the Buzz for February 8th, 2011

8
Feb

 

Eminem — “Lose Yourself”
(from 8 Mile [Music From and Inspired By the Motion Picture]) — Lose Yourself - 8 Mile (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)

Not quite sure when all the Super Bowl commercials became at least as important (or, at very least, as worthy of dissection and debate) as the game itself, but c’est la vie. Usual suspects Doritos, Budweiser, and GoDaddy.com are again dominating the discussion of this year’s crop of ads, but I’m a little disappointed that more people aren’t talking about my hands-down favorite spot, a powerfully dramatic Chrysler commercial which played late in the game’s third quarter, and which extols the brilliantly resilient virtues of Detroit, an embattled, emotionally spent burg that remains the hub of this country’s most dynamic industry — the manufacture of automobiles. Much of the ad unfurls above — and, indeed, much of the ad’s inherent drama and potency derives from — an instrumental piece of the biggest (and probably most recognizable, and easily most riveting) hit ever scored by iconic rapper Eminem, whose travails growing up on the wrong side of Detroit’s tracks are well-documented, and who pops up in this commercial’s closing seconds to vouch for his hometown’s enduring ethos. (If you didn’t catch the ad Sunday night, you can watch it in its entirety below.)