Steve Pond's Blog, page 1995
February 2, 2020
Kansas City Chiefs Win Super Bowl LIV
The Kansas City Chiefs have won Super Bowl LIV on Fox, defeating the San Francisco 49ers 31-20. The big win required another comeback from Andy Reid’s team.
The 49ers drew first blood in the form of a Robbie Gould field goal. The Chiefs would answer with a Patrick Mahomes rushing touchdown. That’s where the first quarter ended.
A second-quarter San Francisco touchdown and a Kansas City field goal made the score 10-10 at halftime.
Also Read: Watch Demi Lovato's Super Bowl LIV National Anthem - Hope You Bet the Under! (Video)
In the third quarter, Gould would add another field goal. His teammate Raheem Mostert adding a rushing touchdown, giving the 49ers a 20-10 lead into the fourth quarter.
They wouldn’t score again — but the Chiefs would.
Kansas City responded by way of a Mahomes touchdown pass to Travis Kelce with just over six minutes left to play. A few minutes later, Mahomes hit Damien Williams for the go-ahead touchdown.
Both Mahomes and 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo finished with two interceptions. Mahomes was named MVP.
Mahomes finished 26-of-42 for 286 yards passing. He had 29 yards on the ground.
Chiefs running back Williams finished with 104 yards on 17 carries. Tyreek Hill was the team’s top wide receiver, catching 9 balls for 105 yards. Sammy Watkins added five catches for 98 yards, Kelce had 6 for 43 and that aforementioned touchdown.
For the ‘9ers, Garoppolo was 20-of-31 for 219 yards. Mostert finished with 58 yards on 12 attempts. Jimmie Ward stood out on defense with 11 tackles.
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Super Bowl LIV took place in Miami, Forida, with the Chiefs representing the AFC and 49ers the NFC. San Fran had finished the regular season at 13-3, Kansas City was 12-4.
This was the first Super Bowl win for the Chiefs in 50 years. It was the first for Reid, who previously coached the Philadelphia Eagles.
With that whole pigskin thing now out of the way, the Season 3 premiere of Fox’s oddball singing competition “The Masked Singer” is all set to start. We’ll get ratings for both Nielsen behemoths on Monday.
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Check Out This First Look at Marvel’s Disney+ Shows in This Hero-Heavy Super Bowl Trailer
Marvel wasn’t content to use the Super Bowl to advertise one of its Disney+ shows that it’s got on the horizon; instead it went with a combination spot that gave us our first glimpses at “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “WandaVision” and “Loki.”
You can watch the video above, which first aired during Super Bowl LIV on Sunday.
First up on the calendar is “Falcon and Winter Soldier,” which is currently listed for fall of 2020. “WandaVision” will come after that, also this year, with “Loki” following in 2021.
“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” stars Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan, who reprise their big-screen roles as Sam Wilson aka Falcon and Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier, respectively. The upcoming series will focus on Wilson, aka Falcon, taking on the mantle of Captain America. At the end of “Avengers: Endgame,” an elderly Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) hands Wilson his shield.
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Kari Skogland is directing the six-part miniseries. Emily VanCamp and Daniel Bruhl also reprise their roles as Sharon Carter and Helmut Zemo, receptively, on “Falcon & Winter Soldier.”
“WandaVision” puts its focus squarely on Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), aka Scarlet Witch, and Vision (Paul Bettany), though what exactly it’s about is not really clear at this time. We just know it’ll be wacky and sitcom-ish, traits that are on full display in this ad.
The “Loki” series will follow Tom Hiddleston’s fan-favorite character after a past version of him teleported out of New York with the Tesseract during the time heist in “Avengers: Endgame,” and will have him hop around time influencing a variety of historical events.
Jeremy Renner will reprise his role as Clint Barton in “Hawkeye,” which will also see the MCU debut of Kate Bishop. Additionally, the animated “What If…” will premiere in 2021, which tells non-cannon stories of Marvel characters, with many MCU actors returning to voice their on-screen characters.
Those shows will all be followed by “Ms. Marvel,” “Moon Knight” and “She-Hulk.”
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Jennifer Lopez Puts ‘Hustlers’ Pole Dance Training to Good Use During Super Bowl Halftime Show (Video)
Jennifer Lopez put her “Hustlers” training to good use during the Super Bowl LIV halftime show, suspending herself from swinging around a pole midfield while performing her greatest hits.
Shakira kicked things off in a fiery red dress, which she peeled off piece by piece as her performance progressed. The Colombian singer then showed off her guitar-playing prowess before performing “Hips Don’t Lie” with her signature midsection moves.
