Your Super Bowl XLIII Viewing Guide
Friday, January 30, 2009
Talk about an undertaking that I was definitely not prepared for. A few days ago, I started trying to collect what each network was planning on Super Bowl Sunday, and I was not prepared for the amount of work the following schedule of events would take. Either way though, you can view it in all of its glory below. I've got everything from celebrity guest appearances, to segments on each network, as well as your particulars on the game itself. Enjoy!
(FYI- Haven't settled on a live-blog or open thread for the Super Bowl, but I'll certainly have something going on)
Your Super Bowl XLIII Viewing Guide:
NBC
Pregame Show Length: 6 Hours (12pm-6pm)
Pregame Show Hosts and Analysts: Bob Costas, Cris Collinsworth, Keith Olbermann, Dan Patrick, Jerome Bettis, Tiki Barber, Peter King, Matt Millen, Tony Dungy, Mike Holmgren, Rodney Harrison, Matt Lauer, Al Roker
Celebrity Guests: President Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Kevin James, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Vin Diesel, Hayden Panettiere, Tom Colicchio from Bravo's Top Chef and Rainn Wilson
Musical Performances: Journey, John Legend, Faith Hill and Jennifer Hudson
Segments
9AM-12PM:
Today Show Coverage - "Meredith Viera, Al Roker and Ann Curry will give viewers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the sights, sounds, parties and food of the big game as well as the preparations that go into Super Sunday. They will also explore the city of Tampa and experience the local Super Bowl fever. Tiki Barber will get a VIP tour of the stadium from his twin brother Ronde, who plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers."
12PM-6PM:
"ROAD TO THE SUPER BOWL": "Bob Costas will kick off NBC's pregame coverage live at Noon ET from the "Pirate Ship"."
HAIL TO THE CHIEF: "NBC News' Matt Lauer will sit down with President Barack Obama for a live interview from the White House during NBC's Super Bowl Pregame Show."
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: "Bruce Springsteen, who will be performing at halftime of Super Bowl XLIII, will be the subject of an exclusive sit-down during pregame with Bob Costas. Nightly News anchor Brian Williams, a native of the Jersey shore, is contributing an essay on his idol Springsteen in the pregame show."
COVER ME: "Among the features in the Super Bowl XLIII pregame show are segments on the Cardinals' Ken Whisenhunt, Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald; features on Mike Tomlin, Troy Polamalu, James Harrison, beloved defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau and Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers; analysis of each team with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who analyzed game film with Collinsworth; and a look at what the players experience during Super Bowl week. Rodney Harrison will analyze how to defend the seemingly unstoppable Fitzgerald."
"LITTLE BIG SHOW": "Olbermann and Patrick, who together redefined sports highlights, will break down the best highlights from the AFC and NFC this season."
BACK STAGE PASS: "NBC will follow the Cardinals and Steelers throughout the lead up to the game, from the team hotels, to the team buses, to the first-ever Super Bowl pregame reports from the locker rooms, to the teams' sidelines."
ROKER TO HOST SUPER SUITE: ""Today's" Al Roker will host NBC's pregame coverage from the "NBC Super Suite" from the NFL Experience in Tampa."
TOP CHEF: "Tom Colicchio from Bravo's Top Chef, will join Tiki Barber and Jerome Bettis in judging a "Cook-Off" between previous "Top Chef" contestants exploring the cuisines of Arizona and Pittsburgh."
GATORADE SHOWER: "CNBC's sports business reporter Darren Rovell will take a look at Gatorade and its iconic presence in the Super Bowl."
"LET THE SUNSHINE IN": "The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore will provide updates on the weather from Tampa throughout the pregame."
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ESPN
Pregame Show Length: 3 Hours (10pm-1pm)
Pregame Show Hosts and Analysts: Chris Berman, Cris Carter, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, Keyshawn Johnson, Chris Mortensen, Mike Tirico, Trent Dilfer, Ron Jaworski, Steve Young, Suzy Kolber and Ed Werder
Segments:
History (10am)- "In their own voices, the two Super Bowl XLIII quarterbacks, Ben Roethlisberger and Kurt Warner, narrate their team’s paths to the Super Bowl and the history that will be made."
Cardinals Turning Point (10:30am)- "Rachel Nichols reports on Whisenhunt’s decision to toughen up his team by practicing in pads once-a-week, a move that Arizona players say was the turning point to their season and improbable playoff run."
Mike Tomlin’s Formative Years (11am)- "In an old red notebook that sits on his mother’s kitchen table are pictures and hand-written captions describing early moments in the young coach’s path to the NFL. The first page reads: “This is a book about football and how it has molded my character, Michael Pettaway Tomlin 3-15-72.” Jackson speaks with Tomlin about his childhood memoirs."
Mayne Event: Offseason Insanity (11am)- "Kenny Mayne embarks on a mission to discover what other players are doing during their off-season, catching up with Pro Bowlers Jared Allen and Wes Welker as they begin their winter “retreats”."
Namath’s Guarantee (11am)- "Jeremy Schaap reports on the circumstances that led to Namath’s famous proclamation."
