There's a lot to like about the Olympics. Unadulterated joy,
1.) Tape Delay - I live in the same time zone as Vancouver, yet, somehow, see nothing live. This is fine if the games are in China or I'm in 1980, but not in the Internet Age. I can't even see curling in real time... NBC sucks.
2.) Sympathy Stories - the personal pieces the networks always do on various contenders to evoke sympathy/empathy and indoctrinate support are fine to an extent, but I feel like each of these things is a Lifetime movie of the week. If you want sympathy, try for sincerity over heavy-handedness.
3.) Figure skating. This is one of the few events that's okay to watch tape-delayed b/c of the artistry, funky costumes, and Johnny Weir. Ice dancing would be okay, except they keep referring to spins as "twizzles," which nullifies the credibility of the sport, IMO. Seriously, twizzle? Sounds like a toddler's snowboard trick.
Figure skating makes me want to rip my ears off and swallow them. God help me, but if I spent a day locked in a room w/ Sandra Bezic one of us wouldn't survive. The NBC announcers will tell you about 'musicality' (which is kind of like 'voice' in the skating world, I think) until the cows come home (which, in the winter, is never, b/c the cows are already home), but they won't actually tell you about the music the skater's skating to. Try being useful. Hopefully soon, technology will allow us to listen to the environment but silence these yahoos.
A twizzle is not a spin. It is a series of quick turns on a specific edge that travels across the ice. A spin is centered and often has a variety of positions.
ReplyDeleteI think my husband would wholeheartedly agree with this post! :-)
ReplyDeleteAnita, I knew you'd correct me, but to a layman, it seems a spin. Regardless, I think they need a new name.
ReplyDeleteI can agree with you on most of these points Bane. Especially #2. I can't watch the events because I don't have cable, and guess what gets the most air time on the radio.. enough already. I used to watch all the skating events, but I don't recall the term twizzle.
ReplyDeleteNice to see you back!
The sob stories on American Idol are worse.
ReplyDeleteDeb, you're not missing much (though I'm guessing you're gonna wanna be there when Canada reaches the gold medal game and gets some revenge on us Yanks).
ReplyDeleteRick, most definitely (and that's tape delayed here, too :)... my wife's in quite the quandary -- ice skating, American Idol, and Lost all on the same night.
It sucks that they don't show things live. I keep checking my aol mail and boom - results are there to spoil everything.
ReplyDeleteAs for figure skating - of course being in the gymnastics biz there is a lot of crossover. musicality is not exactly like voice. its more vague and basically can mean nothing at times. I'd compare it more to saying a book is "Edgy" because that really has no specific meaning and is thrown out for fun at times.
I hate when they talk about musicality. In gymnastics they have points for femininity (only in women's gymnastics). Who knows what that means?
Yeah, Julie, I get a lot of the 'no specific meaning' vibe from Ms. Bezic. Perhaps she'll throw us a 'feminine musicality' tonight. I'm placing the odds at 1:1.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back, Bane! Glad to see you haven't lost your sarcastic touch. ;-)
ReplyDeleteTell your wife that LOST should win out every time. At least over AMERICAN IDOL, for pete's sake.
While I haven't been watching the Olympics (or blogging) due to intense work on my FL Keys guide, I'm not sure I'd be watching them anyway. Even my hubby isn't all that interested this time around. Too corporate, too elitist, too much-ado-about-nothing these days.
And, for the record, I thought a twizzle was candy - oh, wait, that's a Twizzler. Never mind.
I like watching the Olympics, just because they're in Canada. Weird that way.
ReplyDeleteI have a hard time getting past some of the ice dancer costumes. They are serious athletes, right? Right?? Then again, the tangos pretty much redeem the whole thing.
Except for this: That's your sister?
Ahahahaha about not being able to watch curling in real time. It still amazes me that's an Olympic Sport. In a good way, but amazing nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteFigure skating is not an ear-munching sport to me, though. Rather, it's the only sport I am genuinely interested in. Sorry... I'll go sit in the corner now.
*Meant to add-- winter sport. Only winter sport. Horses count too!
ReplyDeleteTony does recommend a lot of energy drinks, doesn't he?
ReplyDeleteI've missed the Olympics entirely- one of the pitfalls of never watching TV.