Lopez then appeared center stage atop a pole, but that was just a tease as she descended to perform “Jenny From the Block.”
She then stripped down to a silver jumpsuit before hopping back on a pole, holding poses both vertically (see above) and horizontally in tabletop position — moves she learned from a real-life exotic dancer for 2019’s “Hustlers.” Lopez earned a Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of a street-smart stripper.
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Lopez’s daughter with singer Marc Anthony, Emme, emerged with other children in birdcages (a political statement if there was ever one), joining her mother to sing “Let’s Get Loud.” Lopez then unfurled a Puerto Rican flag — a nod to her parent’s heritage — while singing “Born in the USA).
The one-two punch of Shakira and Lopez — with help from J Balvin, Bad Bunny and a company of dancers of color — made this the most diverse halftime show in recent Super Bowl history. Vibrant and (perhaps at times overly) sexy, the 15 minutes pulsed with the energy that you’d find in the Miami club scene, showcasing several different Latin-originated musical and dance styles, including the samba and cha cha cha.
As Lopez ascended to the top of the pole, her message was seemingly clear: with hard work and determination, a Latina born to immigrants can ascend to the biggest stage — and conquer it.
Watch the full Super Bowl halftime performance above.
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Last 28 Super Bowl Halftime Shows Ranked, From U2 to JLo and Shakira (Photos)
Where will Maroon 5’s Super Bowl LIII show wind up on this list?
26. Black Eyed Peas (2011) Before this show, young ‘uns were celebrating the end of the halftime show being owned by the “retirement home.” Afterwards, the old folks were smugly smirking. The Peas were absolutely abominable, with stiff choreography and mailed-in vocals that made The Who seem 40 years younger. The absolute worst moment came when Slash arrived to save the day, only for Fergie to commit a cardinal sin against rock by mangling “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” Later in 2011, the Peas’ new album got panned, their motion-sensor video game bombed, and by year’s end, they announced they were going on hiatus.
25. Indiana Jones (1995) If you thought Katy Perry’s shark was weird, get a load of this. Disney used this halftime show to promote its new Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland, and it featured Indy (not played by Harrison Ford) trying to steal a plastic Vince Lombardi trophy from a temple. Throw in a lip-synching Patti LaBelle and Tony Bennett, and you have a real stinker.
24. The Who (2010) Let’s make something clear: The Who are absolute legends. They are essential not just to rock, but to all of music. But unlike previous classic rock acts, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend really felt past their prime in this performance, and that’s the worst thing you can do at a show like this. Some have speculated that since Roger and Pete had never seen an American football game before, they may not have realized just how big this gig was in American culture.
23. James Brown, ZZ Top, and the Blues Brothers (1997) Another lineup that seemed great on paper and disappointed in reality. The Godfather of Soul was forced to blatantly lip-sync his greatest hits, and Jim Belushi cavorted around the stage doing a weak imitation of his brother John in his iconic role.
22. Phil Collins, Enrique Iglesias, and Christina Aguilera (2000) Wow! Look at that lineup! By all rights, that should be a smash show. But it ended up being a Disney-produced bore about the “Tapestry of Nations.” Instead of thumping out Genesis songs, Collins got stuck doing one of the songs he wrote for “Tarzan.” Iglesias and Aguilera did a duet called “Celebrate the Future Hand in Hand.” Amazingly, Xtina would go on to hit a bigger low at the Super Bowl when she flubbed the National Anthem a decade later.
21. Shania Twain, No Doubt, and Sting (2003) This one is just forgettable, particularly since after the game, Bon Jovi stole the spotlight by singing “It’s My Life” just before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were awarded the trophy. Gwen Stefani teaming up with Sting to do “Message in a Bottle” almost saved this show. Almost.
16. Maroon 5, Travis Scott and Big Boi — While some halftime shows have been panned by the public long before the acts step foot on the stage, none had such immediate backlash as Maroon 5. The band’s presence was seen as ill-fitting for a Super Bowl set in the rap mecca of Atlanta, and though they had a solid set buoyed by Travis Scott, Georgia native Big Boi, and SPONGEBOB of all things, it probably didn’t change anyone’s minds. Sorry, Maroon 5.
