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Thursday, Jan 31, 2013 11:17 PM UTC

2013 Super Bowl ad preview

The good, the stupid and the mildly offensive VIDEO

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Topics: Video, super bowl 2013, commercials, Consumerism, Sports, Television, Media, ,

2013 Super Bowl ad preview (Credit: Mercedes-Benz)

The smell of chicken wings and seven-layer dip fills the air. The carbonated whisper of beer cans opening in unison tickles your ears. Somewhere, Jackie Harbaugh is wondering which of her sons she will love more at the end of the night. It is Super Bowl Sunday, and the game is about to begin.

Just kidding! It is only Thursday, and all that we have to satiate our football hunger is a humble grouping of Super Bowl ad previews.

So join me in watching them, and pretending — if just for a moment — that it’s the big day and the working week is just a distant memory.

The Good (relatively speaking)

Hyundai uses Wes Anderson-esque stylized detachment to sell its 2013 Sonata Turbo. Who’s buying?

Pepsi made Super Bowl history with a sexy Cindy Crawford in cut-offs. This ad will not make Super Bowl history, but it gets points for an extended take of a teenager dumping a full gallon of milk on his head and casting a mustachioed Will Forte lookalike as a preternaturally chill, soda-loving dad.

Audi’s “Prom” is a classic nerd-does-well story, and those are nice stories to tell. Now, is it appropriate how forcefully our commercial’s young hero kisses the prom queen? It certainly wouldn’t fly at Oberlin, but I’ll let you be the judge.

The stupid

Axe Body Spray is the worst. And now it’s dragging down poor Buzz Aldrin. The man walked on the moon, people. He is better than this.

Mercedes-Benz is trying to fool you by calling this commercial “Kate Upton washes a car.” Poor, unsuspecting viewers will be waiting for a wonderfully sudsed-up Upton (a Sudsupton!), only to be shown a group of teenagers doing menial chores. But take heart, there is still Upton jiggling involved.

Taco Bell’s “Grandpa Goes Wild” is exactly what it sounds like: It is a grandpa going wild. While funny enough, it is clearly a straightforward Jackass rip off, and so it finds itself in the “stupid” category. Sorry, grandpa.

The mildly offensive

You knew this was coming, right? The Volkswagen “Get Happy” commercial that the entire Internet — and now the Jamaican government – is weighing in on. Clearly you can see what category I’ve stuck this in, but I’m no Super Bowl commercial cop. Feel free to decide for yourself.

 

 

Katie Mcdonough

Katie McDonough is an assistant editor for Salon, focusing on lifestyle. Follow her on Twitter @kmcdonovgh or email her at kmcdonough@salon.com. More Katie Mcdonough.

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  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

  • In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.

  • This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.

  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

  • Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.

  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

  • People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.

  • On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.

  • The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.

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