Robert Goulet and Emerald Nuts Super Bowl XLI Commercial

The Super Bowl ads this year were fairly decent. Commenting on the commercials seems outside of my jurisdiction, since I’m only supposed to be commenting on “awful” ads. At best, this time of year, I’m commenting on the worst-of-the-best. Most advertisers don’t drop stink-bombs for millions of dollars worth of airtime.

I’ll continue to comment on the other ads throughout the week, but I thought I’d start with the commercials that were the best and work my way down from there.

The first ad is my personal favorite from the Superbowl, the ad for Emerald nuts featuring a mischievous Robert Goulet. The commercial is very low key, serious, and grounded in reality. One of those “pull at your heart strings” deals that chokes you up when you promised yourself you would never cry during another commercial.

Snicker’s Man-on-Man Super Bowl XLI Commercial

Hot, sticky, man-on-man kissing during the Super Bowl?

Snickers serves up a healthy dose of what fly-over country craves: men gettin’ it on with other men. This Little Tramp moment reminds the viewers of other such Disney classics as Mary Poppins, Bambi, and for the first time ever on DVD, The Little Mermaid.

Again, this commercial is very emotional and full of heart felt things (targeting the heart) + teaching us to be vulnerable again (also reminding us it’s never too late for true love).

American Heart Association Super Bowl XLI Commercial

Speaking of targeting the heart, this next ad by the American Heart Association I would rank the best of the Super Bowl 2007. It is simply and artfully done, and packs in a lot of visual excitement without an orgy of CGI-worshipping “let’s sacrifice a goat to Ba’al” waste of money.
My only criticism: no love for the appendix? Could he not have been the heart’s side kick? More on my feelings and thoughts about this on my MySpace.

Nationwide K-Fed Super Bowl XLI Commercial

And finally, this ad for Nationwide, featuring a reality-shocked Kevin Federline tells the National Restaurant Association where to stick it (in their bun) while poking fun at the meteoric fall of K-Fed from celebrity heaven.

It’s hard to have an irrational hatred for Kevin Federline after seeing him poking fun at himself, but I know if everyone in the audience tries hard enough we can overcome these feelings of acceptance and forgiveness together.

That’s all on the Super Bowl for this afternoon, there will be more video posts later today or tomorrow.

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I rap all day I rap all night Man I sure do miss my purple box kite

I will never forget the day Brittany Spears announced she and Kevin Federline were filing for divorce. Specifically, I will never forget because it was election day. I had been checking the news online, and of course election news coverage dominated all the front pages. I even speculated what news event could possibly trump the election and force it off the front page. It would have to be something huge, like a meteor hitting a city, and not just any city like Detroit, a meteor hitting Dallas or something like that. Then I saw this. CNN dot com added an urgent, red-alert level breaking news banner above the fold announcing the split. Awesome priorities, America!

Nationwide secured Brittany’s ex to appear in a Super Bowl ad, as part of their “life comes at you fast” campaign. You might remember their ad featuring Fabio navigating a gondala, then becoming an old withered man after they pass under a bridge. The content of this ad, apparently, portrays Kevin Federline daydreaming he is a huge rap star, then he snaps out of it and he is working in a fast food restaurant.

(Oh there is more…)

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