Super Bowl

Rapper, producer and actor Dr. Dre knows who he likes in the Super Bowl: Ravens to take it all. He tells TMZ that he's with the team that has Ray Lewis on it. "It's a good looking Super Bowl, isn't it?" a TMZ reporter asks Dr. Dre. "Absolutely," Dr. Dre says. "I'm excited for Ray Lewis, man," he continues. "He's a good guy and I'm a fan of his. I'm wishing the best for him. " Not a bad endorsement from a California guy, who -- at least logistically speaking -- would seem inclined to go with San Francisco.

On Sunday, pretty much everyone in Baltimore will be rooting for the Ravens. Likewise in San Francisco with the 49ers. But the rest of the nation's football fans? Most will just be rooting for another entertaining Super Bowl. Each of the last five Super Bowls went down to the wire, and a couple of them could be considered among the greatest of all time. In anticipation of another good one Sunday in New Orleans, I have compiled my list of the seven most entertaining Super Bowls in NFL history.

My Super Bowl is over. In fact, you can cancel Christmas, too. Three days before the Super Bowl, I got to see Beyonce up close. She was on stage at the Convention Center here in New Orleans and I was in the fifth row from the front. Only those who had reserved seats had better seats than mine. Of course, I had arrived about an hour and 15 minutes early. And when the time finally arrived, when she strolled out on the stage, I melted. My new nickname is Butter. I just stared and gawked.

In a departure from the usual wager of Maryland blue crabs, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee announced Friday they are betting a day of service on Sunday's Super Bowl. The mayor representing the winning city will host the losing city's mayor for a day of volunteerism organized through AmeriCorps. "The Baltimore Ravens reached the Super Bowl this year with a combination of devastating defense and flawless offence," Rawlings-Blake said in a statement announcing the wager.

South Florida has it all Mike Berardino Sun Sentinel I'm tempted to say New Orleans, which has hosted the Super Bowl nine times (second on the all-time list) and, even post-Katrina, still does big events like no other town. There is, after all, only one Bourbon Street. Just ask John Matuszak and the old-school Oakland Raiders. Once-sleepy Arizona is coming on strong as a game site, thanks to that gorgeous new stadium in Glendale, and Tampa is deserving of a fifth crack at the big game.

On Sunday, they'll play. But on Saturday, they'll eat and eat and eat. The Taste of the NFL's 22nd Annual Party with a Purpose will take place on Saturday at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. The annual event includes a chef from every NFL city serving up one of their regional specialties alongside a current or alumni NFL player. Baltimore will be represented by Nancy Longo, a Party with a Purpose Veteran. Longo, the owner and executive chef of Pierpoint in Fells Point, will be joined this year by former Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Qadry Ismail, who won a Super Bowl ring at Super Bowl XXXV, the last time the Ravens were in the big game.

Pittsburgh will prevail Kevin Van Valkenburg Baltimore Sun Are you ready to live in a world where the Steelers have seven Super Bowl trophies? Where Ben Roethlisberger is considered Tom Brady's equal? Because that's where we'll be Sunday night. I'm not sure I'm ready. But I'd better get ready, because I'm convinced it's going to happen. This Steelers seem to be the perfect blend of style and grit. Their quarterback, whatever personal misgivings I may have about him, is a winner on the field.

Will remain among elite Sam Farmer Los Angeles Times Tom Brady's decision to do a bargain-basement extension with the Patriots is remarkable in a business where getting as much as you can is everyone's endgame. But his three-year, $27 million deal figures to pay off for New England in a big way, giving the Patriots a truckload of salary-cap relief that will allow them to remain among the NFL's elite. As long as Brady stays healthy, it's entirely conceivable that he could lead the club to two more Super Bowl s. The rest of the AFC East is in flux, and although there are other threats in the conference the Patriots have the roster and coaching continuity to be knocking on the door every season.

The economic slump appears to have taken a toll on Super Bowl ads, pushing the price down for only the second time in the game's history. TNS Media Intelligence said Monday that 30-second commercials during next month's Super Bowl on CBS are selling for between $2.5 million and $2.8 million, down from last year, when ads averaged $3 million on NBC - a record. Pepsi won't advertise its drinks this year for the first time in 23 seasons, joining FedEx and GM, which dropped out last year. In their absence, newcomers and smaller companies have snatched up slots in advertising's biggest showcase.

Thousands of people have joined a campaign to get one Ravens cheerleader -- apparently left out of the Super Bowl festivities -- down to New Orleans for the big game. More than 3,000 people signed an online petition begging Ravens management to reconsider and a few thousand more are supporting the " Help us get Courtney to Superbowl" Facebook page. According to the petition, cheerleader Courtney Lenz, who's 23 and has been with the squad five years, was told she wouldn't be performing at the Super Bowl even though the squad was told 32 cheerleaders would make the trip and everyone with at least three years would go. She's apparently the only veteran who didn't make the cut. Lenz tells ABC News that she's devastated.