by Claudine Zap

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by Mike Krumboltz

Watching the Super Bowl ads is as much a tradition as the game itself. During this year's contest, a few interesting trends emerged. There were commercials focusing on what it means to "be a man" as well as a couple of ads with too many tighty-whiteys (don't worry, we'll explain). A slew of big names like Coca-Cola, Budweiser, and Doritos all brought their A-game, but some of the lesser-known brands were buzzier...

Old Celebs Bring the Thunder
Move over, Budweiser. Snickers may have had the buzziest commercial of the day. Betty White, the former "Golden Girl," plays a game of football and gets slammed to the ground for comedic effect. "Dude," a player moans, "you're playing like Betty White!" The lesson: If you don't want to play like a geriatric Golden Girl, have a Snickers. Check out the clip below...

Doritos lays the smack down
Doritos aired a slew of ads during the big game. The one that stood out starred a little boy who didn't like the idea of a new suitor hitting on his mom. "These are the rules," the kid says. "Keep your hands off my mama, and keep your hands off my Doritos."

CareerBuilder and Dockers
Pants?! We don't need no stinkin' pants! Back-to-back commercials pushed the anti-pants agenda. The first, for CareerBuilder.com, featured a new employee surrounded by co-workers who take "casual Fridays" a bit too literally. The second, for Dockers, had a group of underwear-clad men singing about their missing slacks. For those who didn't think anybody wore tighty-whiteys any more, we present two commercials that offer disturbing proof to the contrary...

Dove, Dodge, and FloTV
So you think you're a man? Well, think again, buddy, because the folks at Dove, Dodge, and FloTv might disagree. The three companies each aired ads with an "attack on manliness." Dodge's ad, for its macho Charger car, featured a voice-over of a man agreeing to all the indignities that come with long-term relationships. But, the ad contends, men draw the line when it comes to their cars.

You're a guy and you've been using "regular" Dove? For shame, sir! Fortunately, you're not a lost cause. Now you can be a stud and use "Dove for Men." The ad had a catchy tune about going from boyhood to manhood, and how "Dove for Men" can help you along the way. Clip below...

FloTV, which lets you stream shows (and manly sports like football), took aim at "spineless" guys who hold their girlfriends' purses and get dragged around in the mall, when they could be watching football. Jim Nantz narrates the ad, the third (by our count) that aims to inspire the dudes to be more dude-ish.

Super Bowl Shuffle 2.0
Longtime NFL fans remember the Super Bowl Shuffle from 1985. The '85 Chicago Bears, including Jim McMahon, rapped and danced to an original tune. It was painful to watch, but darn if it wasn't catchy. Now, 25 years later, some ex-Bears returned to the stage to perform a new version of their inexplicable hit for Boost Mobile. In the ad, McMahon raps about his cheetah print thong, rides in a wheelchair, and gets a spray-on tan. Somebody get this guy a Dodge, some Dove for Men, and new Flo, stat.

Tim Tebow's Focus on the Family
Much ado about nothing. That's the best way to sum up the Focus on the Family ad starring Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow. The ad had been the subject of much controversy in the weeks leading up to big game. Would it have a strong antiabortion angle? Well, not really. The ad featured Mr. Tebow and his mom discussing how he was a difficult birth and a "miracle baby," but, of course, the mom is just thrilled with the way things turned out. At the end of the ad, a message appears suggesting people check out Focus on the Family's official site for more information. You can check out the clip below...

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by Claudine Zap

For some (OK, most), Super Bowl Sunday will be about the meeting of the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints. For those watching the ads, it might be seen as a smackdown between Tim Tebow and the gay dating site Mancrunch. But the real competition might be an old Snickers ad. Let us explain.

The former Florida Gators quarterback will star in a pro-life ad from the Christian group Focus on the Family. Despite the controversial topic, CBS responded to critics saying it was just fine with "responsibly produced" advocacy ads.

