Whether it's where to watch the game, vegan snacks or an in-depth look at alternative broadcasts (the Puppy Bowl!), Brand X has you covered. Here's a round-up of our guide to Super Bowl XLV and beyond.
SUPER BOWL ISSUE: Back at the Consumer Electronics Show, Skott Ahn, LG’s chief technology officer, flashed a small mobile DTV with a glasses-free 3-D screen before a curious crowd. The mobile DTV set, he said, was an example of the glasses-free 3-D technology LG has developed, adding that the company plans to release a glasses-free 3-D TV for the home in the future.
But Ahn and other LG officials declined to say when the glasses-free sets — portable or for the home — would make it to store shelves. Gadget-freaks can only hope that it will be in time for the next Super Bowl.
LG is the second consumer electronics company to unveil a mobile DTV set that receives channels using a digital TV standard overseen by the Open Mobile Video Coalition. RCA announced a line of its own mobile DTV sets at a CES event, too.
Nintendo also announced its glasses-free 3-D handheld video game system.
“We’re meeting consumer need by eliminating some of the pain points” for 3-D, said Tim Alessi, LG’s director of new product development. “It will be just like going to the movies.”
However, these aren’t the only changes that may be coming to the way we watch TV — or the NFL, in particular. Click over to the L.A. Times for a special report on the league’s television future.
– Nathan Olivarez-Giles
Photo: LG’s glasses-free 3-D mobile DTV set. Credit: LG
SUPER BOWL ISSUE: There's nothing more manly than the Super Bowl — besides the whole giant-men-hitting-each-other thing, it's a great excuse to sit around, drink beer and eat a variety of artery-clogging foods.
Yet for some reason the networks have made it a habit to book the least-rocking halftime acts humanly possible. Although this year's performers, the Black Eyed Peas, are certainly mediocre and mainstream enough to carry on the tradition of driving viewers outside for some air (probably a good thing!), it could certainly be worse.
And thanks to the magic of YouTube, we were able to determine that it indeed has been much, much worse. Here are the least Lombardi-worthy halftime shows of the modern era.
Honorable Mention
Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Prince, The Who, Tom Petty . As a result of 2004's “wardrobe malfunction,” the networks went reactionary, bringing in a variety of geriatric acts guaranteed not to show nipple. Although these are legendary performers, and the shows were perfectly enjoyable, isn't it a bit odd to have halftime entertainment from groups whose last big album came out before half the players were born? (The Rolling Stones get a pass for being the Stones.)
The Countdown:
5. SB XXVIII 1994: Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, the Judds. While we couldn't find video of this performance, the mere idea of a “Rockin' Country Sunday” show full of '90s mainstream country music stars (and the mullets that come with the territory) was enough to land a spot on this list. Especially if the good-ol'-boy tunes had anything to do with the Cowboys overcoming a 13-6 halftime deficit to win yet another championship.
4. SB XXV 1991: New Kids on the Block. Notable as much for the creepy “It's A Small World”-themed stage show, complete with small children in costume and an assortment of giant inflatable Disney characters, as for NKOTB's bland teeny-bop and hilarious dance routine. Yet the greatest atrocity was Donnie Wahlberg's hilarious vest and black bucket-hat ensemble, which more than cancels out any football cred Marky Mark earned the family in “Invincible.”
3. SB XXXVIII 2004: Spirit of Houston, Justin Timberlake, Jessica Simpson, Kid Rock, Nelly, P. Diddy and Janet Jackson's nipple. This was actually one of the better halftime shows to start with, but all anyone remembers is one fateful wardrobe malfunction. While Kid Rock, Nelly and P. Diddy might not be the critic's choice, at least viewers under 30 knew who they were, and there's even a chance a few players had their CDs. But none of that mattered after Justin Timberlake exposed the world's most famous nipple-shield, leading to a ridiculous amount of FCC backlash and making sure we never get another risk-taking halftime show again.
2. SB XXIII, 1989: Elvis Presto. Where to start? This was the sort of atrocity that could only have seemed like a good idea after a full decade of living the '80s. Titled “Be Bop Bamboozled in 3-D,” the show featured “Elvis Presto,” a suitably sparkly but otherwise tragically terrible Elvis impersonator dancing about. Oh yeah, and Elvis Presto is also a magician. The worst of it, however, is that not one actual Elvis song was performed. That's right — audiences were subjected to written-for-halftime gems like “World's Biggest Card Trick” instead of rock 'n' roll classics.
