Best, Worst Super Bowl Ads

'Can anyone be more stupid than Groupon?' wonders one blogger

(NEWSER) - Man, isn’t the plight of the Tibetan people hilarious? Groupon hit a real nerve last night with a Super Bowl commercial that seemed to exploit said plight for yucks. “The people of Tibet are in trouble. Their culture is in jeopardy,” says narrator Timothy Hutton. “But they still whip up an amazing fish curry.” The ad—part of a whole series of mock-PSAs—generated an instant backlash on Twitter and YouTube for its insensitivity, the Huffington Post reports. More»

Matthew Broderick stars in 'Matthew's Day Off' for Honda

(NEWSER) - The full-length Ferris Bueller-inspired Super Bowl ad is here, and AdWeek dubs it "awesome." Matthew Broderick stars in "Matthew's Day Off," a Honda ad in which he calls in sick to a film shoot in order to do all sorts of fun stuff in his CR-V. The extended version of the ad (watch in the gallery) clocks in at nearly two and a half minutes, and according to its YouTube page, features more than two dozen references to the 1986 movie. "Broderick doesn't sully the original film's reputation here," writes Tim Nudd. "Quite the opposite—this is how a tribute should look." More»

Motorola Super Bowl ad employs a hand double for thumb defect

(NEWSER) - Attention: Shocking Super Bowl ad scandal rocks the nation! Megan Fox, who probably won't need a whole-body double anytime in the near future, did employ a hand double for her Motorola commercial. The hand you see in the close-up isn't Fox's, the Daily Mail reports. The actress has brachydactyly, or clubbed thumbs, and the Motorola-texting-impostor is garnering quite a bit of attention in the blogosphere. More»

From Betty White to Stevie Wonder, these ads bank on the familiar

(NEWSER) - Yes, there were still the requisite ads using slapstick violence to get a laugh, or objectifying women—but the reigning theme of this year's Super Bowl commercials was nostalgia. Thanks to the economy, many advertisers used familiar faces to pitch products, writes Stuart Elliott in the New York Times . A few of the most notable, which you can watch in the gallery:

• Snickers: Featuring Betty White and Abe Vigoda.
• Teleflora: Uses the voice of Don Rickles.
• Volkswagen: Stevie Wonder makes an appearance at the end.
• HomeAway: Brings back the Griswolds of Vacation fame.

Late-night rivals spice up Super Bowl ad competition

(NEWSER) - This year's most talked-about Super Bowl commercial was a Late Night promo featuring David Letterman, Oprah Winfrey, and an unexpected third party—Jay Leno. Oprah and Letterman appeared in a similar spot when her Chicago Bears lost to his Indianapolis Colts 3 years ago, before Leno became America's Villain. "Now this is damage control for Leno," writes Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly . More»