So the Olympics are over and we're stuck with Justin Bieber. Talk about depressing. Just as depressing, the American Olympic team continues to disgrace themselves with whining and in-fighting. On the plus side, it was confirmed for all to see that Russia is indeed a cheating backward sh*thole with undrinkable water and a police state that only Pat Buchanan could love. Oh, there was a war or something in the Ukraine. What else happened this weekend? Let's see. Oh yeah, another Tea Party clown
is going down in flames. Add him to the growing pile with Tea Party clown
Stockman in Texas. Meanwhile,
Mama-Bare Clown is getting her own reality show again. And Piers Morgan is losing his. So there's good and bad. Talk about whatever you like. I'm going to go drown my Bieber-related sorrows in a donut.
On the negative...
ReplyDeleteCurse you, Canada! Four years of plotting revenge and what do we get? Shut out! And then we get crushed by Finland- the official, terrifying home of Santa Claus- for the Bronze. A pox on you, Sidney Crosby and Kris Kunitz! Jussi Jokinen and Olli Maatta, I don't know you and I don't want to be seen with you! You Fins! And Brooks Orpik, Paul Martin, and Dan Bylsma. Your got your rear ends handed to on a non-medal platter and you just take it? Where's the old Nagano spirit? -what with the smashing of the furniture and everything? Aahh....
On the positive...
The race for the Hockey's Holy Grail resumes this week. Sid! Kris! Jussi! Olli! Brooks! Paul! Dan! Geno! Good to see you back here! Nice hardware. Hope you had fun over there at the resort. Now, let's lace up the skates and knock the crap out of the Rangers and their DAMN CRAZY SWEDE goaltender!
You know, Andrew, there are times I think I have two minds about any given situation.
Rustbelt, I'm getting that sense. Nice touch mentioning Santa's home. :)
ReplyDeleteAndrew, it is true what Jerry Seinfeld said:
ReplyDelete"We root for shirts!"
Rustbelt, Yes we do... strangely.
ReplyDeleteGood news: Figure skaters Davis and White won America the gold medal. Our figure skating team did well over-all. And, I must say, the Russian girl Yulia Lipnitskaya was amazing.
ReplyDelete"On the plus side, it was confirmed for all to see that Russia is indeed a cheating backward sh*thole with undrinkable water and a police state that only Pat Buchanan could love. Oh, there was a war or something in the Ukraine."
On a related subject, Pat Buchanan is also supporting Yanukovich, the Putin-backed President* of Ukraine. LINK
*Well, he claims he is but there is some dispute about that as the Ukrainian parliament has announced an interim president until the election.
Kit, Leave it to Pat to suck up to dictators and the lackeys of dictators.
ReplyDeleteI didn't see Lipnitskaya, but I had to laugh about the Adelina Sotnikova controversy. They had 1.8 million signatures on a petition demanding an investigation into the scoring within an hour of it showing on US television. It does seem rigged.
Perfect timing for an open thread: I spent the weekend listening to THIS TRACK on repeat like an obsessed teenager. I stumbled on it pretty much randomly. (It was a free MP3 on Amazon, now mysteriously pulled.) The band's debut album doesn't even drop for another couple weeks. Listen to it and tell me it doesn't transport you to every 80s romance movie you've ever seen. (Strange video, I think it may just be a video-storyboard, but maybe not...?)
ReplyDeleteMost of the complaints and signatures regarding skater Sotnikova came from South Korea. I watched both skaters and both did very well but Sotnikova's had a higher potential score. The system favors those who can rack up points with more jumps. Sotnikova took advantage of it and skated well. The US women's team didn't medal but they are very young and three finished in the top ten. Very promising for next Olympics. The men's long program was a disaster with guys falling all over the place. All of them trying to get the quad and failing. Plyushchenko hurt his back in warm ups. I don't think anyone really stood out. The Ice Dancing was by far the best skating event with the silver and gold winners getting lifetime best scores. Lipnitskaya is very flexible and has great spins but not very dynamic. The real losers in ice skating has to be the color commentators. The stupid and continual comments during the performance was awful. I kept yelling at the tv "Hamilton, shut the f*ck up and let me watch the performance!" The dumbest statement has to be stating that Lipnitskaya had an "old soul". What the f*ck does that mean?!?!
ReplyDeleteI hate to be the one to break it to the TownHall author, but mob rule is every bit as democratic as elected rule. One's just less organized than the other.
ReplyDeleteThe outcome of US hockey, men and women, was disappointing. The women had it and let slip through their fingers. They also couldn't get the breaks with a shot on an open net just bouncing off the post. The men were probably playing a little above their talent and when they lost to Canada just packed it in. Finland isn't a slouch team and wanted the bronze. The US team just wanted to go home. I don't mind losing; I hate acting like losers.
