By Chris Cosci

This upcoming Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday. This is a day to sit on the couch, eat lots of junk food, and watch commercials. Super Bowl Sunday has become a launching pad for some of the biggest advertising campaigns, from the Budweiser frogs to the Budweiser lizards to the Budweiser ferret.

Unfortunately, Super Bowl commercials have developed a tremendous amount of hype that they could never live up to. They're like summer blockbuster movies that try to appeal to a large audience by sacrificing characters we care about, plausible plot lines, and originality in favor of special effects and loud explosions. In both cases, they deliver tired concepts and recycled jokes in a bigger, more expensive package.

Like every year, we will watch again in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, they get it right this time. And like every year, we're going to be disappointed. Yes, there are exceptions. However, exceptions don't disqualify the rules.

For a perfect example, take Pepsi. Their main commercial this year will feature clips from previous commercials spanning the past few decades. Using top-of-the-line technology, Britney Spears will be digitally inserted into each clip. Then, viewers can go online to vote for their favorite clip, which will be broadcast again later on.

Look at the formula. Take footage from old commercials. Add Britney Spears, who has not only been used already in a major Pepsi ad, but should also be banned from Super Bowl Sunday after last year's lifeless performance during the Halftime Show. Then have an online poll, a gimmick used last year for a new Snickers bar. Old concepts. New package. No originality.

If commercials are not your cup of tea, you could always check out this year's Halftime Show. As long as there are no unnecessary cameos, it should be entertaining with U2 headlining the show, though it still might not be as much fun as finding out what competing networks are airing to win viewers.

This year, NBC wins the "Most Desperate for Ratings" award. They will air a special episode of their inexplicably popular show Fear Factor as soon as the Halftime Show begins. This show encourages contestants to "face their fears" and participate in stunts that normal people would avoid like the plague. The stunts range from interesting (jumping between moving speedboats) to outright disgusting (I won't even begin to describe some of them - just think of the most disgusting thing imaginable, and you're probably not far off). For the record, I have never watched the show, and that will hopefully never change.

To make this episode special, the contestants will be Playboy Playmates! In a way, it makes you wonder what they'll think of next. And then you start to become frightened as you consider what they could possibly think of next.

So, there are a lot of things to look forward to on Sunday. And if you'd rather not watch commercials, U2, or Playboy Playmates, I believe there's also a football game.