8.) Shakira and Jennifer Lopez (2020) — While some badly hidden lip-syncing knocked this down a few spots, Shakira and J-Lo’s show was the most high energy spectacle the Super Bowl had in years, all around two Latinas who had the looks and dancing of pop stars half their age. J-Lo showed off a little bit of her pole dancing moves from “Hustlers” while Shakira’s trademark hip shaking proved it definitely isn’t 2004 anymore. The highlight, however, was J-Lo’s cloak with the U.S. flag on one side and the Puerto Rican flag on the other, brought out while a girl sang Springsteen’s “Born In The USA.” Fitting for an election year.
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Check Out the ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ Super Bowl Commercial (Video)
Universal Pictures released our first look at “Minions: The Rise of Gru” during the Super Bowl on Sunday. Though it turned out this TV spot is just a teaser for the first full trailer, which Universal will drop on Wednesday, Jan. 5.
Kyle Balda is director with Jonathan del Val and Brad Ableson as co-directors, on the sequel to the 2015 film “Minions,” a spinoff of the “Despicable Me” series. Steve Carell returns as Gru, with the film set to tell “the untold story of one 12-year-old’s dream to become the world’s greatest supervillain.”
“Minions: The Rise of Gru” will hit theaters on July 3.
Planters Resurrects Mr. Peanut in New Super Bowl LIV Spot (Video)
Move over, Baby Yoda — it’s Baby Nut’s time to shine.
After killing off the iconic Mr. Peanut character a few weeks ago, Planters introduced a smaller version Sunday during a Super Bowl LIV commercial. The spot featured Wesley Snipes, Matt Walsh, Mr. Clean and the Kool-Aid Man attending a funeral for the 104-year-old monocled nut.
As Snipes delivered the eulogy, a tear from the Kool-Aid Man gave life to the new diminutive character.
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“Hello world, I’m happy to be back!” the company announced on Twitter in the voice of Baby Nut. “I can’t believe everyone came together for little old me! #BabyNut.”
After debuting a teaser for their Super Bowl commercial a few weeks back, the company announced they were suspending some of its Super Bowl ad campaign following the tragic death of NBA star Kobe Bryant. The alterations only impacted paid advertising on Twitter and YouTube, along with some “other outreach.”
Hello world, I’m happy to be back! I can’t believe everyone came together for little old me! #BabyNut pic.twitter.com/8DpCFjZzX3
— Baby Nut (@MrPeanut) February 3, 2020
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Daniel Craig Has ‘No Time to Die’ in 007 Super Bowl Trailer (Video)
Daniel Craig is back for one more round as James Bond in “No Time to Die,” which United Artists released a new tv spot for during Super Bowl LIV.
In what Craig says will be his final performance as James Bond, “No Time to Die” will see 007 get pulled out of the retirement he was starting to enjoy at the end of “Spectre” thanks to a visit from his CIA friend Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright). Felix needs help locating a missing scientist, and when it is revealed that this scientist is kidnapped, Bond is once again sent on a deadly mission that brings him face to face with a new foe played by Rami Malek.
The new spot features the usual Bond thrills, with the agent trying to avoid getting shot while being trapped under ice and trading barbs with a new MI6 field agent. Along with this is a promise that Bond’s 25th film will “change everything.”
Directed by Cary Fukunaga, “No Time to Die” stars returning Bond cast members Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, Lea Seydoux, and Rory Kinnear. Newcomers include Lashana Lynch and Ana De Armas.
“No Time to Die” hits theaters on April 10.
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‘Top Gun: Maverick': Tom Cruise Fights His Past in Super Bowl TV Spot (Video)
Tom Cruise is returning to the cockpit in “Top Gun: Maverick,” a sequel to the 1986 cult classic that helped make him a Hollywood superstar. But in a new Super Bowl tv spot, there are hints that time is catching up to him.
Amidst shots of dangerous dogfights in the mountains, we hear the voice of Miles Teller as Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, the son of Pete “Maverick” Mitchell’s wingman Goose in the original film who died in an accident. “My Dad believed in you,” says Rooster to Maverick. “I’m not going to make the same mistake.”
We also see Maverick continuing to fight against age to stay in the skies, even though, as we hear one officer say, his reckless antics have left him long overdue for a dishonorable discharge. Despite this, Maverick is bent on confronting the ghosts of his past and to take on a mission that may require him to make the ultimate sacrifice.
“Top Gun: Maverick” stars Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm and Ed Harris alongside Cruise, with Val Kilmer also returning as Maverick’s rival Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, who unlike Maverick has turned in his wings to become an admiral. Joseph Kosinski directs the film, which will be released by Paramount on June 26.
Watch the Super Bowl TV spot above.