But the line got drawn with Mancrunch, which was told by CBS it could not, well, come out for the Super Bowl. Mancrunch complained the rejection smacked of "straight up discrimination," although the issue could have been straight up financial — the upstart site would have had to pony up $2.5 million for a 30-second spot. CBS explained its decision, as reported by Media Bistro: "The creative is not within the Network's Broadcast Standards for Super Bowl Sunday."

Gawker pointed out that the standards seemed pretty loose when running the Snickers kiss ad a few years back. That one featured two guys accidentally smooching as they share a Snickers bar "Lady in the Tramp" style. Check it out below. The Mancrunch ad, which you can watch uncensored (you're welcome) is pretty funny. Basically, two men on a couch are watching the game, get excited by a play, and then make out — while a third guy looks on in shock. Even without a primetime Super Bowl slot, the ad is starting to get some notice. One-day searches on Yahoo! for "mancrunch" soared almost 5,000%.
See what other Super Bowl ads have been rejected.

A spokesperson for the dating site referenced the approved Tebow ad in his response to the CBS rejection, saying: "We are very disappointed that in 2010 such discrimination is happening especially given the fact that Focus on the Family is allowed to promote their way of life during the Super Bowl." And anyway, it's not like Super Bowl viewers haven't seen men kiss in ads during the game before — the Snickers ad took care of that.

But hey, you can watch both ads and do your own math.

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by Mike Krumboltz

Ayla Brown, daughter of the newly elected Sen. Scott Brown, has a new album.

Ms. Brown is no stranger to the spotlight. As a former contestant on "American Idol," she finished among season five's top 16. Still, it took her father’s recent win in the Massachusetts Senate race to really raise her online profile. His embarassing, off-the-cuff remarks ("My daughter is available," he quipped, much to his daughter's horror) certainly didn't hurt.

Following her dad’s surprise victory and TMI-fueled speech, Web searches for "ayla brown" and "ayla brown singer" surged into the thousands. Folks wanted to know more than just her relationship status.

Ask, and ye shall receive. Ayla has a new CD out entitled "Circles," and its getting a good amount of buzz. The album was originally scheduled to be released in April, but Ms. Brown has elected to strike while the iron is hot. The five-song EP debuted on iTunes earlier this month.

According to a blog from The Washington Post, customer reviews range from "She is very talented" to "these are some of the worst songs i've ever heard." Web lookups on "ayla brown circles" and "ayala brown circles reviews" both posted significant gains over the past week.

But how's the album? The New York Post offers up its own take on Ms. Brown’s effort. The paper gives props to the faster, happier tunes—the slower ballads, not so much. Still, the Post remarks that Ms. Brown never embarasses herself with the record. In other words, she's got talent.  

Want to see and hear for yourself? Yahoo! Video has several clips, including the video for "Pick It Up." Check it out below...

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by Claudine Zap

There are two types of people in this world: Those that watch the Super Bowl as a sporting event and those who tune in for the million-dollar ads.

Tim Tebow is straddling both worlds. With a starring role in a pro-life ad for the Christian group Focus on the Family, the former Florida Gators quarterback has stepped into the abortion controversy on the biggest TV-commercial viewing day of the year.

While the ad hasn't been made public yet, it purportedly chronicles the story of Tebow's mother, Pam Tebow, when pregnant in 1987 with her fifth child. She got sick but decided to ignore her doctor's advice to terminate her pregnancy, and instead delivered Tim.

Already searches on the Super Bowl ad are scoring big. One-day lookups on "tim tebow commercial" are up over 300%. Queries are also spiking on "tim tebow abortion" and "tim tebow super bowl ad."

The anti-abortion statement has already sparked major controversy with women's groups, who are criticizing CBS for letting it air. A letter from the Women's Media Center protested that the network will offend the public and advertisers by offering a coveted ad spot "…to an anti-equality, anti-choice, homophobic organization." CBS responded to complaints by offering up a new policy for advocacy ads that are "responsibly produced" — and can come up with $2.5 million for a 30-second spot.
Find out what ads were rejected by the Super Bowl.

Tebow, who is considered a top prospect in the 2010 NFL draft, defended his participation in the ad, acknowledging that although some people won't agree with it, he hopes they respect him for standing up for his beliefs. Game on.

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