I've usually taken pleasure in the Winter Olympic Games, but this year the task seems to require my concentration. Right from the git-go, when the bid was won by Vancouver, I've borne little but ill-will toward IOC and VanOC. Why? Because by awarding Vancouver the games, both committees reaffirmed their innate stupidity: Texas gets more snow than Vancouver does. Personally, I would have bid for Anchorage, if only to see Sarah's Bridge completed.
Adding to my difficulties is CTV's attempt at "hipper-than-thou" television coverage -- the "thou" in this case being the CBC, who used to cover the Olympics with predictable (and repetitive) hokeyness. Stalwarts Brian Williams and Rod Black are about as offensive as soft ice cream, but their various cohorts are insufferable. Yesterday afternoon I caught Elvis Stojko stifling contempt as Dan Levy and Jessi Cruickshank cajoled him into declaring the most sensational figure skating spills of the games thus far. And last night's hockey game, the first event I was actually anticipating with some eagerness, was similarly marred by CTV's "bad boy" approach to commentary. With a united chorus of, "We need 'greasy' goals!" the entire panel looked and sounded like defective Don Cherry clones.
Feh. A pox on all your houses.
Link love: Salon to Canada: "Nice try, but you're fired." More! Canadians get angry (bad idea) while Vancouver mishaps and misjudgments continue. With a tip o' the hat to Rob in Victoria, who, I hope, is having fun.
8 comments:
To add to your Olympic reading links: I don't know if you saw this article already, but I really enjoyed it
http://www.newsweek.com/id/233007
Thanks. CTV's Canuck-"boosting" prattle more than illustrates Hitchens' point, I'm afraid. CBC could, on occasion, spot the drama inherent to other country's quest for contendership.
WP,
What I don't get is the sheer joy that some journalists get in kicking Vancouver and the Canadian Olympics all about.
Especially...the Brits!!? Did they forget that they're hosting the Summer Olympics shortly and that the potential for S?!t hitting the fan in London is fairly high. They're setting themsleves up as a HUGE target to easily hit....
From my perspective...all has gone pretty well with things that were actually under a human's control and the other stuff??? Well, I think the folks in Vancouver, in genral, have handled it all pretty well.
No only if that damned NBC coverage could improve and hockey games were telecast more, I'd be a happy camper.
Well ... the Brits are doing what they do best, of course. I'm sure when it's their turn there'll be plenty of Old Famous for us all to enjoy.
The Zamboni mishap, however, is a matter of particularly deep shame for ice-loving Canadians.
WP,
It's the curse of the name, I think.
Come on, who doesn;t loooooove the name "Zamboni"? Why did a Canadian compnay come up with a name like "Resurfice"? I mean, I get the (minor) play on words with the intended use of the product, but a better name could have been concocted, no?
How about, "Hey, and here comes the Richler or the Quarrington (or even the BEST, "...and now the King Leary takes to the ice")".
But.. "Resurfice"?
Come on, WP, that is one lame-o name....IMHO
WP,
From here, this:
"Reports say the dismissals are linked to fights and the use of prostitutes on the unit's cruise ship accommodations...".
Sir, these Olympics are too rich with human behavioural issues. I'd rather the coverage linger on these types of topics and ice skating/dancing/emoting. Where are the post-performance "in-depth" interviews for these events?
Oops!
That should have been "I'd rather the coverage linger on these types of topics rather than on ice skating/dancing/emoting"
Insert "sporting" pun here. And "Zamboni" is a name that now belongs to the ages, thanks to that uniquely, erm ... Californian? ... invention.
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