[IMG:L]As the New York Giants and New England Patriots get ready for the big game, Hollywood A-listers are doing the same.
“I’ll probably go to the Super Bowl. It will be my first Super Bowl that I ever went to,” says Martin Lawrence, who joins a long line of fans rooting for the New England Patriots to go undefeated. “I got to go with New England. [Tom] Brady and them real smooth and I would like to see somebody have that perfect season, I’ve never seen that done before, so I’d have to go with those guys.
Even stars without tickets are getting hyped to host their own Super Bowl parties. Imagine chowing down with half of Tenacious D for the game. “I don’t throw a lot of parties,” admits Jack Black. “I would though, because I have a really good TV now. I did have people over. I had a small gathering for the big boxing match that happened. That was pretty fun.”
He’s also rooting for the Patriots, but of course had to spin it in his own unique way. “I am rooting for that team to go undefeated. Did you watch that last game of the season? It was one of the greatest games of all time. I think it might have been the best football game of all time. It was like an orgasm that game, if you like football. I root for the Michael Jordans. I want to be alive during the historical times. Listen, I know it’s going to be great. If someone upsets them it’s going to make their career. It’s going to make their whole thing come true and it’s sad that that’s how you have to get famous by spoiling beautiful history.”
[IMG:R]Howie Mandel thinks an undefeated Patriots season is a deal he cannot refuse. “I would like to watch history and watch the Patriots continue in that streak,” he said. “So it will be nice to somebody go all the way totally undefeated. That would be phenomenal.”
As for a viewing celebration, Mandel is also all jokes. “As far as a Super Bowl party, I’m thinking of having some sort of Super Bowl surprise party.”
Hollywood has its share of Giants fans too. Stars like Jason Biggs were afraid to comment in the press for fear of jinxing their team. “I think the Giants are going to make it and I think it’s going to be a rematch against New England,” said Biggs. “Last game of the regular season, I think Giants are going to win it. Now that I’ve said that, that’s not going to happen and I’ll be really pissed.”
Don’t worry, Jason, you didn’t spoil anything.
Even Hollywood’s leading ladies have been getting football fever. Sarah Michelle Gellar caught it just before playoffs ended. “It’s so funny, I wasn’t really watching that much this year but I spent the entire weekend glued to the television this weekend,” she said. “Literally, that Giants/Dallas game, literally I had chest tension. I kid you not. I was literally having pressure and I’m like, ‘Come on, Giants, Giants.’ I grew up a Giants fan. It was exciting to see that game.”
Other Giants fans have felt conflicted over the potential for an undefeated Patriots season. “I’m going to have to go with the Patriots,” said Cedric the Entertainer. “They’ve had a dynamic year and they’re a really powerful looking team. I like the Giants. I thought they gave them a really strong run for it at the last game of the season, and I like the way they’ve been playing but the Patriots look unstoppable. It’d be good so now we can talk about them in my generation instead of the ’72 Dolphins.”
[IMG:L]Team allegiances may have caused friction in some Hollywood relationships. Eva Longoria Parker and Tony Parker support different teams. “I want Cowboys, he likes the Patriots,” she revealed. Let’s hope the Cowboys’ fate has prevented a Parker household disaster.
Tony Shalhoub may not be obsessive about sports the way his Monk character is about everything else. He was pulling for Green Bay, but his prediction proved unfounded. “I’m from Green Bay and of course as everyone knows, Green Bay went 13 and three this year much to everyone’s surprise,” said Shalhoub. “So after Green Bay beats Seattle then they’ll be well on their way to the Super Bowl.”
Alas, they did not make it. At least Shalhoub will be with friends, if not watching his team in the big game. “If I can’t make it to the Super Bowl, I’ll have a party at my house.”
Of course, there are many stars who are as oblivious to sports as entertainment journalists are. Those, like Ted Danson, just stick with the popular vote. “I don’t [follow it],” Danson said. “I mean, you have to go with New England don’t you?”
Colin Hanks did not even know who his choices were. “I’ve got to find out who’s in the Super Bowl first,” said Hanks. When advised, he replied, “I guess you’d have to say the Patriots.”
Dexter‘s Julie Benz was proud to be a more traditional girly girl, uninformed about the Super Bowl. “Who’s in it this year?” she asked. “I have no idea.” She too pulled a Colin Hanks. “Sure, New England sounds great. I don’t know, what color are their uniforms?”
Super Bowl parties offer such ladies some girl time. They can gossip while the boys are distracted by the game. “That’s how much I care about sports,” said Rosanna Arquette. “When is the Super Bowl? I’m sure I’ll be at someone’s house I know that is watching the Super Bowl and I’ll be talking to somebody’s wife.”
Other celebrities have been distracted by recent world news and Hollywood happenings, like Bob Saget. “I’m so caught up in my fear of the Presidential election that I’m a complete cloud right now,” he said. “I just can’t wait to see the Golden Globes just being announced on the radio. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, accepting for Steven Spielberg, Ryan Seacrest.’ I don’t have a Super Bowl pick. I’m sorry. I just went off on my angst of hoping that the Writers Guild gets what they want and deserve, and we move on.”
[IMG:R]Action hero Jason Statham has his favorites for British football, which we call soccer, but he does not follow the American version. “I haven’t really had enough time to get busy with that,” Statham said. “One day. Every time you see me throw one of them balls, people go, ‘Whoa! He’s English, isn’t he?’ Because it goes like this [throws a crooked ball], instead of this [throws a straight ball]. That’s a hard one to catch.”
At least the ones who don’t follow the game are funny about it. Ryan Reynolds remained in charming romantic comedy mode when he spoke about the big game. “My feeling about the Super Bowl and sports in general is that you have a ball and there are people chasing you for that ball,” said Reynolds. “My feeling is that they can have the ball. I have another one. I’ll bring an extra one if you want. You can have that one too.”
Super Bowl XLII Commercials: Get a Load of These!
Bridgestone, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, GoDaddy.com, Anheuser-Busch… Super Bowl commercials are almost as popular as the Halftime Show. Here are some winning spots from the crop of advertisers in 2008:
[IMG:L]Super Bowl Ad: Diet Pepsi Max
Watch the Diet Pepsi Max ‘What Is Love’ commercial featuring LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes and Chris Kattan.
[IMG:L]Super Bowl Ad: Pepsi
Catch pop star Justin Timberlake in this sneak peek at this year’s Super Bowl Pepsi commercial.
[IMG:L]Super Bowl Ad: GoDaddy.com
Don’t miss Danica Patrick in this 30-second sneak peek of GoDaddy.com’s Super Bowl commercial.
[IMG:L]Super Bowl Ad: Planters
Watch a 30-second preniew for Planters Nuts, featuring the unibrow!
— Additional reporting by Andrea Simpson.
