Sneak peek at 2010 Super Bowl commercials

Friday February 5, 2010 2:54 PM By Jessica Offenberger

Wings? Check. Party invites? Check. Ice-cold beer? Check and check. With the big game nearly upon us, the preparations for Sunday's Super Bowl rumble in Miami between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints are coming to an end.  But what about the commercials -- the real reason a lot of us tune in the game?

PHOTOS: Sneak peeks at 2010's Super Bowl ads

This year has been full of drama when it comes to the selection process for appropriate advertisements. CBS rejected an ad for the gay dating site, “Man Crunch” that featured two men kissing -- but acceped an anti-abortion ad featuring star Florida QB Tim Tebow, by the conservative group Focus on the Family.

Of those Super Bowl ads that DID get accepted, the video game called Dante’s Inferno by Electronic Arts had to agree to change its ”Go to Hell” motto to a more family friendly, “Hell Awaits.” Check out the final version that both parties agreed upon: 

Another Super Bowl favorite is the GoDaddy.com commercials. Since its debut of Super Bowl advertisements in 2005, the Web hosting company has made its mark within the advertising world with its racy marketing. This year is no different. The company has bought two 30-second slots to air in the first and fourth quarters. It leaked onto the Internet and we found it:  

A not-so-controversial commercial will get the hearts of every quidditch fan racing. That's right, Universal Studios is giving a first look into the magical world of its "Harry Potter" attraction that is opening this spring. Grab your wand, readjust your glasses and call your owl into the room, you'll enjoy this exclusive look into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter....
 

Vikings fans were hoping to see their quarterback during the Super Bowl for longer than 30 seconds. However, thanks to some bad throws, that didn't happen. Hyundai quenches the thirst of all Brett Favre fans out there by naming him 2020's MVP. Watch their $3-million attempt to sell more cars: 

PHOTOS: Sneak peeks at 2010's Super Bowl commercials

Still can't get enough Super Bowl commercials?  Though all the ads haven't leaked, we conjured up the list of ALL the commercials to be aired on Sunday. If you want to be in the know, continue reading....

Anheuser-Busch will not say how much time the company bought, but like every year, expect numerous commercials. Last year it had 4 minutes and 30 seconds.

Audi of America  has one 60-second spot airing in the last quarter of the game. Fans of the band, Cheap Trick, will be stoked to hear one of their songs in the commercial promoting Audi's green car of the year. 

Boost Mobile used their $2.6 million for one spot with a “nostalgic feel to it.”

Bridgestone has one ad in the first quarter and one in the break of the third quarter. Not to mention the company is sponsoring the halftime show, which is starring The Who.

Cars.com will have a full minute before halftime to convince people to buy another car, even though the Cash for Clunkers program has come and gone. 

Careerbuilder has one commercial after the halftime show, which debuts its first-ever contest winner. The “Hire My TV Ad” contest won't be as funny as the Doritos challenge, but here's hoping...

Chrysler’s Dodge has a full-minute commercial with “a message of irreverence.”

Coca-Cola is playing the same cards as Anheuser-Busch. It is keeping info about its plans under wraps. Although, since Pepsi won't be advertising this year, Coke won't have to try as hard.

Denny’s is going to have a 60-second ad that may repeat its giveaway from last year. 

Pop-Secret  will have a commercial in the last quarter. Believe it or not, this entertainment food staple will be making its first debut within the roundup of Super Bowl advertising. Rumor has it the ad will be animated.

Dockers will have one spot during the second quarter. Khakis will indeed be a part of this 30-second ad.

Dr. Pepper  has bought its very first ad during the Super Bowl...second quarter, to be exact.  Dr. Love, Gene Simmons, will make another appearance as the soft drink's promoter.

E-Trade had a big hit last year with the baby talking about the stock market. Be prepared to see this again.

HomeAway Are you a fan of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation? Great. Then you'll love this commercial from a new online vacation booking company making its debut on the ad list for the Super Bowl.

Honda will have an ad after the halftime show. We will be introduced to the Accord Crosstour.

