SpotGeek has been busy this morning doing radio interviews about last night’s action. From Portland, Maine to Boise, Idaho, everyone is buzzing about the ads and want to know how they’re doing in the SpotBowl rankings.The big question is always whether the game was more entertaining than the ads or vice versa, and I think that battle was easily won by the game. That’s not to say that the ads were bad. They were better than last year’s line-up, although that’s not hard to do.

Above is a shot of last night’s action here at Pavone/SpotBowl Central. The conference room became the nerve center for watching the ads, while our tech support team worked upstairs uploading the spots and making sure everything ran smoothly behind the scenes (they’re the real stars of SpotBowl). Now the countdown begins until next year’s game.

If anyone has any input for our web design team on how to make SpotBowl.com better or more user friendly, leave a comment! I’ll pick two or three comments to receive some official SpotBowl.com gear, including the official shirts you see us wearing in the shot above. Thanks!

So far, the second half of the game is looking a lot better than the first. HomeAway’s Griswolds was great. Always nice to see Chevy and Beverly, even though Clark Griswold is looking very old. ETRADE’s talking baby was, in my opinion, the best talking baby spot they’ve ever done. I liked the web chat aspect and the introduction of a new word in the pop culture lexicon (“milkaholic”).

Coca-Cola’s Sleepwalker was okay (but only okay) and Michelob ULTRA’s spot with Lance Armstrong was better than I thought I was going to be, mainly because they made a good decision to not let Lance Armstrong have a speaking role.

Wow. I just saw the Google spot. It was the first spot today to give me even an inkling of goosebumps. It was definitely one of the best of the game so far and it didn’t even have a monkey, a baby OR a guy getting kicked in the groin! In fact, it had probably the most reading ever required for a Super Bowl ad. That’ll count against it for sure.

The first half is in the books and it was officially… meh. That’s not to say that there weren’t some highlights. “Punxsutawney Polamalu” was cool, even though I can’t remember what company it was for. Weird how that one, featuring a mini-Polamalu, followed the lame Dr. Pepper spot featuring a midget KISS band. Earlier, we saw two people-in-the-underwear spots, thanks to CareerBuilder and Dockers.

All three consumer-generated Doritos spot aired, with my personal favorite being “Casket.” Someone here at SpotBowl Central mentioned that it looked a lot like a Bud Light spot and now that I think about it, it really did. Oh well, Bud Light has a consistently winning formula, so it’s not a bad thing to be compared to.

Speaking of Budweiser, of all the beer makers first half spots, I think “Voice Box” was the best, or at least the most original. That one, featuring the king of the auto tune, T-Pain, starred some average joes who all talked with a hip hop robot voice. I call that the best of the Bud crop because the others all featured the same tired Budweiser plot: People going ape shit in order to get their greedy mitts on a Bud Light. We saw that with the LOST spoof “Stranded,” “Bud House,” and “Asteroid.” The “Bridge” spot, in which townsfolk create a human bridge in order to get a Bud truck into town, was sort of a long the same line too, but I actually liked that one.

The most talked about Super Bowl ad thus far has been the Tim Tebow Focus on the Family spot and instead of being controversial, it was more laughable than Doritos’ “Dog Shock Collar” ad (which was actually trying to get laughs). The only thing lamer than Tebow’s lame grin as he hugged his mom was his performance in the Senior Bowl.

The E*TRADE baby has been a Super Bowl mainstay since 2008 and although the original baby has retired, a new investment-savvy infant has stepped in to fill his baby booties. We recently sat down with the pudgy little guy for an exclusive interview to discuss the fast-paced life of America’s favorite talking tot.

1. What’s up, baby? Thanks for agreeing to spend some time with us.

Anytime, dude.

2. So what’s it like being the “new baby?” Are you adjusting to the fame and fortune?

It can be awkward at times. Everyone looks at you like, shouldn’t you be at a photo shoot or something? I’m just a regular guy with a regular life. I put my diaper on the same way you do.  Oh, wait, scratch that last part.

3. What advice did the old baby give you about stepping in and doing his job?

Eh, not too much. Told me not to let the fame get to my head. Told me to plan for retirement, it comes quicker than you think. Told me to do it all on E*TRADE because, and I quote, “diversification is king, Sanchez.”  Yah whatever … he’s a wise dude but I dance to my own drummer.

4. Will you be at the Big Game?

Yep. Everyone’s daring me to streak across the football field buck naked.  I am told it can only help my future political career.

5. We have to ask… you can talk, you can use a computer, you’re even buying and selling stock online. How are you doing with the whole “potty training” thing?

You know what they say at E*TRADE, you gotta take control; liberate yourself – they’re talking finance and investing, but you know, they’re words to live by really.

6. I noticed you have a BabyMail app that lets people send personal messages using you and other babies as the voice. It seems like if you have bad news to tell someone, having a baby deliver it might help soften the blow, would it not?

In this economy, if I can soften the blow to anything (while touting the virtues of E*TRADE), I will be a success. And yes, BabyMail is the best way to break up with your girlfriend. Having your heart broken is much easier when it comes from a pudgy little nub that makes googley sounds.

7. You clearly have America by the heartstrings, but not everyone is a fan of your work. Anything you’d like to say to your critics in response?

We mock what we do not understand. I always say “Don’t hate the player, hate the game,” you know what I’m sayin?

8. Well, thanks for hanging out with us and doing this interview, and good luck in SpotBowl!

The pleasure is all mine. And if you’re gonna post a picture of me with this interview or something lame like that, make sure it’s not a profile shot. My chin is nonexistent. Rock the Vote people!

“Securities products and services are offered by E*TRADE Securities LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC.”