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Super Bowl XLII

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by X3210 (talk | contribs) at 03:31, 4 February 2008 (this sentence is misleading without explaining that the lead went back and forth the entire game - which is another defining aspect of the game). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

DateFebruary 3 2008
StadiumUniversity of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
MVPEli Manning
FavoritePatriots by 12[1] over/under 54
RefereeMike Carey[2]
Attendance71,101[3]
Ceremonies
National anthemJordin Sparks [4]
Coin tossRonnie Lott, Jerry Rice, Steve Young, and Craig Walsh[5]
Halftime showTom Petty and The Heartbreakers
TV in the United States
NetworkFOX
AnnouncersJoe Buck and Troy Aikman[6]
Cost of 30-second commercial$2.7 million[7]

Super Bowl XLII, the 42nd annual edition of the Super Bowl in American football, determined the champion of the National Football League (NFL) following the 2007 regular season, the New York Giants. The game began on February 3 2008, 6:30 PM EST (23:30 UTC)[8] at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. This was the second time that the Phoenix area hosted a Super Bowl game; Super Bowl XXX in January 1996 was played in Tempe's Sun Devil Stadium, on the campus of Arizona State University.

The game was contested by the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots. With a win, New England would have become the first NFL team to complete a perfect season undefeated since the 1972 Miami Dolphins and the first since the league expanded to a 16-game regular season in 1978. This game was also a rematch of the teams' regular season-ending game on December 29 2007, which the Patriots won, 38–35, at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

New England opened the bye week as 14-point favorites, but dipped to 12-point favorites two weeks before the Super Bowl.[9] Although the lead went back and forth the entire game, the New York Giants won 17–14 over New England, who held a four point lead until the final minute of the fourth quarter.[10] Eli Manning, who threw for 255 yards and two touchdown passes, was named the Super Bowl MVP.

Background

Host selection process

The league contemplated the idea of holding Super Bowl XLII in either New York City or Washington, D.C. as a symbol of the recovery from the September 11, 2001 attacks.[11] However, New York City was not even considered as a finalist, because the proposed renovations to Giants Stadium were still being disputed among its stadium representatives, and the city and the New York Jets at the time still had not finalized a plan to build the new West Side Stadium; ultimately, that deal fell through.[12] When NFL owners awarded Super Bowl XLII to Glendale during their October 2003 meeting in Chicago, Illinois, they rejected Washington because they preferred a warmer and drier climate.[13]

Venue

This was the first time a Super Bowl was played on a retractable natural-grass field surface, as the University of Phoenix Stadium removable surface is unique for American sports venues.[14]

This was also the second Super Bowl played in a retractable-roof stadium (designed by Peter Eisenman and HOK Sport). During the regular season, the home team decides 90 minutes before kickoff if the roof would be open or closed, and an open roof must remain open unless weather conditions get worse. However, as a neutral site, the NFL controls the option to open or close without any restrictions. The first time this was employed was in Super Bowl XXXVIII at Reliant Stadium; the roof was open for pregame and halftime shows and closed during the game.[15]

During a February 6, 2007 ceremony with Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, the NFL and the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee unveiled the slogan "Who Wants It More?" along with its mascot "Spike the Super Ball" (an anthropomorphized football with sunglasses and sneakers) and a large "Super Bowl XLII Countdown Clock" at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.[16] The Super Bowl XLII logo was also unveiled, featuring the shape of the state of Arizona in red. The two horizontal white stripes in the middle represent the vertical lines on the University of Phoenix Stadium. The turquoise Roman Numerals represent the Native American culture of Arizona. The red star represents the AFC and the blue star represents the NFC. [16]

Teams

New England Patriots

The Patriots, competing in their fourth Super Bowl since the 2001 season, were already billed as one of the greatest teams in NFL history. They compiled a perfect 16-0 record (the first team to go undefeated since the NFL expanded the regular season to 16 games in 1978), and set NFL records with 589 points scored (an average of 36.8 points per game), and a net differential of +315 points (they gave up 274 points, fourth best in the league). Some experts have suggested that the Patriots 16-0 record is the culmination of a larger trend towards better records for top NFL teams since the league realignment in 2002. [17]

