UPDATED: Super Bowl XLIV Ads *Spoiler Alert*

UPDATED: Friday, 02/05
In less than a week, Super Bowl Ad Madness will be upon us. And, typically, as the clock winds down, more and more is revealed from the brands we'll be seeing in the game. We bring you an update of the ad players for what you might see this coming Sunday.
Again, If you like to be surprised by the ads you see on February 7th during Super Bowl XLIV, close your eyes, hum a tune and click to read the next article. *Do not read on*. You have been warned.
First Half:
UPDATED:Cars.com will continue its ’Confidence’ campaign by DDB Chicago with one 60-second commercial that will air in the first half. Titled "Timothy Richman," the ad was directed by MJZ's Gillespie and edited by Cut+Run 's Steve Gandolfi, with VFX from Mass Market.

UPDATED:Bridgestone - 1 :30 in 1st Quarter by Richards Group, Dallas. One titled "Whale of a Tail" directed by MJZ's Dante Ariola. Read more and see teasers and the making-of.
Here are the teasers for the two spots "Whale of a Tail" and "Your Tires or Your Life".

. Warp@Paydirt is the production house on the job, with the directors being Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim.
UPDATED:Mars/Snickers - "Game" features television icons Betty White and Abe Vigoda. The spot's tagline: "You're not you when you're hungry". Agency is BBDO New York.
Second Quarter:
UPDATED:Dockers - 1 :30 in 2nd Quarter by DraftFCB with agency OMD's Ignition Factory directed by Biscuit's Noam Murro. Titled “Men Without Pants”, the spot features a gaggle of pant-less regular guys marching through a field singing “I Wear No Pants," written by L.A. band the Poxy Boggards. After subjecting viewers to half a minute of tighty-whiteys, a voice-over urges game watchers that "it’s time to wear the pants.”
Watch the teaser:

UPDATED:Hyundai Motor - 1 :30 in 2nd Quarter by Innocean Worldwide Americas, Irvine, CA for unknown car lines. The spot was directed by Noam Murro of Biscuit Filmworks and with music out of Beacon Street. Brett Favre may be ten years older but your Hyundai looks as good as the day you got it.

- :30 near the two-minute warning promoting the cable network's series "NFL FULL CONTACT" with creative by Grey. The spot has a Groundhog Day-theme and features Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers who plays the role of “Punxsutawney Polamalu.” After he sees his shadow, a proclamation of six more weeks of football is declared.

UPDATED:Papa Johns International - Spot will air during 2 minute warning of the first half and was shot during the Pro Bowl. Camera crews filmed founder John Schantter delivering pizza to the stadium's support crews so it appears as if Schnatter's really doing it on Super Bowl Sunday.
UPDATED:Teleflora - Don Rickles returns as the voice of the "sarcastically witty and wilted" flowers-in-a-box in the :30 spot with a Valentine's Day theme. The company's in-house ad agency, Fire Station, was behind the concept and creation of the new spot and it was produced by Go Film and directed by Tim Hamilton.
Watch the teaser:

Third Quarter:
UPDATED:Bridgestone - 1 :30 in 1st break of 3rd Quarter by Richards Group, Dallas. One titled "Whale of a Tail" and directed by MJZ's Dante Ariola. Read more and see teasers and the making-of.
Here are the teasers for the two spots "Whale of a Tail" and "Your Tires or Your Life".

Hyundai Motor - 1 :30 in 3rd Quarter by Innocean Worldwide Americas, Irvine, CA for unknown car lines.

Kia - 1 :30 for new 2011 Sorento crossover by David & Goliath, Los Angeles titled "Joyride Dream" pays homage to a child's imagination. The spot features the new model and characters like a life-size Sock Monkey, Muno (from the popular kids show Yo Gabba Gabba!), Robot, Teddy and MR. X (Blabla dolls collection) and was directed by Carl Erik Rinsch of RSA Films and edited by Paul Martinez of Arcade, with Asylum serving as VFX house.

kgb - 1 :30 focused on text-answer service to get info instead of going through search results by agenc Brooklyn Brothers, NY and directed by Kinka Usher from House of Usher and VFX from A52. Currently it has 3 spots to select from including one featuring two Baldwin brothers, Stephen and William.
UPDATED:Census Bureau - 1 :30 by DraftFBC, NY and directed by Christopher Guest of Go Film.
UPDATED:Volkswagen - 1 :30 introducing a new campaign around the iconic Beetle/Bug car- minus the talking car by Deutsch, LA. "Punch Dub" campaign is an update on the Punch Buggy game. The ad, which includes a special cameo by actor and comedian Tracy Morgan, will show a variety of people in different driving situations gently slugging others in the arm every time they spot a Routan, Tiguan, CC or any other Volkswagen model. Directed by Frank Todaro of Moxie Pictures and edited by Russell Icke of The Whitehouse.
Volkswagen is also revealing that it has found the creator of the original game, Charlie "Sluggy" Patterson. Fans can interact with Sluggy beginning today with a special blog and Twitter feed (www.sluggy.posterous.com and www.twitter.com/sluggypatterson) and in a series of videos on You Tube (www.youtube.com/vw).
Watch the teaser:

