NBC released a listing of various Super Bowl tie-ins for the programming on its variety of networks next week, and honestly, some of them are quite ridiculous. I'm all for dedicating all of your general sports studio shows to the game, but NBC Universal is going all out this year on seemingly every single one of their platforms. Take a look at some of these tie-ins...
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: For the first time in the show’s history, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon will take the show on the road – to Indianapolis – for a total of four shows; including one first-ever LIVE Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show on Sunday night after Super Bowl XLVI.
Seriously? THE Jimmy Fallon is bringing his mediocre talk show on the road, and he chooses Indianapolis as the destination? Awesome. When Conan took his show on the road, he went to Los Angeles... you know, a big city that's known for entertainment.
Weather Channel: Jim Cantore will join NBC’s Super Bowl coverage from Indianapolis, and Wake Up with Al’s Stephanie Abrams and Al Roker will also be on-site reporting the Super Bowl headlines for Weather Channel.
This is Lucas Oil Stadium, where the game will be held. Notice anything interesting about it? Yeah, it's got a roof. So if the weather in Indianapolis is terrible during the week, they can just... take weather out of the equation by closing the roof, which is what I assume they'd do anyway. I really have no idea why Weather Channel reporters are reporting on weather for an indoor event.
Golf Channel: In anticipation of season two of his critically acclaimed series premiering Feb. 27, David Feherty will host a special Feherty Live stage show from Indianapolis Friday night, which Golf Channel will air as a one-hour special Saturday at 10 p.m. ET. And throughout Super Bowl week, Golf Channel’s popular morning show, Morning Drive, will feature various NFL guests, including former and current players and executives to talk Super Bowl predictions. Friday’s Golf Central show will include look-ins at Feherty’s rehearsals in Indianapolis and promote Sunday’s Super Bowl.
Feherty's appearance on CBS during the divisional games was strange, and it's a little stranger that the Golf Channel stalwart will be doing more NFL related stuff... for a channel that has nothing to do with the NFL. If you're tuning into the Golf Channel during the winter months, don't you think you'd be doing it to get away from nonstop football talk? Regardless, we can't hold any ill will towards Feherty, an AA favorite.
E!: The nation’s premier destination for celebrity and entertainment news will report from Indianapolis Wednesday through Monday with correspondents Catt Sadler and David Burtka.
Is there really going to be a lot of breaking entertainment news from Indianapolis, the home of... what, exactly? I know some celebrities will be heading to the game, but I don't think it's worth sending a couple of correspondents there. Then again, maybe we can get a hold of the complete list of media outlets given credentials, and analyze the most bizarre ones of the bunch.