A lot of people mistakenly believe that the holiday season ends once the New Year’s hangover has subsided. Not true.

This Sunday, millions of Americans will gather with friends and family for parties in front of their big screen TVs. They’ll drink beer, eat junk food, watch commercials, wager their hard-earned money on ridiculous bets, and, if they’re lucky, maybe even get to see Tom Petty’s nipple.

Oh, and there’s also going to be a football game.

It’s the purely American spectacle known as Super Bowl Sunday, and there’s a good chance that you’ll be partying even if you’re not watching the game.

Here’s a little information to get you ready for the big day:

COMMERCIALS:

With an estimated audience of over 90 million, airing a commercial during the big game means big bucks for advertisers. Considering that 30 seconds of time goes for a whopping $2.7 million, companies pull out all the stops for the spots, which are often more memorable and more talked about than the game itself.

The New York Times posted a nice little Super Bowl commercial interactive feature covering the last 24 years … everything from Apple’s 1984 ‘1984’ through last year’s Emerald Nuts ad where Robert Goulet fucks with sleepy office workers.

Who doesn’t remember that Doritos laundromat with Ali Landry, or the running of the squirrels, or the dramatic finish of Bud Bowl V?

Okay, the Bud Bowl was always stupid, but you know what I’m saying.

This year's lineup includes the requisite multiple ads from Budweiser, as well as Coke and Pepsi battling to sell drinks that aren't Coke or Pepsi, Bridgestone tire spots featuring Richard Simmons and Alice Cooper, and a little T&A courtesy of Victoria’s Secret.

Which will be the big winners? Find out on Sunday, or just wait for the buzz on Monday.

GAMBLING:

The money changing hands this Sunday isn’t just between advertisers and FOX, who is televising the game. It’s also the biggest single day gambling event in the country, and Vegas is looking to set a record.

Of course, the only Super Bowl related gambling that I’ve ever partaken in was the legal kind … you know, through the Vegas sports book.

Yeah, right.

I remember one year I was down over $200 before the stupid game even started. How is this possible? Because it’s the Super Damn Bowl, that’s how.

Vegas sets lines for damn near everything… and your friendly neighborhood bookie will most likely take those ridiculous bets. So, if you want to bet on the result of the coin toss, or the jersey number of the player to score the first touchdown, or perhaps go with the over/under for the yardage of the first punt, you’re all set.

If you can’t get in touch with your bookie, there’s always the crudely drawn block pool - or you can print this one, if you wish - that is required by law at any respectable Super Bowl Party.

In any case, the lesson here is to bring extra money, gamble responsibly, and hopefully go home with more cash in your pocket than you had when you arrived.

HALFTIME SHOW:

Who doesn't like Tom Petty?

THE GAME:

Ah, yes ... the game.

The 18-0 New England Patriots, entering the game as 12 point favorites, are looking to complete their undefeated season against the 13-6 New York Giants.

This game is a rematch of the final game of the regular season in which the Patriots came back late to win 38-35 to remain unbeaten.

I feel that the key to this game is that the playoff experience of the Patriots cannot possibly be matched by the streaking, yet inexperienced, Giants team.

Oh, who the hell am I kidding? I'll just be watching for the commercials.



crispy wishes good luck to all of his friends who are Patriots and Giants fans, but wishes even more that his Eagles were there.

Or even the Pakcers, because they're awsome.

University of South Carolina head football coach Steve Spurrier is no idiot. He may be a loudmouthed, arrogant prick, but at least he’s not completely moronic. And when he sees something that needs to be changed in his new home state, well dad gummit, the Old Ball Coach is going to tell it like it is, ya hear?

Unfortunately, Spurrier is right. Lots of South Carolinians do want to keep the flag flying in the statehouse. Though with such idiotic arguments for keeping it like “the Civil War wasn’t really about slavery so therefore the Confederate flag isn’t offensive” or “you know there were racists in the North too, don’t you!?!?!” it’s a bit tough to see why it’s taken so long to get this thing removed.

Spurrier’s words in protest of the existence of the flag were peppered with some of the typical down-home folksiness that has made him a favorite interview for sportswriters.

It makes sense why Spurrier would publicly push for having the Confederate Flag removed from statehouse grounds. Spurrier, about to enter into his third season of attempting to breathe life into perennial SEC football doormat South Carolina, knows what it takes to build a national powerhouse having formerly coached at perennial SEC ass-kicker (and current national champion) Florida. In order to win football games, you have to recruit better athletes than the other guy. And for small-state schools like South Carolina, that means recruiting out-of-state athletes. Specifically in football factory states like Florida, Texas, California, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The problem for Spurrier comes in when an African American kid from Pittsburgh or Houston or Orlando comes to visit his campus and sees the Confederate Flag flying all over the place. If that kid is also being recruited at other second-tier football schools like Illinois, UCLA or Boston College, it’s going to be a tough sell. If Spurrier plans to compete for recruits with the first-tier Texas, USC or Michigans of the world it’s going to be practically impossible.

