Baltimore Ravens beat San Francisco 49ers 34-31 to win Super Bowl: Power outage conspiracy?

The Baltimore Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl 47 on Sunday in a game that featured a 35-minute delay because of a power failure at the Louisiana Superdome stadium.

It was the second National Football League title for the Ravens and gave Baltimore coach John Harbaugh bragging rights over his younger brother Jim, who coached the 49ers in the first Super Bowl with siblings as opposing coaches.

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was named the game's Most Valuable Player after completing 22-of-33 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns.

Players and spectators were almost left in the dark as a power failure early in the second half forced organisers to halt the game for 35 minutes before the power could be restored.

The Super Bowl, America's iconic sporting spectacle, resumed Sunday after being halted for 35 minutes by a power outage at the Louisiana Superdome, the first such mishap in the game's history.

The same stadium where survivors of Hurricane Katrina fled for refuge in 2005 only to find peril and heartache was once again plunged into darkness and momentary chaos when the lights went out.

"We sincerely apologise for the incident," Superdome spokesman Eric Eagan said.

Fans being interviewed 'live' on various TV channels began to ask if a conspiracy was at hand.

The Baltimore Ravens were leading the San Francisco 49ers 28-6 after 98 seconds of the third quarter in Super Bowl 47.

The game was halted with the 49ers facing a third-down play needing 14 yards to make a first down.

Play resumed with the 49ers unable to gain the needed yardage and forced to punt the ball back to Baltimore.

Baltimore's Jacoby Jones returned a kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the second half and the Ravens kicked the ball to San Francisco, setting the stage for the moment the lights went out.

Referees told CBS News that an electrical feed into the Superdome went out, causing the power outage that shut down the power early in the third quarter of the gridiron classic.

But a Twitter message from Entergy New Orleans blamed the problem on the Superdome, saying, "Power issue at the Super Dome appears to be in the customer's side. Entergy is providing power to the Dome."

The National Football League said "stadium authorities are investigating the cause of the power outage," and promised to provide more information as it becomes available.

After a brief time of pitch darkness during which fans began chanting in rhythm, half the lights in the stadium flashed back on, leaving the Super Bowl shut down in a bizarre situation and sending both teams to the sidelines.

While the remainder of the lighting powered back into full brightness, players were left to try and find ways to stay warmed up and keep their concentration, throwing or kicking balls.

The unprecedented delay confounded the Ravens, who had momentum fully on their side. The 49ers struck back for two touchdowns and a field goal later in the third quarter to trim Baltimore's advantage entering the fourth quarter.

Some players on both teams spoke with spectators near the field, while sections of fans performed the "wave."

Concession stands and scoreboards were shut down, as were lights in stadium hallways and even the locker rooms. Power went out in the media center as well, leaving journalists scrambling to find out what was happening.

The power outage came only a few minutes after a half-time show filled with electrical and lighting wizardry that starred pop diva Beyonce, one for which the main stadium lights were turned off.

Strangely enough, the 49ers actually had some experience in dealing with have a game interrupted by the lights going out.

In a December 2011 home game against Pittsburgh, the 49ers had the lights go out twice in a night game at their home stadium, Candlestick Park.

Sex, babies and animals: Super Bowl’s ad story

Sex sells. Babies sell even more. And advertisers are hoping animals will make you laugh all the way to their stores.
While the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens battle on the field during Super Bowl XLVII, marketers from Best Buy to M&M to Toyota are competing against each other on advertising's biggest stage. And they're doing so by pulling out the most persuasive tools of their trade.

The stakes are high, with 30-second spots going for as much as $4 million this year. And more than 111 million viewers are expected to tune in.
Here are some ad highlights through the third quarter:

BABIES, ANIMALS AND FAMILIES OH MY
— Hyundai's "Epic Playdate" spot right before kickoff showed a family partying with the band The Flaming Lips: wreaking havoc at a natural history museum, getting chased by bikers, going to a petting zoo and playing in a park.
"Make every day epic with the new seven-passenger Santa Fe," a voiceover states.
When the family gets back home and the daughter asks, "What are we going to do now?" The father replies, "Well, I think there's a game on," and the broadcast went straight to the kickoff.

— Audi's 60-second ad in the first quarter, with an ending voted on by viewers, shows a boy gaining confidence from driving his father's Audi to the prom, kissing the prom queen and getting decked by the prom king.

— Toyota's ad stars Kaley Cuoco from CBS's "The Big Bang Theory" granting wishes to a family, from a boy wanting to go into space to a dad wanting to lose his "spare tire."

— Budweiser's Clydedales made another appearance in an ad that shows a man and his horse reuniting after several years.

