Danny Puff

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Taking the stairs instead of the elevator is standard advice to get fit but some athletes and charity runners take it to the extreme with the run up the 1,576 steps of the Empire State Building.

For runners who will be racing up the New York landmark on Wednesday, experts advise them to pace themselves.

"People get excited and blast through those stairs," said Eric Talve of the New York Road Runners, which organizes the Empire State Building Run-up, now in its 36th year.

"The main thing is to run smartly - not to get out too fast and tire out."

Research has shown that normal stair climbing is an aerobic exercise that works the lower body and core and can burn calories two to three times faster than walking briskly on a level surface.

Gary Liguori, an expert in exercise science with the American College of Sports Medicine, recommends at least three months of preparation, such as squatting, lunging, running and stair running to prepare for a climb like the Empire State Building.

"I don't think you can just hop in and do a run-up," Liguori said. "It carries more risk than (running on a) flat surface and is much higher intensity."

Rick Feinstein, 69, of Jericho, New York, did the run-up twice about 25 years ago and thinks it will be harder and slower for him this time.

A triathlete who runs and swims five times a week, Feinstein had planned to train for the so-called vertical marathon by running vertically.

"I had ambitious plans that once a week I would run up a 40-story building. It hasn't happened," said Feinstein, who also has run 33 New York City Marathons. "And now I figure it's too late. Like everything else, I'll have to tough it out."

Twenty-five years ago Feinstein charged to the deck in 14 minutes. These days he said a great time would be under 20 minutes and a realistic one between 22 and 24.

"Someone used to say running up the Empire State Building is the equivalent of a hard 2-mile (3.2 km) race," he said. "While it's a tough race, it's just one hill. And you have handrails you can reach out and grab on both sides."

Feinstein is looking forward to the run-up, although with some anxiety.

The 700 to 750 men and women expected to scale the building's 86 floors range from elite athletes who scurry up skyscrapers around the world, to marathoners going vertical, to the approximately 200 entrants running for charities.

With such a wide range of abilities, Talve said, preparation is an individual matter.

"You can practice on a Stairmaster but it's not quite the same," he said.

The Empire State Building Run-up was the brainchild of New York City Marathon founder Fred Lebow. The inaugural Run-Up in 1978 was won by Gary Muhrcke, who won the first New York City Marathon in 1970.

The fastest runners take about 10 minutes to climb the nearly quarter-mile (.4 km) of steps, round the Observation deck of the iconic skyscraper and finish the evening run.

"We have wide mix of people who apply," Talve said.

Feinstein calls it the quintessential New York City race.

"You start in the lobby and everyone races through this narrow doorway," he explained. "It's like running for the subway."

(Editing by Patricia Reaney and Bill Trott)

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NEW YORK (AP) The Baltimore Ravens' victory over the San Francisco 49ers has set a record for highest overnight ratings in Super Bowl history.

The Nielsen company reported the game scored a 48.1 rating and 71 share in its select measurement of big cities. That's 1 percent over a similar measurement in last year's game.

For three years in a row, the Super Bowl has set a new record for most-watched event in U.S. television history. Nielsen is expected to have an estimate of how many people watched the game later on Monday.

One ratings point represents 1,147,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation's estimated 114.7 million TV homes. The share means that 71 percent of TVs that were on at the time were tuned to the Super Bowl.

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If naysayers still doubted Beyonce's singing talents even after her national anthem performance last week at a press conference the singer proved she is an exceptional performer at the Super Bowl halftime show.

Beyonce opened and closed her set Sunday belting out songs, and in between, she danced hard and heavy and better than most contemporary pop stars.

She set a serious tone as she emerged onstage in all black, singing lines from her R&B hit "Love on Top." The stage was dark as fire and lights burst from the sides. Then she went into her hit "Crazy in Love," bringing some feminine spirit to the Superdome in New Orleans as she and her background dancers did the singer's signature booty-shaking dance. Beyonce ripped off part of her shirt and skirt. She even blew a kiss. She was ready to rock, and she did so like a pro.

Her confidence and voice grew as she worked the stage with and without her Destiny's Child band mates during her 13-minute set, which came days after she admitted she sang to a prerecorded track at President Barack Obama's inauguration less than two weeks ago.

Beyonce proved not only that she can sing, but that she can also entertain on a stage as big as the Super Bowl's. The 31-year-old was far better than Madonna, who sang to a backing track last year, and miles ahead of the Black Eyed Peas' disastrous set in 2011.

Beyonce was best when she finished her set with "Halo." She asked the crowd to put their hands toward her as she sang the slow groove on bended knee and that's when she the performance hit its high note.

"Thank you for this moment," she told the crowd. "God bless y'all."

Her background singers helped out as Beyonce danced around the stage throughout most of her performance. There was a backing track to help fill in when Beyonce wasn't singing, and there were long stretches when she let it play as she performed elaborate dance moves.

She had a swarm of background dancers and band members spread throughout the stage, along with videotaped images of the singer dancing that may have unintentionally played on the live-or-taped question. And the crowd got bigger when she was joined by her Destiny's Child band mates.

Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams popped up from below the stage to sing "Bootylicious." They were in similar outfits, singing and dancing closely as they harmonized. But Rowland and Williams were barely heard when the group sang "Independent Woman," as their voices faded into the background.

They also joined in for some of "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," where Beyonce's voice grew stronger. That song featured Beyonce's skilled choreography, as did "End of Time" and "Baby Boy," which also showcased Beyonce's all-female band, balancing out the testosterone levels on the football field.

Before the game, Alicia Keys performed a lounge-y, piano-tinged version of the national anthem that her publicist assured was live. The Grammy-winning singer played the piano as she sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" in a long red dress with her eyes shut.

She followed Jennifer Hudson, who sang "America the Beautiful" with the 26-member Sandy Hook Elementary School chorus. It was an emotional performance that had some players on the sideline on the verge of tears. Hudson also sang live, her publicist said.