“Soundtracks” – AFC Championship (11:30am)- "Countdown will re-live the sights and sounds of the game"
Super Bowl Quarterback Blueprints for Success (11:30am)- "Former Super Bowl quarterbacks Dilfer, Jaworski and Young will present the blueprints for success for both Ben Roethlisberger and Kurt Warner."
Big Ben: Stand & Deliver (12pm)- "Tom Jackson sits down with Roethlisberger and his teammates to discuss how “Big Ben’s” style of play means big risk, but comes with big reward."
Larry Fitzgerald: Memories of Mom (12pm)- "Cris Carter sits down with the Arizona wide receiver to discuss how he honors his mother on the field and how her death has affected him."
EA Sports Virtual Playbook: Kurt Warner vs. Steelers’ Blitz (12:30pm)- "In EA Sports Virtual Playbook, Jackson previews how the Steelers blitz will pressure Kurt Warner in Super Bowl XLIII."
The Terrible Towel (1pm)- "Greg Garber traces the history of “The Terrible Towel” and the charity which benefits from the sales of the towel even after [Myron] Cope’s death last year.
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SUPER BOWL XLIII
WHAT: Super Bowl XLIII
WHO: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals
WHERE: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, Florida
WHEN: Kickoff 6:28pm (NBC)
SPREAD: Steelers -7, O/U 47
ANNOUNCERS: Al Michaels, John Madden, Andrea Kremer, Alex Flanagan, Peter King
TROPHY PRESENTER: Dan Patrick
(Info from ESPN and NBC PR)
22 Comments:
I figured NBC would plug some of their current shows. Just glad they aren't planting in the crowd like FOX used to during World Series telecast a few years ago.
(Al: "Hey look, it's Tina Fey watching from the stands. You know, John, she's stars in the Emmy winning-Best Comedy "30 Rock" Thursday Night at 9:30 after "The Office")
I don't know what's gonna be more painful Sunday afternoon: The endless pregame or the 28 point Cavaliers victory.
The Super Bowl loser will be referred to as "The Biggest Loser" with a close up on Levi Brown's ass.
Wait, we have 3 sideline reporters (Kremer, Flanagan, and King)? I don't think I ever remember seeing that before. Although I'll never object to seeing Alex Flanagan on the sidelines...
I figured they would have Bob Costas present the trophy rather than Dan Patrick.
And lastly, is it just me or does NBC's pre-game coverage look way better than ESPN's pre-game coverage?
It's a fair point, JFein.
I'd counter with this: One has Al Roker, another doesn't.
I'm not a fan of either.
You KNOW it's the Super Bowl when Paul Blart makes an appearance.
I remember when I used to be excited to watch the big pre-game build ups. The NBC show looks nauseating.
What I could do without: Forcing the Today show into the proceedings, the interviews with Obama and Springsteen, anything Brian Williams, and the cook-off.
The backstage segments showing the teams prep sounds interesting and I am interested in hearing Belichick's breakdowns of each team.
The rest, Meh. Just give me a tight 2-3 hours and leave all of the star-watching nonsense to E!.
With all those hours of coverage, no wander whay NBC has that many poepel working the pre-game show. And I'm a bit surprised that Bob Costas is not hadneling the trophy presentation but instead its the newcomeer Dan Patrick.
why
Why is exactly right. I thought FOX's pregame last year was weird. But at least they didn't use 40 people.
At 11am you get "Meet the Press" and Peter King won't be SR.
Why is Vin Diesel getting a guest spot. Weren't his 15 minutes of fame already up?
how is Ron Jaworski able to give Rothliesberger and Warner tips on how to win the Super Bowl...don't they have one each and he has none? they should do the segment about him instead
They focus too damn much on the quarterbacks and not enough on the teams. If we're going to do that, why not reduce the Super Bowl to a punt, pass and kick competition between Ben and Kurt? That's all the networks seem to give a damn about anyway (e.g., the incessant quarterback reaction shots when their team isn't even on offense!).
"Jeremy Schaap reports on the circumstances that led to Namath’s famous proclamation."
Why do we need a report on this? We all know that he drank too much, then proclaimed how he wanted to kiss Suzie Kolber.
the players always say "We prepare like any other game"....why can't the networks say the same thing....it's all too much
If there's no pre-game live blog here, I'll have one up and running at my web pages starting around 12:55 PM.
Talking like a pirate is optional. Hey, it's Tampa Bay, whaddya expect?
Sal Palantonio was on Mike & Mike this morning about 9:20. Sal referred to Heath Miller as Heath Shuler about five times before Greenberg corrected him. "Heath Shuler is Big Ben's saftey valve". If by "safety valve" you mean one of the greatest busts in NFL draft history, then yes, he is a safety valve.
Hard to believe this is the first time the Super Bowl has been on NBC since 11 years ago. Brings me back some childhood memories of SB's I watched on NBC back in the day
Does Darren Rovell talk about anything but Gatorade anymore?
No shocker here: Super Bowl XLIII was far and away the ratings winner for the week ending Feb. 1. The big game drew an average of 98.7 million viewers and 151.6 million total watchers.Source:
http://www.google.com/reader/view/feed%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Ffeeds2.feedburner.com%2Fgoogle%2FJGYV?source=email
