Super Bowl TV: Online video lets you pick the best ads and shows right now
Back in prehistoric times, you had to wait until the Big Game actually was played to see all the cool 
commercials and special TV episodes cobbled together to help make the Super Bowl so, well, super.
No more. Thanks to the magic of the Internet I’ve already seen some of the best TV moments coming; and you can, too. Here's my picks, in advance, of the hippest non-sports stuff you’ll see on TV Sunday.
The Office hourlong Super Bowl episode
The show: In a fine tradition once upheld by House and The Simpsons, NBC’s second-funniest comedy gets an hour to shine after the game. And unlike a lot of super-sized Super Bowl editions, this extra-long Office holds together well, as Steve Carell’s hapless manager Michael Scott suggests a no-holds-barred roast to relax his office, after he realizes he’s the biggest source of stress in the place. Unfortunately, much heralded cameos from Jack Black, Jessica Alba and Cloris Leachman come in an awful pirated movie watched by three workers (the film’s lame premise is summed up in five awful words: Leachman. And. Black. Make. Out.)
Why it works: Scott’s office is a hilarious purgatory packed with dysfunctional personalities whose soul-deadening problems reinforce each other. So when Rainn Wilson’s twichy Dwight sets off a too-realistic fire drill and causes co-worker Stanley to have a heart attack, Carell’s Scott eats most of the blame. Hilariously.
See a preview below:
Careerbuilder.com: When to quit
The ad: Presented almost like a fable, this surreal clip ticks off the ways you can tell it might be time to quit a bad job, including the desire to punch small animals (I spit up my coffee when a bespectacled, stuffed koala bear quipped “oh dear,” just before getting a knuckle sandwich) and a seat next to a guy clad only in a Speedo picking out toe jam on his desk. How many Super Bowl ads can manage funny and educational at once?
Miller High Life: One Second Ad
The ad: A jive-talking Miller delivery guy snaps off 30 one-second ads in an effort to help the company get the most for its $3-million of Super Bowl ad time. I never realized how funny one guy standing in a loading dock shouting crazy phrases could be. My faves: “Pigskin gravy!” “Back bacon!” And his query: “What’s my line?” answered by a weary off-camera voice: “Miller.”
Pepsi Max: I’m Good
The ad: We see a series of spine-jarring accidents – a guy gets a bowling ball dropped on his head, another gets shot across a field by an electric shock when a home repair effort goes awry. Each incident ends with the typical guy’s method for shaking off embarrassment and pain, the phrase “I’m good.” The punch line: “Men can take anything, except the taste of diet cola. Until now.” Trust me, it’s funnier on the TV.
The Feed is a blog on TV, media and modern life by St. Petersburg Times TV/media critic Eric Deggans. Possibly the most critical guy at the Times, he has served as music, media and TV critic at various times over 10 years.
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As usual, the ads are the best part of the StuporBowl. In general, the creativity and humor shown in many 30-second TV spots often exceeds the actual shows. Thanks for the preview: the CareerBuilder ad had me ROFL.
Always remember what my elderly Granny told me when I complained about the TV ads: "I don't mind them honey, they pay for the show."
Posted by: Mr News | January 31, 2009 at 06:33 PM