This is not to say that Spurrier doesn’t also have legitimate issues of conscious with a noxious reminder of the system of oppression being flown with pride at his employer’s capitol building, but the recruiting issue is a notable one. Which is why he’s willing to speak out when he’s been asked not to, and why some of his contemporaries have done the same.

The NCAA has imposed restrictions on the state of South Carolina for its use of the Confederate Flag. Until it is removed, the state is ineligible to host pre-determined championship events, like the men’s or women’s Final Four.

It takes more than an exceptional physique to deliver a realistic performance in a sports film, it requires great acting skill. Sure, in some cases, doubles are used for impossible plays, but the burden is on the actor to convey a sense of believe-ability – I mean, in real-life could they really throw a punch, swing a bat, catch the ball or win the race? There’s a short list of films in which certain actors’ performances prove they have both the athleticism and the talent to make the winning play in the wide world of sports.


Robert DeNiro in Raging Bull (1980)
Bar none the best boxing scenes ever put to film and Bobby D’s performance is frightening, breathtaking and beautiful.
Quote: “You never knocked me down Ray. You never knocked me down.”

Kevin Costner in Field Of Dreams (1989)
Baseball. America. Apple pie. And Kevin Costner. He’s done more baseball movies than any other actor and this moving father-son tale is his finest role.
Quote: “If you build it... HE will come.”

Sylvester Stallone in Rocky (1976)
The Italian Stallion debuted in what now feels like a somber independent film as Rocky is introduced as a total loser. If you’re a fan, when you run up stairs you always hear that music in your head. You know what I mean. And with the sixth and final film, Rocky Balboa, reviving the Rocky franchize, his legacy is secured for years to come.
Quote: Apollo Creed: “Stay in school and use your brain. Be a doctor, be a lawyer, carry a leather briefcase. Forget about sports as a profession. Sports make ya grunt and smell. See, be a thinker, not a stinker.”


Burt Reynolds in The Longest Yard (1974)
Reynolds is at his likeable best in the best prison/football movie ever made pitting the Guards against the Mean Machine. Forget that Adam Sandler remake, this is the one to see.
Quote: “I think I broke his friggin' neck!”

Paul Newman in Slap Shot (1977)
Newman as team captain Reggie Dunlop is charismatic on and off the ice as he tries to tame the insane antics of his team while juggling a completely messed up personal life.
Quote: “You all saw what happened. Stick down, gloves off He challenged the Chiefs. Called us names, but Dave was there. Dave’s a killer.”

James Caan in Brian’s Song (1971)
Men who cry watching this film get a pass. This touching real-life story about the friendship of teammates Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo will move the toughest to tears every time.
Quote: “Ernest Hemingway once said ‘Every true story ends in death.’ Well, this is a true story.”


Robert Redford in The Natural (1984)
Each time Redford steps up to bat, you can feel the chills. And do you remember the name of the bat? Wonderboy.
Quote: “Red, it took me sixteen years to get here. You play me, and I'll give ya the best I got.”

Tom Cruise in Days Of Thunder (1990)
Before NASCAR was the hottest thing on TV, Tom Cruise hit the track to school amateur gearheads in the rules of the road.
Quote: “No, no, he didn't slam you, he didn't bump you, he didn't nudge you... he rubbed you. And rubbin, son, is racin’.”

Cuba Gooding, Jr. in Jerry Maguire (1996)
Cuba was over-the-top and fun to watch as wide receiver Rod Tidwell. If you don’t believe his acting was top-notch, then just look at the naked and bald gold man on Cuba’s shelf. You can call that shiny thing “Oscar.”
Quote: “Show me the money!”


Walter Matthau in The Bad News Bears (1976)
Matthau proves that coaching and beer go together like peanut butter and ladies.
Quote: Engelberg: “You’re not supposed to have open liquor in the car. It’s against the law.”
Coach Buttermaker: “So is murder, Englebert. Now put that back before you get me in real trouble.”

John Cusack in Eight Men Out (1988)
Cusak turns in a touching portrayal as George “Buck” Weaver in this historical retelling of one of baseball’s enduring controversies.
Quote: “You say you can find seven men on the best club that ever took the field willin' to throw the World Series? I find that hard to believe.”


