As most of you undoubtedly know, the Super Bowl is this Sunday. The game between the AFC Champion New England Patriots and NFC Carolina Panthers kicks off on CBS at approximately 3:35 PST.
Over the years the game itself has almost become secondary to many people. Almost as many viewers watch the game for the expensive and highly produced commercials as they do the game itself. Because the game virtually guarantees advertisers almost 88 million viewers, a 30-second commerical this year is going for a record $2.3 million.
In fact, eight of the ten top-rated programs in television history are Super Bowls. The exceptions are: The finale of "Roots" in 1977 at No. 9 and the series finale of "M*A*S*H" in 1983.
For information on CBS and their coverage of The Super Bowl please visit http://www.superbowl.com/
To see and vote on your favorite Super Bowl commercials, visit http://www.superbowl-ads.com/
The television industry lost two of its most treasured talents this past week - Jack Parr and Bob Keeshan, aka "Captain Kangaroo."
Parr was the host of NBC's "Tonight Show" from 1957 through 1962. Parr was a comic and had hosted a daytime show on CBS prior to becoming host of "The Tonight Show." Parr was a comedic and sketch comedian but it is his forte as an interviewer that drew the most praise.
He would sometimes get emotionally involved in the stories his guests would tell and would even cry on the air when the subject moved him to do so. Parr eventually had a feud with NBC over their editing out of material the NBC censors found offensive. He literally said a tearful goodbye to viewers and left the show on February 11, 1960.
For more information on Jack Parr please visit http://www.jackpaar.com/
While I'm too young to remember Jack Parr, I do remember Captain Kangaroo. His cast of characters, including Bunny and Mr. Green Jeans, were welcome friends in my home when I was growing up. While I enjoyed "Sesame Street," I loved Captain Kangaroo. I was sad to read that he had passed away but he brought warmth, smiles and laughter to kids for many years. There are few greater legacies anyone can leave.
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