The students wore green ribbons on their shirts in honor of the 20 first-graders and six adults who were killed in a Dec. 14 shooting rampage at the school in Newtown, Conn.

The students began the song softly before Hudson, whose mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew were shot to death five years ago, jumped in with her gospel-flavored vocals. She stood still in black and white as the students moved to the left and right, singing background.

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Follow Mesfin Fekadu on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MusicMesfin

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MOSCOW (AP) The artistic director of the Bolshoi ballet said he knows who ordered an acid attack that left him with severe burns to his eyes and face but won't say, voicing hope that investigators will soon name the perpetrator.

Sergei Filin checked out of a Moscow hospital Monday and headed to Germany for further rehabilitation.

Filin, 42, wore shades and a bandage on his head, and skin on his face was red and swollen from burns. But he spoke energetically and seemed to be in a good mood as he walked out of the hospital accompanied by his wife.

"My body is full of strength and energy," he told reporters.

Filin earlier told Russian state television that he knew who ordered the attack but wouldn't give names. "My heart tells me who did it," Filin told Rossiya 24 television in an interview broadcast late Sunday.

He said that investigators would visit him in Germany as part of the continuing probe.

An attacker threw sulphuric acid in Filin's face in Moscow on Jan. 17, as he was returning home from work.

"I felt enormous, unbearable pain," Filin recalled in the television interview. "I fell face down in the snow and started rubbing my face and eyes with snow."

His colleagues said the attack on Filin could be in retaliation for his selection of certain dancers over others for the prized roles.

The Bolshoi has been plagued by intrigue and infighting that have led to the departure of several artistic directors over the past few years.

Filin told reporters Monday as he was leaving the hospital that he's still seeing as if through a mist as his eye treatment is continuing, and added that he will have to undergo further eye surgery in Germany.

"I don't care about my face, my hair, my looks," he said in the television interview. "I'm ready to be completely bald, look like a Frankenstein. It will have no impact on my heart, on my soul. All my inner self, all my energy is focused on recovering eyesight."

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WESTCLIFF-ON-SEA, England (AP) Living has been full of surprises for Wilko Johnson. So has dying.

Four decades in the rock 'n' roll trenches have brought the British guitarist obscurity and fame, followed by turmoil, more obscurity and rediscovery. Now the greatest rock star you may not have heard of songwriter for rabble-rousing 1970s band Dr. Feelgood is embarking on a farewell tour. Unlike some musical goodbyes, this one is permanent. Late last year, Johnson was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and told he had just months to live.

He says he has never felt more alive.

The 65-year-old musician says that in the weeks since his diagnosis, he's been unexpectedly happy "In fact it amounted at times to euphoria."

"I suddenly found myself in a position where nothing matters anymore," he said. "I'm a miserable so-and-so normally ... I'd be worrying about the taxman or all the things that we worry about that get in the way of the real things. And suddenly it doesn't matter. All of that doesn't matter.

"You walk down the street and you feel intensely alive. You're 'Oh, look at that leaf!' You're looking around and you think, 'I'm alive. Ain't it amazing?'"

Johnson has said no to chemotherapy treatment that doctors say may prolong his life by a matter of months. He has responded to his diagnosis with a surge of creativity, playing gigs in Japan and planning a goodbye tour of Britain for March. He's even going back into the studio to record a new album.

"After getting this diagnosis, I suddenly find myself writing bloody songs again," said a relaxed and garrulous Johnson in an interview at his home, a modest two-story row house in a faded, windblown seaside town of Westcliff-On-Sea, 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of London and just a few miles from where he grew up.

"I think there will be an album. It's going to be rough and ready, because we've got about three or four days and we're just going to go in and to bash it down. We're not going to twiddle with anything."

Wilko Johnson a play on John Wilkinson, the name he was born with in 1947 is a mix of clown, curmudgeon, showman and scholar whose life is both inspiration and caution for would-be rock stars.

An unlikely rocker who studied Anglo-Saxon literature and worked as a schoolteacher before joining Dr. Feelgood, he is a cult hero more influential than famous, and cherished by his fans. Recently his following has grown to include viewers of HBO fantasy series "Game of Thrones," in which the sepulchral-looking Johnson appeared as silent executioner Ilyn Payne.

"They said, all you've got to do is stand around and look menacing," said Johnson of his acting debut. "Well, I can do that by the yard."

Johnson's menacing stare was a memorable feature of Dr. Feelgood, which burst to fame in the early '70s, then blew apart but not before energizing many of the musicians who went on to create Britain's punk explosion. At a time of flamboyant glam and indulgent prog rock, they were something different scrappers in cheap suits, playing a then-unfashionable brand of blues and R&B. Video clips of the band performing tracks such as "Roxette" reveal the explosive chemistry of charismatic singer Lee Brilleaux's raw vocals and Johnson's choppy guitar style, rooster strut and thousand-yard glare.

"We didn't look like the other bands around here they were all wearing frocks and talking about going to Mars," Johnson said. "We looked like kind of shoddy bank robbers."

For a time, it went like a rock 'n' roll dream a growing following, four albums including a U.K. chart-topper, tours of the U.S., a deal with CBS records. Then came the catastrophic argument that saw Johnson stalk out of the band for good in 1977.

"And then punk came up," Johnson said, "and we kind of got swallowed in the aftermath."

After that near-miss with the big time, Johnson played with Ian Dury's band, The Blockheads, before going solo with the Wilko Johnson band. He has built significant fan bases in Britain and in Japan, where he has played many times over the past 30 years.

A wider audience got to know him through Julian Temple's 2009 documentary "Oil City Confidential," which restored Dr. Feelgood to its rightful place as punk precursor with Johnson as its wide-eyed shaman and storyteller.

The movie also burnished the mythology of Johnson's hometown of Canvey Island in the Thames Estuary of southeast England.

Johnson recalls Canvey in his youth as "a cowboy town," with dirt roads and wooden bungalows built on reclaimed marshland beside an oil refinery. The blues-loving members of Dr. Feelgood liked to call it the Thames Delta, playing up its exoticism for eager journalists.