Kia has one 30-second commercial during the third quarter. 2011 will be bringing us a new Sorento.

kgb  is the new answering service for those who HAVE to know now. Text them a question, but not what their Super Bowl ad will show. They are keeping it under wraps.

Mars better-known as the company that makes M&Ms, Mars spent its millions of dollars on a secret commercial.

Monster will have its usual one spot during the game. No details have been shared.

Motorola is another company keeping its commercial plans under lock and key.

NFL  apparently doesn't have enough time during the three-hour game. Therefore, they have two spots. One is 30 seconds; the other is 60.

Teleflora has another ad this year. This is it's second annual showing at the game. It is very likely they will talk about preparing for Valentine's Day. 

TRUTV may be competition to CBS, however, that won't stop it from promoting its newest show during the second quarter.

U.S. Census Bureau bought a 30-second ad somewhere in the third quarter. Since it is 2010, that means the counting has begun. The bureau must be going to remind everyone to fill out their forms so they won't be left out of the count. 

Dove may be known for its women's line of products, but it will be switching up the game and talking directly to the men this year.

Universal Pictures has a lot of trailers to debut. Look out for "Robin Hood," "Despicable Me," etc. 

Paramount Pictures has a collection of three commercials to air. The movies? "Shutter Island," "Iron Man 2" and "The Last Airbender" by M. Night Shayamalan.

Volkswagen  will have one ad during the third quarter, most likely trying to sell you a car.

Walt Disney Pictures can afford numerous spots, but doesn't specify just how many it bought. But it is definitely in the lineup.

Taco Bell finishes out this list with yet another secret it will not reveal. No details have been leaked on how this "authentic" Mexican restaurant will have us running for the border.

Well, there you have it ... now you can show off your ESP to all your friends during the commercial breaks by predicting what will come next. To watch your favorite Super Bowl commercials over and over, stay tuned to www.newsday.com/video.

PHOTOS: Sneak peeks at 2010's Super Bowl commercials

‘Project Runway’ Episode 4: Matters of the heart

Friday February 5, 2010 8:01 AM By Anne Bratskeir

It was a kinder, gentler Project Runway as the 13 remaining designers created dressy dresses celebrating Campbell’s (as in the soup) "Address Your Heart" program to be worn by real women who have been impacted by heart disease, to the Red Heart gala at Fashion Week.

Frocks needed to incorporate the color red, and if the designers chose, could include Campbell’s logoed fabric. 

It should be noted that real women, in TV-talk, means not models, and these women came in all shapes and sizes.  While most of the designers embraced the stories and souls of their models despite their figures, Jesus Estrada was happy about one thing only: his model was tiny.   And trust us, she could have looked good in a dress, but not this one.

On another night Michael Kors would have been much, much meaner, but the fact that these were regular gals up on the runway, and heart patients to boot, made all the judges a bit softer.  Kors said Jesus’ dress was a “checklist of everything that could turn tacky...put into one dress.”  The short shiny number with Campbell’s fabric stitched up the side, featured dated rhinestone straps, prompting guest judge Georgina Chapman of Marchesa (stunning by the way) to say, “The eye doesn’t know where to go.”  Nina Garcia pointed out, “Less is more.  It’s very cliché.”  And finally Kors summed it up, “He knows how to make clothes, but taste is something you just can’t learn.” 

Auf Wiedersehen, Jesus.  Though you seemed earnest, well, to steal a phrase from Tim Gunn, your 90’s Vegas vibe, “had us worried.”  And sorry to be preachy, but beauty is more than size 2 deep.

This was evidenced by winner Amy Sarabi’s strapless chiffon gown with frayed seams and a thin Campbell's belt. Its layered hem moved like a dream on the runway. Her model, not a petite woman, looked beautiful.  The judges said it was elegant without being old-fashioned.  We expect we will see Amy at the finale.  Her work has been consistently good and extremely well constructed.

An unexpected theme of the night?  Sweetness.   This show has always thrived on conflict, but tonight, the designers were truly touched by these women and really tried to make them happy.  Jay Nicolas Sario broke down sobbing after his darling model told him about her life…and she comforted him like such a mom.  And Anthony Williams got weepy talking to his model too.

