美国国家公共电台 NPR Super Bowl Ads 2019: Stunts, Self-Deprecation And Celebrity Sightings

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Some Super Bowls are thrilling. And some are like last night, when the New England Patriots¹ beat the Los Angeles Rams² in the lowest-scoring Super Bowl game in history. Of course, the game is only part of the spectacle. Were the halftime show and the commercials any more exciting? We have a tweet review here from one Rachel Martin of NPR News, who writes - you wrote, Rachel - well, that was horrible. So I think you didn't love it very much.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

No.

INSKEEP: NPR TV critic Eric Deggans has his judgment³.

ERIC DEGGANS, BYLINE⁴: The most unexpected moment in the Super Bowl halftime show didn't come from headliner Maroon⁵ 5 or guest Travis Scott. It came courtesy of characters from the cartoon "SpongeBob SquarePants," who introduced Scott's part of the performance.

(SOUNDBITE OF SUPER BOWL LIII HALFTIME SHOW)

RODGER BUMPASS: (As Squidward) And now, a true musical genius who needs no introduction.

TOM KENNY: (As SpongeBob) (Vocalizing).

BUMPASS: (As Squidward) Oh...

TRAVIS SCOTT: It's lit.

DEGGANS: The cartoon clip was a shoutout to "Sweet Victory," a song that SpongeBob SquarePants once played on an episode the parodied⁶ the Super Bowl. It was a hip⁷ surprise and a halftime show that also included appearances from Outkast member Big Boi and a gospel choir⁸. Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine stripped off coats and a shirt until he was bare-chested, showing off his tattoos⁹ while singing one of the group's biggest hits, "Moves Like Jagger."

(SOUNDBITE OF SUPER BOWL LIII HALFTIME SHOW)

ADAM LEVINE: (Singing) Take me by the tongue, and I'll know you. Kiss me till you're drunk, and I'll show you all the moves like Jagger. And I've got the moves like Jagger. I got the moves - yeah.

DEGGANS: It was professional, mildly exciting, the kind of inoffensive Super Bowl halftime show that the NFL might have been hoping for after its controversies¹⁰ over players kneeling to protest police brutality¹¹. But it was also kind of boring, like most of the Super Bowl commercials. Perhaps to avoid social media backlash, many of the ads in Sunday's game were not edgy¹², groundbreaking or even all that funny. Consider one of Bud Light's commercials, which featured medieval characters from last year's Bud Light Super Bowl ads preparing to watch a joust¹³...

(SOUNDBITE OF AD)

SYDNEY LEMMON: (As Dilly Dilly Queen) It's a beautiful day for a joust.

JOHN HOOGENAKKER: (As Dilly Dilly King) Indeed. Sun's out. Got my lucky loincloth, cold Bud Light, comfy throne. I don't have the plague anymore.

DEGGANS: ...When their Bud Knight¹⁴ is killed by a character from "Game Of Thrones" called The Mountain. Then a dragon sets fire to the jousting¹⁵ arena¹⁶, and the whole thing turns into a "Game Of Thrones" commercial.

(SOUNDBITE OF RAMIN DJAWADI'S "'GAME OF THRONES' MAIN TITLE")

DEGGANS: I'm not quite sure how scenes of carnage and fire sells cans of Bud Light. Maybe it makes you thirsty. Harrison Ford¹⁷ fared better in an ad that showed fictional¹⁸ failed products featuring Amazon Alexa, including a dog collar.

(SOUNDBITE OF AD)

ALEXA: Ordering dog food.

(SOUNDBITE OF DOG BARKING)

ALEXA: Ordering dog food.

HARRISON FORD: You can bark all you want. I'm not paying for any more dog food.

(SOUNDBITE OF DOG BARKING)

ALEXA: Ordering gravy¹⁹.

DEGGANS: Yeah, there is nothing funnier than watching Indiana Jones chase a small dog around his house. Pepsi earns some multi-generational cool points by having Chance the Rapper remix the Backstreet Boys' hit "I Want It That Way."

(SOUNDBITE OF AD)

CHANCE THE RAPPER: (Rapping) Ooh, hot stuff all over my nachos, walking like a taco, driving over potholes²⁰, hotter than a pot roast.

DEGGANS: And The Washington Post scored with a serious ad aimed at reinforcing the value of journalists and journalism²¹. As images of reporters like slain²² columnist²³ Jamal Khashoggi appeared on screen, Tom Hanks provided a reassuring²⁴ narration²⁵.

(SOUNDBITE OF AD)

TOM HANKS: When our nation is threatened, there's someone to gather the facts, to bring you the story - no matter the cost. Knowing keeps us free.