"Oil City Confidential" also told a familiar rock 'n' roll story the close-knit band of brothers torn apart by the pressures of the road.

"We were just such good friends," Johnson said. "And on the way up you felt this absolute power in the friendship we had. No one could penetrate that."

But by the end, he says, "I'd learnt the art of solving all problems in the world by slamming a door."

He regrets his impetuousness now, and is keen to attribute the success of Dr. Feelgood to Brilleaux, who died of lymphoma in 1994.

"He just had this vivid personality. I can remember asking somebody about him when we'd decided to do a band: 'That Lee bloke, can he sing at all? Because if he can just sing a little bit, he's a star.'"

Johnson says he doesn't mind that stardom ultimately eluded Dr. Feelgood. (A band of that name still exists, though it contains no original members).

"I never meant to do it, so everything that's happened with rock 'n' roll has been an adventure, really," he said.

Terminal illness has eased his concerns about the band's legacy.

"People go, 'You influenced so many of the punk bands. You started this and you did that.' That may well be right, but it's all part of the stuff that doesn't really matter now. It's been done."

Still it's hard, sometimes, not to reflect on what might have been.

"If we'd all done just what we were told, taken the advice of management, if they could have packed us all up in flight cases after every gig and stored us away so we couldn't do anything (until) we get out there and played I'm pretty sure we'd be multimillionaires.

"But we didn't. We were geezers from Canvey Island. We were great friends, and we fell out."

Johnson says he is not afraid of dying though he is afraid of illness. He lost his wife to cancer eight years ago, and fears putting his loved ones through the sense of helplessness he felt then.

For now, though, he feels fine. He hopes it lasts long enough to give his fans a rousing send-off. Despite the pain of saying goodbye to friends, he found the recent shows in Japan exhilarating. Music has lost none of its power to thrill.

"The last number we did (in Japan) was Chuck Berry's 'Bye Bye Johnny.' You've got the crowd, you're all going 'Bye, bye, bye, bye,'" Johnson said, waving his hands.

"And there was a dry eye in the house, actually it was mine. I wasn't feeling choked and sad or anything like that. I was thinking, 'Oh man, what a great gig!"

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Jill Lawless can be reached at: http://Twitter.com/JillLawless

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NEW ORLEANS (AP) Around the Super Bowl and its host city with journalists from The Associated Press bringing the flavor and details of everything surrounding the game:

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M-V-P! M-V-P! FLACCO NO ORDINARY JOE

Joe Flacco won't have to do much negotiating after this.

The Baltimore Ravens' low-key quarterback put off talks on a new contract until after the season. Now when he and the Ravens sit down, all he'll have to do is show off his Super Bowl MVP trophy.

"It's cool," Flacco said after Baltimore's 34-31 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night. "We just won a Super Bowl. That's the last thing I'm concerned about. But (GM Ozzie Newsome) did let me know that if that day came, I could go beat on his desk and really put it to him.

"So that's exactly what I'm going to do."

Flacco capped a perfect postseason, throwing three touchdown passes in the first half to stake the Ravens to a lead they would never relinquish. When the 49ers made a furious comeback after a power outage interrupted the third quarter for 34 minutes, Flacco was cool and controlled.

Let the Niners make their run, he almost seem to say, we'll hold our own.

"You've seen these guys do it," Flacco said. "They have the ability to score and to score quickly, and that's what they did."

But the Ravens defense made a spectacular stand late in the fourth quarter, stopping San Francisco not once, not twice, but three times on the Baltimore 5. A safety gave San Francisco one last chance, but the Ravens went hard after Colin Kaepernick again, and his last-gasp pass was way off the mark.

Flacco finished 22-of-33 for 287 yards. He didn't throw an interception didn't throw one the entire postseason, to be precise. His 11 touchdowns in the postseason matched a record set by Joe Montana.

"That's pretty cool," Flacco said. "Joe Montana is my favorite quarterback so it's pretty cool."

So is being the Super Bowl MVP.

Truth is, the trophy could have gone to a number of the Ravens. But Flacco is happy to have it.

"They have to give it to one guy," Flacco said, laughing. "I'm not going to complain that I got it."

Nancy Armour http://www.twitter.com/nrarmour

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BALTIMORE PARADE TUESDAY

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake tells local TV station WBAL-TV that the city will hold a parade Tuesday to honor the NFL champion Ravens.

Rawlings-Blake said Sunday night in a live interview from New Orleans that the parade will start at City Hall and end at the Ravens' stadium.

Right now, she's celebrating dancing and singing alongside fans.

"The Baltimore Ravens once again demonstrated strength, poise, and perseverance as they prevailed in Super Bowl XLVII," she said in a statement.

Jessica Gresko http://twitter.com/jessicagresko

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PANETTA AND HOLDER

Recently seen leaving the Super Bowl: outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Attorney General Eric Holder.

When asked who he was rooting for, Panetta gave an angst smile and said: "The 49ers."

San Francisco lost to Baltimore, 34-31.

Nekesa Mumbi Moody http://twitter.com/nekesamumbi

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SUPERDOME STAFF APOLOGIZES

Superdome spokesman Eric Eagan is apologizing for the power outage that disrupted the Super Bowl.

He says technical staff were working more than an hour after the outage to determine what caused it, but still didn't know.

"We sincerely apologize for the incident," Eagan said.

The outage was a big glitch for New Orleans in its first Super Bowl since the city has rebuilt from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The 38-year-old Superdome has undergone $336 million in renovations since Katrina ripped its roof in 2005. Billions have been spent sprucing up downtown, the airport, French Quarter and other areas of the city in the past seven years.

Mayor Mitch Landrieu called the power outage unfortunate in an otherwise smooth week.

"In the coming days, I expect a full after action report from all parties involved. For us, the Super Bowl isn't over until the last visitor leaves town, so we're focused on continuing to show our visitors a good time," Landrieu said.