Oh yes, and back to the finale, we are going next week, after just five weeks into the show.  Likely, producers will not identify which designer did what, but we have a feeling we’ll be able to pick out Amy.

Amy Sarabi's winning dress

 
Jesus Estrada's losing dress

Sandra Bullock and the Oscar-Razzie double double

Tuesday February 2, 2010 9:47 PM By Mark La Monica

Popular sentiment floating around the office, and likely other offices, on Tuesday was "How the [expletive of your choosing] did Sandra Bullock land a Best Actress Oscar nomination?"

Never mind that it was for "The Blind Side," a nice little movie with a happy message. The idea that Bullock, perceived by many moviegoers as an average actress with a history of "Demolition Man"-esque movies on her resume, could score the honor from both the hoity and the toity folks of the Motion Pictures Academy is pure lunacy.

Maybe so, but I kinda liked her as "Ro-ark" in "A Time to Kill."

But for those Sandy haters out there, take comfort. She was also nominated this year for a Razzie Award for Worst Actress for her work in the forgettable-and-I-didn't even-see-it flick "All About Steve."

That is the rarest of double doubles right there, my friends.

Here's hoping Bullock wins both awards, just because there's a chance she'll drop a Razzie bomb in her Oscar acceptance speech. That would make us laugh, you too?

She's actually the early leader in the clubhouse for the Best Actress award.

Tunes Tuesday: Old school with the Stones

Tuesday February 2, 2010 6:17 PM By Bobby Bonett

Okay, not much The Rolling Stones did can be considered a deep track. And for the most part, if you're a Stones fan, you probably know every one of their jams start to end.

Still, this week's tune is worth re-discovering if you love Keith Richards and Co., or discovering for the first time if you have an appreciation for the new-age electrically-driven alternative rock sound (see: MGMT).

The title? "Emotional Rescue." The year? 1980. The hook? Unique, but addicting.

It's no secret that Mick Jagger has an unbridled appreciation for the use of his falsetto. "Emotional Rescue" may be the defining track for his range, though. Just about the entire song is done in the upper end of Jagger's range. And while you might be thinking that sound gets old after a while, I can promise you you're wrong.

The first time I heard "Emotional Rescue" was about a year ago. A co-worker of mine heard me listening to "Electric Feel" by MGMT, and told me he heard some parallels between the Brooklyn-based duo and a Stones song. I doubted him, but gave him a shot, and then realized that I had found what is undoubtedly one of the defining influences for new alt rock.

So get ready for a trippy, saxophone-driven song, with an equally trippy video: "Emotional Rescue," by The Rolling Stones.

(By the way, this is just one version of the video. There was also a version released that was thermo-vision from start to end. If you want to watch it, click here, but as a warning, the entire video has strobe effects, so be careful)

YouTube views (most-viewed video): 197,408
Fresh rating: Some nostalgic fresh-ness

Transcript: Talk Oscar nominations with Rafer Guzman

Tuesday February 2, 2010 11:44 AM By Anne Machalinski

Oscar nominations were announced this morning, and while the ceremony doesn't take place until March 7, our movie critic Rafer Guzman is ready to dish.

Were your favorite movies nominated? Who do you think will win the Academy Award for best picture and other major categories? Who got shut out of nominations -- "The Hangover," anyone? 

The live chat is over now, but click below to read the questions and answers on such topics as does "Avatar" deserve an Oscar, can "Inglorious Basterds" win best picture, James Cameron's filmmaking abilities -- and what Rafer's favorite movie snack is ...

PHOTOS: See actors and actresses nominated for an Oscar

MORE: See a list of Oscar nominees, plus movie trailers

VOTE: Which movie should win an Oscar for best picture?

'Project Runway' Episode 3: Ping pongs

Friday January 29, 2010 12:00 AM By Anne Bratskeir

Let’s just get to the nitty gritty right off – Ping Wu crashes and burns, and her partner in this challenge, Jesse LeNoir, who we’re vaguely surprised didn’t just curl up into the fetal position at the start of the show, barely escapes with his life.  

