Wow. Just froze my bottom off in Florida. Good to be back in Detroit where I know to put on a winter coat in February.Anyone watching the Olympics? This is my problem-either I give it a pass or I find myself watching every event and crying over the back stories of people who are competing in the moguls. Whatever moguls is?
It's all or nothing--so I choose nothing usually.
How about you?Also is Bob hitting the black hair dye too hard? I have made this mistake myself. Always pick a shade two lighter than your original one-according to my hair dresser.
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I'm using my DVR to get the best of both worlds. Record the entire evening, come to the TV about two hours after they start, and fast forward through all the stuff I don't want to see. This includes almost all interviews, background features, and figure skating. I don;t do subjective events, with rare exceptions. I want to see who was faster or longer or higher, though the moguls were fun to watch.
Races are fun although the possibility of death seems to haunt the winter games.
I'm watching bits and pieces. Loved the opening ceremony, and find the whole thing nicely inspiring.
It's hard to complain about how hard it is to write a novel when you're watching someone go downhill at a gazillion miles an hour, and in perfect form :-)
Yeah, it's been remarkably cold down here in the Sunshine State. My in-laws are in Oregon, and they're having a warmer February than we are.
I'm saving my eyeballs until June for World Cup, which is the competition the rest of the world really cares about. The Olympics are just window dressing.
Yeah, I'm a sucker for the narratives as well. Only seen a bit so far, but it's just a matter of time before I get sucked in...
What makes a big difference I think is having someone to watch it with. I used to watch it with my son when he was a kid-we really bonded over sporting events. But my husband prefers news, baseball, the cooking channel and movies. So I probably will watch very little.
Living on the U.S-Canadian border, we get both the NBC coverage and the much superior CBC coverage. I'll be watching Olympic hockey when it gets started tomorrow.
We get it too, George. And it is better.
Patty, I'm just like you: All or nothing. So far it's nothing. I don't know why. Maybe Haiti is still on my mind?
Since they turned the Olympics into a soap opera years ago I've refused to watch a single second of it. It's no longer about the games, it's about the stories of the athletes. And I just don't care about them.
It's actually CTV and TSN that are the broadcasters covering the Olympics in Canada, not CBC. So far they are doing a decent job and I suspect that most Canadians aren't missing the familiar CBC sports talking heads. CTV waa criticized in today's paper for not cutting away to cover the protests in downtown Vancouver and sticking with features. Brian Williams, who is the lead host, left CBC a couple of years ago after CTV won the bidding rights so he could work the Olympics. Men's hockey will be interesting to watch without the usual CBC Hockey Night in Canada personnel.
Guess I can't watch it then.
I don't have any TV channels, just a DVD and VCR, and entire seasons of Dexter and 30 Rock to get through (latecomer to both shows, but I am enjoying them very much). So, for me it is no Olympics.
Dexter has gotten better each year. Thirty Rock has gotten worse (IMHO). One of those shows where you can shuffle the deck too much. Any segment can come from any show.
We're watching it, or rather we're watching what NBC gives us, between commercials (about 50% of airtime, from what I can tell), interviews and special features. It's good to have something else to do while it's on as that way we can look up to see the good bits. (I'm getting my CDs organized, so there's a big work table in the living room...)
The weather has been terrible for the Olympics, which is too bad, and I wish we could get the Canadian feed, but cannot.
We tried to watch the evening broadcast and also the first episode of Amazing Race, but the commercials seemed pretty well synched so we missed a lot of both.
I really miss the "old days" of the ABC broadcasts with Jim McKay. Sure it was black and white and low tech, but the coverage was very good, they explained everything and kept you informed about who was in what position in the standings and the whole seemed much less manufactured.
I said last night to Wife, "This could all be happening in a studio somewhere..."
But we'll probably keep watching.
It's happening right where I live; I'm watching it. It's the Olympics. It's magic. I watch.
Just talking about Jim McKay when we watched the moguls. He was a real gentleman.
