The Best Commercials of Super Bowl XLIII

I enjoyed some of the 2009 Super Bowl commercials almost as much as James Harrison's amazing 100-yard interception return. Pepsi kicked Budweiser's butt in the 2009 Super Bowl commercial "funny" department, while the overhyped 3-D ads for SoBe and Monsters vs. Aliens were major disappointments. Out of all the Super Bowl XLIII commercials for cars, websites, and movie previews, which ones deserve a second look? Which ads will I fast-forward through the next time they interrupt my TiVo'd shows? Here are my picks for the best and worst 2009 Super Bowl commercials.

Funniest 2009 Super Bowl Commercials

Pepsi's "Pepsi: Pepsuber" commercial is one of the funniest 2009 Super Bowl ads. "Pepsi: Pepsuber" is based on the hilarious "MacGruber" SNL skit. MacGruber (Will Forte) and his helpless friend (Kristen Wiig) are trapped in a room with a ticking bomb (as usual), but MacGruber would rather drink his Pepsi than defuse the bomb. MacGruber loves Pepsi so much, he's renamed himself "Pepsuber." Richard Dean Anderson, of "MacGyver" fame, joins his comic impersonator. Will the MacMullets defuse the bomb in time? If you've watched any of the "MacGruber" skits on SNL, you know the answer!

Pepsi's "Pepsi Max: I'm Good" commercial is another funny 2009 Super Bowl ad, which features bumbling-but-tough men doing manly things and getting injured in the process. Whether these men are smacked with planks of wood, electrocuted, or hit in the head, their response is always a weak, reassuring, "I'm good!" Because "men can take anything...except diet cola," tough guys will drink up Pepsi Max, "the first diet cola for men." (What about women? Do we get to drink Pepsi Max? Did I somehow overlook the "Pepsi Miss" commercial?)

Budweiser's "Bud Light: Swedish" commercial is a funny 2009 Super Bowl ad starring Conan O'Brien. Conan is one of my favorite television personalities, and I was thrilled to see several other NBC ads promoting Conan during Super Bowl XLIII. (Conan will soon take Jay Leno's spot as host of "The Tonight Show," and NBC wants to make sure we all recognize the tall, gangly red-haired comedian, right?) In the "Bud Light: Swedish" ad, we watch Conan filming a wild Swedish Bud Light commercial. Conan falsely believes the ad will only air in Sweden. The main point of the commercial? Bud Light, whether in Sweden or America, has "drinkability."

CareerBuilder.com's "CareerBuilder.com: Tips" commercial is another hilarious 2009 Super Bowl ad. Is anyone out there stuck in a miserable job? "Do you hate going to work?" "Do you hate going to work?" "Do you hate going to work?" Yes, this commercial repeats itself, and builds to a hilarious climax. I won't spoil the fun. (Just wait till you see the bespectacled koala...That's all I'm going to say.)

Doritos' "Doritos: Crystal Ball" commercial is a stupid-funny 2009 Super Bowl ad. Can a boring old snow globe be used to predict Doritos in your future? Maybe so. (I, for one, munched on some Doritos during Super Bowl XLIII. The ads worked!)

Best 2009 Super Bowl Ads: Best Car Commercial

"Audi: Chase" stars everyone's favorite "Transporter," Jason Statham, as he races his way through three decades. Statham begins a high-speed car chase in the 1970s, rushes through the 80s and 90s, and ends in 2009, behind the wheel of a gorgeous black Audi Supercharged A6. Audi reminds us "Progress is Beautiful" in this fun, action-packed ad.

Coolest Movie Trailers to Air During Super Bowl XLIII

The previews for the new Star Trek movie and Disney/Pixar's newest film, Up, got me more excited than any of the other previews (and, boy, there were tons of them!) that aired on TV for the first time during Super Bowl XLIII.

I think Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen deserves an honorable mention for "Movie Trailer Most Likely Designed by a 13-year-old Boy." "Revenge of the Fallen" is a fantastic subtitle, isn't it? My 13-year-old nephew thinks it sounds cool, anyway.

Most Disappointing 2009 Super Bowl Ads

Did you pick up your free Intel-sponsored 3-D glasses while you were buying your beer and pop at the supermarket before the Super Bowl? My husband brought home four pairs of 3-D glasses, and, man, I couldn't wait to watch the "SoBe: Lizard Lake" and Monsters vs. Aliens Super Bowl commercials in 3-D. Hmm. I put on my paper 3-D glasses at the right moment, but all I got was a headache and a paper cut on the bridge of my nose. I can't say that any of the dancing NFL players jumped off the screen at me during the "SoBe: Lizard Lake" 3-D commercial, and the monsters and aliens kept their out-of-focus 3-D tentacles to themselves. I didn't feel a bit guilty that my kids were already in bed and missing out on the 3-D "magic" of these special Super Bowl ads. I sincerely hope the 3-D effects for Monsters vs. Aliens are way cooler in the movie theatre (I'm sure they will be).

My pick for "Most Awkward 2009 Super Bowl Ad" goes to Cash4Gold.com's "Cash4Gold.com: Heeere's Money." In this commercial, Ed McMahon and MC Hammer give us examples of all the gold items they own that could be sold for cash at Cash4Gold.com, including Ed McMahon's "gold hip replacement" and Hammer's gold records. I felt embarrassed for both of these guys while watching this ad, and will definitely fast-forward through it the next time I see it (thank you, TiVo!).

I didn't particularly enjoy any of Budweiser's Clydesdale commercials that aired during Super Bowl XLIII. But, then again, I'm not a "horse" person.

All of the commercials I mention here can be viewed in full at www.hulu.com/superbowl. Thanks for the laughs, Pepsi. And congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers-what a stunning victory!