Critics, tired of waiting for the official opening of the oft-delayed combination musical and extreme sporting event, went ahead and hit the stands with their reviews yesterday, and they weren't kind. Ben Brantley at the New York Times said the musical is not only one of the most expensive ever, but the worst. Mark Blankenship writes that the Spider Man story -- not the one Julie Taymor is at pains to tell on the Broadway stage, but the one about the disastrous production -- is, like so many other disaster scenes, about public rubber-necking. "The real story here," …

The Chicago-based startup Groupon thought it was being funny with its first-ever TV ad -- which ran in the Super Bowl broadcast -- about human-rights abuses in China-controlled Tibet. The ad seemed to be about serious issues around China's suppression of liberties in the mountainous region of what would now be the Western region of China. But the ad actually has actor Timothy Hutton making light of the issue because the Tibetans still make a great fish curry in the restaurant he's eating at, thanks to a deal he got at Groupon. Oops. "Tasteless," "tacky" and "vulgar" were …

Smuggle Truck: Operation Immigration is a new iPhone and iPad game set for release by Owlchemy Labs LLC. The Boston game studio said the game is meant as a satirical comment on "the difficulties of immigration to the United States." But Eva Milona, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, thinks "it's a tasteless and horrible joke." She said she saw the trailer for the game and was horrified by such imagery as babies bouncing out of pickup trucks. One of the developers said it's all cool because the game's about bringing attention to immigration issues and …

Commentator Tom Philpott said he saw the spot, aired by a group called "Americans Against Food Taxes" and funded by companies like Archer Daniels Midland and Cargill, fast-food companies like McDonald's, and beverage giants Coca-Cola and Pepsi. The ad's message, per Philpott, is that government should stop "trying to control what we eat and drink." He finds the ad ironic because the government's '70's-era cheap-corn policy is what brought us to high-fructose corn syrup in the first place.

A new campaign on Yahoo for Diet Dr Pepper, "Hunt for the Unbelievable," centers on a deliveryman who is a member of a support group called "I Exist!" The group is peopled by characters like the Easter Bunny, a leprechaun, an alien, and Santa Claus. The delivery guy is there because he wants to believe there's such a thing as a satisfying diet drink. The effort is by Deutsch, L.A.

Nissan scored last in J.D. Power & Associates' recent Sales Satisfaction Index. So the Franklin, Tenn.-based automaker is going to try to fix things at its dealerships. A new fund will use factory dollars to pay dealers who improve performance on Nissan's internal metrics. Al Castignetti, Nissan Division VP sales and marketing, said in a dealer meeting that improvements like reducing time to deliver a purchased vehicle and making sure vehicles are cleaned and undamaged can go a long way to improving things.

Joe Ashton, VP of the United Auto Workers who oversees labor relations with GM, said bonuses may be higher than the $1,775 average amount workers got in 1999, which was the biggest bonus the company has ever paid its work force. The company will reveal the new bonus amount on Feb. 14.

Through a deal with Conde Nast title Modern Bride, JCPenney is launching an in-store section in the rear of the fine jewelry department. The shops have special signage, fixtures, lighting, packaging, displays and specially trained sales associates.

A team of advisors to the first lady has been talking to the trade group the National Restaurant Association, to try to get its members to serve smaller portions and children's meals that include things like carrots, apple slices and milk. But participants in the discussions say a deal is not close. Michelle Obama recently got Wal-Mart to lower prices on fruits and vegetables and cut fat, sugar and salt.

Heineken has named Lesya Lysyj as CMO, effective Feb. 28. Lysyj will handle strategy for Heineken USA and all marketing and social media. She will report to Dolf van den Brink, president and CEO of Heinken USA. The company handles U.S. distribution and marketing of Dos Equis, Newcastle Brown Ale, Tecate and Amstel Light.