Yes, the Super Bowl has finally come and gone, and congratulations to those of you who took the under on the total points scored (51) and the number of times Mike Shanahan was shown on camera (0). If there was a prop bet on when Troy Aikman would say “It’s getting kind of chippy down there,” (this year’s favorite football cliché) kudos to all of you who pegged it at four minutes into the fourth quarter. A last-minute surge by the Kansas City Chiefs 
blew out the 1.5-point money line on the margin of victory, though. As for prop bets, no, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira did not kiss (yes, that was a real prop bet). Pitbull did not take the stage at halftime (ditto) nor did Alex Rodriguez (ditto and what would he be doing up there anyway?). And now a moment of silence for the million dollars that John “Mattress Mack” McIngvale blew on the 49ers, bringing his postseason losses to $3 million. Obviously it does not pay to bet against the Chiefs. But it does pay for sports books to take McIngvale’s action, considering his chronic inability to pick winners (remember his big World Series loss?). He’s as conspicuous a mark as has come down the pike in quite a while and the books should be lining up to take his money, er, bets. Results from the books won’t be available until tomorrow but it looks like bettors other than McIngvale will have done well this year.
Speaking of Pitbull (must we?), he has been announced for a residency at Planet Hollywood. Titled “Get Ready Vegas,” it ought to be called “Blink and You’ll Miss It,” as Mr. Bull will be at the Zappos Theater for a mingy five performances. However, since he does one (brief) residency a year, if you don’t get around to seeing Pit this year, we’re sure he’ll be back in 2021. Caesars Rewards presale begins Feb. 6 at 10 a.m., and will be good for performances on April 22, 24 and 25, as well as a Mexican Independence Day stand on Sept. 10 and 11. The former Armando Christian Pérez lives by the credo that “anything is possible.” Yes, you too can grow up to be a douchebag, if only you believe in yourself.
In case you missed it …
If you’re Hard Rock International and “the Big Game” is being played at a Miami Gardens stadium that bears your name, you’d be crazy not to plug your new casino-hotel with the iconic guitar-shaped design. And did they ever. The budget for this kinetic (some would say frenetic) mini-film must have been astronomical. But it was money well spent, as it doesn’t fail to leave an impression and marks Hard Rock Hollywood as a must-see attraction when visiting South Florida. Mission accomplished.
* In a shocking Oscar development, according to DraftKings, Holocaust comedy Jojo Rabbit (-182) has pulled ahead of Little Women (+160) in the volatile Best Adapted Screenplay category, as The Irishman continues to fade. In the Best Animated Feature category, Klaus (+120) is literally Netflix‘s best bet for a golden statue and the Academy could do worse (and probably will). Sam Mendes‘ prettified 1917, with its spic-n-span trenches and troops charging picturesquely across green, grassy fields studded with flowers, cleaned up at the British Academy of Film & Television Awards, strengthening its clammy grasp on Best Picture, Best Director and Best Cinematography. If you want to know what World War I was really like, rent Stanley Kubrick‘s Paths of Glory (arguably his best film) or, better still, read Into the Silence, which blows Mendes’ anodyne notion of the War to End All Wars to gory smithereens.
Speaking of the Oscars, buying an ad on them—while still expensive—is a comparative bargain next to the Super Bowl: $2.6 million for a 30-second spot, 54% lower than for “the Big Game.” The ceremony itself costs $44 million, no surprise when you have to pay $10 million to book an (already wealthy) A-list actress to appear on the show, per WalletHub. The much coveted statuette is chump change, though, worth only $400 apiece. Just think how much money is sunk into campaigning for one of them …
Finally, Oscar-nominated documentary Edge of Democracy is 121 riveting minutes about the rise and fall of a populist political movement in Brazil, with parallels to our own country that transcend ideology (there’s even a symbolic wall at one point), a tale that will leave you thanking the heavens for our legal system. Current President Jair Bolsonaro is pro-casino but comes across here as a complete, authoritarian butthead. Gaming companies like Brazil-friendly Caesars Entertainment are going to have to hold their noses if and when they cut a deal with him.