The Hanson Brothers in Slap Shot (1977)
The most memorable threesome in all of hockey, if not all of sports, these bespectacled badasses are an asset on the ice and especially when the gloves come off.
Quote: “I have to confess I’ve never let the children watch a hockey game. I have a theory that children imitate what they see on a TV screen. If they see violence, they’ll become violent.”

But what about those real-life athletes who appear in movies? Obviously these guys were not cast because of their acting ability. The kitsch value of having a real professional athlete make an appearance in a movie cannot be underestimated. Casting a well-known pro can lend a film realism, or some legitimacy, and sometimes it’s just good for a laugh. While these “actors” could school the entire film’s cast when it comes to pro sports, it’s probably safer for them to remain on the field than in front of the camera. These actors were definitely not the best, but perhaps the most memorable. Who can forget Michael Jordan in Space Jam (1996) or Shaq in Scary Movie 4 (2006) or Dan Marino in Ace Ventura Pet Detective (1994) or Michael Irvin in The Longest Yard (2005) or Troy Aikman in Jerry Maguire (1996) or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Airplane! (1980) or Lawrence Taylor in Any Given Sunday (1999)?

Yeah. Well. Okay. None of them were very good. I think we'd all like to forget them.

Gore gone.

Chris_Gore is an author, a filmmaker and the creator of Film Threat. Chris is sad to report that he was always picked last.

Despite having been the basis for the 2005 film Green Street Hooligans, events at West Ham United have moved into the stranger than fiction category this week.

The club's performance on the field has been amongst three of the worst in the Premiership, therefore currently under threat of relegation at the end of the season. This wasn't helped this week when they were charged with breaching league rules regarding the signing of two players from Corinthians, which could lead to points deduction.

Media Sports Investments were interested in the club and courted the board for around four months — with the players appearing to be "gifts" to influence negotiations. Despite this, the club was eventually sold to Eggert Magnusson in November for $170 million.

All of this confusion affected results on the pitch — the manager's head was turned, not least by two players who it didn't appear he wanted. Under the new regime, he didn't last long, and Alan Pardew was sacked within a month of the new owner arriving, being replaced by Alan Curbishley, who had managed another London team for 15 years until the summer. He was hailed as the club's new saviour.

Despite a first win against the league leaders, Manchester United, the performance of the club since has been a timely reminder that the value of your investment can go down as well as up, and the club have been looking into the abyss since then. Even spending $36 million on players in January hasn't helped.

And with all this going on, the players are starting to get out of control, with the manager accusing the players of not caring, stating that there was a "baby-Bentley" culture pervading the club. Finally, on Sunday, The Observer ran with a story pouring more fuel on the fire at the club.

Yes. A lap-dancing club. Spending $120,000 a week on the new player's wages doesn't help the attitude of the existing players which combined with the manager and directors, it seems to show they can do nothing to stop the club being relegated.

This isn't really what sport should ever be about — egos over achievements. A sad reflection on the state of soccer...or, excuse me, football.

Let me interrupt your regularly scheduled SG news to inject some testosterone into your media junkie diet -- I'm talkin' sports. Few would argue that football is America’s most beloved sport, so it should really come as no surprise that the greatest sports movies are those that center on tossin’ around the ol’ pigskin. This epic spectacle contains more athleticism, passion and drama than all other sports combined.


To me, American football is like our own modern version of Roman gladiator tournaments -- complete with the gay subtext simmering just below the surface. Just try listening to the game announcers for a moment and imagine they are not talking about football -- it sounds as if they're discussing hardcore porn. These are actual quotes you might hear during any random football game:
"There's about ten guys in there!"
"Look at the penetration!"
"He sticks it in right up the middle."

Sports fan or not, football has something for everyone. So while you wait for the season to kick off, or you’re looking for a good DVD, consider checking out these fantastic football films. It’ll make the wait until the next big game go that much faster.

1st DOWN: The Ultimate Football Movie Top Ten List


1. The Longest Yard (1974 classic version)
Burt Reynolds set the bar high for football movies in his role as Paul Crew – quarterback, badass and convicted felon. The climactic game pits the prison guards against the prisoners. The struggle for touchdowns between the Guards and the Mean Machine is football you only wish you could see played on the field. (Or, you could just go to any Raiders game and see it for real.) Burt and company fight for their lives, kick guys in the balls and break friggin’ necks. It doesn’t get any better than this.

2. Brian's Song
The 1971 original starring James Caan and Billy Dee Williams is the only movie where men get a free pass to openly cry. (Okay, maybe Field of Dreams qualifies too, but that’s baseball.) This story of the real-life friendship between Chicago Bears teammates Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers is touching. If you don’t cry during the final scenes, you’re not a real man.


