Most of Yesterday Sucked, But This Didn't

If you even glanced at the left hand column of this blog, you surely saw this week's top 5. And if you had the patience to read it and allow your brain to process it, you know that I am no fan of the Super Bowl commercials these days.

It would seem that the quality of these spots has been steadily declining for years now. For every clever ad, you get a dozen that leave you wondering what the hell the events on the television screen had to do with the company it was an advertisement for. Granted, beer commercials do this all the time, but at least they are usually funny. I'm reminded of the commercial that featured cat herders years back. If anyone can remember which company that commercial was for, you win a prize (a thoroughly disappointing prize that has yet to be determined, most likely that tiny screw I found the other day whose proper placement is a mystery, but a prize nonetheless).

I long for the days when I was excited about Super Bowl commercials. As a kid, I knew that even if I didn't care about the teams that were playing (which was most certainly the case this year) I would at least remember the commercials and talk about them with my friends the next day at school. Who could forget the classic match-ups that we watched in the Bud Bowl, with the heroic performances of the stubby brothers, Billy and Bobby Bud? And when the Freezer stepped in to carry the ball reminiscent of William Perry I, for one, stood up and applauded. Alas, the days of these commercials seem a distant memory.

However, clever production aside, every now and again you still get a commercial that gets you excited. Often it is less about the delivery and more about the product it is advertising. That happened with one commercial yesterday. If you don't already know which one I'm talking about, you probably should leave this page and never return. I'm just kidding, please don't leave. Keep reading. I forgive you for your ignorance.

Marvel ran a preview of Captain America: The First Avenger and it was nothing short of amazing, incredible, fantastic, uncanny and...invincible? It was short, of course, as most teaser trailers are, but powerful. And the best part of it was Dr. Erskine's plea to a scrawny Steve Rogers (note, spelled the right way with no d, unlike a certain winning quarterback from last night whom I will continue to hate despite his MVP award which should be given to him in belt form...jerk) to remain a good man no matter what happens. With all the hype and Hollywood flash given to movies I'm pleased, to say the least, that this essential part of Cap's personality was already highlighted in the first commercial.

So I offer a hearty Thank You to the people at Marvel for saving my evening yesterday. It seems that giving me purpose is something that Marvel excels at. Most of what happened sucked last night, but at least Captain America was there for me, as he always has been.