The Super Bowl is known as much for its brute display of athletic prowess as it is for its over-the-top television commercials and pyrotechnic halftime shows.

But with the economy still in a slump, many commercials Sunday seemed uninspired and unoriginal. Companies relied on tried-and-true gimmicks and avoided any new concepts, cutting down on production costs.

But the most disappointing part of the Super Bowl had to be the halftime show. As amusing as a lineup combining the musical stylings of Sting, No Doubt and Shania Twain sounds, the 20 minute spectacle on the field of Qualcomm Stadium was anything but giggle-inducing. In fact it was heartbreaking.

Shania Twain lip-synched to a prerecorded track that apparently even she didn’t take very seriously – she could be seen talking over the music to fans in the audience as she leaned into the crowd at the foot of the stage.

No Doubt lead-singer Gwen Stefani sang in her usual off-key moan, but at least it was live. And her tone did get better as she joined Sting in singing “Message in a Bottle,” easily the highlight of the show. The requisite fireworks display following the show added a little spark but all-in-all halftime seemed disappointingly anti-climactic.

Evidence of the lackluster halftime show can be seen in the huge spike in water consumption in San Diego during the mid-game break.

According to the San Diego water department, water usage surged 3.5 percent (from 199 million gallons to 206 million gallons) during halftime as millions made a mad dash for the toilet. At an average of 3.5 gallons per flush, that’s an additional 2 million flushes in San Diego alone during the halftime show.

That’s a lot of money flushed down the toilet.