This Sunday, millions of people in the US will be watching the Super Bowl. There’s as much interest in what the advertisers have planned as to whether or not the New England Patriots can run the table and become the first team to go 19-0. For years, the Super Bowl commercials have become a fixture, and have often been more entertaining than the games.

The commercials put products in the spotlight, often pushing celebrities too (remember Jessica Simpson’s Daisy-Duke-laced Pizza Hut commercial? Or K-Fed being humble and funny?) With a recession looming, it will be interesting to see what the advertisers have up their sleeves to get us to go out to buy their products. Still, for most of us, the commercials are just entertainment. Consider them 60-second-long sitcoms, and with the writer’s strike going on, it would be nice to laugh at something refreshing and new.

Here’s what aired last year. Check in with us next week for the best of this year.

Last Year’s 1st Half Ads

Last Year’s 2nd Half Ads

One thing is for sure: we will have a Manning in the Super Bowl, but something tells me we will see more of big brother Peyton in the commercials than we will see of Eli in the game. So, on Sunday, join me and the rest of the football-loving world in gorging yourself with hot wings, pizza, chips and a few adult beverages (but only if you’re an adult). Cheer either the Pats or Giants to victory, though it’ll probably be the commercials that will come out on top. Go Commercials!

-Stretch, Yahoo! Video Team

This video from Australian creator Hugh Atkins is burning up the viral charts, and with good reason:

It put me in mind of another master of the genre, RX2049, whose It’s the End of the World video recently made the rounds on the blogs:

Remixing media has proven popular with creators seeking to lampoon politics, to essentially unspin the spin. And with no shortage of video available on the Internets, chances are that this is just the beginning.

-Kent, Yahoo! Video Team

Just what is it that makes something truly worthy of Fringe Fridays? I ask myself that question often (at least weekly, usually on a Thursday). And honestly, I don’t know. What I do know is that the work of Impactist is truly fringe-tastic. Impatctist is the work of husband-and-wife team Kelly Meador and Daniel Elwing. They create commercials and music videos in a striking variety of styles. Check out what they’ve uploaded to us and then check out the amazing volume of work on their website.

First there’s Low-Fidelity Cat Dream, 23 seconds of action-packed animated bliss:

The Type Writer is a beautiful homage to the Remington Steamliner:

Leo’s Song is a tale of music, aliens, and three-dimensional geometry set to music:

I’m really proud to have them on Yahoo! Video. If you like what you see, make sure to rate and review their work by clicking the links above each video. And did I mention the amazing quicktime videos on their website?

-Kent, Yahoo! Video Team

For me, the enthralling thing about online video is following the trends. Whether it’s big budget viral ads for corporate mega-brands, or sketch commentary regarding the writer’s strike, it’s great to see how one influential video can spawn a movement in the online video culture. Lately, I’ve been noticing a growing number of videos of individuals showcasing their impersonation skills. This surge has no-doubt been inspired by last year’s viral video 200 Impressions. In the 10-minute epic video, the creator runs the gamut of pop culture icons and their famous quotations.

As is always the case in any trend, you have the originator:

Then you have the variations:

And finally, the parodies:

Do you do impressions? If so, you should upload them to Yahoo! Video.

-Elias, Yahoo! video Team

At the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show, Gizmodo blogger Richard Blakeley pulled a little prank: he used a TV-B-Gone remote control to turn off a whole bunch of TVs. It was a controversial stunt, even for the perennially snarky gadget blog because it blurred that sacred line between journalist and participant. Well, Rocketboom has an interview with Blakeley in which he defends his little act of sabotage:

What do you think? Are bloggers allowed to cross the line which traditional journalists have (almost) always maintained?

-Kent, Yahoo! Video Team

Hello Readers,

Here we are, another Friday, another fringe-y film. When I look for content for Fringe Fridays, I dream of finding something as weird, funny, and well-animated as what I found today. Be warned, my friends, this one is weird. If you’re at all squeamish about bugs, blood, or marital melodrama, you shouldn’t watch it.

Anyone still there? Good!

The Ballad of Mary Slade

I wish I knew more about the animator, Robin Fuller. But the film did win the prestigious Slamdance Film Festival’s prize for animation. And it’s the perfect video for the day before Edgar Allen Poe’s birthday.

-Kent, Yahoo! Video Tea