By Jim Scott
DNAinfo Senior Editor
MANHATTAN — Not even a thrilling win by Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers could steer the spotlight away from a Super Bowl that seemed to feature one flub after another.
Rodgers threw three touchdown passes to lead the Packers to a 31-25 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. But his gain came at the expense of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger who threw two interceptions that led to Packers scores.
But Roethlisberger was far from the biggest loser on Sunday.
The Super Bowl broadcast got off to a sketchy start when pop start Christina Aguilera contorted the lines to the "Star Spangled Banner." Aguilera started strong before skipping the "O'er the ramparts we watched" line. She tried to make up for it later in the song, but it was too late.
Twitter and Facebook were abuzz as people across the country blasted the singer for booting the national anthem.
The halftime show featuring the Black Eyed Peas also got people talking on social networking sites. Many Twitter and Facebook users panned the show, which kicked off by showing the pop group descending from the Jumbotron above the field to sing their hit "I Gotta Feeling" with an army of backup dancers who looked like they just left the set of "Tron."
Surprise cameos from Usher and guitarist Slash couldn't save a performance that didn't appear to resonate with people watching at home.
One viewer went as far as to update the band's Wikipedia entry to say: "The group is currently performing at the Super Bowl XLV Halftime Show where a lack of post-production effects has revealed their stage show to be of inferior quality of a high school talent show."
And while the Jets and Giants were both at home during the Super Bowl, perhaps the game highlight for New York sports fans came in the first quarter when FOX cut to a shot of Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez in the stands getting hand-fed popcorn from girlfriend Cameron Diaz.
The game was the first Super Bowl victory for the Green Bay Packers since 1997, when Brett Favre led the team past the New England Patriots 35-21 in Super Bowl XXXI.
