Not everyone is a football fan, but the Super Bowl is the most watched program and has been for 20 years. Here’s a look at TV trends.

You can find a list of the top 100 most-watched shows in 2023 here.

Top 100

Live sports dominated the top 100 prime-time shows. In 2023, 56 slots went to sports — broken down as 45 NFL games, six for the NBA Finals, three for the NCAA Basketball Tournament, one for college football and one for Fox’s “The OT” NFL postgame show.

The ads

Fox will receive about $7 million for each 30-second commercial during the 2024 Super Bowl, up about $500,000 from last year. There are typically 80 to 90 commercials during the game.

Audience universe

Thanks to technology and TV-connected devices, viewers have more ways to watch programming than ever. Television is still the preferred method, but even that has changed as people are watching more and more shows on time-shifted TV (such as digital recordings) and online.The chart to the right shows Nielsen estimates for the monthly U.S. audience across a spectrum of devices.

Household ownership of devices: Nielsen’s National Television Household Universe estimated there are 119.6 million TV homes in the U.S., and 58.7% have a device capable of streaming content to the television set.

A breakdown is shown at right.

Total viewers: Estimated to be 304.5 million (age 2 and up), an increase of 0.9% from 2016.

Sports and drama: 14% of total TV viewing is of sporting events, and most of them are viewed live, whereas more than half of TV drama is recorded and watched later.

Sources: Variety.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Nielsen Co., Consumer Electronics Association, Bloomberg Media

Yet one play later, after Montana scored against Cincinnati on a quarterback sneak, John Madden and the CBS crew introduced a new wrinkle that changed sports broadcasting forever. As the production team showed the replay of Solomon’s grab, Madden drew over a freeze-frame of the play, diagramming how Solomon sprung open.

It was the first time a sports broadcast had used a telestrator.

“Bad circles,” Madden quipped about his penmanship during Super Bowl XVI.

Fast forward 42 years. During the 49ers’ eighth Super Bowl appearance this Sunday in Las Vegas for the 58th edition, the broadcast will feature augmented reality, cameras inserted into the uprights, drones and more TV magic. But it all stems from the telestrator, which was invented by a NASA scientist and revolutionized how football games are seen and understood by fans watching at home.

“When John Madden first started using the telestrator, he fell in love with it,” said Dennis Deninger, a Syracuse University sport management professor and longtime ESPN production executive. “Madden’s description of (the telestrator) was that it helped make the fan smarter. You can just show the fans what it is you know as a coach and illustrate it for them.”

Madden was such a passionate educator that he once taught an extension course at the University of California, Berkeley, titled “Man To Man Football.” There he drew plays on a chalkboard for his students, just as he later did for America with the telestrator.

Deninger traced the history of football productions back to the first Super Bowl in 1967. The networks then treated the game as simply an “extension” of the regular season, he said. Production crews went from about seven or eight cameras to 11 and 12 for the main event.

Then Monday Night Football began in 1970, and every other broadcast had to catch up. ABC, the Monday game’s home until 2005, valued the production quality and used double the number of cameras as the Super Bowl did back then, Deninger said.

“And that was it until you got to the telestrator era,” Deninger said. “What happened then was the whole concept of television sports changed. When it first began, it was, ‘We will bring the game to you at home.’ It was a vestige of radio. And then, when (ABC executive) Roone Arledge put Monday Night Football on the air in 1970, it turned into, ‘We will bring you to the game.’”

That trend has continued — in excess. Broadcasts now do more than bring fans to the game: They bring an enhanced, theatrical viewing experience to them. And they do it for more fans. The 1982 game remains the highest-rated Super Bowl ever, with a 49.1% household share, but that meant roughly 85 million Americans watched. This Sunday could set a record with 115 million.

This year, CBS has 165 cameras — well more than they could feasibly use in one telecast. There are a record 48 4K cameras with super-slow-motion capability. The crew has 24 robotic cameras, 20 pylon cams, 23 augmented reality cameras and three drones. There’s a camera at the highest point in Vegas, at the top of the 1,149-foot Stratosphere Hotel.

For the first time ever, they have “doink” cameras built into the uprights. The idea came to CBS executives last year when Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker missed a field goal off the left goalpost. CBS earned the NFL’s approval by testing the groundbreaking technology in the preseason. On Sunday, three cameras on each goal post with 4K zoom and slow-motion capabilities can capture not just missed kicks but other scenes that unfold on the field from a unique perspective.

“It’s all about the storytelling,” said Harold Bryant, CBS Sports executive producer and executive vice president of production. “We’re not going to force any elements. We’re going to find out what works to help tell the story of the game. The story of the moment.”

When the 49ers defeated the Bengals for their first Lombardi Trophy, there was no score bug at the bottom of the screen. When each offense broke the huddle, the down and distance would flash in yellow block font. Now there are three-dimensional and augmented reality graphics.

Comparing the production of this Sunday’s broadcast to 1982 would be like comparing a Martin Scorsese film to a grade-school theater production. The scale is just so different.

