Like an actress dolled up for the Oscars, University of Phoenix Stadium is undergoing a dramatic makeover to get it ready for prime time.

Windows are being washed and seating areas deep scrubbed. Turquoise and Sedona red Super Bowl decorations are being draped over Cardinals logos. And turf specialists are manicuring new sod recently installed on the dome's 19 million-pound rollout field.

The stadium is going to be seen from a lot of different perspectives by an international television audience, not only from the inside but the architectural marvel that it is from outside as well," said the NFL's Frank Supovitz, the Super Bowl's producer.

He added that it's critical to "show the building to its best advantage."

With close to 1 billion viewers tuning into the Super Bowl worldwide, the NFL is sparing no expense making sure the $455 million Glendale stadium shines.

Four weeks ago, a team of 35 people replaced the field with 1.4 million pounds of new Alabama-grown sod. Since then, the Tifway 419 hybrid Bermuda grass has received round-the-clock care, including maximum sunlight and watering. The NFL finished painting hash marks, the league shield and team logos over the weekend.

"If the grass doesn't look good, the rest of the event doesn't look good," said Jimmy Fox, co-owner of Chandler-based Evergreen Turf, which installed the sod. "It has become a high priority for the NFL to make sure the field looks good."

To motorists driving along Loop 101, it may look like a small city has sprouted around the metallic, UFO-like structure. Media-broadcast compounds and the sprawling NFL Experience amusement park have eaten up whole parking lots. And the NFL has erected a huge white tent on the 8-acre Great Lawn west of the stadium for a 10,000-guest tailgate party.

Meanwhile, a temporary security perimeter, composed of concrete barriers and cyclone fencing, is being installed 300 feet beyond the stadium's walls.

"The stadium itself has grown dramatically in terms of its footprint," said Supovitz, the NFL's senior vice president of events.

Back inside the stadium, seating will be reconfigured to accommodate 70,500 fans, about 7,000 more than the stadium usually holds. Some upper-level seats will be removed to make way for extra media spaces and the NFL's Mission Control-style communications center, responsible for everything from getting the teams to Glendale on time to coordinating commercials with Super Bowl broadcaster Fox.

Jerry Steinberg, the Fox Sports vice president of field operations who is overseeing the setup, said it requires good teammates and a good playbook to pull off a television event on the magnitude of a Super Bowl.

Handy Strike Chart:
[UPDATED 1/27/08]

30 Rock: Ten episodes have been produced. Ten episodes have aired, so there are zero left.

Aliens in America: Seventeen episodes have been produced. Ten episodes have aired, so there are seven left.

Back to You: Nine episodes have been produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are two left.

The Big Bang Theory: Eight episodes have been produced. Eight episodes have aired, so there are zero left.

Bionic Woman: Eight episodes have been produced. Eight episodes have aired, so there are zero left.

Bones: Twelve episodes have been produced. Nine episodes have aired, so there are three left.

Boston Legal: Fourteen episodes have been produced. Twelve episodes have aired, so there are two left.

Brothers & Sisters: Twelve episodes have been produced. Ten episodes have aired, so there are two left.

Carpoolers: Thirteen episodes have been produced. Eight episodes have aired, so there are five left.

Cavemen: Thirteen episodes have been produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are seven left.

Chuck: Thirteen episodes have been produced. Thirteen episodes have aired, so there are zero left.

Criminal Minds: Thirteen episodes have been produced. Thirteen episodes have aired, so there are zero left.

CSI: Eleven episodes have been produced. Eleven episodes have aired, so there are zero left.

CSI: Miami: Thirteen episodes have been produced. Thirteen episodes have aired, so there are zero left.

CSI: NY: Fourteen episodes have been produced. Thirteen episodes have aired, so there is one left.

Desperate Housewives: Ten episodes have been produced. Ten episodes have aired, so there are zero left.

Dirty Sexy Money: Thirteen episodes have been produced. Ten episodes have aired, so there are three left.

ER: Thirteen episodes have been produced. Thirteen episodes have aired, so there are zero left.

Friday Night Lights: Fifteen episodes have been produced. Twelve episodes have aired, so there are three left.

Gossip Girl: Thirteen episodes have been produced. Thirteen episodes have aired, so there are zero left.

Greek: Eight episodes have been produced. None have aired yet, so there are eight left.

Grey's Anatomy: Eleven episodes have been produced. Eleven episodes have aired, so there are zero left.

Heroes: Eleven episodes have been produced. Eleven episodes have aired, so there are zero left.

House: Twelve episodes have been produced. Nine episodes have aired, so there are three left.

How I Met Your Mother: Eleven episodes have been produced. Eleven episodes have aired, so there are zero left.

Jericho: Seven episodes have been produced. None have aired yet, so there are seven episodes left.

Las Vegas: Nineteen episodes have been produced. Fifteen have aired, so there are four left.

Law & Order: SVU: Fourteen episodes have been produced. Fourteen episodes have aired, so there are zero left.

Life is Wild: Twelve episodes have been produced. Ten episodes have aired, so there are two left.

Lost: Eight episodes have been produced. None have aired yet, so there are eight episodes left.

Medium: Nine episodes have been produced. Two episodes have aired, so there are seven left.

Men in Trees: Nineteen episodes have been produced. Eight episodes have aired, so there are 11 left.

Moonlight: Twelve episodes have been produced. Twelve episodes have aired, so there are zero left.

My Name is Earl: Thirteen episodes have been produced (that includes two one-hour eps, which count double). Thirteen episodes have aired, so there are zero left.

NCIS: Eleven episodes have been produced. Eleven episodes have aired, so there are zero left.

The New Adventures of Old Christine: Eight episodes have been produced. No episodes have aired, so there are eight left.

Nip/Tuck: Fourteen episodes have been produced. Nine episodes have aired, so there are five left.

Numbers: Twelve episodes have been produced. Twelve have aired, so there are zero left.

October Road: Twelve episodes have been produced. Eight episodes have aired, so there are four left.

The Office: Twelve half-hour episodes have been produced. Twelve half-hour episodes have aired, so there are zero half-hour episodes left.

One Tree Hill: Twelve episodes have been produced. Four episodes have aired, so there are eight left.

Prison Break: Thirteen episodes have been produced. Ten episodes have aired, so there are three left.

Private Practice: Nine episodes have been produced. Nine episodes have aired, so there are zero left.

Pushing Daisies: Nine episodes have been produced. Nine episodes have aired, so there are zero left.

Reaper: Thirteen episodes have been produced. Ten episodes have aired, so there are three left.

Samantha Who?: Twelve episodes have been produced. Nine episodes have aired, so there are three left.

Scrubs: Eleven episodes have been produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are five left.

Shark: Twelve episodes have been produced. Eleven episodes have aired, so there is one left.

The Shield: All 13 season-seven episodes have been produced. None have aired (the final season gets underway in '08), so there are 13 left.

Smallville: Fifteen episodes have been produced. Nine episodes have aired, so there are six left.

Supernatural: Twelve episodes have been produced. Eight episodes have aired, so there are four left.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Nine episodes have been produced. Three episodes have aired, so there are six left.

Ugly Betty: Thirteen episodes have been produced. Thirteen episodes have aired, so there are zero left.

The Unit: Eleven episodes have been produced. Eleven episodes have aired, so there are zero left.

Without a Trace: Twelve episodes have been produced. Twelve episodes have aired, so there are zero left.

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