7 Super Bowl Ads Taking the Internet by Storm

(Newser)
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Things people are talking about Sunday night: the winners of Super Bowl LVI, the halftime show performers (and surprise guests), the pre-game singers (and an awkward mix-up on NBC’s part), and—of course—the ads. Here are seven getting particular attention, which you can also watch in our gallery:

• Awkwafina appears: One of the Disney+ commercials featured Awkwafina, who is currently embroiled in a controversy over her alleged “blaccent.” “Awkwafina? More like Awkwardfina,” reads one of the reactions rounded up by Yahoo News.
• The next generation of Sopranos: Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Robert Iler reunited as Meadow and AJ Soprano in a Chevy ad that Sopranos creator David Chase and cinematographer Phil Abraham worked on. Sigler tells the Hollywood Reporter it was an emotional filming experience. As for what, if anything, the ad means for the world of the Sopranos, a series expert dissects it for Rolling Stone.

• What is Liquid Death? Water in a can, being chugged by children and a pregnant woman in the brand’s debut Super Bowl ad. Some were calling it the best ad of the night, per Mashed, while others were offended. But there were plenty of people responding to those critics on Twitter. “For people getting all bent out of shape over Liquid Death, part of the point of the can is to help folks feel less ‘othered’ or peer pressured at parties for choosing not to drink, whether they’re the designated driver, a recovering alcoholic, or just choosing not to drink,” reads one.
• Dr. Evil is back: One of many tributes to the 1990s to be found in the ads was a reunion of Austin Powers villains, including Dr. Evil (Mike Myers), his son Scott Evil (Seth Green), and Scott Evil’s infant son, Kyle, dubbed “Baby Me” by Dr. Evil. The plot twist? They’re trying to first save the world (with electric vehicles) so they can then take it over.

• So is the E*Trade baby: The infant, last seen in an E*Trade spot eight years ago, is back, per People. He agrees to return from his off-the-grid life when he hears that people in 2022 are taking financial advice from memes.
• Huh? There were quite a few cryptocurrency-related commercials during the big game, and one took the minimalist approach: For 60 seconds (which USA Today estimates cost $13 million), a QR code pinged around the screen. That’s basically it. Viewers who took the bait and scanned it were sent to Coinbase’s website, which was running a promo that proved so popular it crashed Coinbase’s app, the Verge reports.
• A peek inside a famous marriage: Scarlett Johansson and husband Colin Jost give the world a look at their marriage in an Amazon ad getting largely positive reviews. The Onion‘s take: “Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson Demonstrate Their Depraved Indifference To The Mass Suffering Caused By Amazon.”

See more ads at Entertainment Weekly or CNBC. (Read more Super Bowl stories.)