FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Just as soon as I forget, I’m reminded how big the Super Bowl is.

I disconnected my Radio Row umbilical cord a few minutes ago to check out the Super Bowl pregame press conference a couple of levels up in the GFLCC. I didn’t have time to develop any expectations but was hit with a heavy dose of reality when I walked in to find about 50 television cameras lined up on two rows of risers, about a few hundred assembled media and NFL Network’s Rich Eisen and Warren Sapp off stage left ready to broadcast the whole thing live.

“OK, self, the pregame show is a big deal.” Check.

Queen Latifah (God Bless America) and Carrie Underwood (National Anthem), plus performances outside the stadium by Daughtry and Steve Winwood in the marquee lineup. Got it. Queen Latifah and Underwood took the stage together for Thursday’s news conference — I’m guessing the first time they’ve shared a stage?

“No pressure. Just the whole world looking at you,” Queen Latifah quipped.

Can’t honestly say anything big came out of the news conference, but Queen Latifah and Underwood do have that star-power quality. One item is that the coin flip will be done by the 2010 Hall of Fame finalists who will be announced Saturday, a nice twist.

Sadly, it was only a matter of minutes before the American Idol-fed song “Pants on the Ground” made its way into the question-and-answer format.

“That’s music with a message,” Underwood responded, bringing laughter. “I think America can learn a lot from ‘Pants on the Ground’. And they can pull their pants up.”

The news conference is still unfolding, but I’ll leave that right there.

– Frank Tadych

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