This week Eyewitness News has several crews in Miami to bring you Super Bowl coverage. In this blog you ll hear from the reporters and production staff who are working to bring you behind-the-scenes stories of the Colts unprecedented Super Bowl run.
Just when Miamians are beginning to catch on to the fact that they are hosting the Super Bowl, the news from a few hundred miles north of here got in the way - as it should.
Perspective can be a hard pill to swallow sometimes, especially when it comes out of nowhere like it did this morning in Central Florida. . The governor declared three counties disaster areas.
Local news had been slowly turning to the Super Bowl -- as of this morning, it sharply turned away. This game is still big for Peyton Manning, the Colts, and their fans -- but for the people of Miami, it s just another fun event. Tornadoes touching down in their state takes preference -- as it should.
So the game will go on Sunday. Colts fans and Bears fans will be closely watching. But for the people in the host city, their hearts will be with their fellow Floridians, who have suffered losses far more profound than whichever team comes up with the lower score in Sunday s game.
Have you ever heard of a press conference where no one speaks? That was the case when the Superbowl Committee and the NFL unveiled this year s Bowl entertainment. Well, Louie Vega, grammy award winner and international producer spoke briefly about his role in providing an original score for the pre-game show with Cirque du Soleil.
And yes, this year s National Anthem singer, the piano man Billy Joel, (I love "Uptown Girl,") really didn t answer many questions with much breadth. In fact, he was downright funny! Yes, some of the questions fielded from the media can be trivial, and okay, downright silly.
And Billy did a decent job of trying to make the interviewers feel not so bad about their "interesting" guestion in front of a standing room only media center audience. But he certainly provided a lot of laughs, especially to the question, "How do you feel about playing in the Superbowl now for the second time?" Billy Joel replied, "I don t know, I haven t played Sunday yet!
"
But the celebrity performer who stunned an entire audience: the Purple man himself - Prince. He came out on stage and said, "Contrary to popular belief, I will answer a few questions." Just as a reporter began speaking, Prince jumped about a foot in the air, landing with all 10 fingers strumming his guitar and his band setting off what would be about a 15-minute concert!
!!!
Are you kidding me? Forget about our *work* cameras rolling tape for the evening news. Practically everyone pulled out their personal digital cameras.
. and went to snapping.
The shy Rock-n-Roll Hall of Famer did says something else.
He ended his three-song concert with one little verbal note. He said, "Thank you." Then he blew everyone a kiss and said, "See you at the Superbowl.
Peace!"
Are you kidding me? Yeah.
.. it was the best news conference I ve ever attended and will never forget.
I ll see everyone today at 5 p.m. and for the Nightbeat at 11:00 as my photographer Russ Govert and I try to find some real blue (Colts fans) in the midst of the Miami sun!
!!
As the teams run through their final practices before the Super Bowl, others involved with the game are practicing too.
Last night at Dolphin Stadium in Miami, it was time to practice the half-time show. The program features Prince, who apparently is a guy who does not like to leave anything to chance.
Prince played to an empty stadium, and because there were no people in the seats to absorb the sound -- the music spilled over the top of the bowl to the assembled press, security guards, and maintenance workers in the parking lot.
The sound was clean, and I can give you a preview of what you will hear on Super Bowl Sunday. "Let s Go Crazy" is on the play list. And, of course, the big finale will be Prince s signature song "Purple Rain".
But, wait, it gets even better. As the final song builds, the stadium will shoot off fireworks. Purple fireworks, that will look like they are "raining" down over the sides of the stadium bowl (get it?
). For Prince fans, it wil be a great show. Then, there are guys like me who are not really all that taken with the "formerly-named-after-an-unpronouncable-symbol" singer.
But, even for me, it sounded pretty good.
My guess is that the half-time show will be a great success this year (assuming no "wardrobe malfunctions" take place). Just don t forget to make the switch after the game to Channel 13.
We ll be working hard to cover it well, and (again assuming no "wardrobe malfunction") my money is on Dave Calabro to do the best post-game job in town. The rest of us here will be busting our tails to help. See you on Super Bowl Sunday!
We are firmly established in our media compound her in Miami. As Game Day gets closer, the number of media grows and the security gets tighter. We are running through airport-like security each time we enter the grounds of the stadium.
Yesterday we had police helicopters circling overhead most of the afternoon. We were joking that it is the Peyton Manning extraction team to get him out if he throws an interception.
We are working long days to cover all shows.
To host a Super Bowl, the host committee has to think of many things. Hotels rooms for visitors. Security.
Parties for guests. Security. Hospitality all around town.
Did I mention security? It s a lot of work and a lot of contingencies to consider. Hitting the Super Bowl would be a terrorist victory beyond anything else.
How better to strike at the American culture than to hit the most high-profile event of the year.
At Dolphin Stadium, the preparations are everywhere. Just getting into the place requires at least four security checks.