New Orleans is trying to get back to being a regular stop in the Super Bowl rotation, and has announced it will bid on the 2018 game.

That would coincide with the 300th anniversary of the city's founding.

Paul Newberry http://twitter.com/pnewberry1963

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QUICKQUOTE: JIM HARBAUGH

San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh is taking his team's 34-31 Super Bowl loss to the Baltimore Ravens hard.

He raised several questions about calls and non-calls made by the officials, but said "We want to handle this with class and grace.

"Had several opportunities in the game. Didn't play our best game. Ravens made a lot of plays," he said. "Our guys battled back to get back in it. We competed and battled to win."

Brett Martel http://twitter.com/brettmartel

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LEWIS CAPS CAREER

Ray Lewis has capped his career as a champion, leaning on teammates in the Super Bowl to but a lovely bow on his 17th NFL season.

As he clutched the Lombardi Trophy, Lewis said: "It's simple: When God is for you, who can be against you?"

"It's no greater way, as a champ, to go out on your last ride with the men that I went out with, with my teammates. And you looked around this stadium and ... Baltimore! Baltimore! We coming home, baby! We did it!" he said.

Lewis, 37, had only two solo tackles through the first three quarters and struggled covering receivers. But he made two tackles during San Francisco's final drive, and pressured Kaepernick on a blitz on the 49ers' final offensive play.

David Ginsburg

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PARTY STARTS IN CHARM CITY

The Super Bowl party has begun in the streets of Baltimore, with fans hugging and cheering to celebrate the Ravens' 34-31 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

They're wearing purple-feathered boas and team jerseys, and celebrating a win for team leader Ray Lewis, the linebacker who's the only player who started with the team when it came to Baltimore in 1996.

Darren Love, 40, says the celebration is "90 percent for Ray, 10 percent for the city of Baltimore."

Jessica Gresko http://twitter.com/jessicagresko

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HARBAUGHS EMBRACE

The brothers' greeting wasn't emotional, and wasn't long. Just a handshake and quick hug.

"He said, 'Congratulations,'" Ravens coach John Harbaugh said of his brother, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh.

The exchange lasted less than 5 seconds, well under the line set by many offshore casinos taking action on the embrace, according to gambling expert R.J. Bell of Pregame.com.

Sports books though not those in Las Vegas, which don't allow these kinds of prop bets originally pegged the greeting at 7 seconds but the line was bet down to 5 seconds.

Oskar Garcia http://twitter.com/oskargarcia

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QUICKQUOTE: ROGER GOODELL

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had the title trophy in his hands, and immediately congratulated Baltimore's supporters on the Ravens' Super Bowl win over San Francisco.

"OK, Baltimore fans, this is what you're waiting for. Five straight playoffs appearances and now you've reached the mountaintop," Goodell said.

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IT'S OVER! RAVENS WIN 34-31

The Harbaughs need to host the Super Bowl every year.

John Harbaugh has bragging rights on little brother Jim after his Baltimore Ravens withstood a furious second-half comeback by the San Francisco 49ers in what has to be the wackiest Super Bowl ever. Trailing 28-6 when a power outage interrupted the second half for 34 minutes, the Niners reeled off 23 points in 12 minutes and 20 seconds to make a game of it.

But with the ball on the Baltimore 5 and a chance for the Niners to take their first lead of the night, the Baltimore defense got downright nasty. They blitzed Colin Kaepernick on fourth down, forcing him to throw a bad pass.

A Baltimore safety gave San Francisco one last chance. But Colin Kaepernick's last-gasp pass sailed way over the head of any receiver, and the Ravens rushed the field as confetti began falling from the Superdome ceiling.

John Harbaugh pushed a photographer out of the way to get to his brother, and the two exchanged a quick hug before Jim Harbaugh headed off the field.

Nancy Armour http://www.twitter.com/nrarmour

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RAVENS WIN

This was the APNewsAlert sent seconds after the final play:

The Baltimore Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in the Super Bowl.

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49ERS COME UP SHORT ON DRIVE

San Francisco came up just short on that last drive and, maybe, the game, too.

The Baltimore Ravens defense made the stand of the game, blitzing Colin Kaepernick and forcing him to throw a bad pass on fourth-and-goal at the 5. His previous two passes were incompletes, too.

The turnover on downs brought a screeching halt to what had been an unbelievable comeback by the 49ers, who scored 23 points in 12 minutes and 20 seconds after the Superdome power outage.

It was a bit of karmic payback for the 49ers, who reached the Super Bowl after stopping Atlanta on fourth down at their own 10 two weeks ago.

Nancy Armour http://www.twitter.com/nrarmour

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2-MINUTE WARNING

Two minutes left in regulation at the Super Bowl, and it's unlikely they'll go to overtime.

Baltimore leads San Francisco 34-29 but San Francisco has the ball, second and goal on the Ravens 5-yard line.

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RAVENS SCORE, NEED 'D' TO HOLD TIGHT

OK, Ravens defense, it's up to you now.

Justin Tucker's 38-yard field goal extended Baltimore's lead to 34-29. But there's still 4:19 left to play, and San Francisco has been averaging almost two points a minute since that wacky power outage interrupted the game.

Seems like it would be a good time for Ray Lewis to make a play. He's been awfully quiet in his final NFL game.

Nancy Armour http://www.twitter.com/nrarmour

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UTILITY BLAMES OUTAGE ON STADIUM

A spokesman for the utility that provides power to the Superdome says the outage began because equipment maintained by stadium staff failed.

Philip Allison, a spokesman for Entergy New Orleans, says power was flowing into the stadium before the lights failed.

"All of our distribution and transmission feeds going into the Superdome were operating as expected," Allison said.

Several banks of arena lights went out and the CBS broadcast audio went silent as power went out in the telecasters' booth.

Auxiliary power kept the playing field from going totally dark, but escalators stopped working and the concourses were only illuminated by small banks of lights tied in to emergency service.

