My Favorite Super Bowl Commercial of All-Time

The moment of truth is upon us...you can cut the tension with a knife. Anyway, on with it.

#1: Apple - 1984 - I think this is not only the best Super Bowl commercial of all time, but could be the best commercial of all time, period. The tie-in with George Orwell's "1984" and the implied comparison of IBM to Big Brother is brilliant. Apple's always sought to identify itself as innovate, different, and ahead of the curve. And this commercial does all that in an exceedingly clever way. Not to mention the production qualities of the commercial are excellent.

The ad is before my time, but I can't help but give it the top spot because I've never seen anything better.



As for tomorrow, I'm not expecting to see anything on the level of this masterpiece - all I'm hoping for is an upgrade from the mediocrity of recent years. And for God sakes, please let's not have too many pharmaceutical commercials.

Favorite Super Bowl Commercials: #2

Getting down to the home stretch here, so you know these last two have to be pretty special.

#2: Pepsi - Cheating Heart - I love the way the guy just slowly leaves the scene of the crime trying to act as invisible as possible - I'm almost expecting him to just suddenly dash out and hear the screech of his car pulling out of the parking lot. Pepsi really hit some out of the park back in the '90s with their ads, but this is the best in my opinion.




Let the drumroll begin for #1....(!)

Favorite Super Bowl Commercials #3

#3: Budweiser - Zebra - A true football fan's ad - so perfectly encapsulates the frustration felt by all fans when the refs go into their peep show booth.

Favorite Super Bowl Commercials: #6 and #5

#6: Mountain Dew - Bohemian Rhapsody Remake - The original Queen song is sacred, and you've got to be really careful not to mess with it for commercial reasons. But this ad gets it right. It really pays homage to Queen rather than desecrating their signature song. I don't think you could have pulled off this ad with any other soda though. Mountain Dew seems to fit the occasion.



#5: McDonald's - "The Showdown" between MJ and Larry Bird - This commercial has it all - big stars, memorable lines, and that outfit that Michael Jordan is wearing - unmistakeably '90s.

Favorite Super Bowl Commercials: #8 and #7

Next couple in my top 10: a pair from Budweiser. And yes, I do like the sequel commercials with the lizard a little better than the original frogs.

#8: Budweiser frogs



#7: Louie the Lizard out for revenge on the frogs

My 10 Favorite Super Bowl Commercials

With the Super Bowl about a week away - let the pre-game shows begin - I started thinking about that other Super Sunday staple, the commercials. And while I don't think the ads have been up to par in recent years, especially last year, there have been plenty of great ones over the past 25 years. So these that I'll count down every day for the next week aren't necessarily "the best" commercials, but are my favorites. So without further ado....

#10. Elmer Bruker - Miller Lite - The only man to play in every Super Bowl, but never played




#9. When I Grow Up... - Monster.com - Wow, what a brilliant ad; cynical yet hilarious at the same time. Monster couldn't have gotten their point across any better.