The team was once again led by quarterback Tom Brady who won his first NFL MVP award, throwing for a career high 4,806 yards and an NFL record 50 touchdowns (which was 22 more than his previous best season), and just eight interceptions. His passer rating of 117.2 was the second-highest season rating in NFL history. One often-cited reason for Brady's improved numbers was the acquisition of receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker.[18] The Patriots acquired Moss, a nine-year veteran, from the Oakland Raiders for a fourth-round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft after Moss had, statistically, the worst year of his career (with 42 receptions for 553 yards and three touchdowns). With the Patriots, though, Moss caught 98 receptions for 1,493 yards and an NFL record 23 touchdowns, and was selected a first-team All Pro. The Patriots also gave the Miami Dolphins second- and seventh-round picks for Welker; Welker tied for the league lead in receptions and was named a second-team All Pro. Welker and Moss both earned votes for Offensive Player of the Year. Other major contributors to the Patriots' passing game included Donté Stallworth, who added 697 yards and three touchdowns, and tight end Benjamin Watson, whose 36 receptions totaled 389 yards and six touchdowns.

Running back Laurence Maroney was the Patriots' top rusher, with 835 yards and six touchdowns, while Sammy Morris added 385 yards and Kevin Faulk had 265. (Morris ended up on injured reserve midway through the season, and thus could not play in the Super Bowl.) Faulk was also a reliable receiver out of the back field, catching 47 passes for 383 yards. The Patriots also a had a superb offensive line that featured three Pro Bowl selections: guard Logan Mankins, tackle Matt Light, and center Dan Koppen.

New England's defensive line was led by nose tackle Vince Wilfork, who, over the course of the 2007 season, was selected to his first Pro Bowl as well as fined four times for unnecessary roughness.[19] The Patriots also had a superb set of veteran linebackers who shared a combined total of 16 Pro Bowl selections. Outside linebacker Mike Vrabel had his best NFL season yet, leading the team with a career high 12½ sacks and earning the first Pro Bowl selection of his career. Adalius Thomas, an offseason pickup from the Baltimore Ravens, recorded six sacks. Junior Seau, a 12-time Pro Bowler, returned for his 18th season and a chance at his first Super Bowl ring, while Tedy Bruschi contributed 92 tackles. New England's secondary featured Pro Bowl cornerback Asante Samuel, who led the team with six interceptions.

The Patriots' success was not without controversy. The Patriots were accused of videotaping opponents' defensive signals in the first week of the season against the New York Jets in what was dubbed "Spygate". The episode cost head coach Bill Belichick $500,000, while the team was docked $250,000 and their first-round selection in the 2008 NFL Draft.

New York Giants

Unlike New England, New York didn't begin the season with many high expectations. Ever since Eli Manning, the younger brother of Super Bowl XLI MVP Peyton Manning, was selected with the first pick in the 2004 NFL draft he had struggled to find consistency. In his three seasons as a starter he had completed less than 54% of his passes with a career passer rating of 73.4. While generally regarded as a solid quarterback, he had been unable to achieve the same level of success as fellow 2004 draftees Phillip Rivers (for whom he was traded) and Ben Roethlisberger. By the 2007 season, many sports writers were starting to question if Eli would ever live up to the expectations of someone selected with the first overall pick in a draft.[20]

The criticism of Manning intensified as the Giants lost the first two games of the regular season, but then they recovered with 6 consecutive wins and finished the year with a 10-6 record, despite the loss of some key offensive players to injury, such as running back Derrick Ward (the team's second leading rusher) and four-time pro bowl tight end Jeremy Shockey. Then Manning silenced some of his critics by leading the Giants to three playoff wins on the road without throwing a single interception. Their three playoff wins gave them an NFL record of 10 consecutive wins on the road.

