Will CBS Go To Hell For Super Bowl Bucks???

Monday, February, 1, 2010 by Mel Phillips.

CBS is already taking heat for deciding to run the Tim Tebow ‘Focus on the Family’ advocacy commercial during the Super Bowl, now they risk a journey to hell if they choose to accept an ad for Electronic Arts for their “Dante’s Inferno” video game. EA has been marketing this game for months now and with a game called Dante’s Inferno, the video company has been running appropriate campaigns such as “Spend the Holidays in Hell” and “Save 666 Pennies.” Phil Marineau, EA senior product manager calls the Super Bowl “the perfect culmination of the ‘Highway to Hell’ and the ‘Nine Months of Hell’ campaign leading up to the launch. Now CBS must decide whether to take the money and run, preferably not to hell, or answer a higher calling and pass. Pass — who are we kidding here? They may soon wish they had Janet Jackson back for the halftime show…

EA is waiting for final word from CBS, but it seems likely the game’s “Go to Hell” tagline used in print and on cable TV won’t be approved by the network. According to Advertising Age, the tagline will be replaced by a “hell awaits” callout at the end of the spot. EA isn’t fazed by the possible censorship and when asked why they would change their tagline, Marineau said “there will still be a callout to hell and it’s an opportunity to hit the most mass audience possible with a game that’s literally coming out two days later.”…

Be pre-warned, this ad won’t be for kids. The game itself is for an 18+ audience and is labeled so in the ad. It’s also not for the squeamish… 

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1865] Free at last: Slavery is abolished with the ratification of the 13th amendment which will go into effect on February 1, 1865…
2. 1913] All aboard: Grand Central Station opens in New York City. The largest train station in the world is still beautiful…
3. 1960] Sitting in: Four black college students begin a sit-in protest at a lunch counter where they’d been refused service…
4. 1968] The shot seen round the world: Saigon’s police chief executes a Viet Cong officer with a pistol shot to the head…
5. 1979] Patty departs: Newspaper heiress Patty Hearst leaves a federal prison near San Francisco after her sentence was commuted by Jimmy Carter. Here Patty is interviewed by Dennis Murphy of NBC News…
6. 1982] Debuted on this date:  David Letterman debuts on NBC-TV with his own show. His first guest is Bill Murray.  Letterman may have made his network debut in 1971 covering the Indy 500…
7. 1999] A little bit of Monica: Monica Lewinskygives a videotaped deposition to senators weighing impeachment charges against President Bill Clinton. Here’s a clip from a Barbara Walters interview…
8. 2003] Space tragedy: The space shuttle Columbia explodes during re-entry, killing all 7 astronauts on board…
9. 2004] Nipplegate: Janet Jackson’s breast is briefly exposed during a duet with Justin Timberlake at the Super Bowl halftime show. If like I, you were at the game, no one even noticed. All I cared about was that my Patriots won…2009] No “wardrobe malfunctions” last year when the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 to become the only NFL team to win 6 Super Bowls…
10. 2008] Terrorists take out 100: Remote-controlled explosives strapped to two women kill nearly 100 people in Baghdad. Female suicide bombers have been growing in numbers and has become an increasingly worrisome phenomenon…

Music Memories:

• Number One on this date: 1976] “Love Rollercoaster” - Ohio Players…1980] “Rock With You” - Michael Jackson…1982] “Centerfold” - J. Geils Band…

Commentary:

Former Philadelphia Eagle player, television and radio personality Tom Brookshier passed away Friday of cancer in Philadelphia at 78. When his playing days ended, Brookshier began his broadcast career at WCAU-TV where he teamed with Hall of Fame broadcaster Jack Whitaker. He was later paired with Pat Summerall for network coverage of NFL games on CBS-TV. Brookshier was one of the best color guys ever on NFL games. In 1989 he became part-owner of WIP-AM…On a happier note, my friend Ernie Anastos had a great piece in the Sunday New York Times, which can be seen here…

“Happy Birthday…happy birthday“: Michael C. Hall (39), Pauly Shore (42), Lisa Marie Presley (42), Monaco’s Princess Stephanie (45), Sherman Hemsley (72), Ray (”Dr. Hook”) Sawyer (73), Garrett Morris (73), Don Everly (73), Stuart Whitman (82) and legendary gospel singer George Beverly Shea (101)…

Timeline Countdown: 6 days until Super Bowl XLIV, 13 days until Valentine’s Day, 14 days until President’s Day, 17 days until pitchers & catchers report voluntarily and 62 days until the MLB opener (Red Sox vs. Yankees)…

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