CBS and parent company Paramount have 115 hours of programming planned for the week leading up to the Super Bowl across multiple platforms. Both CBS and Nickelodeon are broadcasting the actual game, the latter for the first time ever in an effort to appeal to young fans. Augmented reality versions of cartoon icon SpongeBob SquarePants and his buddy Patrick Star join two traditional broadcasters, and animations of slime will fill the screen after touchdowns.

CBS chairman Sean McManus described the technological evolution through the years as “quantumly.”

“Every time technology changes, creative people find ways to use that technology,” said Deninger, who wrote a forthcoming book about the Super Bowl’s impact on society.

All advertising time slots are already sold on both channels, CBS executives said. A single 30-second ad goes for roughly $7 million; for Super Bowl XVI, that figure was $324,300, per USA Today.

McManus declined to detail how much production costs, but the advertising revenue of more than $500 million will more than pay for it.

“The investment that we’re making is the best use of our Paramount dollars that I could imagine,” McManus said. “Because so much of the image and the prestige of Paramount Global will be determined by how good a job we do.”

Even in the broadcast booth, where commentators have more or less the same job now as they always have, it’s hard to draw parallels from Super Bowl XVI to LVIII. Madden, who died in 2021, was a former coach who is regarded as the greatest football announcer ever for his ability to both educate and humor fans. Tony Romo, this Super Bowl’s color commentator, is a former quarterback who initially impressed audiences by predicting plays before they unfolded with uncanny accuracy.

More recently though, some fans have soured on Romo’s schtick, tiring of his enthusiasm with partner Jim Nantz and occasional word salads.

“Well, it’s a normal arc of someone’s career,” Romo said when asked about the criticism. “Honestly, I think a lot of people were rooting against (Patrick) Mahomes just because he’s been there. They want to see people new. It’s just part of an arc when you do something at a high level, I think that’s normal.”

With all the new gadgets and gizmos, doink cams and slime, Madden’s beloved telestrator has remained a constant. When Romo draws on the screen, he’ll be explaining a play by Mahomes or Purdy, not a Montana pass. But after all these years, the broadcast will still bring about half of America to the game.

They can’t quite claim that “there will be something for everyone.” But they can surely boast that they’ve come up with a lineup that should appeal to fans of several different genres.

The biggest spotlight goes to R&B legend Usher, who will take center stage when the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show is held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday. He follows in the footsteps of such other recent headliners as Rihanna (2023), the Weeknd (2021), Justin Timberlake (2018) and Lady Gaga (2017).

Earlier in the day, country music icon Reba McEntire has the honor of singing the national anthem before the San Francisco 49ers face off against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Also as part of the pregame festivities, pop/hip-hop vocalist Post Malone will get the chance to croon “America the Beautiful” and soul singer Andra Day will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” often referred to as “the Black National Anthem.”

Rounding things out will be Tiësto, the Grammy-winning Dutch DJ/producer who will be providing music both before and during the game.

Nice mix, right? Well, the challenge is that it’s highly unlikely that most fans will be familiar with all the artists on the bill. After all, there just doesn’t seem to be a lot of crossover between the Reba and Tiësto fan bases.

That’s where we come in, with a guide to the performers at Super Bowl LVIII. Think of it as a cheat sheet of sorts, delivering just enough information so you can impress other guests at your Super Bowl Party party with your musical knowledge between bites of seven-layer dip.

Here’s what you need to know about the marquee entertainers.

Usher

Super Role: Headlining the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show

Origin: He was born in Dallas, but raised in Tennessee and Atlanta.

Nickname: The King of R&B

Top songs: “My Boo,” “Love in This Club,” “You Make Me Wanna … ,” “Nice & Slow,” “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love” and “Yeah!”

Also famous for: He has been a consistent presence on TV for years. Most notably, he worked as a coach on Seasons 4 and 6 of “The Voice.”

Vegas connection: Usher recently wrapped up a lengthy residence at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

Super Bowl experience: This will be Usher’s second Super Bowl Halftime Show, having made his first appearance as one of the two guests during the Black Eyed Peas-headlined shindig in 2011. (The other guest being the mighty Slash of Guns N’ Roses fame).

Beyond singing: Usher is a tremendous dancer, something that has regularly factored into his live performances and should surely play a role during this halftime show.

Possible guests: We’d love to see Alicia Keys show up so that the duo could reprise their smash “My Boo.” Ditto for Pitbull when it comes to “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love.”

Acting chops: Usher made his big-screen debut in the wonderful 1998 horror film “The Faculty.” He’s also had roles in “She’s All That” and “Light it Up” (both 1999), “In the Mix” (2005), and as boxer Sugar Ray Leonard in “Hands of Stone” (2016). He made his Broadway debut in a critically lauded performance as lawyer Billy Flynn in “Chicago” in 2006.

What’s new: On Feb. 9, Usher is set to release “Coming Home,” his first full-length studio effort since 2016’s “Hard to Love.”

Coming to Southern California: The performer has just announced a career-spanning concert tour — USHER: Past Present Future trek — which includes four shows at the all-new Intuit Dome (next to SoFi Stadium) in Inglewood on Sept. 21-22 and 24-25. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 12 at LiveNation.com.