Manning finished the 2007 season with 3,336 yards and 23 touchdowns, with 20 interceptions. His top target was Plaxico Burress, who caught 70 passes for 1,050 yards and 12 touchdowns. Receiver Amani Toomer, the Giants all-time leading receiver and one of the few players remaining from their last Championship appearance in Super Bowl XXXV, was also a reliable target with 59 receptions for 760 yards. The Giants ground game was led by running back Brandon Jacobs. At 6' 4" and 264 pounds, Jacobs was one of the largest starting halfbacks in the NFL, but he still had enough speed to play the position exceptionally well, finishing the season with 1,009 yards and an average of five yards per carry, while also catching 23 passes despite starting only nine games.

The Giants defense had an outstanding defensive line, led by defensive ends Osi Umenyiora, Michael Strahan, and Justin Tuck. Umenyiora was the Giants only pro bowl selection, leading the defense with 13 sacks and five forced fumbles. Strahan, another veteran of the Giants last Super Bowl season in 2000, finished his 15th NFL season with nine sacks, giving him a career total of 141.5 and breaking the franchise record held by Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor, while Tuck added ten sacks and 48 solo tackles. Cornerback Sam Madison and safety Gibril Wilson led the secondary with four interceptions each, along with defensive back R. W. McQuarters. Although McQuarters had not intercepted any passes during the season, he had been exceptionally effective in the playoffs, recording an interception in all three of their post-season games.

Playoffs

The Patriots continued to set NFL records on their road to the Super Bowl. First, Brady set the NFL record for completion percentage (92.9%) with 26 of 28 completions for 268 yards and three touchdowns in their 31-20 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the divisional round, while safety Rodney Harrison tied an NFL record by recording an interception in his fourth consecutive postseason game. One week later, the Patriots defeated the San Diego Chargers 21-12. Although Brady threw three interceptions in the game, the Patriots defense forced two turnovers and limited San Diego to four field goals, while Maroney rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown for the second game in a row.

Meanwhile, the Giants became the third NFL team ever to advance to the Super Bowl by winning three playoff games on the road. After beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-14, the Giants upset the top seeded Dallas Cowboys 21-17 when McQuarters intercepted a pass from Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo in the end zone as time expired in the game. Then they advanced to the Super Bowl with a 23-20 win over the second seeded Green Bay Packers in overtime, with an interception by Corey Webster that set up Lawrence Tynes' game winning field goal.

Super Bowl pre-game notes

New England had been heavily favored to win the game and become the first NFL team to go through a 16-game season and postseason undefeated.

However, others predicted that the Giants could accomplish a win. New York had already pulled off some upsets in order to make it to the Super Bowl, and their record of 10 consecutive road wins included five teams favored to beat them.[21]

The Patriots and Giants had played against each other in the last week of the regular season. Because of the Patriots' quest for an undefeated season, this game was one of the most heavily watched games in league history, and was the first game ever to be shown on three different networks (NFL Network, CBS, and NBC). As they were favored to do, the Patriots had won the game to cement their undefeated regular season, but it was a close and competitive game. New England barely managed to win, 38–35, by overcoming a 12 point deficit in the fourth quarter, the largest deficit they had faced all season. "There is nothing but positives," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said after the game. "I told the players in playing this game everything would be positives, there would be no negatives and that is how I feel. I don't know any better way to be prepared for the playoffs than to go against a team that was 15–0."[22]

For the third consecutive year, the arrival dates for the teams were staggered, with the Patriots arriving on Sunday, January 27 (corresponding to the traditional day that teams arrive for the game with the two-week break) and the Giants waiting to come in until Monday, January 28. A report filed by ESPN's Rachel Nichols suggested that the Giants stayed to practice more of their game plan in their home facility before arriving at the Super Bowl. However, it is interesting to note that the last two teams to wait an extra day to emerge in the Super Bowl city or area have won the game: the Indianapolis Colts before Super Bowl XLI and the Pittsburgh Steelers before Super Bowl XL.

The Patriots practiced at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University, while the Giants practiced at the Arizona Cardinals practice facility. Both are located in Tempe.