You are so lucky to live in Vancouver. One of the nicest cities on earth. If it were in Detroit, I'd watch. Well, I should take that back. I didn't watch the Superbowl when it was here.
I love the Winter Games, am bored to tears by the Summer Games. I want luge, dammit, not pole vaulting! And I am mesmerized by the ski-jumping, I could watch that endlessly.
Summer or winter. I guess some of each-gymnastics and ice skating. Does that mean I need a judge to enjoy it? I hope not.
I worked Security for the Atlanta games in '96 and pretty much had zero interest in the summer or winter games since then. As I was saying to my mother the other day, do they have Roller Derby? nah-- then I'm not watching it.
Iren,
Short track speed skating looks a lot like roller derby.
Patti,
I think Costas got a little carried away with the dye. It appears to have stunted his growth.
Am I the only viewer who is tired of Bob Costas' smarmy interviews? Costas' pretension and phony gravitas annoy me. That's why I'm watching most the Olympic coverage on the CBC. And, yes, Costas is hitting the hair dye too hard.
And I think he has had some cosmetic eye surgery too. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Just noticing.
The same thing just happened to us. We got back from Florida last Tuesday.... good to be back in Minnesota. :)
My choice: nothing. But my family like watching skiing so when I think about it, I do know it is Olympic time.
My choice: all in. Only issue it tonight and tomorrow when the Olympics is aired opposite the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
Midway through I will regret missing it.
There are very few of the sports that really captivate me, except for downhill (hopefully I haven't missed it) and the ski jump. I don't know - the whole accident on Friday completely turned me off this year. BTW, I still love 30 Rock - I relate to Tina's character way too much.
From a European viewpoint, Vancouver is located too many timezones away. Noon Pacific Time means 8 p.m. CET, so I will not be able see a lot of the action live.
Curling is really more exciting than one might think. Not only is the precision required quite stunning, but the tactical part of it makes it almost diabolical.
And I really really want the Swedish ladies hockey team to do well.
I warned you it was cold down here!
Of course, compared to NY (or Detroit) it's a pleasure, though we have had to buy a few more warm clothes.
Jeff M.
On the Olympics: Well, Jackie loves the ice skating so I can't avoid it entirely. As usual, the announcers annoy me with their constant cheerleading for Americans to try and get an audience even when (as with pairs skating) we have zero chance.
I'm with Naomi - love the ski jumping, always have.
And yes, George, Costas gets smarmier and harder to take every year.
I only wish we got the Canadian coverage. The best Olympics coverage we've seen were the years we were in England during the Summer Olympics. It's not all "featurettes" and hyping of the home country favorites.
And speaking (as above) of figure skating, have you (the generic 'you') ever seen a pairs skating competition like this one, where nearly every pair fell?
Me either.
Jeff M.
You almost want to watch it with the sound turned off.
I love the Tina Fey character but the situations on the show seem too similar week to week. And I really grow tired of Tracy Morgan and Jane K.
The time zone thing is a problem. I don't know how they can solve it though because tape delays get reported before you see the event.
Bob Costas appears to have had so much work done that he doesn't have earlobes anymore--his ears just sort of blend in with his jaw line. If he has anymore work done, he's going to look like Bruce Jenner (another person suffering from missing earlobe syndrome). As a 30-year veteran of hair coloring, I suspect Bob got his color done too recently. He should have had it done a week before the opening ceremonies to give it time to "mellow." Right now it has that "stark contrast" quality. Yikes!
As for the games themselves, my girls sat rapt for figure skating and my husband enjoys the downhill skiing events. I just say "meh" to both and keep on reading.
And finally a word on the weather--here in Louisiana since January 1 we've had four nights of hard freeze (we actually had to leave our faucets dripping--unheard of!) and we've had to close the schools twice for bad weather (i.e., snow). I don't remember a colder Mardi Gras---but the Saints won the Super Bowl, so who's complaining?
Yep, my hairdresser tells me never color your hair within ten days of an event. You just never know.
What Bob did for love, I guess. Or to keep his job. Too bad he isn't more likable at it.
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