Reba McEntire

Super Role: The country legend will be belting out the national anthem.

Origin: Born and raised in Oklahoma

Nickname: The Queen of Country

Top songs: “The Last One to Know,” “Little Rock,” “Whoever’s in New England,” “How Blue,” “Somebody Should Leave” “What Am I Gonna Do About You,” “One Promise Too Late” and, best of all, “Fancy.”

Also famous for: She has a long list of TV credits, including starring in her self-named TV sitcom – “Reba” – for seven seasons. And, following in the footsteps of Usher, McEntire signed up to be a coach on “The Voice.”

Vegas connection: The singer did a Vegas residency (also at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace) with fellow country stars Brooks & Dunn.

National anthem experience: As the story goes, McEntire took a job in the mid-‘70s singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City. Country-Western performer Red Steagall was in the audience one night and — greatly impressed with what he heard — helped McEntire land her first recording contract with Mercury Records.

The play’s the thing: She ventured to New York in 2001 to take on the title role of Annie Oakley in the Broadway musical “Annie Get Your Gun.”

At the movies: Like Usher, McEntire made her big screen debut in an awesome horror film. So, definitely go watch 1990’s “Tremors” (co-starring Kevin Bacon) if you haven’t seen it before (or, like us, are willing to see it for the 12th time). She was originally cast as Molly Brown in James Cameron’s “Titanic,” but filming delays led to scheduling conflicts and McEntire eventually had to depart the project, with Kathy Bates taking her place.

What’s new: The Queen of Country recently put out a book — “Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating and Dusting Off Your Boots” — as well as a companion album called “Not That Fancy.”

Post Malone

Super Role: The Post man will be singing “America the Beautiful.”

Origin: Born in Syracuse, New York, on — how’s this for a patriotic connection — July 4, 1995. Malone moved to Texas at the age of 9.

Fun fact about his name: He reportedly got his Post Malone moniker by entering his birth name (Austin Richard Post) into a rap name generator. You can do the same by visiting myrapname.com.

Nickname: We often hear him referred to as “Posty.” But we’re not sure we’d call him that to his face.

Top songs: “Rockstar,” “White Iverson,” “Congratulations,” “Psycho,” Sunflower” and “Circles.”

Vegas connection: Malone just performed a sold-out New Year’s Eve concert at buzzy Vegas venue BleauLive Theater at Fontainebleau.

Animated acting: He’s voiced characters featured in three major animated films — “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.”

What’s new: Posty’s most recent full-length is “Austin,” which is his fifth studio album overall. Post Malone will also perform country music covers with friends at the 2024 Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio on Saturday, April 27.

Andra Day

Super Role: The R&B star will surely shine bright when she sings “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” widely recognized as “The Black National Anthem.” The hymn was composed in 1900 by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson and his brother John Rosamond Johnson as a plea for Black freedom and emerged as civil rights movement theme song during the 1950s and ’60s.

Origin: She was born in Washington state and grew up in San Diego.

Top songs: “Stand Up for Something,” “Tigress and Tweed” and “Rise Up.”

Oscar’s attention: Day starred as Lady Day — yes, we’re talking about the great Billie Holiday — in the acclaimed biographical drama “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.” She drew rave reviews for the role and received a nomination for best actress at the 2021 Academy Awards. (The award ended up going to Frances McDormand for “Nomadland.”)

Big wins: She’s earned trophies at such big-time events as the Golden Globes (best actress in a motion picture drama), Grammys (best compilation soundtrack for visual media), the BET Awards (best actress) — all for her work on “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.” Her single “Rise Up” was a Grammy nominee and Soul Train Music Awards winner, and became an anthem for Black Lives Matters protesters in 2021.

Other film roles: She appeared in “Marshall” and “Exhibiting Forgiveness” as well as did some voice acting in “Cars 3.” She’s also set to star in the Lee Daniels horror film “The Deliverance,” set to debut on Netflix this year.

Vegas connection: She also performed during the opening ceremony celebration of the inaugural Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix in November.

What’s new: The singer is set to release her long-awaited third solo album this spring, according to Pitchfork. The magazine also reports that the album will be called “Cassandra” (which is Andra’s full first name).

Tiësto

Super Role: He’s set to become what the NFL describes as the first in-game DJ in Super Bowl history, spinning tunes both before the first snap of the ball and then adding bits of music during a number of breaks in the game.

Origin: He was born Tijs Michiel Verwest in Breda, the Netherlands, where he began his music career as a club DJ in his teens.

Top songs: “Lay Low,” “10:35,” “The Motto,” “Don’t Be Shy,” “The Business” and “Red Lights.”

Grammy winner: In 2015, Tiësto won the best remixed recording, non-classical category for his remix of John Legend’s “All of Me.”

Top of the game: Tiësto was reportedly once voted the “greatest DJ of all time” in a fan poll by Mix magazine. Other publications have referred to him as the “Godfather of EDM.”

