Tag Archives: Summer Olympics

A Ton of People Watching TV

TV executives are on top of the world right now, thrilled that you spent at least part of the last few weeks tuning into major sporting and political events. Records were shattered last month when more than two out of three people worldwide watched the Beijing Olympics on TV. According to new numbers just released by Nielsen Media Research, 4.7 billion viewers worldwide tuned into at least some of the 17 days of Olympic TV coverage last month. The audience was one-fifth larger than the 3.9 billion who watched the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, according to the folks at … Continue reading →

How Do You Pronounce It?

Is it “Bay-jing,” “Bay-zhing” or “Bay-zheeng”? The 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China are rapidly coming to a close and I have yet to view a day of coverage where broadcasters are on the same page when it comes to pronouncing the host city’s name. Have you noticed this too? Brian Williams spent more than a week anchoring NBC’s “Nightly News” from a place he calls “Bay-jing.” The veteran news anchor makes a concerted effort to place the emphasis on the second syllable and he sounds as though he knows what he is doing. However, lead primetime Olympic anchor … Continue reading →

The Olympics Is Changing My Household

Watching the Olympics has been an exciting thing, but boy has it had an impact on my home. Things are changing because of the Olympics, and it makes me wonder if they will change back. The biggest change is with everyone’s bedtime, or let’s just say lack of bedtime. No one is immune, including myself, the solitary morning person of the bunch. Well, my youngest my be a morning person, but it is still a little too early to tell. Staying up just a few more minutes and then a few more minutes again to see the end of the … Continue reading →

Have You Been Pulling Olympic All-Nighters?

I don’t know how Michael Phelps is feeling, but I’m exhausted. The live drama at the pool and in the gym during these Summer Olympic Games has kept me up later than my days as a college student (or at least since those foggy nights breastfeeding my daughter). Olympic viewers on the East Coast have taken the brunt of it. I live in the Midwest and stayed up well past midnight watching Phelps swim to victory (some of his races didn’t get underway until after 10 p.m. Central, 11 p.m. Eastern). Then, there were the nights I forced myself to … Continue reading →

Olympic Closing Ceremony—What Will the Chinese Blow Us Away With Next?

Frankly, I don’t know how it is humanly possible to top the brilliance displayed during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, but according to Chinese officials, viewers can expect another lavish production come Sunday. According to reports, several international stars will converge on Beijing to make the closing ceremony of the 2008 Olympics one of the most amazing spectacles the world has ever seen. Included in the all-star line up is world-famous Spanish tenor Placido Domingo, who will reportedly grace the stage in a duet with Chinese soprano star Song Zuying. In addition, insiders confirm that the ceremony will … Continue reading →

Celebrities Unveil New Projects: Olympic Bound Beckham and Animated Lucas

From the soccer field to the roof of one of London’s red double-decker buses, David Beckham will be kicking the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics into high gear this Sunday. According to British newspapers, the international soccer star is on his way to China right now to practice his part in the closing ceremony. When the Games end at Beijing’s National Stadium, the distinction of hosting the Summer Olympics transfers to London in 2012 and Beckham will reportedly be included in the handover segment, which features a surprise finale. The L.A. Galaxy player (and hubby to his spicy wife … Continue reading →

Michael Phelps Making Waves in the World of Sports Trading Cards

How many of you knew that swimming trading cards even existed? Join the club. The average sports memorabilia collector likely has mountains of trading cards featuring the stars of football, basketball and baseball, but only a few savvy sports fans were astute enough to invest in swimming trading cards prior to this year’s Summer Olympics in Beijing and now they’re cashing—-big time. Of course, those collectors have none other than Michael Phelps to thank for making swimming trading cards mega-popular these days. According to reports, an autographed 2004 trading card of the swimming phenom, who was recently named as the … Continue reading →

Michael Phelps’ Olympic Size Diet

I don’t envy Michael Phelps’ exercise regime, but who wouldn’t love to adopt his diet? The 23-year-old swimming sensation recently revealed what fuels his intense daily workouts in the pool… and to say that the Olympic athlete puts away a ton of food is an Olympic sized understatement. Phelps says his recipe for swimming success involves eating a jaw-dropping 12,000 calories a day. That’s more than most pregnant women eat in a week. Okay, maybe not, but it is darn near close. According to nutritionists, the average man of the same age and height (Phelps is 6’4”) should be ingesting … Continue reading →

Olympic Spanish Basketball Players—Not Funny

Hmm… let me see if I’ve got this right… Members of the Spanish men and women’s basketball teams work hard and earn a trip to China to compete for an Olympic medal. But, before they leave their homeland they decide to pose for a newspaper ad in which they place their hands on their faces and pull the skin near their eyes to make them look as slanted as possible. “Chinese eyes,” claims one Spanish player. “How funny.” Not so much if you are Chinese. Long story short the chuckleheads on the Spanish basketball team are now apologizing—–publicly—for they call … Continue reading →

Olympians Sizzling Bodies May Be Too Hot for China

If you needed incentive to get your body in shape then the Summer Olympics came just in time. Good gracious, have you seen the killer bods these elite athletes are sporting? Seriously, U.S. swimmer Dara Torres could have ignited the Olympic flame during the opening ceremony via spontaneous combustion had she simply marched into the stadium wearing her bikini. Her body is so ripped I try to block out the fact that she gave birth just two years ago. Michael Phelps is cut like a rack of lamb, as is the entire U.S. men’s gymnastics team (or all the gymnasts … Continue reading →