3. Rudy
Sean Astin plays Rudy, a kid who dreams of one day playing for Notre Dame. Everyone tells him he’s too small to play football – and not just because he played a hobbit in those Lord of the Rings movies. This is one of those heartfelt dreams-can-come-true movies that avoid getting overly sappy. Okay, maybe just a little.

4. Remember the Titans
We’ve seen this kind of sports movie a thousand times, but you know what, I like that movie. This instant classic stars Denzel Washington as real-life coach Herman Boone, who brought together a racially divided community by leading the Titans to victory with a winning season. Hope I didn’t ruin the ending.

5. Friday Night Lights
Billy Bob Thornton plays real Gary Gaines who coaches the Permian High Panthers in Odessa, Texas where high school football rules all. This gritty drama explores the pressures high school kids encounter when their lives are made or destroyed based on one footpall play. If you think pressure is playing Madden on Xbox, then watch this movie and see what it’s really like.

6. Varsity Blues
James Van Der Beek, formerly of TV's Dawson’s Creek, puts on the pads and joins the football team! In New Canaan, Texas, (Texas seems to figure a lot in football movies) the high school football team is the center of the universe. The Coyotes, under pure evil coach Bud Kilmer (Jon Voight), has won 22 straight divisional championships. Can back up QB Dawson fill the shoes of their injured star quarterback? While there are some amazing football set pieces, this film is perhaps better known for one involving whip cream and actress Ali Larter.

7. The Waterboy
No sporting event is complete without someone randomly chanting, “You can do it!” Yes, it was Rob Schneider who first uttered this classic catchphrase in The Waterboy and now it is spoken, screamed and well, more likely it is loudly slurred, by football fans at stadiums all over America. If you like Adam Sandler, football and low-brow humor, this is for you and all your tailgating buddies. Another highlight includes coach Fonzie as the wimpy coach who finally has his day.

8. Death & Texas
This indie gem tells the story of football superstar “Barefoot” Bobby Briggs in mockumentary fashion. The Austin Steers running back has been convicted of murder. Will he be allowed to play with his team on Mega Bowl Sunday before he is executed? Seek out this surprisingly smart indie that takes a satirical look at pro football and capital punishment.


9. Any Given Sunday
Football is a violent and intense sport. Director Oliver Stone attempts to capture these harsh realities in this behind-the-scenes drama focusing on a fictional team called the Miami Sharks. (Stone was unable to secure an NFL license for his film due to some of the dangerous subject matter portrayed such as drug use, violence and sex.) Aging star quarterback, Jack “Cap” Rooney played by Dennis Quaid suffers a potentially season ending injury and is replaced by unpredictable newcomer Willie Beaman (Jaimie Foxx). Coach Tony D'Amato (Al Pacino) must battle back from four straight losses to earn a place in the playoffs while feeling the heat from team owner Christina Pagniacci (Cameron Diaz). This brutal look at the NFL is certainly worth seeing for the simple fact that it was not endorsed by the NFL.


10. H.O.T.S.
This forgotten 1979 camp classic is the female version of Revenge of the Nerds and it features a climax involving a legendary "strip" football game. Where else can you see an underneath shot of an all topless female huddle? Awe-inspiring.

2nd DOWN: Football Movies Worth A Mention


Three Little Pigskins
The Three Stooges play college football and, you guessed it, hilarity ensues.

The Replacements
Inspired by the 1987 NFL season – the football pros have gone on strike, over (shock) money and replacement players are needed. Enter Keanu Reeves. Whoa.

Monday Night Mayhem
A rare look at the way football is covered, this TV movie exposes the rise of Monday Night Football through the men behind the mike. Howard Cosell is almost sympathetic as played by John Turturro.

3rd DOWN: Great Football Scenes in Otherwise Non-Sports Movies


M*A*S*H
Hotlips Hoolihan cheers on our Korean soldiers in a football game played to let off a little steam.

Unbreakable
What’s it like to get past security at a football stadium? This scene from Unbreakable provides the only glimpse. Yep, as you suspected, it's pretty boring.

The Last Boy Scout
Proves that murder, Bruce Willis, pro football and Damon Wayans do mix.

4th DOWN: The Greatest “Non-Football” Football Movie Ever


Rollerball (1975 original with James Caan)
“Ladies and Gentlemen, our corporate anthem.” This is not a football movie at all – but it feels so authentic, like it’s tailor made for pigskin fans.

Gore gone!

Chris_Gore is an author, a filmmaker, the creator of Film Threat, as well as a long suffering fan of the Detroit Lions.