ReplyDeleteThree cheers for the US bobsled team as they have become competitive.
Oh, and just in case you haven't heard, Alec Baldwin is leaving NYC (and hopefully our lives forever). I guess making a nuisance and a fool of himself in NYC has finally caught up with him. So He, his young wife, and baby are moving to Hollywood where they will be treated in the 1%'er gated-community manner that he feels he deserves. Now if we can just get Donald Trump to move to..hmmm...how about the Ukraine.
ReplyDeleteHarold Ramis died. That makes me sad. RIP
ReplyDeleteBev, I heard that. LOL! Poor, poor Alec Baldwin. What was funny about the article I read was how he was whining that he and his family got no privacy, but they had image after image of them doing publicity stunts. You can't have it both ways.
ReplyDeleteOn the albun WWII Waylon Jennings had a song called "Heroes." It was written about John Wayne. One of the lines was "All the times he's made me laugh, and this time he's made me cry."
ReplyDeleteRIP
GypsyTyger
Ramis was a remarkably talented man and frankly, you never really heard a lot about his private life, because he wasn't a Looney Tunes like Baldwin, Bieber and host of other idiots.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Canada will take Baldwin?
Since this has now become an open thread...
ReplyDeleteI have watched about 6 movies recently. Here are my short synopsis of each with star rating out of 5.
Eight Below: Story about Antarctica group that had to leave their base suddenly due to injured members. In doing so, they left behind the 8 dogs of their dog sled team with plans to go back. They couldn't get back for months and it is the story of their survival. Stars the late Paul Walker and young Jason Biggs. Good family movie. I have learned though the my son does not do well with movies where dogs or cats die, even if most survive. 4.5 stars
World War Z: Brad Pitt plays an investigator trying to find out the source of a zombie virus. It wasn't as bad as I expected but it could have been much better. I thought the book was a little more interesting (and really the movie was only partially associated). Action starts fast and Pitt is your guide to finding out what is going on; you learn as he learns. 3.5 stars
The Amazing Spider Man: not awful but I don't get why we had to start over AGAIN! 2.5 stars
The Great Outdoors: funny movie with John Candy and Dan Akroyd. With all the language, I can't figure out how it got a PG. 4 stars
The Lego Movie: fun movie and the kids liked it. It has a high risk of being way over analyzed. The bad guy is Mr. Business. I think the main message is that there is no right or wrong way to play as long as you are having fun and using your imagination. 4 stars
Nordwand (Northface): This was a surprise as my wife selected from a group of movies available on Amazon Prime. It is German with English subtitles and is based on a true story. It takes place in 1936, as Nazi propaganda urges the nation's Alpinists to conquer the unclimbed north face of the Swiss massif - the Eiger. The story is about two reluctant German climbers who claim to have no political interest and their quest to be the first. You can look up what happen but all I will say is ...SPOILER ALERT...the quest wasn't successful until 1938 with different climbers. Most movies with a downer ending don't go over well and this one leaves you a little sad. However, the movie itself is shot well and at times made me feel very anxious (I'm not comfortable with heights). Looking up the real story, one finds that it was even more tragic then portrayed. 5 stars
69 is too young. And what a world that we can say that!
ReplyDeleteWait, Dr. Spangler died? Oh no!
ReplyDeleteKoshcat, the only problem I had with World War Z is that that movie has been done before a zillion times. Nothing wrong with it in and of itself, it just lacked freshness.
ReplyDeleteLEGO Movie was a ton of fun and "Everything is Awesome" is a total earworm. I agree about the potential for over analysis, and I've already seen some articles to that effect. This is a movie that revels in it's childish simplicity. Any attempt to adultify is severely misguided.
Koshcat, The whiners have largely been the speed skaters, the dopehead ski team, and a couple figure skaters. The speed skaters whined last time too. In fact, I can't stand Apollo Assholo because all he's every done since I've seen him is whine that everyone else is cheating him. Loser.
ReplyDeleteI was impressed with Shawn White of all people though. He lost and he was very gracious. He didn't even try to blame the track like the other US skiers did, he said, "We're all on the same track." He gets major points from me for that.
tryanmax, LOL! True.
ReplyDeleteCritch, Totally agree on Ramis.
ReplyDeleteKoshcat and tryanmax, I am totally looking forward to the LEGO Movie.
ReplyDeleteThe conditions were pretty crappy for skiing as temp were often in the 50s. But like you said, everybody was exposed to it. I don't think the US wax team did a very good job keeping up with the changing conditions. I think the place the conditions effected the most was the super G where the top was frozen and the bottom was slush.
ReplyDeleteI agree that conditions were not good. But what impressed me with White was that while all the others were whining about the conditions as why they lost, he didn't. The moment he lost he congratulated the winner, said he had a lot of respect for the guy. Then he said, he just didn't do what he needed to do. "You can blame the conditions, but we're all on the same track." Bingo.
