SUPER BOWL XL: EVERYTHING ELSEWell folks, I'm here to cover everything besides the football. The commercials, the entertainment, still more commercials — just think of me as a food critic who's more concerned with the side dishes than the main course. (Mmm, mashed potatoes.) And away we go.
Preshow and HalftimeStevie Wonder and Friends — the friends including John Legend, Joss Stone (so sexy with the bare feet!), India.Arie and a whole mess of dancers — treat us to a head-bopping medley of classics, from "Superstition" to "Dancin' in the Streets." Wow, it's nice to see a Motown tribute done by artists with a vested interest in the genre — as opposed to the annual soulless, badly choreographed version we get on American Idol. The national anthem proves a little tough for me to get through, not because Aaron Neville
read more
Question: My roommate and I have a dinner riding on this bet. I believe that one of the singers in the "Give a Little Bit" Gap commercial was Lou Reed. She disagrees. Do you know who the artists were? I realize that this isn't quite up your alley — you know all things broadcast television-wise — but do you know about the commercials?
Answer: Y'know, Fan, normally I'd be my cranky self and take you to task for doubting my knowledge of all things television, then move on to mocking you for implying that commercials somehow exist apart from broadcast TV and for missing all the ad-related questions I've answered in this space in the past. But I lived in Manhattan for 13 years, so I'll go easy on a fellow New Yorker.
Do you really think my hero Lou Reed, the gritty, Velvet Underground-founding poster child for rebellion, would go all corporate toadie on me and shill for Gap? For shame! (Well, there
read more
Anne Sweeney, president of Disney-ABC Television Group, has scored the No. 1 spot on the Hollywood Reporter's Power 100 list of women entertainment execs for the second year in a row. Oprah Winfrey, the sole entertainer on the list, ranked No. 8.... Wynonna Judd and Cowboy Troy will host Season 4 of USA Network's Nashville Star reality contest, premiering March 7.... On Wednesday's The Tyra Banks Show, India.Arie will perform a new single, "What About the Child," which is available for download at TyraShow.com; proceeds benefit young victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
read more