Vegas connection: He’s a major fan of Nevada’s biggest city, where he has lived part-time during a residency at the Resorts World resort and where he was awarded a key to the city and had a day (Jan. 14) named in his honor in 2017.   “I’m excited to be a part of the Super Bowl LVIII,” Tiësto reportedly said in a statement. “And it’s even more incredible that it’s in my favorite place — Las Vegas.”

What’s new: His most recent full-length outing is 2023’s “Drive.”

Disney’s ESPN, Fox Corporation, and Warner Bros. Discovery (CNN’s parent company) announced Tuesday that they will launch the new service in the fall.

The service, which each company will own one-third of, will offer consumers access to a host of sporting events, including NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and FIFA World Cup games. It will also feature NASCAR races, UFC matches, and PGA Tour Golf tournaments.

The companies did not specify how much a subscription to the forthcoming sports platform will cost or what it will be named. Additional information is expected to be announced closer to launch.

An ESPN spokesperson said that the company plans on launching its own robust direct-to-consumer service. And Warner Bros. Discovery has put its sports offerings on its own platform, Max.

Shares in Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox Corp. were up slightly in after-hours trading following the news. Disney, which reports earnings on Wednesday, saw its stock down about 1%.

The three media companies celebrated the tentative deal to launch the service as a major moment for the industry.

Legacy media companies have been working for years to transition away from relying on the traditional cable bundle and toward profitable streaming services as millions of consumers cut the cord each year, a migration prompted by the rapid rise of Netflix.

After pouring billions of dollars into their own streaming services to compete with Netflix, the leaders of several major media companies — including Bob Iger, chief executive of ESPN-parent Disney, and David Zaslav, chief executive of Warner Bros. Discovery — have recently signaled to consumers to expect more bundling.

The executives are banking on the prospect that by teaming up they can together take on Netflix and major technology companies, such as Amazon and Apple, that have far deeper pockets.

Iger called “the launch of this new streaming sports service” an “important step forward for the media business.” Zaslav said the partnership “exemplifies our ability as an industry to drive innovation.” And Lachlan Murdoch, chief executive of Fox Corporation, said he believed the streamer “will provide passionate fans outside of the traditional bundle an array of amazing sports content.”

Making sports available via a direct-to-consumer product is likely to accelerate the decline of the cable subscription business, given that such live events have long been a pillar of consumer demand holding together the traditional bundle.

But as the cost of sports rights has surged in recent years and the television business has deteriorated with cord-cutting, media executives have hunted for innovative ways to retain their highly valued rights while transitioning to the streaming future.

Discussions about the creation of the sports streaming service, which will have an independent management team, began among the executives involved roughly six months ago.

Notably absent from the partnership was NBCUniversal and Paramount Global, both of which have their own services where sporting events are streamed.

With the 66th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles Sunday, Feb. 4, here’s a look at the modern world of music.

U.S. music formats from 1979 to 2022 according to RIAA

The music business is doing well, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. The most current figures are for 2022 and show the most revenue in its history, $15.9 billion.

In 2023, 78% of adults (up from 68% in 2022) used a music streaming service of some kind. According to Global Web Index, Gen Z leads the way with the highest average streaming times, accessing favorite tracks across multiple platforms.Streaming platforms are web-based services that allow users to listen to high-definition music without having to download and store large files.

In 2022 the paid subscription format accounted for 57.8% of total music revenues, with $9.2 billion of a $15.9 billion total.

Vinyl resurgence?

In the 1970s vinyl sales accounted for 66% of music format revenues. But by the 1990s sales dipped to less than 10 million units and 0.1% of market share.

In 2022, vinyl LP sales were $1.2 billion, 7.7% of total revenue (up from 6.9% in 2021).

Headwaters of the stream

The basics of music streaming were pioneered in 2001 by peer-to-peer file sharing system Napster. Apple’s iTunes followed a couple of years later. Spotify, in an attempt to combat music piracy, was founded in 2006 by Swedish duo Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon.

Who are the streamers?

Spotify’s annual Culture Next Trends Report in 2023 said that in the first half of that year, Gen Z listened to over 560 billion songs and more than 3 billion podcast episodes — a 76% increase from the previous year, making it the fastest-growing audience in music and podcast listening. Also, 67% use podcasts and music to cope with stress and anxiety, and 59% believe “life was better before social media.”

YouTube has its own Culture & Trends report on Gen Z, both as YouTubers and viewers. Among its findings in 2022: 85% of Gen Z posted video content online, and 65% are more interested in content “that’s personally relevant to them” rather than simply “the content that lots of other people talk about.”

Types of streaming services

Paid subscriptions: Advertising drives free users toward subscription packages, which are $10 to $15 a month.

Advertising: Advertisers pay for exposure, with ads played every 15 minutes for 30 seconds, and can also include sponsored playlists and homepage takeovers.

Spotify

With 574 million active users, and revenues of more than $9 billion in 2020, Spotify is the global leader in music streaming. Spotify paid more than $8 billion to its artists in 2022. The estimated value of a Spotify stream to an artist ranges from $0.006 to $0.00318 per song.

The company’s 226 million paid subscriptions account for 91% of the company’s revenue. The other 9% comes from advertising. Spotify has the most paid users but YouTube has 2.7 billion users in all.