1. SB XXVI, 1992: Brian Boitano, Dorothy Hamill and Gloria Estefan.
The low point before Michael Jackson's epic “Heal the World” performance at halftime 1993 set the precedent for A-list performers that would lead to the decade-and-a-half run of tolerable halftime performers that meanders on today. Yes, CBS decided that the best way to entertain the fans of America's most violent, macho sport was with a show centered on two figure skaters, gracefully gliding around on Teflon, while Gloria Estefan serenaded them. Really? No wonder “South Park” ripped on Brian Boitano so hard. This is a crime against football without decency or restraint — we're amazed they managed to finish the game.
– Daniel Siegal
Photo: The Black Eyed Peas, who will perform at this year's show. Credit: AP Photo/Jason DeCrow
SUPER BOWL ISSUE: On the same day as the Super Bowl, the Lingerie Football League will be having their own final competition. The gridiron goddesses from Los Angeles, known as team Temptation, will be going head-to-head with the Philadelphia Passion at 5 p.m. The game will take place in Las Vegas (of course), and will be airing on Pay Per View, just in time to dodge the lame halftime shows. More photos of the lovely ladies in action after the jump >>
SUPER BOWL ISSUE: Filled with burgers, dogs, dips and beer, Super Bowl Sunday is the ultimate temptation when it comes to getting your eat on. But game day inconveniently falls just over a month after making lofty New Year’s resolutions, leaving sports fans tackled by guilt. Fortunately, we’ve compiled a few vegetarian and vegan recipes that won’t leave you looking like a lineman post-game. Chow down after the jump >>
There are enough recipes to feed an offensive line in this week’s Super Bowl issue, but here’s one we missed: a guacamole cocktail, a drink that proves guac’s not just for dipping. The above video how-to guide comes courtesy of (full disclosure!) former Brand X staffer and occasional freelancer Alie Ward, whose “Drinks with Alie and Georgia” series explores all sorts of odd alcoholic beverages. Got any unexpected Super Bowl cocktail concoctions of your own? Let us know in the comments.
Steelers because my brother is a Steelers fan. I’m a Giants fan. I think they should be in the Super Bowl, but my brother is a Steelers fan so they’re my second-favorite team.
What was your favorite halftime show?
I liked when Justin Timberlake ripped off Janet Jackson’s bra.
What is your favorite snack to eat during the game?
I like eating hot dogs rolled up in a croissant.
– Brett Doscher, 32, North Hollywood, ambushed by Brand X’s Cheryl A. Guerrero
Tell Brand X:Who do you want to win the Super Bowl?
What’s the Super Bowl without a frosty beer or two at hand? If you don’t feel like throwing your own party (or digging chili and nachos out of your carpet afterward), plenty of watering holes around town are ready for the big game.
Barney’s Beanery Santa Monica
Take advantage of L.A.’s decidedly un-football weather and watch the game a short stroll from the beach at Barney’s Beanery on the 3rd Street Promenade. The newsprint menu is ridiculously full of big-game-friendly fare (we recommend the chili), and there are plenty of classic brews on tap to wash it all down. During halftime stay fired up with a competitive game of billiards, air hockey or shuffleboard.
This Koreatown gastropub has a vast selection of German and Belgian beers perfect for sipping on any given Sunday. For the Super Bowl, Neil Kwon will offer a $22.99 combo that includes a one-liter stein of Hofbrau Munchen, Kostritzer Scharzbier or Franziskaner Hefeweizen; a giant bacon cheddar pretzel from Röckenwagner; and your choice of a bratwurst, kolbasa, knackwurst or bockwurst. You can also chow down on drunken chicken — a bird cooked from the inside out using the vapors of beer — or Korean tacos while watching the game on their 100-inch HD projector and six additional flat screens scattered throughout the space.
206 N. Western Ave., Los Angeles; (323) 466-4860
Big Wangs North Hollywood
If you’re leading a large pack of guys out to watch the game, Big Wangs in North Hollywood is the spot for making sure everyone is satisfied. Make a reservation and sign up for the game-day special — 50 wings, chips and salsa, ribs and two pitchers of Budweiser for $100, or swing by to stock up for your own party and preorder a batch of 85 to 100 wings.
5300 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood; (818) 985-2449; www.bigwangs.com
