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0 THE GAMECOCK ♦ Friday, January 30, 2004 agt “Whe very first law in advertis 5. ’Sing w to avoid the concrete promise and cultivate the de Contact.Us lightfully vague.” Story ideas? Questions? Comments? bill COSBY E-mailusatgamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu 1 Jr yr : - *tB GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY MARY PINCKNEY WATERS Advertisers join the Super Bowl in the battle to debut the crowd winning commercial — and pay the price for on-air time BY HILARY SCHRAMM THE GAMECOCK Super Bowl Sunday: You're surrounded by l||dk friends and unhealthy nBfy food; everyone is laugh | ing and having a great Ip time. Why? It's the com : • mereial break. While many hard }p. ■ K core football fans tune Bp in to the Super Bowl ev ery year for the game. P‘ it's estimated that half the viewers pay more at tention to the ads than And that's what compa nies are counting on. Bp According to SuperBowl W Ads.com, the average cost for B a 30-second spot was $2.25 m il lion this year. The Super Bowl has become the television event in which companies premiere their best commercials, spending millions every year in advertising wars. "As to why companies place their best ads in the Super Bowl and not another event, I really don't know," said Bonnie Drewniany, associate professor of advertising and public relations who teaches a class on Super Bowl commercials. "It's probably be cause media coverage has in creased for both the Super Bowl and the commercials.” While it's hard to know why the Super Bowl has become the mar keting event it is today, it's not hard to pinpoint the commercial that started it all. The first Super Bowl commercial that was differ ent from any normal commercial was Apple's "1984" spot in, not sur prisingly, 1984. The commercial, directed by Ridley Scott, featured no dialogue or everyday scenes. Instead, it showed a monochromatic scene of people blindly following a leader. The scene is interrupted by a fe male runner who throws a ham mer into a screen featuring Big Brother. A voiceover then ex plains Apple's new computer will prevent 1984 from being “1984.” After that groundbreaking com mercial, Super Bowl advertising continued to evolve throughout the late '80s, and the early '90s saw an increase in competition be tween companies to have the “best” spot. While beer companies domi nate the field today, the ‘90s were host to the “Cola Wars” with strict competition between Coca-Cola and Pepsi. While football fans and enter tainment addicts watch Super Bowl commercials for the ones that will make them laugh the hardest, advertising experts often look for something more. “A good Super Bowl commer cial is defined two ways,” Drewniany said. “Some people say a good Super Bowl commercial makes you laugh, but as an adver tising person, I know that a quick reaction doesn't always result in sales. A commercial could have a really high likability rating in USA Today on Super Bowl Monday, but in five minutes the fans could forget what the com mercial was even for.” After the Cola Wars of the '90s and the dot-com year 2000, it's not surprising that this year will play host to another shootout. Critics have named Super Bowl XXXVIII the “Erectile Dysfunction Drug Shootout,” with ads from Viagra, Cialis and Levitra all airing dur ing the game. Ads to watch for include a Lay's potato chip spot and a Proctor & Gamble commercial. “I'm intrigued that Proctor & Gamble invited all its brands to compete for a spot,” said Drewniany. “While only one will be shown during the Super Bowl, lots of’good commercials will be shown throughout the year now.” But no matter which commer cial is most remembered or ranks highest in USA Today, fans will tune in for the ads to decide for themselves. “I think it's just the whole en ergy and excitement,” said Drewniany. “I think very few peo ple watch the game alone.” Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu rigging out with the pigskin BY LINDSEY JEFFERSON THE GAMECOCK It's that time of year again. Football fanatics live for the Super Bowl, and most people would agree it's not just any ordinary football game; it steps everything up a notch. From the celebrity sung national anthem to the star studded halftime show, fans know that Super Bowl Sunday is the »to go all-out. Even the com ials evidence that over-the top enthusiasm. It makes sense, then, that the parties for the "big game" would be more impressive than the ordi nary Sunday afternoon get-to gether. And what makes watching any game seem more festive? Food, of course. When deciding what types of dishes to serve, most football fans opt for finger foods. They allow for grab-and-go snacking and quick clean up so as not to inter fere with the actual game watch ing. First-year nursing student Anna White prefers simple dish es like chips and salsa and pop corn to keep her Super Bowl ap petite suppressed. While some might favor such simple snacks, others tend to grav itate towards more satisfying choices like pizza. Ivy Ladd, a first year public relations student, en joys being able to grab a slice dur ing the game, preferring to munch on pizza with mushrooms and pep peroni. Ladd agreed that chips and sal sa are also essential to the football watching experience. Hot wings have long been asso ciated with the "big game," and the fan favorite is the food of choice for first-year nursing student Tish Hickson. "I like having the wings in as sorted flavors with ranch dressing on the side,” said Hickson, who said she likes to wash it all down with soda. Once halftime is done, some might decide to curb their eating and enjoy the rest of the game without making trips back to the buffet table. But in reality , the re maining quarters are a perfect time for chowing down on dessert. First-year accounting student Corey Phillips prefers to eat ice cream while watching the second half of the game. "You have to serve that towards the end of the game," he said. Whether you decide to cele brate this year’s Super Bowl at a small gathering with a few friends or at a large, packed party, it's al most a guarantee you will be snacking your way through the ac tion. Whatever you prefer to munch on, the typical football watching mix of foods is sure to make your viewing experience more savory. