Original pre-Super Bowl Friday Flyer article from 2002

By Sharon Rice
The Friday Flyer

If Canyon Lake can take their eyes off the sizzling star of Pepsi Cola’s upcoming Super Bowl commercial, there is a possibility they will see Bob and Bev Benter’s classic yellow and white ‘57 Ford Fairlane in the background of the commercial.

That’s because the Fairlane was parked front and center on the 50s Diner stage where Britney Spears will air this Sunday during the big game.

The Benters are giddy with excitement and crossing their fingers that the scenes they heard Britney filming with their car made it to the final cut. But they, like everyone else, will just have to wait and see.

And a long wait it’s been since last July when Bob listened to what he presumed was a crank call, inviting him to bring his ‘57 Ford to the filming of a Britney Spears Pepsi commercial. Even after follow-up phone calls with a company called Show Mobiles, the Benters remained skeptical until the day they drove their car to Renmar Studios in Hollywood.

Arriving at the studio at 6 a.m. on Friday morning, Bob and Bev, along with their 23-year-old son Bobby, were directed to drive their car around back and park next to a catering truck, where a gourmet breakfast was laid out for everyone participating in the shoot. The array of delicious food they were offered was just a glimpse of the day that lay ahead of them.

A few other privately-owned classic cars began arriving soon after, along with a car-hauler, loaded with cars that Bob presumes are rented specifically for use in movies and commercials. At about 9 a.m. the producer started looking over the cars and putting them in order, instructing his assistant, JR, to take them into the set.

While JR drove the other cars, he told Bob he could drive his own car to a position in front of a 50s Diner stage—a setting so fantastic “it sent chills down your back,” according to Bob.

He was instructed to park his car in the middle of a semi-circle of cars, in front of the diner doors. Bob was, of course, deeply gratified to have his car swarmed by cameramen, “like piranhas,” who complimented its beauty.

After that, it was a waiting game as Bob and Bev and their son sat off-stage and watched crew and equipment parade back and forth. They were stunned by the amount of equipment involved as the director kept ordering changes, while hundreds of trucks came and went with props, cameras and other gear.

Then dancers started walking past in 50s costumes. Soon the Benters spotted several celebrities and someone they were quite sure was Britney Spear’s mom and little sister, as well as her grandparents.

Finally, they noticed a girl in a blond Marilyn Monroe wig, surrounded by armed bodyguards and hair and makeup people.

The entourage passed within five feet of the Benters as the blonde glanced over and smiled at them. Bev says she was still commenting on how cute the girl looked when she realized it was Britney.

“She wore skin-tight turquoise-blue capris with a pink angora sweater and spiked heels,” Bev recalls. That was the first of many sightings and numerous costume changes throughout the day, as the Benters patiently sat offstage and enjoyed sumptuous food. A couple of times they managed to peek through the curtain to watch the dancers, though security was tight.

Bobby, with his bleached and spiked hair, managed to mingle with the crowd of technicians and crew members shooting the commercial, and was, therefore, able to meet the dancers and get within arm’s reach of Britney. “She’s even cuter in person than she is on TV,” he notes. All the Benters were impressed by the entertainer’s good-natured smiles and laughter whenever she passed by.

While cars seemed to come and go through the day’s shooting, Bob’s car remained on the set, though he occasionally had to move it. For one scene, he was asked to open the hood so Britney could be filmed working on the engine; but he doesn’t know if she ever did.

As the day progressed, modern and more exotic cars were brought into the set, including a car from the movie, “Fast and Furious.”

Then, in the evening, everyone — cameramen, sound crew, dancers — abruptly left the studio to go to a different studio. The Benters wondered if it wasn’t time for them to pack up and leave, but they were asked to stay just “another hour.” At about 9 or 10 p.m., the catering truck once again came by and set out a meal of Chinese and Italian food.

Finally, everyone came back to the 50s Diner, and this time Britney was dressed in a Pepsi outfit of blue, red and silver fringes. There was more music — the same Pepsi Jingle they’d heard all day — and finally, sometime after midnight, the Benters heard the words, “That’s a wrap,” and the cheers of the crew as the shooting finally ended.

Arriving back home in Canyon Lake at 3 a.m., Bev says, “We were tired but so wired we couldn’t sleep.”

They still look back on that day as a dream. Feted and treated like royalty throughout the day, they refused the $250 fee Show Mobiles offered them. “We would have paid for that experience,” they exclaim.

Now, they are anxious to see what kind of commercial results from the three days of filming. The first day was filmed at the beach, the second day was filmed in the valley in a 70s Woodstock setting and the third day was filmed in the 50s Diner studio.

This past Monday, Pepsi set up a website (http://pepsi.yahoo.com/britney), giving viewers the opportunity to vote on their favorite scene in anticipation of Sunday’s commercial. It states,

“Britney will travel through the Pepsi Generations in Pepsi’s new full-length commercial, ‘Now and Then,’ that will premiere this Sunday in the Big Game…Britney chose her favorite three generations…now we need your vote to narrow it down to one. Choose your favorite Pepsi Generation and the winner will air as a new 30-second commercial in the second quarter of the Big Game. Hurry, voting ends this Friday, February 1, at midnight.”

With three days of filming condensed into 30 seconds, the Benters are understandably nervous about whether their Fairlane will make it into the final commercial — but it’s looking good. They spotted it in a commercial preview during Sam Ruben’s “Entertainment” segment of Channel 5 news on Tuesday night.