Most of the 46 commercials that ran during Super Bowl XLVII were either emotional or humorous, Stuart Elliott writes in The Times. Comic actors like Tracy Morgan and Amy Poehler anchored irreverent spots for MiO Fit and Best Buy, and some of the memorable ads in a largely disappointing crop relied on sentimentality. For example, The Chrysler Group ran two tributes to veterans and American farmers to sell Jeep Cherokees and Dodge Rams. Other sponsors, like Anheuser-Busch InBev, used both approaches. An ad for Budweiser showed one Clydesdale’s reunion with the man who raised it, echoing a popular YouTube clip of a lion named Christian; ad an ad for Bud Light featured Stevie Wonder as a voodoo king casting good luck spells for ardent football fans. Suzanne Vranica of The Wall Street Journal also covers the more successful Super Bowl ads.
The Super Bowl attracted an average audience of 108.4 million viewers this year, making it the third most-watched television event of all time (the two previous Super Bowls enjoyed larger average audiences.) Viewership may have benefited from the blackout that shut down the game for more than half an hour, Bill Carter writes. Baltimore had just scored against San Francisco to widen its lead to 28-6 at the start of the third quarter, making viewers fear a rout. But news of the blackout carried over social media and caused renewed interest in t! he game before the 49ers came back for a thrilling finale.
The Muzak name, long synonymous with unobtrusive soundscapes for restaurants, shops, offices and, of course, elevators, is being retired by its owner, Mood Media. Ben Sisario assures us that there is no cause for alarm â€" the lilting instrumentals and pop playlists that infuse our public places are not going anywhere. Lorne Abony, Mood Media’s chairman and chief executive, said the change was mainly to further integrate the company, though he acknowledged that the Muzak brand carries some baggage. “It is often perceived as an epithet for elevator music,†he said.
NBCUniversal announced Monday that Bonnie Hammer would lead all of its cable entertainment properties, Bill Carter reports. The move gives Ms. Hammer control of entertainment channels that had previously reported to the company’s senior executive, Lauren Zalaznick, including the highly successful Bravo channel. Ms. Hammer’s elevation makes her the third woman in charge of important divisions at NBCUniversal.
Many of this year’s Oscar nominees gathered for their annual luncheon at the Beverly Hilton in Hollywood before the Oscar horse race starts in earnest. Attendees drank blueberry martinis amid a nightclub atmosphere, complete with fake fog, a dj and strained bonhomie, Brooks Barnes writes.
Geraldo Rivera, the television commentator, has often been derided for his stated interest in running for a Senate seat in New Jersey. But Fox News, Mr. Rivera’s current employers, are taking the move seriously, Brian Stelter writes. A spokeswoman for the channel said that Mr. Rivera would have to leave his weekend Fox News Channel show, “Geraldo at Large,†if he formally decides to run.
Bookish, a Web site made by publishers to provide information about books and authors in a literary magazine format, opened on Monday night. The site receives financing from Simon & Schuster, Penguin Group USA and Hachette Book Group, but will include books from 16 other publishers, Leslie Kaufman writes.
