FOX's pregame show will mix celebs with football

Neil Best

January 31, 2008

PHOENIX

Here's the thing: If you care about the particulars of Super Bowl XLII, you will know all there is to know by 6 p.m. Sunday.

And if all you care about Sunday are the commercials, guacamole and a fruity cocktail or two, you didn't want to know the particulars in the first place.

That's more or less Fox's theory as it plans its pregame extravaganza.

The more its people explained it here the other day, the more sense it made.

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"To me, four hours on one game just doing football is pretty narrowcasting," said Scott Ackerson, the four-hour show's producer.

"There will be plenty of football, but it's not your basic pregame show. There are a lot of celebrities and a lot of stars, so let's get them on the air, take advantage of that . . . The NFL Network alone is doing 240 hours on the game. Really, what can we possibly say that hasn't been said already?"

Fox's news release last week promised "to mix the safety blitz with Hollywood glitz."

Or, as host Curt Menefee said, "Instead of doing the economic impact or tailgating parties, the same old crap, OK, let's do celebrity interviews. I'd rather hear Adam Sandler being goofy for four minutes."

Enter Ryan Seacrest, who happens to host a show on Fox that is reasonably popular.

At times Menefee will throw to Seacrest, the show's "entertainment host," who will interview celebrities as they enter the stadium, red-carpet style.

Menefee said he's fine with that.

"The reality of it is he's on the No. 1 show in America," he said. "He has an audience that is different from our demographic . . . Now if he wanted to do Week 16 in the studio, we have issues."

The festivities also will feature Jordin Sparks, the reigning "American Idol," singing the national anthem and Paula Abdul, an "Idol" judge, performing her new song, "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow."

Nice of her to sneak a sports cliché into the title.

"It's going to surprise a lot of people," Ackerson said of the song.

In what way?

"It's going to be good. I know what everybody thinks, and they are going to be wrong, because I know what it's going to be."

The challenge for Seacrest will be making the celebrity arrivals seem interesting.

Yes, there will be many famous people. But Super Bowl crowds notoriously are full of anonymous ad managers for corporate sponsors, fans fortunate enough to answer four questions from WFAN's Marquis and the occasional Brady jersey-clad season ticket-holder.

"I think you'll see less glitter tanning cream than you see on most red carpets," Seacrest said.

Presumably the ladies will not be wearing formal evening attire, and thus it will be difficult for him to inquire about dress designers.

And if Scarlett Johansson does show up, will we care whether she likes the Giants against the spread or what she thinks of Eli's confidence level?

"There will be other things to talk about than the number of sequins on one's dress," Seacrest said.

We shall see.

Regardless of the reviews Monday, Ackerson said he will have his cell phone off and his car pointed toward his Southern California home.

Notable: A wager between Mayor Bloomberg and Boston's Thomas M. Menino pits Manhattan clam chowder vs. New England clam chowder.