Breaking From Other Years, Obamas Plan Quiet Super Bowl Watching

President Obama and the first lady are planning a low-key Super Bowl watching weekend, breaking from previous years when they invited celebrities, politicians and wounded warriors to bashes at the White House for the big game.

Sunday the president is slated to interview with NBC News' Matt Lauer, whose network is airing the game. FOX television aired the game last year, and also sat down with Fox News' Bill O'Reilly.

First lady Michelle Obama earlier this week on The Rachael Ray Show said the first family would have a "quiet" Super Bowl Sunday and saying nachos are a good choice for the game-watching. "[T]he president loves avocado -- that's his favorite snack food, a chip dipped in some guac," she said.

When asked who he would support in Sunday's game between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots, the president said he is staying neutral. "I can't call it," Obama told ABC's Diane Sawyer last week.

"When the Bears are not involved, I can't make predictions because I will get into trouble. But both are great teams. Brady obviously one of the best quarterbacks we've ever seen. Eli Manning playing as well as he's ever played, and it's going to be a fun Super Bowl," said Obama, an avid Chicago Bears fan.

For last year's game, the first couple hosted several members of the president's cabinet, and also Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, along with members of Congress. They had bratwursts, kielbasa and beers from the home-states of the teams playing, the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In 2010, they also hosted bi-partisan members of Congress and injured military members who served in Iraq and Afghanistan

Three years ago, when the Steelers played the Arizona Cardinals, members of Congress from the home states came to the White House to watch the game.

The White House theater was filled with game watchers and even big-screen TVs were set up in the East Wing.

A recent book by New York Times writer Jodi Kantor, "The Obamas", said the event had become something the first couple didn't necessarily like participating in.

Particularly, President Obama didn't seem like to have to play host and greet people and would rather focus on the sport.

"He was sitting up front, he was watching the game, and he didn't move," U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) is quoted as saying in the book.

There's also a passage suggesting the 2009 game almost stopped Super Bowl parties altogether.

"After the Steelers had won and everyone went home, at least one of the party planners wondered if they should have kept the gathering entirely private- Barack Obama had only so much patience for official entertaining, people would expect a similar Super Bowl party the next year and the year after, and, once an event migrated from a private event to a political one, it was hard to take back," page 56 in the book reports.