DEGGANS: Now, I might be a bit biased²⁶, but seeing some of the most expensive real estate in television used to remind America that journalism is a key to democracy seemed like the best use of a Super Bowl ad that I've seen in quite a while. I'm Eric Deggans.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I WANT IT THAT WAY")

BACKSTREET BOYS: (Singing) Don't want to hear you...

1 patriots   

爱国者，爱国主义者( patriot的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Abraham Lincoln was a fine type of the American patriots. 亚伯拉罕·林肯是美国爱国者的优秀典型。
• These patriots would fight to death before they surrendered. 这些爱国者宁愿战斗到死，也不愿投降。

2 rams   

n.公羊( ram的名词复数 )；(R-)白羊（星）座；夯；攻城槌v.夯实（土等）( ram的第三人称单数 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输

参考例句：

• A couple of rams are butting at each other. 两只羊正在用角互相抵触。 来自辞典例句
• More than anything the rams helped to break what should have been on interminable marriage. 那些牡羊比任何东西都更严重地加速了他们那本该天长地久的婚姻的破裂。 来自辞典例句

3 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 maroon   

v.困住，使（人）处于孤独无助之境；n.逃亡黑奴；孤立的人；酱紫色，褐红色；adj.酱紫色的，褐红色的

参考例句：

• Five couples were marooned in their caravans when the River Avon broke its banks.埃文河决堤的时候，有5对夫妇被困在了他们的房车里。
• Robinson Crusoe has been marooned on a desert island for 26 years.鲁滨逊在荒岛上被困了26年。

6 parodied   

v.滑稽地模仿，拙劣地模仿( parody的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• All these peculiarities of his style have been parodied by his assailants. 他的所有这些风格特征都受到攻击者模仿嘲弄。 来自互联网
• The above examples are all slightly parodied versions of classical dance steps. 上述例子都可以说是经典舞步的模仿版本。 来自互联网

7 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

8 choir   

n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。

9 tattoos   

n.文身( tattoo的名词复数 )；归营鼓；军队夜间表演操；连续有节奏的敲击声v.刺青，文身( tattoo的第三人称单数 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击

参考例句：

• His arms were covered in tattoos. 他的胳膊上刺满了花纹。
• His arms were covered in tattoos. 他的双臂刺满了纹身。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 controversies   

争论

参考例句：

• We offer no comment on these controversies here. 对于这些争议，我们在这里不作任何评论。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• The controversies surrounding population growth are unlikely to subside soon. 围绕着人口增长问题的争论看来不会很快平息。 来自辞典例句

11 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

12 edgy   

adj.不安的；易怒的

参考例句：

• She's been a bit edgy lately,waiting for the exam results.她正在等待考试结果，所以最近有些焦躁不安。
• He was nervous and edgy, still chain-smoking.他紧张不安，还在一根接一根地抽着烟。

13 joust   

v.马上长枪比武，竞争

参考例句：

• Knights joust and frolic.骑士们骑马比武，嬉戏作乐。
• This a joust for the fate of the kingdom!一场决定王国命运的战斗。

14 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

15 jousting   

（骑士）骑马用长矛比武( joust的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The players happily jousting inside the castle walls didn't see the moat outside widening. 玩家在城墙上幸福地战斗的时候，没有注意到护城河已经开始扩张了。

16 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

17 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

18 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

19 gravy   

n.肉汁；轻易得来的钱，外快

参考例句：

• You have spilled gravy on the tablecloth.你把肉汁泼到台布上了。
• The meat was swimming in gravy.肉泡在浓汁之中。

20 potholes   

n.壶穴( pothole的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Potholes are also home to tiny desert animals. 洞穴也是弱小动物的家。 来自互联网
• If you're going to enjoy the good times, you've certainly got to deal with some potholes. 如果要享受甜美的胜利果实，当然要应付这些战绩不佳的指责压力。 来自互联网

21 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

22 slain   

杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)

参考例句：

• The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。
• His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。

23 columnist   

n.专栏作家

参考例句：

• The host was interviewing a local columnist.节目主持人正在同一位当地的专栏作家交谈。
• She's a columnist for USA Today.她是《今日美国报》的专栏作家。

24 reassuring   

a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的

参考例句：

• He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 他轻拍了一下她的肩膀让她放心。
• With a reassuring pat on her arm, he left. 他鼓励地拍了拍她的手臂就离开了。

25 narration   

n.讲述，叙述；故事；记叙体

参考例句：

• The richness of his novel comes from his narration of it.他小说的丰富多采得益于他的叙述。
• Narration should become a basic approach to preschool education.叙事应是幼儿教育的基本途径。

26 biased   

a.有偏见的

参考例句：

• a school biased towards music and art 一所偏重音乐和艺术的学校
• The Methods: They employed were heavily biased in the gentry's favour. 他们采用的方法严重偏袒中上阶级。