Paul Newberry http://twitter.com/pnewberry1963

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TIGHTENING UP

Yeah, that San Francisco touchdown was worthy of a "Kaepernicking."

Colin Kaepernick cut Baltimore's lead to 31-29 on a 15-yard scoring run. After he crossed the goal line, Kaepernick let out a roar and kissed his right biceps the move that now known as "Kaepernicking."

The 49ers went for two, but Kaepernick's pass fell incomplete.

San Francisco has now racked up 23 points in 12 minutes and 20 seconds, a rate of almost two points a minute. Talk about a power surge.

Nancy Armour http://www.twitter.com/nrarmour

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RAVENS SCORE, BUT NOT AS MUCH AS THEY WANTED

Even Baltimore's scores are going San Francisco's way.

The Niners came up with two huge stops after the Ravens got to the San Francisco 1, forcing Baltimore to settle for Justin Tucker's 19-yard field goal. Justin Smith stuffed Ray Rice for no gain, and Joe Flacco threw an incompletion on third down.

Baltimore still leads 31-23.

Nancy Armour http://www.twitter.com/nrarmour

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ADS OVER FOOTBALL?

Even for a moment, is it possible Americans care more about commercials than football at the Super Bowl?

At the start of the fourth quarter, eight of nine unsponsored trending topics in the United States on Twitter have something to do with an ad not football or a power outage. The other isn't about football either, it's (hash)WhileWatchingTheGame, with people talking about doing other things.

Oskar Garcia http://twitter.com/oskargarcia

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A BALLGAME AGAIN

Let the conspiracy theories begin!

After failing to score a touchdown in the first half and looking downright dismal offensively, the San Francisco 49ers have been unstoppable since the lights in the Superdome came back on and are now down by just five points. For those scoring at home, that's 17 points in four minutes, 10 seconds.

Still think that fake field goal on fourth-and-9 was a good idea, John Harbaugh?

After Colin Kaepernick's 14-yard pass to Vernon Davis put the Niners at the Baltimore 6 and Frank Gore ran it on the next play to make it 28-20. Baltimore had the ball for all of two plays when Ray Rice fumbled and San Francisco cornerback Tarell Brown recovered at the Baltimore 24.

The 49ers only managed three yards, and David Akers' 39-yard field goal attempt was wide left. But hold on San Francisco's newfound luck continued, with the Ravens getting whistled for running into the kicker. That's a 5-yard penalty, and Akers made this one to cut Baltimore's lead to 28-23.

Nancy Armour http://www.twitter.com/nrarmour

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RALLY TIME?

Hey, the San Francisco 49ers scored a touchdown!

And 49ers fans everywhere collectively say, "Finally!"

Michael Crabtree caught a 31-yard touchdown pass with about 7 minutes left in the third quarter to cut Baltimore's lead to 28-13. San Francisco's only other points came on a pair of field goals by David Akers.

Don't get too excited yet, Niners fans. Your team is still down by 15 and no team has ever trailed by more than 10 and come back to win the Super Bowl.

Nancy Armour http://twitter.com/nrarmour

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STAT OF THE DAY: 84 MINS REST

This stat of the day comes from CBS, which tracked how long Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense were off the field from halftime through a 109-yard kickoff return and a nearly 30-minute power outage.

That total: 84 minutes, about the equivalent of a children's animated film.

When the Ravens did take the field again, they punted without getting a first down.

Oskar Garcia http://twitter.com/oskargarcia .

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QUICKQUOTE: JEROME BOGER

The head referee officiating the Super Bowl simply wanted to get the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers back to business.

To get play started, Jerome Boger simply stated: "Let's go."

The clock began rolling and play resumed.

Oskar Garcia http://twitter.com/oskargarcia

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PLAY BALL!

Well, that was interesting.

Following a delay of 35 minutes caused by a power outage in the Superdome, the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers are back out on the field. And no jokes about how the Niners haven't allowed any points in a half-hour.

The Ravens had just scored to take a 28-6 lead when lights throughout the Superdome went dark. There was limited emergency power in the concourses and at the top of the dome, but the scoreboards and most of the lights were out.

The lights gradually began coming back on after about 25 minutes, and a loud buzz could be heard. Players returned to the field and, after 10 more minutes, play resumed with 13:22 left in the third quarter.

Nancy Armour http://twitter.com/nrarmour

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1H AD HIGHLIGHTS

Here are some of the funnier highlights of the Super Bowl commercials during the first half:

Best Buy's 30-second ad in the first quarter starred Amy Poehler, of NBC's "Parks and Recreation," asking a Best Buy employee endless questions about electronics.

"Will this one read '50 shades of Grey' to me in a sexy voice," Poehler asks about an e-book reader. When the staffer says no she asks, "Will you?"

M&M's showed its red M singing Meatloaf's "I Would Do Anything For Love," and wooing beautiful women, but stopping short when they try to eat him.

Doritos went for humor with two user-created spots. Winners of the "Crash the Super Bowl" contest included one about a Doritos-crazy goat. Another showed a dad playing princess with his daughter to get Doritos. His buddies catch him, but instead of making fun of him they join in the fun. "Is that my wedding dress?" says his wife when she sees them playing.

Budweiser showed rival 49ers and Ravens fans each creating a voodoo doll for the other team with the help of a mysterious figure in a bar. "It's only weird if it doesn't work," reads the copy.

Mae Anderson http://twitter.com/maetron

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ALI WATCHING, DAUGHTER SAYS

One of Muhammad Ali's daughters says the boxer is watching the Super Bowl at his home in Arizona.

May May Ali knocked down rumors of her father being near death on Sunday, telling The Associated Press she spoke with him by phone on Sunday morning.

"He's fine, in fact he was talking well this morning," she said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "These rumors pop up every once in a while but there's nothing to them."

The rumors were started by a report in a British tabloid quoting Ali's brother, Rahman, as saying the former heavyweight champion was near death. Rahman, though, said he hadn't seen his brother since last summer and had no contact with the family.