Apple Music

Once the leader in digital music, Apple Music is behind Spotify in overall users but ahead in some countries.

Amazon music

Amazon has quietly built up its user base through Amazon Prime subscribers, with 220 million using the service around the world.

Showing the money

For both Spotify and Apple Music, 70% of the revenue generated from paid subscriptions and advertising goes towards paying music labels and artists. The platforms use the pro-rata model, which pays based on the total share of streams each artist has. For example, if $100 million is generated in revenue, and an artist accounts for 1% of all streams, then they would receive $1 million in royalties.

The downside

Many industry critics argue that music is no longer about creating something for pure enjoyment, but rather about using a formulaic approach in the hands of tech giants to make more money.

Sources: Recording Industry Association of America, Spotify, YouTube, Musically.com, explodingtopics.com

NEW YORK — Carl Weathers, a former NFL linebacker who became a Hollywood action movie and comedy star, playing nemesis-turned-ally Apollo Creed in the “Rocky” movies, facing-off against Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Predator” and teaching golf in “Happy Gilmore,” has died. He was 76.

Matt Luber, his manager, said Weathers died Thursday. His family issued a statement saying he died “peacefully in his sleep.”

Weathers was as comfortable flexing his muscles on the big screen in “Action Jackson” as he was joking around on the small screen in such shows as “Arrested Development,” Weathers was perhaps most closely associated with Creed, who made his first appearance as the cocky, undisputed heavyweight world champion in 1976’s “Rocky,” starring Sylvester Stallone.

“It puts you on the map and makes your career, so to speak. But that’s a one-off, so you’ve got to follow it up with something. Fortunately those movies kept coming, and Apollo Creed became more and more in people’s consciousness and welcome in their lives, and it was just the right guy at the right time,” he told The Daily Beast in 2017.

Most recently, Weathers has starred in the Disney+ hit “The Mandalorian,” appearing in all three seasons.

Creed, who appeared in the first four “Rocky” movies, memorably died in the ring of 1984’s “Rocky IV,” going toe-to-toe with the hulking, steroided-using Soviet Ivan Drago, played by Dolph Lundgren. Before he entered the ring, James Brown sang “Living in America” with showgirls and Creed popped up on a balcony in a Star-Spangled Banner shorts and waistcoat combo and an Uncle Sam hat, dancing and taunting Drago.

A bloodied Creed collapses in the ring after taking a vicious beating, twitches and is cradled by Rocky as he dies, inevitably setting up a fight between Drago and Rocky. But while Creed is gone, his character’s son, Michael B. Jordan’s Adonis Creed, would lead his own boxing trilogy starting in 2015.

Weathers went on to 1987’s “Predator,” where he flexed his pecs alongside Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura and a host of others, and 1988’s nouveau blaxploitation flick “Action Jackson,” where he trains his flamethrower on a bad guy and asks, “How do you like your ribs?” before broiling him.

He later added a false wooden hand to play a gold pro for the 1996 comedy classic “Happy Gilmore” opposite Adam Sandler and starred in Dick Wolf’s short-lived spin-off series “Chicago Justice” in 2017 and in Disney’s “The Mandalorian,” earning an Emmy Award nomination in 2021.

Weathers grew up admiring actors such as Woody Strode, whose combination of physique and acting prowess in “Spartacus” made an early impression. Others he idolized included actors Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte and athletes Jim Brown and Muhammad Ali, stars who broke the mold and the color barrier.

“There are so many people that came before me who I admired and whose success I wanted to emulate, and just kind of hit the benchmarks they hit in terms of success, who created a pathway that I’ve been able to walk and find success as a result. And hopefully I can inspire someone else to do good work as well,” he told the Detroit News 2023. “I guess I’m just a lucky guy.”

Growing up in New Orleans, Weathers started performing in plays as early as grade school. In high school, athletics took him down another path but he would reunite with his first love later in life.

Weathers, who played football at Long Beach Poly High and graduated in 1966, went on to play college football at San Diego State University, where he majored in theater. He played one season in the NFL, for the Oakland Raiders, in 1970.

“When I found football, it was a completely different outlet,” says Weathers told the Detroit News. “It was more about the physicality, although one does feed the other. You needed some smarts because there were playbooks to study and film to study, to learn about the opposition on any given week.”

After the Raiders, he joined the Canadian Football League, playing for two years while finishing up his studies during the offseason at San Francisco State University. He graduated with a B.A. in drama in 1974.

The famously curmudgeonly comic was appearing on the show to promote the upcoming 12th and final season of his hit HBO series “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” but the moment in which he forcefully grabbed and shook Elmo’s face appeared to be completely unscripted.

“Oh, my God!” shouted Savannah Guthrie, as the hosts Hoda Kotb and Craig Melvin watched in shock.

“Let’s get back on the couch and talk about how you’re feeling,” Elmo said after the brief incident.

“Larry, you’ve gone too far this time!” Guthrie interjected.

Al Roker tried to continue with his weather segment, chuckling during his attempted transition nd admitting he “didn’t see that coming!”

Later in the show, David struggled to force out an apology through his own laughter, telling Elmo he was “really sorry.”

