MANHATTAN — Mayor Michael Bloomberg is getting a starring role at the Super Bowl this Sunday.
While the New York Giants battle the New England Patriots, Hizzoner will appear in one of the broadcast’s famous flashy ads alongside Boston Mayor Thomas Menino on behalf of their coalition, Mayors Against Illegal Guns.
The two will be rooting for rival teams, but they’re also founders and co-chairs of the group, which advocates for stronger gun control policy.
The 30-second ad, which Bloomberg aides say will be “a play on the NYC vs. Boston rivalry," features the two men dressed in their team's logos and munching on popcorn and chips, according to a behind-the-scene photo released Tuesday.
“It was very funny,” Bloomberg said after the commercial's early-morning taping.
Bloomberg also offered some advice to quarterback Eli Manning and the rest of the Giants.
“Win,” he said, bluntly. “It will be a lot nicer trip back if you win.”
The ad, which will air on regional stations during the game, comes with a price tag of several "hundreds of thousands of dollars,” to be paid by the coalition, which Bloomberg helps support.
"A New York-Boston Super Bowl is a perfect opportunity for the mayors to talk about fixing the nation's broken background check system that allows criminals and dangerous people to buy guns illegally,” Bloomberg spokesman Marc LaVorgna said.
The shoot comes a day after Bloomberg and Menino announced the terms of a high-stakes wager, which will give a lucky New Yorker a lavish trip to Beantown if the Giants win.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick also announced their own interstate wagers on the big game, involving some of the city's best eats.
If Manning leads the Giants to victory, Cuomo will get 46 pies from “The Pie Ladies” of Centerville, Mass., a batch of Legal Sea Foods' clam chowder and 46 cases of Food Should Taste Good chips from Needham Heights.
If the Patriots win, Patrick will walk away with 46 dozen bagels from Ess-a-Bagel, 46 cheesecakes from Junior's in Brooklyn and 46 cases of New York-made Greek yogurt, “one of the state’s newest and hottest exports,” Cuomo’s office said Tuesday.