The report was widely repeated on the Internet. Ali, 71, suffers from Parkinson's disease.

Tim Dahlberg http://twitter.com/timdahlberg

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POWER OUTAGE

The power has gone out at the Superdome during the third quarter of the Super Bowl.

Minutes after Baltimore scored on a 109-yard Jacoby Jones kickoff return to take a 28-6 lead, several banks of arena lights went out in the dome. Emergency lights went on but play was immediately halted.

Players are standing on the field but when it became clear it would not be a brief outage, they left the field and went to the sideline.

Several of the Ravens are sitting on the field, stretching to try to keep loose.

Lights are on outside the dome; the outage appears confined to the arena.

Nancy Armour http://twitter.com/nrarmour

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BEYONCE BRINGS IT

Beyonce wasn't messing around with her halftime performance.

No immediately obvious malfunctions, no weird cross-genre collaborations with rock stars or one-hit wonders.

Just Beyonce, then Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams to bring back Destiny's Child.

Beyonce sang a medley of hits, including "Crazy In Love," ''Baby Boy" and "Single Ladies." She also danced in front of a screen using multiple images of herself as a backup dancer when she wasn't backed by her all-female band and nearly two dozen dancers.

But when Rowland and Williams sprang up from trap doors onstage, the world got the performance it was anticipating.

Not surprisingly, the show dominated worldwide Twitter trends as the second half began.

Oskar Garcia http://twitter.com/oskargarcia

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EDITOR'S NOTE "Super Bowl Watch" shows you the Super Bowl and the events surrounding the game through the eyes of Associated Press journalists across New Orleans and around the world. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) South Korean and U.S. troops began naval drills Monday in a show of force partly directed at North Korea amid signs that Pyongyang will soon carry out a threat to conduct its third atomic test.

The region is also seeing a boost in diplomatic activity focused on North Korea's announcement last month that it will conduct a nuclear test to protest international sanctions toughened over Pyongyang's long-range rocket launch in December.

Pyongyang's two previous nuclear tests, in 2006 and 2009, both occurred after it was slapped with increased sanctions for similar rocket launches. The U.S., South Korea and other countries have urged North Korea to scrap its nuclear test plans or face grave consequences. North Korea's state media said Sunday that at a high-level Workers' Party meeting, leader Kim Jong Un issued "important" guidelines meant to bolster the army and protect national sovereignty. North Korea didn't elaborate, but Kim's guidelines likely refer to a nuclear test and suggest that Pyongyang appears to have completed formal procedural steps and is preparing to conduct a nuclear test soon, according to South Korean analyst Hong Hyun-ik.

"We assess that North Korea has almost finished preparations for conducting a nuclear test anytime and all that's left is North Korea making a political decision" to do so, Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told reporters Monday.

The spokesman said he couldn't disclose further details because they would involve confidential intelligence affairs. Recent satellite photos showed North Korea may have been sealing the tunnel into a mountainside where a nuclear device could be exploded.

Meanwhile, diplomats are meeting to find ways to persuade North Korea to scrap its nuclear test plans. New U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his South Korean counterpart Kim Sung-hwan held a telephone conversation Sunday night and agreed to sternly deal with any possible nuclear provocation by North Korea, according to Seoul's Foreign Ministry.

South Korea on Sunday also sent its top nuclear negotiator to China, the North's main ally and aid benefactor, for talks, the ministry said in a statement.

North Korea says U.S. hostility and the threat of American troops in South Korea are important reasons behind its nuclear drive. The U.S. stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.

North Korea also says it has the sovereign right to launch rockets to send satellites into orbit under a space development program; the U.S. says the December launch was a disguised test of banned missile technology.

On Monday, South Korean and U.S. militaries kicked off three-day exercises off the Korean Peninsula's east coast that involve live-fire exercises, naval maneuvers and submarine detection drills.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the maneuvers are part of regular joint military training that the allies had scheduled before the latest nuclear tensions began. But the training, which involves a nuclear-powered American submarine, could still send a warning against possible North Korean provocation, a South Korean military official said, requesting anonymity because of department rules.

North Korean state media on Saturday described the drills as a joint exercise for a pre-emptive attack on the country. North Korea has said similar things when South Korea and the U.S. conducted other drills; the allies have repeatedly said they have no intention of attacking the North.

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NEW DELHI/JAKARTA (Reuters) - Research in Motion Ltd must chart a tough course in its two key emerging markets of India and Indonesia: quickly launch cheaper handsets to woo lower-end subscribers while restoring its tattered brand among the countries' status-conscious.

The company, which is rebranding itself BlackBerry after its best-known smartphone, has won millions of followers in these two Asian countries, mostly by selling cheaper handsets and offering service packages as low as $2 a month. So it's unlikely that the Z10 model introduced last week, which operators in India expect to sell for around $750, will appeal to the users it must reach if it is to build market share.

"It's clear that not only are India and Indonesia among the largest markets but in terms of future smartphone growth, they're amongst the ones with the most potential," said Melissa Chau, senior research manager at technology research group IDC in Singapore. "But the two devices that have been launched are not well aligned to the needs of these two markets."

While the company does not break down its sales by country, data from IDC shows that Indonesia was BlackBerry's biggest market outside the United States and Britain last year, while India was ninth.

ABI Research said that BlackBerry accounted for nearly half of Indonesia's smartphone shipments in 2012. Compare this with a global share of just 5.3 percent. In India, the world's second-largest mobile phone market, BlackBerry ranks third after Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and Nokia.

In both countries, young people are drawn by low-cost handsets allowing them to communicate for free on the BlackBerry Messaging Service (BBM). Almost all carriers offer services for the device. Indonesia's XL Axiata Tbk PT, for example, saw a 45 percent jump in BlackBerry subscribers last financial year after offering packages for as little as 20 cents per day.

But this picture is changing rapidly.

The rise of messaging services such as WhatsApp that are not confined to any single operating system and the proliferation of cheap Android devices have diluted the BlackBerry's appeal.