“Elmo accepts your apology,” the fuzzy red Muppet replied.

Elmo was on the show to discuss his own viral moment earlier in the week, when a post from his official X account drew concerning replies to a very simple question.

“Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” read the post, which now has over 200 million views and 145,000 likes.

“I’m at my lowest. Thanks for asking,” read one blunt response.

“Every morning, I cannot wait to go back to sleep. Every Monday, I cannot wait for Friday to come. Every single day and every single week for life,” another user despondently responded.

The gloomy sentiment appeared to be the consensus online as the post gained momentum, with President Joe Biden even chiming in to try to lighten the mood.

“I know how hard it is some days to sweep the clouds away and get to sunnier days,” the commander-in-chief replied to the post.

“Our friend Elmo is right: We have to be there for each other, offer our help to a neighbor in need, and above all else, ask for help when we need it. Even though it’s hard, you’re never alone.”

Disney is banning password sharing on its streaming services, following in the footsteps of competitor Netflix.

In an email to Hulu subscribers on Wednesday, the company said it would start “adding limitations on sharing your account outside of your household” beginning March 14.

Hulu’s user agreement, along with the agreements for Disney+ and ESPN+, explicitly prevent users from impersonating someone else by using their username or password.

“You agree not to impersonate or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity, including using another person’s username, password or other account information, or another person’s name or likeness, or provide false details for a parent or guardian,” the agreement terms say.

All three user agreements were last updated on January 25, though it is unclear when the password-sharing language was added to the agreements for Disney+ and ESPN+.

The move was hinted at by Disney CEO Bob Iger in August, who said the company planned to address the issue of password sharing in 2024.

“We certainly have established this as a real priority,” Iger said on Disney’s fiscal third-quarter earnings call. “We actually think that there’s an opportunity here to help us grow our business.”

Iger is expected to speak on Disney’s fiscal first-quarter earnings call on February 6, potentially shedding more light on Disney’s plans to address password borrowers on its three streaming services.

Disney’s updated user agreement terms came after a successful password-sharing crackdown by Netflix, which led to an explosion in new subscribers as password “borrowers” were pushed into creating their own subscriptions.

Last week, Netflix announced it had a record number of subscribers as of the fourth quarter.

The premise is simple: a bunch of adorable puppies in every breed and size from around the country compete in a fun, entertaining showdown on a small football field. Animal Planet’s three-hour Puppy Bowl, starts at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11.

And from Connecticut, a member of Team Ruff is Greyson, an Australian shepherd who comes from Pack Leaders Rescue of CT, a nonprofit rescue in East Hartford, Connecticut, that’s dedicated to helping abused, abandoned, or neglected dogs and cats get out of kill shelters and into loving homes.

“This is our sixth year participating. It’s awesome,” said Victoria Cateni of Pack Leaders. “Greyson is so cute and he loves to be active and play. His breed is known for being very smart.”

Greyson was rescued from Arkansas.

“He was in a box with his four other siblings and dumped at Walmart. A rescue partner down there called us and we brought them here to find their forever home,” Cateni said.

Cateni said she became a volunteer for a local rescue after rescuing a blind dog.

“At the time, I had no idea about the rescue world or the need of rescue dogs,” she said.

After learning more about rescuing and wanting to help animals in need, she opened her home as a safe haven for dogs and cats in need, both local and out of state, she said.

Fast forward 12 years later and Cateni helped to open a facility in East Hartford, developed a foster program, and cultivated a relationship with contacts down south who needed an outlet for stray animals — and she began a transport service.

“It’s been awesome. Our mission at Pack Leaders is to save the lives of dogs and cats both locally, and from the South, that have been abandoned, abused, or neglected, and to give them a forever home,” she said.

“We have so many people looking for dogs and there are so many amazing rescues out there,” said Cateni, who has five rescue dogs.

To date, the rescue has saved over 6,500 animals, she said.

Pack Leaders Rescue offers rescue, transport service, and behavioral training.

“We travel every week to rescue animals from Arkansas, Tennessee, and Louisiana. There’s a massive need down there. Most times it’s between 50 to 100 animals, both cats and dogs,” said Cateni.

The rescue uses their own transport RV that offers a safe, clean environment with an on-site animal attendant. It also takes in local owner surrenders and works with animal control officers in the area.

Cateni said she appreciates the mission of the Puppy Bowl.

“It brings awareness to the importance of rescuing a dog and puts rescuing on the map so more people will consider it if they’re looking to add a dog to the family,” said Cateni. “We get an influx once people see the Puppy Bowl.”

According to Animal Planet, every puppy featured on prior Puppy Bowls has found a home since its first show in 2005.

The East Hartford’s rescue’s veterinarians and behaviorists evaluate each animal to make sure they’re ready for their new home. Basic puppy training classes and behavioral training also are available.

“We support the adopters and foster parents. Socializing a dog takes time. We’re here to help you,” Cateni said.

In addition to Pack Leaders Rescue, participants in Puppy Bowl include American Lab Rescue, Connecticut Rescue, Connecticut Humane Society, Danbury Animal Welfare Society, Dog Star Rescue, Lucky Dog Refuge, and Ridgefield Operation for Animal Rescue.