Broadcasting

United States

The game was telecast in the United States on the FOX network in 720p resolution high definition. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman called the game, while Pam Oliver (Giants) and Chris Myers (Patriots) were the sideline reporters.[6]

This Super Bowl had an unprecedented nine hours of game-related coverage prior to kickoff on game day. Fox News started the coverage on the FOX network by pairing their preview of the Super Tuesday presidential primaries with Fox Sports' Super Bowl coverage, with the regularly scheduled Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace in the 9:00 ET hour and Fox Super Sunday with Shepard Smith from 10:00 a.m. ET to noon ET.[23]. Following Fox Super Sunday, FOX aired the NFL Films' Road to the Super Bowl documentary from noon to 2 PM ET.

Official pre-game coverage started at 2:00 p.m. US EST, and was handled by the FOX NFL Sunday pregame show team led by Curt Menefee, joined by Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, and Jimmy Johnson. In addition Frank Caliendo appeared in various comedic skits and Ryan Seacrest provided coverage of celebrity arrivals to the game site.[6]

The official game broadcast began at 6:00 p.m. EST, with kickoff at 6:32 PM EST, and with a new episode of House scheduled to follow.[24]

Other North American stations

CTV and NTV, located in Newfoundland and Labrador, will televise the game in Canada with the largest Canadian privately-owned TV network replacing Global Television, while TV Azteca and Televisa both handling the Mexico telecast. Both CTV and TV Azteca will televise the game in HD.

Internet Broadcast Streams

Phoenix independent television station KTVK broadcasted a live video stream from a Webcam located outside of the University of Phoenix Stadium. The camera provided millions of Internet users from around the world a chance to peer in on pre- and post-game activities, watching thousands of spectators file into and out of the stadium on Sunday, February 3. The Stadium Cam will broadcast from Friday, February 1 through Monday, February 4, 2008 on the station's Web site at azfamily.com/superbowl

NFL.com's "NFL.com/live" carried its own coverage of Super Bowl events leading up to and after the game, mostly simulcasting NFL Network.

International

Outside North America, Super Bowl XLII will be distributed by the NFL and NFL International to 223 countries and territories.[25]

The BBC has acquired the rights in the United Kingdom. The game aired live on BBC Two, carrying the NFL international feed,[26][27][28] ending ITV Sport's coverage which began in 2005. Sky Sports will broadcast the game in both standard and high definition using FOX's feed and announcers.

Country Broadcaster Channel Notes
High Definition
 Chile VTR Globalcom ViveHD Fox Sports feed
 Poland Canal+ Poland Canal+ Sport HD
 Sweden Viasat Viasat Sport HD
 Turkey Digiturk + FOX Sports HD HD Satellite broadcasting
 United Kingdom BSkyB Sky Sports HD1 Fox Sports feed
Standard Definition
 Australia SBS SBS TV Free-to-air
Foxtel Fox Sports 2
 Austria ORF ORF1 Free-to-air, English commentary available
 Brazil Grupo Bandeirantes de Comunicação Band Sports Free-to-air
 China Shanghai Media Group Sports Channel Free-to-air
 Czech Republic Galaxie Sport Galaxie Sport Cable
 Denmark Viasat TV3+ Denmark Cable/Satellite
 Finland MTV3 MTV3 Free-to-air
 France France Télévisions France 2 Free-to-air
 Germany ARD Das Erste Free-to-air
Premiere NASN
 Greece NOVA Greece SuperSport5
 Hungary SportTV Sport1
 Iceland Sýn
 India Ten Sports
 Ireland [29] TV3 Free-to-air
 Japan NHK BS1
 Norway [30] Viasat SportN
 Pakistan [31] Ten Sports Cable
 Philippines Solar Sports Cable
 Poland Canal+ Poland Canal+ Sport
 Portugal SportTV SportTV 1
NASN NASN
 Russia NTV Plus НТВ-ПЛЮС Спорт (NTV Plus Sport) Free-to-air
 Slovenia Športklub Športklub Cable
 Sweden Modern Times Group TV6
Viasat Viasat Sport 1
 Turkey Digiturk FOX Sports Satellite broadcasting
 Thailand TrueVisions True Sport 4
 United Kingdom BBC BBC Two Free-to-air, NFL International feed
BSkyB Sky Sports 1 Fox Sports feed
Seal of the Department of Defense US Armed Forces Armed Forces Network AFN sports
Raytheon IIS[32] Satellite broadcast to US Navy and Marine vessels in the Pacific Ocean

Radio

On radio, Westwood One has the national broadcast rights to the game in the United States and Canada; Marv Albert and Boomer Esiason will serve as the announcing team for that network. The game will be carried on BBC Radio 5 Live in the United Kingdom; Arlo White will be the commentator for the BBC.