Mickey Nayoan, a 32-year old product designer in Jakarta, swapped his BlackBerry for a Samsung phone six months ago and isn't missing it.

"I survived without BlackBerry because there's WhatsApp," he said. "More and more people use it and so I don't need BBM anymore."

At the same time, higher-end users have deserted what is increasingly seen as a low-end brand.

"When they came up with the cheaper versions, that took the allure off the brand for many Indonesians who are very status-conscious," said Ong Hock Chuan, a Jakarta-based communications consultant.

ANDROID MAKES INROADS

While BlackBerry remained the number one smartphone brand in Indonesia in the second quarter of last year, the most recent period for which rankings were available, Android overtook it as the most popular operating system, according to IDC.

IDC said when it released the data last September that this was partly because of delays in the launch of the BlackBerry 10. The Z10 is likely to launch in the second half of February in India and in late March in Indonesia.

Data from StatCounter, a website which estimates mobile web traffic, shows BlackBerry's share in Indonesia falling from about 20 percent in 2011 to about 5 percent last year.

On the other hand, carriers and users say, glitches with BlackBerry services and a perception that the brand has lost some of its luster mean that it will be hard to sell the Z10 and a keyboard model, the Q10, even to better-off users.

"It really depends on how BlackBerry 10 performs. If it can fix problems of previous BlackBerry (services) it could succeed in the market," said Hasnul Suhaimi, CEO of Indonesia's XL Axiata. But for now, he said, "it will just be about people swapping out existing devices."

To reverse this, BlackBerry must announce cheaper devices quickly, analysts say. BlackBerry launched handsets designed on its old platform for just such users in India and Indonesia last year.

"The Z10... is obviously a high-end product and India is not a market at that price point," said Anshul Gupta, an industry analyst at technology advisory firm Gartner in Mumbai. "We don't know exactly what will be coming here, but I would expect them to launch different models in India which would give them more traction."

(Additional reporting by Henry Foy in Mumbai and Jeremy Wagstaff in Singapore; Writing by Jeremy Wagstaff; Editing by Emily Kaiser)

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WASHINGTON (AP) New Secretary of State John Kerry had a busy first weekend on the job, calling Palestinian, Israeli, Turkish, Canadian and Mexican officials.

In his conversation Sunday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Kerry said President Barack Obama "is very interested in the peace process and aware of the economic hardships of the Palestinian people," Abbas spokesman Nabel Abu Rdeneh said.

Abu Rdeneh also said that Kerry said he would visit the region for further talks with Abbas "to preserve the political path." No time was set for the visit.

The State Department said Kerry spoke with Israeli President Shimon Peres on Saturday about the formation of the country's new government, and that the two "exchanged views" on the peace process and regional matters.

Also on his first full day as America's top diplomat, Kerry:

got an update from Turkey's foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu about the investigation into Friday's suicide bombing at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara.

spoke with Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird about Iran, Mali and the proposed Keystone XL pipeline that would run from Canada to Texas.

discussed with Mexico's foreign minister, Jose Antonio Meade, the deadly blast at the headquarters of Mexico's state-owned oil company.

had lunch with George Shultz, secretary of state under President Ronald Reagan.

Kerry was sworn in Friday afternoon, succeeding Hillary Rodham Clinton in Obama's Cabinet.

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Associated Press writer Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank, contributed to this report.

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NEW ORLEANS (AP) Around the Super Bowl and its host city with journalists from The Associated Press bringing the flavor and details of everything surrounding the game:

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TEAMS ARRIVE AT SUPERDOME

The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers have arrived at the Superdome.

The teams left their hotels in buses roughly 3 before kickoff was scheduled Sunday.

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(NOT) PLAYING FAVORITES

Jack and Jackie Harbaugh know where they'll be after the Super Bowl.

"There's going to be one winner and one (son) that's going to be totally disappointed," Jack Harbaugh said. "Our thoughts go to that one that will not experience the thrill of victory."

With Baltimore Ravens coach John facing little brother Jim's San Francisco 49ers, the thrill of the NFL title game also puts Jack and Jackie in an awkward spot, knowing one son will celebrate the highlight of his career while the other will be absolutely gutted.

They got a "dry run" last season, when John's Ravens beat Jim's 49ers. On Thanksgiving Day.

"We opened the door to the Ravens locker room ... guys jumping up and down, the smile on John's face. They were just ecstatic," Jack Harbaugh said. "Then you realize that you're not needed here. So you walked across the hall to the 49ers locker room ... and finally saw Jim, all by himself in this room, just a table and a chair. He was still in his coaching outfit. His head was down in his hands and you looked into his eyes and you realized that this was where you're needed as a parent. Every single parent can identify with that.

"That thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. On Sunday night, we're going to experience both of those great emotions," Jack Harbaugh said.

Nancy Armour http://twitter.com/nrarmour

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ADS BONANZA

With 30-second spots going for as much as $4 million this year, the Super Bowl is advertising's biggest stage. Companies that shell out that cash want the more than 111 million viewers expected to tune in to remember their spot come Monday.

Most advertisers have released their ads already, trying to get a head start on capturing the buzz on social networks.

But some companies are still planning big reveals, including M&Ms, Chrysler, Oreo and BlackBerry.

"What we see on the night of the game is really important," said Kelly O'Keefe, professor at a professor, creative brand management, at the Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter.

Mae Anderson http://twitter.com/maetron

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GEARED UP FOR THE GAME

Any fan can show their love for their favorite player by wearing a jersey. Four Baltimore Ravens are doing it with entire outfits.

In addition to the heavy painted leather coats he and his fellow "Ravens Posse" members are wearing, Rick Bowlus (far left) has linebacker Ray Lewis' number and face painted on his jeans.

Nancy Armour http://twitter.com/nrarmour

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RATINGS HOPES

Three years running, the Super Bowl has set a TV viewership record. CBS is hoping that happens again on Sunday.

Last year, NBC's broadcast hit an average audience of 111.3 million people.

