Few events in a year will exemplify the excesses that we Americans enjoy more than the Super Bowl.

The high-priced talent, gaudy pageantry and the $7 million per minute going rate for commercials. You know, the commercials the evil corporations spend years crafting, trying to convince that this year’s commercials were better than last year’s?

And what will be popular among the viewing public? Cheap beer and scantily clad women — probably in the same advertisement. Beer companies are Super Bowl kings and their superiority in sales will be well on display. The girls will be gorgeous and the horses regal, all in an effort to take the viewer’s mind off the swill in the can. Watch how many instruct the consumer to drink it as cold as humanly possible. Why? Refreshment? No, because the colder the beverage, the more numb the taste buds. If you cannot taste it, you cannot taste how bad it is.

If you must imbibe, drink local. Try Lazy Magnolia from the Gulf Coast, or Nashville’s Yazoo, brewed by Vicksburg native Linus Hall. Much good beer exists, but you won’t see those advertised on the big game.

Others you will not see, or maybe you will:

• An ad for Paws Rescue to adopt a pet. Recently I spoke to a friend who had just bought a dog. I frowned. Dogs should be adopted, not bought from a store.

Since PAWS is run by all volunteers and relies on the people’s generosity and grant money to care for pets around Warren County, they had trouble coming up with the $3.5 million for a 30-second spot this evening.

• Barack Obama using a 30-second spot to announce a second Super Bowl on Feb. 12. It will pit the Indianapolis Colts against the St. Louis Rams. The worst two teams will meet next week because, as Obama said, “it is not fair that only the winning teams play for the Super Bowl.”

• Vicksburg Mayor Paul Winfield will give a 30-second spot on building a rec complex somewhere in North Vicksburg. The City has already squandered more than $3 million on two failed rec complexes, what is an extra $3.5 million to push a third? Plus, the way he throws around dollar figures, I am sure we will realize the savings in garbage fees over the next 200 years.

So live it up today. Eat to excess. Drink to excess (with a designated driver, please). And make sure to set the alarm clock.