By Mae Anderson, Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --The Super Bowl is advertising's biggest, glitziest stage.
Big name advertisers from Netflix to Google are paying as much as $7 million for a 30-second spot during the big game on Sunday, in order to capture the attention of the roughly 100 million viewers who tune in each year.
In order to get as much as a return on investment for those millions, most advertisers release their ads in the days ahead of the big game to get the most publicity for their spots. In the ads released so far, actor Miles Teller dances to customer-service hold music for Bud Light, Will Ferrell crashes popular Netflix shows like "Bridgerton" in a joint ad for GM and Netflix; and Alicia Silverstone reprises her "Clueless" character for online shopping site Rakuten.
BOOKING.COM
Actress Melissa McCarthy stars in a musical number for the travel site about her desire to go on a trip "somewhere, anywhere."
BUD LIGHT
Actor Miles Teller ("Top Gun: Maverick") and his wife Keleigh Sperry Teller dance to customer service hold music while drinking a Bud Light.
BUDWEISER
In a regional ad, a diverse group of people share a six-pack of Budweiser — a voiceover by Kevin Bacon showcases the "six degrees of Bud." Although he's not shown, the ad is a nod to the "Six degrees of Kevin Bacon" meme — the idea that anyone in the entertainment business can be linked to Kevin Bacon in six connections.
BUSCH LIGHT
A mountain man talk talks about surviving the outdoors in an ad that stars singer Sarah McLachlan spoofing her well-known and oft mocked animal-advocacy ad that uses her song "Angel."
DEXCOM
Singer Nick Jonas returns for the second year in an ad that highlight's Dexcom's glucose monitoring system.
DORITOS
Music stars Jack Harlow, Missy Elliott and Elton John team up in an ad for Doritos Sweet & Tangy BBQ that shows Harlow abandoning his rap career to focus on the triangle — a Doritos-shaped musical instrument.
DOWNY UNSTOPABLES
Super Bowl regular Procter & Gamble promotes its Downy Unstopables brand in an ad showing actor Danny McBride — who wants to go by "Downy McBride."
DRAFTKINGS
The online betting site shows stars including skateboard mogul Tony Hawk and singer Ludacris discussing DraftKings free bet offer at a party at actor Kevin Hart's house.
GENERAL MOTORS AND NETFLIX
Actor and comedian Will Ferrell drives different GM electric vehicles through different Netflix shows, including "Bridgerton" and "Stranger Things," to announce that Netflix will feature electric vehicles in its original shows.
HELLMANN'S
The mayo brand shows actors Jon Hamm and Brie Larson in a fridge with a jar of Hellmann's mayo — to drive home the point that Hellmann's would go well with a "ham and brie" sandwich.
MICHELOB ULTRA
Michelob Ultra's two ads are set at Bushwood Country Club, the fictional country club in "Caddyshack," and star a bevy of stars and athletes: tennis great Serena Williams, actor Brian Cox, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, soccer player Alex Morgan and boxer Canelo Alvarez.
POPCORNERS
The Frito-Lay brand recreates "Breaking Bad" with Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul — but this time the duo are cooking up the PopCorners snack in their RV instead of anything illicit.
PRINGLES
Anyone can get their hand stuck in a Pringles can, according to Pringles' latest Super Bowl ad effort, including singer Meghan Trainor.
RAKUTEN
The online shopping site tapped "Clueless" stars Alicia Silverstone and Elisa Donovan to recreate a scene from the 1995 hit and convey that Rakuten gives shoppers cash back on purchases. Designer Christian Siriano also appears as a student.
UBER ONE
Uber's ad for its membership program Uber One shows hip hop mogul P. Diddy working to create a hit song for Uber One. The ad features singers of famous hits, including Montell Jordan ("This is How We Do It"), Kelis ("Milkshake"), Donna Lewis ("I Love You Always Forever"), Haddaway ("What is Love") and Ylvis ("What Does the Fox Say").
WORKDAY
In the first Super Bowl ad from the enterprise software company, actual rock stars Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol, Joan Jett and others complain that office workers shouldn't call each other "rock stars."
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More