Alexander Tamargo; Jeff Kravitz; John Parra/WireImage
Super Bowl XLIV, between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts, airs this Sunday on CBS at 6 p.m. ET. Not the type who gets a kick out of football? Timeout! Let's huddle up and talk about five fun points (well, okay, four are fun and one's just newsy) to keep in mind about TV's most-watched sports event.
1. We all know the commercials are, at least on this one day a year, actually worth watching. With an estimated 90 million viewers tuning in, advertisers pull out all the stops. This year, CBS reportedly received up to $2.8 million per 30-second spot during the Super Bowl. Ads for Snickers, Doritos, Monster.com and Coca-cola are some of the most highly-anticipated; click here for sneak peeks!
2. Carrie Underwood will belt out the national anthem and Queen Latifah will warble "America the Beautiful."
3. The Super Bowl half-time show always attracts big-name musical stars, and this year's no exception. The Who will hit the field (including original members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend) and they're expected to play a medley of their most crowd-pleasing hits: "Won’t Get Fooled Again,"
4. Join in the water-cooler talk about the controversial Tim Tebow ad. The Florida Gators quarterback and his mom, a former Christian missionary, star in a $2.5 million spot sponsored by the Christian organization Focus on the Family, about Pam Tebow's decision to carry her son, Tim, to term against the advice of doctors, during a difficult pregnancy; the 2007 Heismen Trophy winner obviously went on to college-football greatness. A national coalition of women's rights groups objected to the ad's pro-life message and lobbied CBS to pull it (CBS refused)
5. While football fans bet on the game, make a more amusing wager and keep score of Kim Kardashian vs. Kendra Leigh Baskett sightings. Both bodacious reality stars will be in the stands, cheering players on opposing teams. Kardashian (E!'s Keeping Up with the Kardashians) is famously linked with the Saints' Reggie Bush; while Baskett (E!'s The Girls Next Door) is married to the Colts' Hank Baskett. No doubt CBS cameras will focus in the glamour girls, but will they bring their boys enough luck to win? We'll see!
Plus: Place your bets by voting on the iVillage Entertainment Awards!
Will you watch the Super Bowl for the game itself, or for other reasons? Chime in below!