And this is four days before the game! It s like getting through the airport times four and it s no fun for anyone.
The last few days around the stadium have been interesting to watch.
Not only is the perimeter on the ground tightly controlled, but the sky above the stadium is secured as well. The city will create a 10-square mile "no-fly" zone around the stadium starting Saturday. They have been practicing emergency maneuvers for the last week.
Blackhawk helicopters coming in low over the horizon, and dropping over the lip of the stadium and landing on the field. It is an impressive sight - one that you would never want to see unless it was a drill. If we get to the point where there is a reason to carry out an operation like that, it will be a sad day for America and the world.
If the game comes to Indianapolis, Hoosiers will be dealing with the same issues. They may even be heightened by events that occur between now and February 2011. There s no way to know, but it is a 100% lock that security will be a major issue.
The Super Bowl promises great rewards to Indianapolis -- but at potential great risk to the city and its people. Knowing that, Indianapolis is pushing ahead with the effort to get the Big Game. We will have more on the effort in the coming days on Eyewitness News.
This is a game you cannot win without a full-court press. What you ll see in the coming days is that the "press" is definitely on.
We re in the "what day is it?
" mode because we ve been going nonstop and we re not sure what day it is. Being down here is exciting but very hectic.
The pace is picking up with the anticipation of the game.
We re starting to see some fans arrive, and we re seeing a lot more celebrities around. There are many football players from other teams, and lots of "hey, I know that guy" moments.
Photographer Matt Wilkening saw actor of 1980s not-quite-classic Beverly Hills Cop fame.
Prince and Billy Joel make an appearance today. Prince said he would sing, but wouldn t take questions.
I spent yesterday evening at the team hotel hanging out with the players.
It s funny to see how they re treating this. They re all like little kids, bouncing off the walls. They seem really excited and charged up.
I don t know how they re avoiding distractions and I m wondering how they can t get caught up in the hype. Everwhere it s just crazy - They can t turn on the TV or walk out of their hotel room without it being an issue.
The team hotel is on lockdown, and only the media and other guests - mostly NFL people - are allowed in.
Our big joke is that it s all about the glamor, because we re surrounded by it. But reality for us is slightly less glamorous. We leave the hotel at 10:00 am and we re back at 1:00 am, and during that time we re living out of a Jeep Laredo - I ve got four shirts hanging in the back.
Each day is a blur. That s what s so wild about covering the Super Bowl (which is my second) - you have no idea what s next.
Around the middle of the afternoon Wednesday there was this thunderous roar over the parking lots of Dolphin Stadium.
We all ran out of our trailers, our shaky temporary newsrooms. Three blackhawk helicopters were flying low and tight. It was a thrilling, chilling sight.
The Miami-Dade police department SWAT team was practicing, circling, swooping down and around. The doors to the choppers were open and you could see uniformed officers sitting there with their legs hanging out of the aircraft. Like they were ready to jump.
For hours they flew as a trio, then they took it one step farther. To our amazement, the huge helicopters banked around and floated into Dolphin Stadium one by one. They landed on the field where the Super Bowl will take place.
One of our crews watched the officers jump out, run to the perimeters of the stadium, race back to the helicopters and take off. This happened several times. It made us realize how serious the law enforcement agencies here are about protecting the fans and players Sunday against any trouble.
By the looks of the security drills, the sky s the limit.
Back in Indianapolis, you can t watch television, listen to the radio, pick up a newspaper, or even talk to someone at the grocery store without hearing about the Colts and Super Bowl XLI. The town is excited about the Colts first Super Bowl appearance in 36 years and the first ever in Indianapolis.
Rightfully so. The Colts have had lean (very lean) years in the Indianapolis era. It feels good to finally be a winner.
If you expect the same excitement here in Miami, you would be greatly disappointed. Sure, there are banners at the airport, on the streets, and in store windows. But if you re looking for "buzz", you won t find it among the people here.
In a metropolitan area that is so large and spread out, the Super Bowl is just one event out of hundreds. The Dolphins aren t in it, and their fans are not into it. In fact, they seem disappointed in what they have seen so far.
Some people say the best way to get the pulse of the city is to talk to the cab drivers. I ve taken two cab rides today, and both drivers told me that the expected boom in business has not materialized. They have been bracing for double shifts and traffic jams.
So far, they ve been disappointed (except for the normal traffic problems in Miami). Neither cared about the Colts, or the Bears, or Peyton s chance to finally get the monkey off his back and win the Big Game. They are far more concerned about the health of Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
Rumors are that he is gravely ill, and may have possibly already died.
In a city that has the world s second largest Cuban population (outside of Havana), this is very big news -- news that many have waited a lifetime to hear. If, and when, Castro s death is confirmed, Cuban groups plan to rent out the Orange Bowl for a celebration.