GoDaddy.com - 1 :30 in 4th Quarter featuring Danica Patrick done my GoDaddy Productions (in-house). One of the two spots is titled "Movies" and will feature Patrick in spoofs of movies from “Weird Science” to “Flashdance" with an internet extended version.See it here. Or this spot will air in this slot:

Read more here.
NEW:Vizio - :60 spot by Venables, Bell & Partners, SF directed by Wally Pfister and will star Beyonce Knowles-Carter.
NEW:Electronic Arts - :30 spot titled "Hell Awaits" to introduce Dante’s Inferno, a third-person action-adventure HD videogame inspired by the first part of‘The Divine Comedy’ written by 13th Century Italian poet Dante Alighieri. It is the company's first SB spot. By agency of record Wieden & Kennedy, Portland and produced by Blur.

Anheuser-Busch - Expect a mix of Budweiser and Bud Light ads (as usual) spread throughout the game. Usually they buy heavy up front in the first half. Budweiser asked their fans on Facebook to vote on 3 ads that would make it to the Super Bowl to air. "Fence" was the winner against "Payment" (which equates the help you give to your buddies and the equivalent payment in Bud) and "Attention" (which focuses on the various techniques people use to get the attention of the bartenders). Other potential spots include: a Budweiser :60 entitled "Bridge" directed by Paul Middleditch of aWHITELABELproduct for DDB Chicago, with post/VFX from The Mill NY and music out of Elias Arts. Additionally St. Louis agency Cannonball reportedly has several Bud Light spots in the running, a possible candidate being one directed by Sean Ehringer from Tool of North America., with visual effects from AXYZ and sound design by Pirate.
Watch "Fence" here:

Watch the teaser of "Hard Times":

Dodge - 1 :60 with a "message of irreverence" by Wieden & Kennedy for its Dodge Charger and directed by Mark Romanek of Anonymous.
UPDATED:Denny's - 1 spot by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco highlighting another free breakfast offer and will air multiple ads during the Super Bowl. "New ads humorously shine a spotlight on the chickens that must lay all those eggs for the free breakfasts." The teaser shows a concerned customer advising chickens to get out of town before the big event.
NFL - Sources say 1 :30 and 1 :60 by Grey - probably tied to United Way or other charitable partnership
UPDATED:Monster.com - One spot from BBDO/New York and directed by MJZ's Tom Kuntz features a fiddling beaver who is trying to find exactly where he best fits in the workplace. It will drive to www.fiddleafriend.com where visitors can have fun with the beaver and create a personalized video where they select what kind of music the animal plays and can add images of their choosing.
Watch the teaser:

UPDATED:Yum Brands' Taco Bell - 1 :30 (maybe more) by DrafFCB, Orange County. Earlier this weekend, I saw a spot featuring Charles Barkley promoting the new NBA $5 Buck Box. There was "Stay tuned..." at the end which leaves it as a contender for a Super Bowl spot this weekend. Kinka Usher of House of Usher directed.
UPDATED:Focus on the Family - 1 :30 which the The LA Times is reporting will feature 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and his mother will appear in a 30-second commercial. The Christian group Focus on the Family says the Tebows will share a personal story centering on the theme "Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life." "The group isn't releasing details, but the commercial is likely to be an anti-abortion message chronicling Pam Tebow's 1987 pregnancy." Whether it is a national or local buy is unknown. Read more on the controversy that's been stirring.
NEW:FLO TV - Two spots. ‘Injury Report,’ featuring sports commentator Jim Nantz, takes a humorous look at a guy who accompanies his girlfriend on an endless shopping spree and the effects it takes it on him. 'Moments" is a contemporary remix by will.i.am of The Who’s “My Generation” and celebrates the shared experiences that unite the US as a nation. Read more about it here.
UPDATED:Intel - :30 titled "Lunchroom" is set in an Intel lunchroom (duh) where a few engineers excitedly discuss the all new 2010 Intel Core processor family. One gets so excited that he exclaims "these processors are the most amazing achievement in the history of the company." A passing robot hears this and is saddened that he is no longer the biggest deal at Intel. He drops his tray in dismay and exits the lunchroom.
The Orlando Florida Harry Potter ad (le yawn)

kgb Banned Head Up Ass Super Bowl Ad