Sirius Satellite Radio will carry twelve feeds in eight languages in the United States. The following language feeds will be offered:

FieldPass, the Internet radio service provided by the league at nfl.com, are carrying most of these feeds online, free of charge.

Locally, Gil Santos and Gino Cappelletti will call the game for the Patriots on WBCN-FM radio; Bob Papa, Dick Lynch, and Carl Banks will call the Giants' radio broadcast on WFAN. By NFL rules, only WBCN, WFAN, Sirius and FieldPass will carry the teams' local broadcasts, and affiliate stations will instead carry the Westwood One feed. WBCN-FM, WFAN and Westwood One are all owned by CBS Radio.


Entertainment

Pre-game ceremonies

Willie Nelson performed for a NFL-sponsored pre-game tailgate party, singing a duet with Sara Evans of his hit "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys" as part of FOX's pre-game show.[33]

This year's Super Bowl entertainment had many connections to FOX's hit series American Idol. On August 16, both the NFL and FOX confirmed that Idol host Seacrest will serve as emcee for the pre-game show, with Alicia Keys as the primary performer as she sung a medley of a mixture of her songs, "Go Ahead", Fallin', If I Ain't Got You, "Teenage Love Affair", and No One as the finale. Idol Season Six winner Jordin Sparks, herself a native of Glendale and daughter of former New York Giants cornerback Phillippi Sparks, performed the National Anthem,[34] while Phoenix College professor and theatrical interpreter A Dreamer will interpret it into sign language.[35] The anthem was followed by a flyover from the U.S. Navy precision flying team, the Blue Angels.[36] In addition, judge Paula Abdul premiered her first music video in over a decade which she made with fellow judge Randy Jackson as part of FOX's pregame coverage to kickoff her official comeback.[37]

The coin toss ceremony posthumously honored the late Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Bill Walsh, who passed away on July 30, 2007. His former players Ronnie Lott, Jerry Rice and Steve Young will join Walsh's son Craig at the ceremony.[5]

Halftime

Several names were mentioned as possible performers for the halftime show. According to the entertainment publication Variety, the NFL developed a wish list for the halftime performer(s). Among those on the wish list of potential entertainers were Bruce Springsteen, Norah Jones and The Eagles.[38] In addition, Bon Jovi expressed interest in the slot and had planned to open the U.S. leg of their Lost Highway Tour with a performance during the halftime show.[39]

Initially, The Eagles were offered the position, but they reportedly refused.[40] Then, on December 2, 2007, it was officially announced that Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers would be the halftime entertainment performing "American Girl", "I Won't Back Down", "Free Fallin'" and "Running Down A Dream". Bridgestone was the halftime show sponsor.[41]

Post-game ceremonies

Doug Williams, MVP in Super Bowl XXII commemorating the twentieth anniversary of becoming the first African American to quarterback a team to victory in the biggest game in pro football, will take part in the Vince Lombardi Trophy presentation ceremony after the game.[42]

Officials

Mike Carey was chosen to be the head referee for this game, marking the first time that an African American has been chosen to be the lead official in a Super Bowl.[2] Carey also refereed the last game between the Giants and Patriots. The remaining officials were:[43]

  • Umpire: Tony Michalek
  • Head Linesman: Gary Slaughter
  • Line Judge: Carl Johnson
  • Field Judge: Boris Cheek
  • Side Judge: Larry Rose
  • Back Judge: Scott Helverson
  • Replay Assistant: Ken Baker

Advertisements

The scheduled date for Super Bowl XLII was two days before Super Tuesday (Tuesday, February 5th), the date in which 24 states are holding their presidential primaries or caucuses. As such, some presidential hopefuls have considered purchasing Super Bowl ads. An advisor to Republican presidential candidate John McCain, said that the football audience is "a very ripe and timely target."[44] However, Fox Television nixed the prospect of any political ads, citing equal time regulations and the fact that the ad space had already sold out before any candidates had asked for it.[45] Instead, candidates (including Barack Obama) purchased advertising time before the game in 24 local markets.[46]