ReplyDeleteI was glad to see solid sportsmanship.
Legity and Bodey didn't either. Both commented that the course was challenging with the changing conditions but they also stated that it was their own fault they weren't skiing as well as they should be.
ReplyDeletewhat???? You mean there was just an olympics???? I didn't realize. Ah, I think I get it. It was on the Obama Network wasn't it? I think I installed channel block. On a happier note, I drove back to Knoxville yesterday on a beautiful and sunny day. I took the opportunity to detour down to the Petersburg, Virginia National Military Park and see where my great grandfather was wounded during an action near Peagram's Farm on October 1, 1864. It was kinda cool and more uplifting than, say, watching Bob Costas.
ReplyDeleteI just saw the article where Girl Scouts of Colorado will not allow sales outside marijuana stores. Seems like a poor business move although I can understand discouraging it from a safety standpoint. Maybe the GS are also worried about the health of the buyers. Do they ban sales outside of Weight Watchers as well?
ReplyDeleteJed, Yes, Olympics. But yeah, they were on the Obama Network so you probably didn't see them. :)
ReplyDeleteKoshcat, I didn't see those interviews.
ReplyDeleteThe Girl Scouts should sell Doritos or something like that in front of pot stores. :)
Harold Ramis's death. To say it sucks is an understatement.
ReplyDeleteIt seems I was one of the few who dared to brave watching Obama's Own Network, but I did. And wow, what a terrible job NBC did of covering the Games. Honestly, it wasn't much of a shock as I had a front-row seat for the decline of the network's already-lousy coverage while working in news for a years. (They covered Beijing, Vancouver, and London during my tenure.) So, here are the worst problems I noticed:
ReplyDelete-Hail to the Egos: As mentioned in another post, I watched the Opening Ceremonies at a restaurant and didn't hear the 'Today' talk down to the host country. (Probably a result of the whole gay controversy in Russia; or, more likely, they suck.) Is it really necessary to transport a show, whose falling ratings can't justify the amount of money that have spent? (More on this in a second...)
-Jockocrisy on Steroids: "Jockocrisy" (not sure if that's the correct spelling)is Howard Cosell's famous word for the takeover of broadcasting by former pro athletes. Basically, in the 1970's, ABC Sports boss Roone Arledge saw that more announcers were showing up on screen as more cameras were added. He, therefore, though it would be a good idea to have athletes in the booth as they were recognizable and (allegedly) knew their sports. Mixed results since then. But as for 2014, most don't know when to shut up. (Hamilton, Collinsworth...) or are just plain repetitive (Lipinski "Best I've seen..." "The atmosphere is electric."). Recently I watched an online review of Wrestlemania IX, where Macho Man Randy was relegated to the announcer table. Yes, he was awful, making life hell for poor Jim Ross. Interestingly, the reviewers said Savage's problem was he was trying to sound the way he thought announcers were supposed to sound. In other words, he was someone who just watched stuff, but had no formal training. NBC had that on display in spades this Olympics. But I'm not implying that non-athletes are automatically better...
-Not fit for TV: I'm too young to remember the Voice of the Olympics, Jim McKay, but like Keith Jackson and Bob Prince, he is deeply missed. Matt Lauer and Bob Costas know nothing of sports. There I said it. Like Howard Cosell and John Madden, they view TV as their personal medium to yack about whatever they want. And being producers, they also get to call the shots without fear of being fired for incompetence- hence the meaningless packages about sad sacks, this such-and-such happened, or former famous person has lots of fun doing something you'll never experience. Both are old and past their respective primes. And their a******/"I'm better than you" personalities come across a LOT. But we're stuck with them, because they're in charge. In pro wrestling, it's said wrestlers shouldn't be bookers- thus preventing them from making themselves (and their over-the-hill/less talented friends) the stars of the show at the show's expense. It's a rule NBC could learn from.
(continued...)
-Relegating the Good to the Back Burner: If there is a true successor to McKay's throne, it's clearly Al Michaels. The trick is to state the facts and keep them interesting. I don't see this as a skill; just great talent. Unfortunately, Michaels clearly doesn't have the connections at NBC to move further up the ladder. Thus, the "Miracle" man has been pushed back. Not only that, the dignified Dan Patrick was also on board, but was also kept off prime time. He only hosted stuff on NBC Sports. Both of these two have welcoming demeanors, which I think the audiences would like. They also know how to announce without irritating the audience. But, this is NBC. You know how it works. And finally...