HUMOUR IS KEY
— Best Buy's 30-second ad in the first quarter starred Amy Poehler, of NBC's "Parks and Recreation," asking a Best Buy employee endless questions about electronics.
"Will this one read "50 shades of Grey to me in a sexy voice," Poehler asks about an e-book reader. When the staffer says no she asks, "Will you?"

— M&M's showed its red spokescharacter singing Meatloaf's "I Would Do Anything For Love," and wooing beautiful women, but stopping short when they try to eat him.

— Oreo's ad featured a showdown in a library between people fighting over whether the cookie or the cream is the best part of the cookie. The joke — the fight escalates into thrown chairs and other destruction, but because the fight is in a library, everyone still has to whisper.

— Doritos went for humor with its two user-created spots. Winners of the "Crash the Super Bowl" contest included one about a Doritos-crazy goat. Another showed a dad playing princess with his daughter to get Doritos. His buddies catch him, but instead of making fun of him they join in the fun.
"Is that my wedding dress?" says his wife when she sees them playing.

— Budweiser showed rival 49ers and Ravens fans each creating a voodoo doll for the other team with the help of a mysterious figure in a bar. "It's only weird if it doesn't work," reads the copy.

— Taco Bell showed a group of seniors partying, getting tattoos, and eating its Doritos Locos Tacos

— Tide showed a guy who gets caught in an awkward moment in the laundry mat, holding a woman's yellow inners in his hands

CELEBS ABOUND
— R&B legend Stevie Wonder and actress Zoe Saldana appeared in a Voodoo ad for Bud Light, granting people's wishes

— Subway uses celebs, including Olympic speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno, boxer Laila Ali and Blake Griffin of the L.A. Clippers, trying to say "Febru-any

— The Milk Processor Education Program, known as MilkPep and popular for its "Got Milk?" print ads, featured actor and professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in a 30-second ad in which he battles all kinds of oddities on his way to get milk.

— Chrysler made a splash with a two-minute spot during halftime showing families waiting for their family members to return home from serving with the armed forces abroad. Media mogul and TV personality Oprah Winfrey read a letter from the Jeep brand to encourage families to stay hopeful.

—Tracy Morgan of "30 Rock," appeared in ad for Kraft's Mio Fit water enhancing drops

SEX STILL SELLS
— Calvin Klein upped the sex appeal with a 30-second spot showing male model Matthew Terry strutting around in underwear.

— Godaddy.com's spot toed the line of good taste, showing a close up extended kiss between supermodel Bar Refaeli and a nerdy nobody to illustrate Godaddy's combo of "sexy" and "smart."

And touchdown! For the movies

The Super Bowl resembled a trip to the movie theater with several potential summer blockbusters airing new ads.

Three film trailers aired through the first half and halftime and several others were broadcast during the lengthy pre-game show. While ad rates for the Super Bowl are notoriously expensive — $4 million for 30 seconds during Super Bowl 47 — they can generate buzz and potential ticket sales.

Reactions to an ad for the sixth installment of the "Fast and Furious" franchise quickly started trending on Twitter, with series star Ludacris fielding viewers' responses.

"The cost per minute is enormous, but studios obviously feel they are going to get the biggest bang for their buck," said Paul Dergarabedian, box office analyst for Hollywood.com.
Also airing in the first half were promos for "Star Trek Into Darkness" and the "Oz The Great and Powerful." After lights went out in the Super Dome in the third quarter, an ad for the third "Iron Man" film aired.

"This is where the studios take the opportunity to plant the seeds of excitement of potential moviegoers for their biggest movies of the year," Dergarabedian said. He noted the studios aren't just aiming at domestic viewers, but the vast international audience that the Super Bowl attracts.
Film ads also played a prominent role in the ramp up to the game.

Walt Disney Co. co-sponsored an hour of pre-game coverage and used it to promote "The Lone Ranger," which stars Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp. In addition to a 90-second promo for the film, CBS aired a tie-in interspersing scenes from the film with footage of the 49ers and Ravens playing.
"World War Z" also aired an ad right before the game's kick-off.

"Identity Thief," a comedy starring Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy, was the rare film that will be in theaters before the summer movie season. Another February release, the Dwayne Johnson action film "The Snitch" aired an ad about 90 minutes before the game's start.

The vast Super Bowl audience makes it almost imperative for big releases to air ads during the game, Dergarabedian said, although several studios opted not to air any promos during the game.

"If you don't have a movie to crow about during the Super Bowl, then maybe your slate isn't strong enough," he said.

The game wasn't just focused on movies, with CBS airing numerous promos for their television shows and stars such as Amy Poehler and Oprah Winfrey filming ads for Best Buy and Jeep respectively. Music also played a prominent role in many ads, with an "M&M" singing Meatloaf's "I'd do Anything for Love (But I Won't do That)" and South Korean rapper Psy adapting his hit "Gangnam Style" into a commercial for the Wonderful  Pistachios brand.  

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