TVSquad

The move by the NFL to exclusively air this weekend's game between the New England Patriots and New York Giants on their own NFL network, which reaches only 40% of US households, was met with much criticism and frustration. With a win this weekend, the Patriots would become the first team to go undefeated in a 16-game season (the Dolphins did it in the 14-game '72 season).

Now it looks like pressure from Washington has changed their mind and suddenly the game is airing on NFL Network and both NBC and CBS. Of course, several local affiliates to the two teams had already negotiated exclusive rights to the game and sold ads at inflated rates, so they can't be too happy about having to share the game now with CBS and NBC.

Veteran rockers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have been chosen as the musical act for the Super Bowl game. The game will be played in Glendale, AZ on February 3 and will air on FOX.

Wow, what a choice. I think that the halftime show is also going to be sponsored by Brylcream. They must be trying to get the boomer - or even the post-boomer - audience. At this rate, in the coming years we'll also see performances by Bob Seger and Jackson Browne. And before anyone thinks I want to see a rap star or Avril Lavigne rock the halftime show, there's nothing wrong with having older rock bands headline the show - it's just that Tom Petty isn't Paul McCartney or Prince, and I can't really see the band having the same "even Generation Y likes this band!" hipness that a lot of older bands have. Unless I'm completely out of touch with what's hip nowadays (a good bet).

Oh well, at least there's no danger of seeing Petty's ... well, you know. It's after the jump.

And now, this breaking news just in from our redundancy is redundant department:

You've heard it hundreds, if not thousands, of times during a broadcast of one sporting event or another . . . the announcement that any rebroadcast or retransmission of the program is illegal without the exclusive written consent of one professional sports league or another. However, did you know that the airing of that copyright notice is actually protected under copyright as well? I didn't, and neither did law professor Wendy Seltzer. She posted a sample of the NFL's copyright notice on YouTube to show her students how far these notices go in exaggerating their rights.

When we reported on the NFL's crackdown on Super Bowl church gatherings a few days ago, many of you commented that the league's policy -- no large gatherings to watch the game if the screen is 55" or above -- was a bunch of what Col. Potter used to call "horsehockey," especially when it came to places of worship.

It seems like the league got the message... sort of. According to WorldNetDaily, the NFL has no objections to churches holding these large-screen gatherings, as long as no admission is charged (because you know how those little churches like to make wicked profits from games like this).

Here's another reason why everyone calls the NFL the "No Fun League"...

The league is cracking down on any mass-viewings of the Super Bowl that is brought to their attention, including parties that charge admission -- get this -- any gathering that views the game on a TV that's 55" or above, whether admission is charged or not.