Three recent commercials have earned the distinction of "awesome." Among all the riff-raff of the Super Bowl, these were the clear winners:

Denny's/Nannerpus: The most adorable (and addicting) commercial in a long time. The song is catchy, the octo-banana is cute, and the whole thing is so low-budget cheesy and campy that I can't help but loop the video on YouTube about 30 times. The best part: It knocks its own eye off midway through the first line. The other best part: the fishing line controlling the "tentacles" is clearly visible. [see for yourself]

Gatorade/Holy G: Maybe just because I'm a sucker for Monte Python, and it's been a year or two since I watched Holy Grail, but I can't take my eyes off this one. A posse of sports stars embarks on a quest for the "Holy G," and they encounter (big surprise) most of the characters from the Monte Python movie. [see for yourself]

Pepsi/Bob Dylan & Will.i.am: Although I've professed my undying love for Coca-Cola over Pepsi (see my entry a few weeks ago), this commercial almost made me switch. Bobby D. is my big-time hero, and the creative juxtaposition of this ad is stunning. (They switch back and forth between the "old" and the "new.") I also like Will.i.am's remix of Forever Young, with just enough echo and jump to be classy. And the message of this piece, even though I don't like Pepsi, fits the song remarkably well. It's almost like Bobby didn't sell out... [see for yourself]