Throughout the Puppy Bowl show fans will learn about each player’s breed mix and other unique traits; “Pup Close and Personal” and “Adoptable Pup” segments; and adoption stories that highlight the work of rescues and shelters, according to Warner Bros. Discovery.

Thirteen puppies, members of Team Ruff and Team Fluff, comprise the starting line-up. The show features a player tunnel, fog machine, a water bowl and slo-mo cam, and other activities. It also includes play-by-play commentary and a referee calling penalties and touchdowns. It airs on Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, TBS, truTV, discovery +, and Max.

According to Warner Bros. Discovery, the matchup will be the biggest yet, featuring 131 pups and 73 shelters and rescues across 36 states and territories.

Although Greyson is already adopted, Cateni encourages people to visit the website at packleadersrescue.com to see more adoptable dogs. The rescue is partners with PetSmart in Manchester and every Friday from 2 to 7 p.m. holds adoption events at its 1520 Pleasant Valley Road location. Those interested in a dog on the show can visit AnimalPlanet.com to view the dog’s profile and be connected to the shelter or rescue center from where it originates.

“Rescuing is important. There are so many amazing rescues out there,” said Cateni. “As long as people rescue and save the animals, that’s most important.”

And she certainly could end up winning enough awards to fill a cabinet or two during “Music’s Biggest Night.”

Or, as shocking as it might sound, she could come up empty-handed when the trophies are handed out.

Yes, the level of competition at this year’s Grammy Awards is remarkably impressive. That’s especially true in the three of the evening’s biggest categories — album, song and record of the year — where SZA will go up against such heavyweights as Lana Del Rey, Olivia Rodrigo, Jon Batiste, Billie Eilish, Miley Cyrus and, as you can probably guess, Taylor Swift.

So many great artists. So many compelling storylines.

And we won’t know how it all turns out until the last award is handed out on Feb. 4 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Hosted by comedian Trevor Noah, the show can be watched live starting at 5 p.m. on CBS and Paramount+.

Yet, that won’t stop us from trying to predict who will win the biggie “general field” categories, where artists from all different genres compete for top honors. Besides the three mentioned above, there is also the hotly contested best new artist category, where hip-hop star Ice Spice will square off against country/rap talent Jelly Roll, R&B/pop singer Victoria Monét and others.

Here are predictions for who will take home Grammy gold. Beyond the awards, the show will also feature performances by Dua Lipa, Eilish, Rodrigo, Luke Combs, Travis Scott, SZA, Joni Mitchell and others along with U2 livestreaming from the the Las Vegas Sphere.

Follow all the action beginning at 5 p.m. on CBS and Paramount +.

Album of the Year

The nominees: “World Music Radio,” Jon Batiste; “the record,” boygenius; “Endless Summer Vacation,” Miley Cyrus; “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd,” Lana Del Rey; “The Age of Pleasure,” Janelle Monáe; “GUTS,” Olivia Rodrigo; “Midnights,” Taylor Swift; “SOS,” SZA.

The skinny: The music industry has finally realized something that fans have long known — Lana Del Rey is one of popular music’s greatest artists of the last 10-plus years. So, a victory for “Tunnel” would serve as further confirmation of that status.

There’s also a case to be made for Olivia Rodrigo, who followed up the blockbuster debut “Sour” — and the resulting best new artist triumph at the 2022 Grammys — by releasing a sophomore effort that some consider to be the best album of 2023.

Of course, the indie supergroup boygenius — featuring Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus — is a massive critical favorite and can’t be counted out. Same for Jon Batiste, who just won this category in 2022 with “We Are.”

Yet, none of those artists seem to have much a chance against Taylor Swift, who set record after record with her 10th studio album. Crowning Swift in this category — for a landmark fourth time — would serve as a fitting punctuation mark on what was most certainly the Year of Taylor.

So, why does it seem like the wrong choice?

The answer is “SOS.”

“Midnights” is a terrific effort, yet it doesn’t really stand out from Swift’s many other equally enjoyable albums. It’s just a piece of the puzzle in what is arguably the single best discography that any artist has put together in the 21st Century.

On the other hand, “SOS” feels like nothing short of a stone-cold classic, which people will long be referencing among the most soulful platters of the 2020s. It also was the album that really took its author to a whole new level of superstardom.

It’s wild to think that a win for such a wonderfully artistic and commercially successful album could be seen as an upset. Yet, in world that seems to view pop music as Taylor Swift and everyone else, that’s exactly what a “SOS” victory would be.

We’d be fine with “Midnights” winning. But that’s not where our vote would go. So, we’re calling the upset.

The winner: “SOS”

Record of the Year

The nominees: “Worship,” Jon Batiste; “Not Strong Enough,” boygenius; “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus; “What Was I Made For?” Billie Eilish; “On My Mama,” Victoria Monét; “Vampire,” Olivia Rodrigo; “Anti-Hero,” Taylor Swift; “Kill Bill, SZA.

