Bud Light and Doritos seemingly knew they had some winners in their back pockets, and didn't want to throw long too early, so they went for screen passes. The first spot of the game came from Bud Light, with an annoyingly enthusiastic host of a home improvement show revealing a remodeled kitchen. The upgrade: just a tub of Bud Light on the counter. To the degree, it was a spoof of the unbridled excitement shown by "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition's" Ty Pennington - or HGTV -- it was mildly entertaining. Worthy of the first spot in the Super Bowl? Nah.

After the NFL touts record Super Bowl viewership, the league and its players' union would be wise to minimize tune-in as their labor dispute escalates. If the two sides continue with an increasingly contentious stand-off that threatens to cancel part of next season, they should avoid all temptation to negotiate publicly.

Tony Ponturo, former head of media buying for Anheuser-Busch, spent 26 Super Bowls ironing out any glitches with ad coverage. Last year, for the first time since Joe Montana won his first title, he got to experience a Super Bowl party at home.

Who would have thought Bob Parsons might actually have a strategy behind a Super Bowl ad that involves more than shock value and titillation? That's not to say he's abandoned the lasciviousness altogether -- that's not "Reject Me" Robert's way. But he's got something new to sell and he's making an effort to do it.

It's February and the snow might not stop in the Northeast and Midwest until the Masters tees off. Any Comcast executives relocating from Philly to L.A. picked a good time. Still, it's time to dig out some Leaders and Bleeders for the month ahead.

Get ready for Ryan Seacrest to interview an animated bunny on E!'s Red Carpet coverage before the Academy Awards. For contestants on NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice" to come up with a campaign for the character. And Comcast phone customers to get free 411 calls if they're willing to listen to his voice.

The NBC morning show asked Friday at what point CBS becomes an "enabler" in Charlie Sheen's troubling behavior. Both an addiction expert and author of a book on crisis communications, Steve Adubato, said the network has been part of the problem for a while and needs to change course. For the 45-year-old Sheen, if CBS or Warner Bros. were to invoke some kind of morals clause and terminate him, he may have trouble getting another job.

The evolving nature of bedfellows and bed-foes in the entertainment ecosystem is moving at a pace faster than Xfinity Mbps. The marriages and break-ups are hard to keep up with. Time Warner Cable and Disney battle publicly over rights fees, then reach an agreement. Disney reaches a breakthrough deal with Netflix, while a large cable operator is questioning Netflix's long-term viability.

Israeli company SeamBI has an intriguing platform for virtual placement opportunities. A McDonald's logo can be pasted on a bag in the background during "How I Met Your Mother," a Chrysler image on a calendar hanging behind Jason Lee's character in "My Name is Earl." Local brands can be inserted as well. The great selling point is the opportunity for localism.

It's hard to argue with Leslie Moonves' strategy to restrict digital distribution of CBS content. Even as Hulu formed and Netflix streaming emerged, the CBS chief held firm that he wanted CBS to maintain control of the company's content, not license it to another party.