ReplyDelete-Why Put It On, Anyway?: In years past, I saw NBC Universal use all their channels to showcase the Olympics. The first time I saw this was Torino in 2006. NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, USA Network, etc. all showed something nearly all the time. This is the type of event programming cable/satellite/streaming was made for. This year, they only used NBC and NBC Sports, with USA and CNBC showing something here and there. Basically, NBC showed stuff in prime time and late night, then programming switched to NBC Sports until the next prime time. What else were they airing? Why, the usual NBC shows that everyone loves, of course! (Barf.) Now, I'm willing to concede that NBC's plummeting fortunes likely played a role in spending less money, and, therefore, showing less of the Games. But if they want to save money, why not just keep the Today Show in NYC and send over a few reporters? That would save a TON of money! Oh, wait. I forgot. Egos. We may be showing less of the Games themselves, but, dammit, Matt Lauer wants all the benefits his unjustified position can give him! And as long as the elite clique at the top of NBC is happy, who cares that the ship is sinking?
I guess what I'm trying to say is...NBC sucks.
Dishonorable mention: You might have missed it, but the One made an appearance before the Opening Ceremonies. He was long-distance interviewed by- gasp!- Costas. Like I mentioned, I didn't have audio that night, so I didn't hear what was said. (It must have been about why Obama chose not to attend or some other garbage.) All I remember was Obama looked like he'd gone international, doing the Dublin Crawl. Seriously. He looked like he was about to fall over and pass out...or puke. One or the other.
Bad coverage and a (likely) drunk president. If you ask me, they go together.
Rustbelt, Well diagnosed and I concur.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I despise the trend to hire athletes to do the broadcasting. Most don't have a clue what they are doing and they just spit out cliches. I had to laugh the couple times I saw Chris Collinsworth talking about some Olympic event and it was obvious that he knew nothing, so he spit out generic platitudes.
Secondly, NBC is awash in ego, that's clear. And none of them seem like nice people.
Third, I don't get why they didn't show the games either. They had all these cable channels available and yet they almost never used them. There was no chance to see most of the matches.
Welcome to Idiotland... Some lobbyist is going to try to introduce a bill to ban gays from playing for the NFL.
ReplyDeleteLINK
I'm sure Jesus is very proud.
I'm watching Ship of Fools...a little long, but a great movie nonetheless..
ReplyDeleteRustbelt - your awesomeness has left me speechless.
ReplyDeleteWell not totally...I think why I liked the ice dancing better was that the female color kept her mouth shut during the performance. Look baseball or hockey especially on the radio play by play is necessary. Ice skating it is not. Let me relax, enjoy the music and the talent someone has that I do not.
Koshcat, thank you, my friend!
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned the one detail that I really didn't cover: timing. I thought I covered it with my Randy Savage example. But to be more to the point, he talked like a normal wrestler- that is, doing interviews and making himself the center of attention. That's not what an announcer does in any sport (or sports entertainment).
Speaking of baseball, try these bits of trivia: Al Michaels was once asked who were the best announcers. He said baseball announcers. The reason he gave was that baseball is by definition a slow sport and long periods can pass without any action. Good baseball announcers, he said, are those who can describe the action in a lively, interesting manner even when there's nothing going on. I would add not talking down to the audience or telling boring, repetitive stories (the true bane of former athletes and coaches in the booth).
And also, you're right that announcers need to know when to hold back. My guess is Lipinski had no training and she assumed that dead air was always bad and needed to be filled by her carrying the audience along every single step. You're right in that ice skating doesn't need that. Some moments sell themselves. Like when Cal Ripken broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive games played streak. Once the game was official, the announcers pushed away their mics and stayed silent for 30 minutes! All you heard was the crowd, fireworks, celebration, and the sounds of the stadium. (For a cinematic example, the chase scene from 'Bullitt' has no soundtrack; just the wonderful sounds of the engines and tires.)
The skill and use of silence in regards to an announcer's timing is a lost art that needs to be re-learned.
Rustbelt, Forget it, they're going the wrong way. They assume that their audience has ADD and they are trying to fill in with more talking, done quicker... before the robots dance across your screens and point to some of the 400 graphics.
ReplyDeleteJust as bad, at games these days, most parks blast music between pitches. WTF? The point to baseball is the breaks. That's when you talk about the teams, the game, the history or just whatever you want. Now you sit there like an idiot as the chorus of "Rock You Like Hurricane" makes you deaf.
Idiotland is putting it nicely. From the article at your link:
ReplyDelete“If the NFL has no morals and no values, then Congress must find values for it,” Burkman said.
That is exactly where I look for morals and values:
1. The NFL
2. Congress
3. The Bunny Ranch
If it isn´t in the Constitution it damn well should be!
I h-a-t-e the football robots. HATE THEM!!!
ReplyDeleteEl Gordo, LOL! You mean you don't look to the NFL or Congress to provide you with values? I can't imagine why not?!
ReplyDelete"If it isn't in the Constitution, it damn well should be!" I wish I could laugh at this, but too many people on both sides believe it.
tryanmax, Me too.
ReplyDelete