Designers go on a field trip with Tim Gunn to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to view the couture looks of such iconic designers as Yves St. Laurent, Christian Dior and Cristobal Balenciaga.  They are delightfully reverent as they examine the artistry of the stunning creations. 

The challenge?  Create a signature high-end look of their own.  Their budget is $500, the most ever for a single challenge and they must work in teams of two.  In a late show twist -- yikes -- they must also create a cheap, chic garment inspired by another team’s high-end look.  For this they get $50.

This episode was dedicated to Ping – her total ditzyness, disorganization and stubbornness.  In the first scene, she runs out of the apartment – oops, she’s forgotten something – her shoes!  She loses her sketchpad at Mood, almost loses the money for fabric, and, well, kind of loses her mind in terms of the design. (Must we remind you of her buttocks baring outfit from last week?)

Her fancy dress had interesting texture, but again, a shmata-esque quality – the model had to hold part of it up, otherwise the fabric became a tail.  “She’s gotta stand like the Statue of Liberty to wear this dress,” says Michael Kors. Their cheapy was bland and poorly made.  She was the team leader (and a bossy, unyielding one at that) and we cannot blame poor Jesse for this.  His personal mission?  “Just trying to rein in the crazy,” he said.  The bickering became so intense that at one point Emilio Sosa says, “Ping and Jesse are like Lucy and Ricky.  Just shut up.”

So Ping is aufed, and you can tell Heidi Klum feels a bit bad as the gamine young woman weeps on the runway.  But there was ego barely hidden in that lamby facade.

Mila Hermanovski takes the win. (Anybody remember Natasha Fatale, Boris Badenov’s sidekick in the cartoon?  There is a resemblance.).   Her ensemble – a graphic black and white coat lined in yellow silk over sleek pants and sparkly top -- is totally swanky.  We like her partner Jonathan Peters too – we just do.

The judges (who include the wonderful and wise Brit designer Matthew Williamson) hate the pairs’ baby doll look-for-less inspired by Anthony Williams and Seth Aaron Henderson’s prommy yellow and black and feathered ball gown which they hate worse.   Michael says it’s like a “cotillion party in the south from hell.  She’s gone with the wind.”  Nina Garcia skips the analogies.  “They’re both really ugly,” she says of the team’s high-low efforts.  Me-ow.

Lifetime Photos
 

Tunes Tuesday: Get used to The Black Ghosts

Tuesday January 26, 2010 8:49 PM By Bobby Bonett

Mark La Monica went "old school" today, so we'll kick it new school. This week's must-listen-to song is Repetition Kills You, by The Black Ghosts.

Now for all you Twi-hards out there - present company not included - you may have gotten your first taste of the two-piece electro band during the first Twilight movie. TBG (no, that's not a recognized acronym, but we'll roll with it for the next few paragraphs) had the best jam on the movie's soundtrack - "Full Moon." 

You may be asking yourself, how did Bobby Bones discover The Black Ghosts if he doesn't love Jacob and/or Edward? Well, haters, it was suggested to me by iTunes' "Genius" program.

(As a sidebar, if you clicked out of the "Genius" feature on iTunes when you first downloaded the latest software, I'd recommend giving it a shot. Even for yours truly, who has a very wide array of music on their iTunes, I still find suggestions all the time that I end up dropping the $1.29 on. And yes, I buy music from Apple.)

Anyway, back to TBG. Theo Keating and Simon William Lord are the two dudes that comprise the band - you'll see them at the beginning of the music video below. Repetition Kills You is the "single" - and I use quotes because across the United States, the joint still hasn't hit terrestrial airwaves yet - off of their EP, "Anyway You Choose to Give It." Now, the one caveat about this track is that Damon Albarn is on vocals. However, I can still guarantee you that if you enjoy this song, you'll love everything off the record.

Additionally, we'll start a "fresh" scale this week based on how many views the video has scored on YouTube. No, I haven't devised a scientific system to make a ruling on a song's freshness. Still, this will give you an idea of how underground each jam is.