One of sixty-three thirty-second spots among thirty-seven different advertisers cost an estimated $2.7 million (excluding production costs),[7] up from $2.6 million in 2006. However, advertisers are usually offered discounted rates below the official one. Cars.com, which had yet to buy a Super Bowl Ad, made an early announcement that it would purchase two spots.[47]

Four automobile companies advertised this year: Audi (paying a homage to the 1972 movie The Godfather), General Motors, Hyundai and Toyota. Hyundai was initially hesitant to air the ads, but eventually gave the green light.

Following up on its Super Bowl XLI ad, which was one of several fan-created ads that year, the Doritos brand used its spot to air a brief performance by an unsigned artist that won an online contest.[48] Additionally, one of last year's amateur ads titled "Mousetrap" was aired. Also scheduled were ads for Under Armour's new "Prototype" cross-training shoe, Gatorade's new G2 low-cal sports drink, Victoria's Secret, and Salesgenie.com, with all but the G2 ad done in-house. They joined usual suspects Pepsi-Cola (along with Diet Pepsi Max and new Mountain Dew AMP and SoBe Life Water featuring Naomi Campbell and 30 lizards), GoDaddy.com (with World Wrestling Entertainment Diva and spokesperson Candice Michelle along with IndyCar driver Danica Patrick) and Anheuser-Busch among others.

Others returning included Coca-Cola (with newcomer Glacéau Vitaminwater featuring Shaquille O'Neal as a jockey and Coca-Cola Zero), CareerBuilder.com, FedEx, E-Trade, Planters and seven major Hollywood movie studios promoting blockbuster releases.

The NFL itself ran an ad following the third quarter's completion, featuring the winner of a fan vote in an online contest. The idea was to emphasize the personalities of NFL players. The winning ad featured Houston Texans teammates Ephraim Salaam and Chester Pitts.

Eels attempted to run[49] a one-second edit[50] of their seven-second ad[51] to promote the Useless Trinkets compilation, but were denied by the NFL. Lead singer E reported:

In the end we were told that the NFL would have to find 29 other advertisers to buy 1 second spots to fill a standard 30 second advertising slot and that they do not sell advertising time by the second. They also noted that a rapid fire 30 second segment of thirty 1 second commercials could cause people with certain medical conditions to have seizures and that it was against network regulations.[52]

Game summary

  • Scoring
    • 1st Quarter
      • NYG - Lawrence Tynes 32 yard field goal, 5:01. Giants 3-0. Drive: 16 plays, 63 yards, 9:59.
    • 2nd Quarter
    • 3rd Quarter
      • No scoring. Patriots still lead, 7-3.
    • 4th Quarter
      • NYG - David Tyree 5 yd pass from Eli Manning (Lawrence Tynes kick), 11:05. Giants 10-7 Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 3:47
      • NE - Randy Moss 6 yd pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 2:42. Patriots 14-10 Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards in 5:15
      • NYG - Plaxico Burress 13 yd pass from Eli Manning (Lawrence Tynes kick), 0:35. Giants 17-14 Drive: 12 plays, 83 yards in 2:10

References

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  44. ^ "Political ads during Super Bowl?". Associated Press. Retrieved 2007-05-21.
  45. ^ Teinowitz, Ira. Fox Won't Sell Super Bowl Ads to Candidates. TV Week. 24 January 2008.
  46. ^ Kuhnhenn, Jim. Obama to run ad during Super Bowl. Associated Press. 3 February 2008.
  47. ^ "Super Bowl XLII Is More Than CX Days Away, But..." New York Times. 2007-10-08. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  48. ^ "Doritos Gives Undiscovered Music Act the Stage of a Lifetime". PR Newswire. 2008-10-11.
  49. ^ Eels gatecrash Super Bowl
  50. ^ The one-second spot
  51. ^ The seven-second spot
  52. ^ Eels' homepage accessed 2008-02-02