercials. Edit: Well, we finally did from an awful overhead shot.
• And then the final drive petered out before it ever got started. A potentially dramatic ending doesn't even get close to happening. 
• There was nothing odder than Roger Staubach bringing in the Lombardi Trophy. So uncomfortable. And once he reached the stage the mic picked him up saying, "I can hand it to you so I can get out of here, right?" And then he handed it off and scrambled off stage. Strange.
• Giving the MVP a new car is kind of a slap in the face to the rest of us working stiffs, isn't it?

Went Down To Sundance Square This Morning

Got "this close" to my nemesis Chris Berman as he interviewed Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston.

On another note, there appears to be a problem with those temporary bleachers inside the stadium as well as the party deck outside the stadium per the fire marshal. How is that possible?

Edit: Oh, my.

Two Notable Shots Of Cowboys Stadium

A hole in the roof (oh, my) and a coke machine crushed by falling ice.

Random Taunting Flashback

TCU fan taunts Baylor players after the Frog beat down of the Bears in September.  Gets a little intense.

If I'm Baylor's head coach, I know what I'm showing before the rematch this Fall. Baylor will still probably get killed, but I'm firing that video up nevertheless.

Reader Email

"Guy riding a bike south on Trinity Street [in Decatur]. Almost saw him wreck several times."

Small Rant

There are a ton of Super Bowl parties this week but I'm beaten down by the "star power" and the crazy prices. A party sponsored by Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed? Really? In an interview this week promoting the party, Simmons said that it would be a chance to meet some "important people." I promise that  Tweed, who was by his side during the interview, let out an audible sigh at that moment. (She's still hot by the way.) 

And why on god's green earth would anyone walk across the street to meet "The Situation".

Complete list of the parties.

Edit: At least you didn't pay $1,500 to see Prince on Friday night and have him fail to show up. 

UFO Spotted In Jerusalem?

Almost as amazing as someone from Mississippi being in Jerusalem.

That's Something . . .

. . .that everyone should have seen coming, but I didn't even think about it when I saw that snow covered dome.

Edit: The local news stations keep showing a helicopter shot of the ice and snow sliding off the roof. Fox 4 finally noted last night that no one knows if that was the snow slide that caused the injuries.