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‘SNL': Alec Baldwin Returns for the Trump Impeachment ‘Trial You Wish Had Happened’ (Video)
Alec Baldwin brought his Donald Trump impression back to “SNL” for the first time in 2020 for a cold open sketch focusing on Trump’s impeachment trial, such that it was, in the Senate this week. Except this time we got a twist, a la the “Days of Our Lives” parody from earlier this season. Except this time, we got “The Trial You Wish Had Happened.”
The big twist here is that John Roberts is out as the presiding judge, replaced instead by “SNL” regular Kenan Thompson as Judge Mathis. Yes, the Judge Mathis from TV.
The sketch then spent the next eight minutes running rapid fire through a series of witnesses, with several of the usual suspects appearing: Kate McKinnon as Lindsay Graham, Beck Bennett as Mitch McConnell, and Cecily Strong as John Bolton.
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After a series of sycophantic remarks from the Republicans — McConnell’s “All men are innocent after proven guilty” being the highlight — “SNL” cast member Pete Davidson popped up as Hunter Biden, who rolled into the courtroom riding a hoverboard to make some jokes about nepotism.
Then McConnell and Graham came back in to plug coal and guns with some radio-style endorsements — “You can’t watch the Super Bowl without guns,” McKinnon’s Graham declared.
When Baldwin finally appeared as Trump about halfway through the sketch, he was sporting a walker like Harvey Weinstein has been doing at his own trial. Judge Mathis noticed what Trump was doing — especially after doing a spiel about being an frail old man — and demanded to know, “Are you trying to Weinstein me right now?”
After a brief segue with Mathis calling his cousin Vinny to the stand, with some non-sequitur jokes from the movie “My Cousin Vinny” thrown in, “SNL” cut back to Trump only to find him wearing the most ludicrous Phil Spector wig.
You can watch the sketch in full in the video embedded up at the top of this post.
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February 1, 2020
‘Parasite,’ ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ ‘Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood’ Win Art Directors Guild Awards
“Parasite,” “Avengers: Endgame” and “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” have won the top feature-film awards at the 24th annual Excellence in Production Design Awards, which were handed out on Saturday night by the Art Directors Guild.
“Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” won in the period film category, “Avengers: Endgame” in the fantasy film category and “Parasite” in the contemporary film category. The award for production design on an animated film went to “Toy Story 4.”
In the 23 years that the Art Directors Guild has been handing out awards, one of its winners has gone on to win the Oscar for Best Production Design 16 times, including the last six years in a row.
Also Read: Directors Guild Awards 2020: Sam Mendes Wins Top Prize for '1917'
This year’s Oscar nominees for production design include two of the ADG winners, “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” and “Parasite,” as well as “The Irishman,” “Jojo Rabbit” and “1917.”
Television winners included “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Umbrella Academy,” “Chernobyl,” “Russian Doll” and “The Big Bang Theory.”
The ceremony took place at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown. The William Cameron Menzies Award went to concept artist Syd Mead, while ADG Lifetime Achievement Awards went to art director Joe Alves, graphic artist Denis Olsen, set designer Stephen Myles Berger and illustrator Jack Johnson. Chuck Lorre received the Cinematic Imagery Lifetime Award.
Also Read: 'Jojo Rabbit' and 'Parasite' Win Top Writers Guild Awards (Complete List of Winners)
William J. Creber and Roland Anderson were inducted into the ADG Hall of Fame.
The winners:
Feature Film Categories
Period Film: “Once Upon A Time … in Hollywood,” Barbara Ling
Fantasy Film: “Avengers: Endgame,” Charles Wood
Contemporary Film: “Parasite,” Lee Ha-Jun
Animated Film: “Toy Story 4,” Bob Pauley
Television Categories
One-Hour Period or Fantasy Single-Camera Series: “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”: “Ep. 305, Ep. 308,” Bill Groom
One-Hour Contemporary Single-Camera Series: “The Umbrella Academy”: “We Only See Each Other at Weddings and Funerals,” Mark Worthington
Television Movie or Limited Series: “Chernobyl,” Luke Hull
Half-Hour Single-Camera Series: “Russian Doll”: “Nothing in This World is Easy,” Michael Bricker
Multi-Camera Series: “The Big Bang Theory”: “The Stockholm Syndrome,” “The Conference Valuation,” “The Propagation Proposition,” John Shaffner
Short Format: Web Series, Music Video or Commercial: “MedMen”: “The New Normal,” James Chinlund
Variety, Reality or Event Special: “Drunk History”: “Are You Afraid of the Drunk?,” Monica Sotto
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