According to preliminary ratings reports, the most popular part of yesterday's Super Bowl broadcast was that crazy Cleopatra-goes-to-church-with-a-drumline-and-Japanese-schoolgirls concoction that Madonna performed in the middle. The game itself didn't rank higher than last year's record setting game, but it came close.

Madonna's 10-minute halftime spectacle averaged a 48.3 rating while the game itself averaged a 47.8 rating. Last year's game had a 47.9 rating, which translates to 111 million viewers and was the highest rated game in history. This year's is slightly down (but not by much) and is the third highest rated game. But still, Madonna beats all of that. Looks like, for some people, Madge is a bigger draw than a silly sporting event.

Speaking of people who don't care about the game, it looks like the coveted post-Super Bowl television slot worked out better for NBC's singing competition The Voice this year than it did for the worst ever episode of Glee after the Super Bowl last year. Christian Aguillera snubbing her former castmates on the Mickey Mouse Club and Cee-Lo Green searching for something—anything—to wear that is tasteful garnered the show a 19.4 rating, up 27% from the numbers teens singing "Thriller" did last year.

[Image via Getty]