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43 Observations on the Super BowlThe cute puppies, Al Michaels, Obama's fireside chat, and other moments you might have missed.

By Troy PattersonPosted Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, at 4:00 PM ET

The Cardinals' Aaron Francisco leaps for the ballI. NBC's five-hour Super Bowl XLIII pregame show began yesterday at 1 p.m.

II. NBC Sports' Bob Costas led what he termed a "very deep active roster" of personalities from the NBC Universal family. Al Roker was in a place called the Super Suite, Tom Colicchio at the Top Chef tailgate party, and the Weather Channel's Jim Cantore up at the top of the stadium, promising "super weather."

III. After introducing all the key personalities, Costas turned to the hour's other momentous sports story. Roger Federer showing welcome signs of human emotion? No: the great Michael Phelps bong rip of '09. This was super comic relief of the day. It kind of stood in for the delinquent behavior of Super Bowl players of infamy. (Throughout the pregame show, reporters and analysts remembered the coke binges and paddy wagons of yore, not without nostalgia.)

IV. Keith Olbermann looked like an early favorite for the worst-dressed award. It was partly that he had the misfortune of reporting from the Cardinals locker room alongside the exquisitely sharp Tiki Barber, and partly that his suit jacket bulged as if concealing one or two vests. Explain yourself, sir.

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V. Around 1:30 p.m. or so, Alex Flanagan reported on the spiritual health of quarterback Kurt Warner from the "undisclosed location" of the Cardinals' hotel: He was on schedule for Mass.

VI. The Super Suite was an intimate showbiz experience featuring a small studio audience. Al Roker brought all his jolliness to the fore for what looked like a modest, tastefully produced charity telethon.

VII. But instead of sick children, the Super Suite brought on the personalities of NBC Entertainment, which is ailing in its way. Stars dropped in and hyped their shows, with Jimmy Fallon mumbling by to promote his upcoming late-night show and Hayden Panettiere, the Heroes starlet, snatching the worst-dressed award from Olbermann. Panettiere was only dressed appropriately for a flight back from Sundance. "What's up with the Uggs there for Hayden?" wondered Costas.

VIII. Out at the Top Chef tailgate party, Dan Patrick and Tom Colicchio squinted in the sun and introduced a cooking challenge. Antonia and Andrew, honoring Arizona, whipped up some roast pork tacos. Spike and Richard repped Pittsburgh, identified as the home of Heinz. Here, NBC missed a cross-branding opportunity: Olbermann should have been on the scene with a John Kerry joke.

IX. In other cross-branding news, there was a promo where the excellent Al Michaels touted CNBC: "The stock market is like fantasy football times 100." This was a curious claim on several levels—though it's true that in neither case do you want to get behind Detroit.

X. In other cross-branding news, Al Roker interviewed Will Ferrell about Land of the Lost.

XI. Then there was Puppy Bowl V (Animal Planet). This was counterprogramming for young children, wacky aunts, et al.

XII. Puppy Bowl V unfolded in a miniature football stadium, where shelter puppies romped and tugged at chew toys and (we saw through the water-bowl-POV camera) sated their adorable thirsts. It was really cute.

XIII. I didn't catch the final moments of the Puppy Bowl, but I imagine that one puppy triumphed as the cutest and got adopted, and all its inferiors were put to sleep.

XIV. Matt Lauer interviewed Barack Obama in the Map Room of the White House, literally a fireside chat!

XV. Lauer and Obama flirted at some length, the newsman warming the president up with a mother-in-law joke before turning to "sleepless nights" on the national security watch. We watched soldiers in Iraq watching this on a feed.

XVI. Obama, who picked the Steelers to win in a close game, is easing into the pop-ceremonial part of the job with great confidence. Lauer produced a copy of Us Weekly with the president's wife and kids on its cover, and Obama read to the nation about Jessica Simpson, wryly, like a sitcom actor—the tone somewhere between Bill Cosby and Bob Newhart.

XVII. The Jessica Simpson exchange cracked the soldiers up.

XVIII. The broadcast of Super Bowl XLIII—identified by Time Warner Cable with a fine simplicity as NFL Football—started at 6 p.m.

XIX. Faith Hill, getting away with too much eye shadow, did a crisp "America the Beautiful."

XX. Capt. Sully and his crew showed up to add an authentic touch to the pregame pageant of teamwork, community, and American power.

XXI. Capt. Sully is my new hero. To be precise, Capt. Sully's tailor is my new hero. Ditching a commercial plane in the Hudson is impressive, true, but what a sharp jacket!

XXII. Capt. Sully surpassed Tiki Barber to win the best-dressed award.