That will get this city far more excited than a game between two teams from almost half-a-continent away. (Update - the plan for a big party seems to have been )
Miami has hosted eight other Super Bowls. The ninth time around, it doesn t seem like it s that big a deal.
There s no controversy. So far, there s no big increase in business. So, the locals are falling back on the normal concerns of their lives.
Still, cabbie Jose Toledo says a celebration over Castro s death is just not right. "What will people in other countries think of us, celebrating a man s death? No matter how much he has hurt families and his country, any man s death is no reason for a party".
Jose came to Miami in 1967, when he was nine years old. He has no love for his native land s leader, but he is pragmatic about the changes that Castro s death will bring. "Any real change will take time", he told me.
"I will not be going to Orange Bowl for a celebration".
Which leaves him with the "celebration" at Dolphin Stadium this coming Sunday. But, in talking to him, and other Miamians, you get the feeling that they care less about the game and more about the expected economic benefits it will bring.
If football fans start arriving later this week, and leave behind all of the money they are expected to, then Jose and his peers will have their celebration. Any joy in changes that will take place in ancestrial home are still a ways off. The Super Bowl is over next week.
Cuban liberation will have to evolve on its own schedule.
At media day we saw people doing video blogs, some stepping into another person s video blog. They blogged together for a few sentences then realized they needed to step away from each other.
Radio reporters were blogging. Or maybe they were just live on the air. It was hard to tell.
Everywhere you looked reporters were talking to players, or one another, or themselves. First the Bears took the field. They looked scary and mean in their dark navy jerseys.
But when you walked up closer to them, they seemed like nice enough fellows. They made polite remarks about the Colts. In fact, they mostly talked about the Colts and not themselves.
drew the biggest crowd. We rushed some Bears interviews back for our loyal noon viewers. We sent comments we d gathered from quarterback (Bloomington) and punter (Sheridan and Ball State) talking about their Indiana roots.
The Colts were 20 minutes late. Not sure why. They kept the media packed up out in the concessions hallway below the bleachers.
We noted the prices for food at Dolphin Stadium. $10 for chicken strips. $10 for a draft beer.
Then the Colts in their dress whites took over. We have to wear white because the Bears are the home team since it s an odd number the NFC gets to be home. Don t worry, this does not mean there will be a home-town crowd making more noise for the home team.
Bet you can t guess who had the most reporters crowded around him. The international media was there in full force. They love Florida.
After they shooed the reporters out of the Colts session, the managers and players all took the field for a massive team photo. Ch13 photographers stayed long enough to check it out. We never wanted Media Day to end.
For a change, the Colts were our captives. The Colts, on the other hand, probably couldn t get out of there fast enough.
The Colts will stay at the Marriott Harbor Beach hotel in Fort Lauderdale for the next week as they prepare for the Super Bowl, and they couldn t have picked a nicer place.
On Monday night the temperatures were around 65 degrees on the beach.
The hotel has an awesome view of sandy beaches right out the door. It also has a massive heated swimming pool where Peyton Manning can work on his tan and contemplate his game plan under a palm tree.
There s complete spa service and over 600 rooms - first class all the way. Colts logos adorn the lobby, and there s heavy security all over the property.
The hotel, though is accustomed to big-time clients.
"We ve had a lot of important guests here over the years. President Bush was just here last year so everyone s very well-trained on how to handle VIP guests. What is unique, we did bring in some extra staffing.
We ve flown some other chefs in from other Marriott properties to assist us in the planning and in the execution and that s made it a little bit more unique on that level. They ll be like any other guest in the hotel. Well, maybe a little extra special.
But full VIP service," said Mary-Grace McCaffery, Marriott Harbor Beach.
The hotel was under lockdown Monday evening to prepare for the Colts arrival.
We left Friday morning at 7:30 am as the first wave of a crew of 23 covering the Colts in Super Bowl 41!
Jack Tapp and I are driving the production truck, which will serve as our mobile studio at Dolphins Stadium. Dave Duchnowski and Maury Hodgin are driving SkyPath, which will be our roving unit to bring you the sights and sounds of Miami during Super Bowl week. We needed to make 600 miles today to be halfway.
As I write this, we are holed up in a hotel in Warner-Robbins, Georgia, about 150 miles from the Florida State line. We had a great day for driving! It was clear and cold in Indy and slowly warmed as we drove south.
Atlanta was the usual madness at rush hour, so we got a good slow look at the Georgia State Capitol. We saw remnants of the 1996 Olympic Games along the way and had a chance to look back on our experiences there.
Our truck is a little slower than SkyPath, so the young pups passed the old guys very early on!
We played a little leap frog as they stopped for fuel and lunch. We saw them blow by us again as we were leaving the Georgia Welcome Station just south of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Tomorrow we will hit the road early and boom for FLA!
Soon we will be seeing palm trees and scrub pines. And don t forget that when it comes to Valdosta, GA..
.."you can t get there from here.
"
See you down the road!
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