But ratings are a mere point of pride for CBS heading into kickoff. The ads have already been sold (some at more than $4 million a pop), so the network can now only hope to put forth its best broadcast and redirect as much of the Super Bowl glow toward its other programs and its cable sports network.

Telecasters Jim Nantz and Phil Simms will call the game while more than 60 cameras cover the action with at least one keeping an eye on the parents of 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh and Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh.

Jake Coyle

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NO RG3 IN THE HOUSE

There's only one way Robert Griffin III wants to go to the Super Bowl.

As a player.

The electrifying Washington Redskins quarterback came to New Orleans to pick up The Associated Press 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year award. But he won't be going to Sunday's game between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers, planning to watch it with his family instead.

"I'm a firm believer you don't go to the Super Bowl unless you're playing in it," Griffin said.

Nancy Armour http://www.twitter.com/nrarmour

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HERE COME NINER BETTORS

After heavy betting on the Baltimore Ravens, sports betting professionals and last-minute casual bettors in Las Vegas and around the world are heavily swinging toward San Francisco.

The 49ers were favored by 5 points when betting action started two weeks ago, meaning San Francisco bettors need them to win by at least two field goals to collect. But the spread encouraged lots of bettors to take Baltimore, pushing the line down to 3 . Now, San Francisco supporters have moved the line back up to 4 points in most sports books and 4 in others, according to gambling expert R.J. Bell of Pregame.com.

Bell says that a few days ago, nearly two-thirds of the bets taken in Las Vegas and online sports books offshore were on the Ravens. It's close to 50-50 now and the 49ers are closing the gap quickly in the hours before the game.

Adjustments to the line are encouraging bettors on the fence to pick sides.

"The moves are taking a lot of money right now," Bell said.

An estimated $10 billion is expected to be wagered on the Super Bowl, with less than 1 percent of that coming from legal sports books in Nevada, Bell says.

Oskar Garcia http://twitter.com/oskargarcia

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VAMOS CUERVOS

Rodolfo Rodriguez is in New Orleans all the way from Monterrey, Mexico, to cheer on his "Cuervos," the Spanish name for the Baltimore Ravens.

He's predicting a 28-24 Baltimore victory over San Francisco.

Rodriguez spent part of his weekend on Super Bowl Boulevard at Woldenberg Riverfront Park, waving toward a cruise ship arriving on the Mississippi River into the Port of New Orleans near the large Roman numerals for the Super Bowl.

Julio Cortez http://twitter.com/juliocortez_ap

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LIL WAYNE ROOTING AGAINST SF

The San Francisco 49ers prevented Lil Wayne's favorite team, the Green Bay Packers, from going to the Super Bowl. So the rapper wants the Baltimore Ravens to get a little revenge on his behalf.

"I'm salty about the team that beat us, so I gotta root against them, and that team is the 49ers," he said.

But his desire isn't all based on bitterness.

"Who doesn't want to see (Ravens linebacker) Ray Lewis succeed? And also who also doesn't want to see (49ers wide receiver) Randy Moss get his first ring as well?" he said.

"I'm kind of iffy about this game. I don't mind the outcome of it, I think either or, it's gonna be beautiful for both of them."

Lil Wayne plans to be in a suite for the game after all, it's in his hometown. His friends and family all wanted tickets.

"I had to pay for those tickets and my team isn't even playing in that game ah man, that hit the pockets kind of hard," he laughed.

Lil Wayne is well-documented sports fanatic.

Nekesa Mumbi Moody http://twitter.com/nekesamumbi

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BROTHERLY ADVICE: AARON RODGERS

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh and San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh are hardly the only high-profile siblings who've squared off in their arena of expertise. The AP is asking some others who can relate how to handle going against a family member in the Super Bowl.

As the middle of three brothers, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers knows a thing or two about high-stakes competitions with siblings. It wouldn't matter if he was facing one of his brothers in the backyard or the sport's biggest stage.

"I'd want to beat them pretty bad," the 2011 NFL MVP said. "I really would."

Less than two years separates Rodgers and his older brother, Luke, now on Fuel TV's "Clean Break," and the two are "very competitive."

"My older brother and I had a lot of great matchups, great one-on-one games. We competed a lot in sports," Rodgers said.

There's still a chance Rodgers could wind up facing one of his brothers on the field, maybe even at the Super Bowl. Jordan Rodgers led Vanderbilt to its first nine-win record since 1915 last season and is now preparing for the NFL draft.

"I hope so," Rodgers said of the prospects of a "Rodgers Bowl." ''And I hope we would win if that ever happened."

Nancy Armour http://twitter.com/nrarmour

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TWITTER BUZZ BUILDING

Americans on Twitter are already buzzing about the Super Bowl with about 6 hours until the game kicks off.

Four terms related to the game between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers are trending in the United States: "Happy Super Bowl Sunday," ''49ers," ''Beyonce" and "Ray Lewis."

None, however, are trending worldwide yet.

Oskar Garcia http://twitter.com/oskargarcia

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GUN AD

Washington lawmakers watching the Super Bowl in the beltway are getting a 30-second visit from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's gun control group.

Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a coalition of more than 900 mayors in 48 states, paid six figures for the local spot, according to a Bloomberg spokesman.

The ad calls on lawmakers to pass rules requiring background checks on guns. It is narrated by children with "America the Beautiful" playing in the background.

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QUICKQUOTE: ANDREW LUCK

Andrew Luck has high praise for San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, his old coach at Stanford. Even if he did pick an unusual way to express it.

"I always enjoyed playing under coach Harbaugh. He always brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm," the Indianapolis Colts quarterback said. "He was the type of guy you'd want in an alley fight with you. You could tell he wanted to win just as bad as the next guy."

Nancy Armour http://www.twitter.com/nrarmour

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EDITOR'S NOTE "Super Bowl Watch" shows you the Super Bowl and the events surrounding the game through the eyes of Associated Press journalists across New Orleans and around the world. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.

Read More