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu TV options beyond the gridiron BY DONNA PETROZZELLO KHTCAMITS Sick of football? Think Tom Brady was one of "The Brady Bunch"? No sweat. When millions tune in to CBS' coverage of the Patriots and the Panthers in the Super Bowl on Sunday, there will be plenty of places for the non-foot ball fan to turn. Realizing that most of the football audience is male, programmers have put to gether marathons of movies and series geared toward women. These offerings range from a collection of chick flicks to back-to-back-to-back episodes of the fixer-up show "Trading Spaces.” Here’s a sample of Sunday's alternatives: ♦ TBS offers a day's worth of female-friendly movies, includ ing "Beaches" with Bette Midler _ at 11 a.m. and Whoopi Goldberg's "Sister Act" at 4 p.m. ♦ Sci-Fi starts 12 hours of "Wishmaster" movies at noon. ♦ WGN has a marathon of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" starting at 11 a.m. ♦ WE: Women's Entertainment has Meryl Streep in "Sophie's Choice" at noon, Cher in "Mask" at 5:30 p.m. and Katharine Hepburn in "On Golden Pond" at 8. ♦ On TNT, episodes of "Charmed" will run from 2 p.m. through midnight. ♦ AMC presents a trio of thrillers ur/ler the "Amityville Horror" banner starting at 5:30 p.m. ♦ VH1 features Barbra Streisand in "Yentl" at 6 p.m. and Nicole Kidman in "Moulin Rouge" at 9 p.m. ♦ At 6 p.m., MSNBC launch es a mini-marathon of "National Geographic Explorer." ♦ MTV has a marathon of the inside-celebrity-homes show "Cribs" beginning at 6:30 p.m. ♦ At 8 p.m., ABC airs "Notting Hill," starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. , ♦ Fox will show Will Smith’s action drama "Independence Day" at 7 p.m. ♦ On UPN, Denis Leary's comedy "Two If By Sea" starts at 7 p.m. ♦ FX has the movie "M*A*S*H," starring Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould, at 7:30 p.m. ♦ There's a marathon of the home-remodeling show "Trading Spaces" on TLC start ing at 7 p.m. ♦ Starting at 7 p.m., the WB airs three episodes of the celebrity reality show "The Surreal Life." ♦ At 8 p.m., NBC offers a three-hour marathon of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." Bravo will run several episodes of "Gay Weddings" beginning at$ p.m. ♦ The Travel Channel has back-to-back episodes of its "World Poker Tour" at 8 p.m. ♦ Court TV has episodes of "Forensic Files" at 8 p.m. PHOTO BY MORGAN FORD/THE GAMECOCK With Super Bowi Sunday approaching, parties are stocking up on junk food for game-night snacking. SURFYOURSELF Vote for your favorite ads during the game at www.usatoday.com and www.adbowl.com Keep your eyes peeled for... ♦ Anheuser-Busch's spots featuring a donkey that wants to be a Clydesdale. ♦ A new H&R Block commercial featuring Willie Nelson. ♦ MasterCard's latest installment in the "Priceless" campaign. ♦ Two spots featuring Ford's new GT. ♦ "Grandparents," a Frito-Lay ad that features Gramps and Grapiny fighting over potato chips. ♦ Rve anticipated ads from Pepsi/Sierra Mist, one of which involves ayoungJimi Hendrix. ♦ Pizza Hut ads featuring Jessica Simpson and the Muppets. And check out a live countdown of the best Super Bowl commercials of all time Saturday night at 9 p.m. on CBS. Musical. Review ‘Les Miser ables’ does novel justice “LES MISERABLES" ★★★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆ BY ALEXIS STRATTON TIIROA.WECOCK.. More than 25 years after "Les Miserables" first opened on Broadway, Cameron Mackintosh's musical master piece filled USC's Roger Center Wednesday with soaring har monies and unforgettable per formances, delighting the audi ence with its unique staging and incredible talent. Based on the Victor Hugo novel of the same name, this pre sentation was filled with stirring emotion as each dynamic cast member connected with the au dience, portraying the story of "Les Miserables" with passion and energy. "Les Miserables," which opened in Columbia on Tuesday and continues through Sunday, tells the story of an escaped con vict, Jean Valjean, who turns from his life of crime as the re sult of a bishop's inspirational kindness. Valjean breaks parole, determined to lead a righteous life, and the musical follows his struggle to evade the law — which is personified by Inspector Javert — and create a life for himself. Set on the eve of a revolution ary uprising in 19th-century France, "Les Miserables" incor porates the volatile nature of the period with the tribulations of Valjean's life. Such conflicts are merged with the love plot that evolves between Valjean's adopt ed daughter, Cosette, and a stu dent revolutionary, Marius, who must deal with the thwarted af fections street girl Eponine has for him. Most notable of the cast was Randal Keith as Jean Valjean. Keith, who also played Valjean on Broadway during the show's closing run, gave a strong per formance on Wednesday, por traying the intense emotions of his character by showcasing his vocal skills. He expertly con trasted the powerful tenor strains of songs such as "Who Am I?" with the gentler, more melodic tones of the supplicating solo "Bring Him Home,” after which Keith received an energetic and elongated round of applause. Keith, however, was not the only cast member to deliver an impassioned performance. Robert Hunt, who played Javert in the place of Stephen Tewksbury, was convincing as Valjean's adversary. Hunt's warm, expressive tone brought empathy to his hard-nosed char acter. Ma-Anne Dionisio, who played Eponine, presented a ro bust rendition of the heart breaking "On My Own," accen tuating her dynamic character. Also, Cindy Benson and Michael Kostroff played the perfect inn keeping, petty-thieving duo as the comedic, if morally ♦ MUSICAL, SEE PAGE 6