The skinny: Award shows love Billie Eilish, who has already won seven Grammys (as well as an Oscar) in her still-quite-young career. Yet, she seemingly has a much better chance of winning her second Academy Award in March with her “Barbie” number than she does record of the year on Sunday.

And we don’t feel like “Anti-Hero” is anywhere close to first-tier Swift material, a statement that we realize probably will result in 418,467 angry emails from Swifties.

The category probably breaks down as a three-way race between “Kill Bill,” “Vampires” and “Flowers,” the last of which would seemingly be the favorite.

Although we prefer the SZA and Rodrigo offerings, “Flowers” is indeed exactly the type of empowering self-love anthem that Grammy voters tend to embrace.

The winner: “Flowers”

Song of the Year

(Award given to songwriters)

The nominees: “A&W,” Jack Antonoff, Lana Del Rey and Sam Dew, songwriters (Lana Del Rey); “Anti-Hero,” Jack Antonoff and Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift); “Butterfly,” Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson, songwriters (Jon Batiste); “Dance the Night,” Ailin, Dua Lipa, Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, songwriters (Dua Lipa); “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus, Gregory Aldae Hein and Michael Pollack, songwriters (Miley Cyrus); “Kill Bill,” Rob Bisel, Carter Lang and Solána Rowe, songwriters (SZA); “Vampire,” Daniel Nigro and Olivia Rodrigo, songwriters (Olivia Rodrigo); “What Was I Made For?” Billie Eilish O’Connell and Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish).

The skinny: “Dance the Night” and “What Was I Made For?” both hail from the same film so it’s easy to see those two numbers splitting the “Barbie” vote.” “Flowers” makes sense, but let’s assume that it won’t win both song and record of the year trophies. After all, there are just too many great artists deserving to be recognized on Grammy night, so we don’t see any one act dominating these biggie awards.

Along that same line of reasoning, we’d love to see “Kill Bill” get the “w,” but we’ve already placed our bet on “SOS” triumphing in the album category. “Vampire” could sneak out a victory here, though, for sure.

Yet, the safe money is that Jack Antonoff will end up with this award in his hand – for one of the two nominees that he co-wrote.

You already know our feeling on the Antonoff-Swift offering. Well, we feel the exact opposite way about the brilliant avant-garde work that he did with Del Rey.

But, come on. Is there any conceivable way that the mighty Swift ends up losing in all three of these general field categories?

Well, let us finish off our root beer floats and think about it for a minute.

The winner: “A&W”

Best New Artist

The nominees: Gracie Abrams, Fred Again, Ice Spice, Jelly Roll, Coco Jones, Noah Kahan, Victoria Monét, The War and Treaty.

The skinny: There are some fascinating choices here. Start with the country-folk-soul duo The War and Treaty, whose major label debut, “Lover’s Game,” is nothing short of astounding. Then there’s Jelly Roll, the Tennessee country/rap/rock artist who had millions singing along to “Son of a Sinner.”

And you can’t count out Noah Kahan, whose legions of fans don’t seem to realize that he’s really not all that good, or the talented Gracie “daughter of J.J.” Abrams.

The award could well go go to Victoria Monét, whose seven overall nods ties her with Phoebe Bridgers for second-most nominations this year. (In case you missed it up top, SZA leads all comers with nine nominations).

Still, the favorite in the race appears to be Ice Spice, who seemed to go from relative unknown to household name in the blink of the eye as she collaborated with Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj, charted several top 10 songs and had us all singing along to “Barbie’s World.”

It’s hard to call for an upset here — but “Lover’s Game” is such a great album and its authors could be making terrific music for decades to come. So, well, let’s go for it and hope voters agree.

The winner: The War and Treaty

Other races

Best Pop Vocal Album — Swifties need not worry that their favorite music star will go home empty-handed, since “Midnights” will likely triumph over Miley Cyrus’ “Endless Summer Vacation” and Olivia Rodrigo’s “Guts” as the top pop platter.

Best Música Mexicana Album — Peso Pluma will win for the amazing “Génesis,” yet that won’t quite make up for the ridiculous snub of being left out of the best new artist category.

Best Rock Album — We’re partial to Metallica’s excellent “72 Seasons,” but our hunch is that the gold will go to the Foo Fighters, who dealt with the loss of drummer Taylor Hawkins and still delivered a fine “But Here We Are.”

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song — So many great offerings here, including Cody Carnes’ “Firm Foundation (He Won’t)” and the For King & Country/Jordin Sparks collaboration “Love Me Like I Am,” yet Lauren Daigle’s “Thank God I Do” is the clear favorite.

Best R&B Performance — Sorry Robert Glasper, Coco Jones, Victoria Monét and Chris Brown, but nobody is beating SZA’s “Kill Bill” here.

Best Rap Album — We’re calling for Killer Mike to top the bigger names (like Drake, Travis Scott and Nas) and walk away with the trophy for “Michael.”

Best Musical Theater Album — “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” with Annaleigh Ashford and Josh Groban as the principal vocalists, will surely win. Yet, we much prefer “Kimberly Akimbo.”

Best Country Solo Performance — Anything other than Luke Combs’ cover of “Fast Car” is fine with us.