YouTube views (most-viewed video): 223,088
Fresh rating: Moderately fresh

Oh, and excuse the shirtless dude. NOT my choice for the thumbnail.

Old School Tuesday: Don Cheadle, '80s R&B dancer

Tuesday January 26, 2010 7:27 AM By Mark La Monica

I love a great old school discovery, such as Tupac Shakur being a dancer for Digital Underground. Or the fact that Timothy Hutton was the lead actor in "Taps," you know the early 1980s military movie that also included Tom Cruise and Sean Penn. Or that Matt Damon had a small part in "Mystic Pizza" way back in 1988.

But these are some of the more well-known old school discoveries out there. How about this one I happened upon while watching "Soul School" on VH1 Soul last night? Wait for it . . . wait for it . . . OK, here goes: Don Cheadle, a highly regarded actor who has been nominated for awards 44 times including Best Actor in 2004 for "Hotel Rwanda," was a backup dancer in the 1989 video "It's a Real Thing" by Angela Winbush.

Oh, it's true. And it's fantastic. Enjoy the video below here on Old School Tuesday.

Project Runway Episode 2: Potato sack magic

Friday January 22, 2010 7:48 AM By Anne Bratskeir

In what may be the best challenge of the past two seasons, designers find themselves at a farm where they are greeted by Tim Gunn (not exactly his kind of place) and their models, all (but Tim) wearing potato sacks.  Their mission?  Create a party look from a burlap sack.  And the twist?  The models get to be the clients and pick the designer.

The results overall were pure knockout – many of the designers fulfilled the job of turning a sow’s ear into a silk purse and the final products said a lot about the imagination and quality of this group. Winner of the one-day challenge is Jay Nicolas Sario who struggles with time, but in the end produces a saucy little number dyed in navy, trimmed with turquoise and finished with a hem that conjures feathers but, instead, is a very creative burlap detail. 

The judges had a tough call – (Lauren Hutton sits in as guest judge tonight)– Amy Sarabi, who takes herself way seriously, didn’t disguise the burlap at all, but somehow worked it into a flowy cocktail confection with a petal-like skirt and deep halter back.  Quite stunning.

And then there was Mila Hermanovski who produced an excellent body-conscious little dress with silvery insets that Nina Garcia said went from “the farm to the future.”   Heidi loved it too, which was vindication for Mila, whose model ditched her for Anthony Williams this time around (quite pleased, he shrieked so loud and high we were surprised that glass didn’t break).  Because of this, there was a bit of a hate vibe between those two.  Anthony felt that Mila was implying that he’s not as good a designer as she is, and says, “Mila can kiss me and my entire family’s asses.”

Um, and speaking of rear ends, well there were some problems in that area in regard to two out of the bottom (no pun intended) three, and the judges may have been a tad unfair. Aufed is Pamela Ptak, for her blue dyed mini with a lace-up back that really did make the model’s derriere look enormous.  As Anthony indelicately notes in the workroom, “Miss Thing has a big, old butt,” in the dress.  But it wasn't the worst we've seen.

 Ping Wu’s weirdo top-and-skirt ensemble completely exposed the model’s tush. And she gets away with it?  Even after Tim warns her?  An outfit that totally reveals a rear end is pretty tragic.  But obviously the producers have a thing for Ping – she is colorful, so they’re keeping her around.

Finally, another lounge lizard lady look from Jesus Estrada (remember the see-you-later-alligator evening gown from last week?) who completely “skirted the challenge,” as Tim Gunn pointed out by covering up the burlap with green and brown ribbon.  It was a fairly hideous color combo as Nina points out, but he stays. 

Notable Tim moments tonight included his reaction to Jay doing a cartwheel on manure-laden soil at the farm.  Tim almost vomits.  And then there’s  the endearings formality which seeps into everything he says.  “I want the judges socks to go blowing off their feet,” is a Tim-ism as opposed to, “knock their socks off.”

Project Runway photos of winning dress by Jay Nicolas Sario, left; and losing dress by Pamela Ptak.