Olympics Recap: Week 1

I've had the Olympics on practically 24/7 and I'm really enjoying it!

NBC Coverage
• I give it an A+. Hosts, announcers, commentators, camera work...they've all done very well. I even got to see my future husband Matt Lauer in bike shorts at the velodrome.
• I can't figure out if Bob Costas is wearing a wig or not. I wanted to include him in a Wiggy Wednesday (Olympics Special Edition) post but I can't confirm if it's a rug or just has a bad cut and dye job.
• While I'm bashing a bit on Costas, what's up with those glassy eyes?
• What happened to the tight body Tim Daggett had when he was a gymnast? He's put on more than a few pounds and looks puffy and bloated.
• The coverage is striking a good balance between competition, athletes' back stories, and interesting pieces about the host country.

Opening Ceremonies
• Breathtaking. The concept, execution, and performances were fantastic.
• I don't care that some of the fireworks in the broadcast were digitally implanted. Bob Costas mentioned it during the broadcast so it wasn't like they were hiding it. They were dazzling.
• I don't care that the ugly girl sang the song behind the curtain and another lip-synched it on stage. I didn't have a problem with Milli Vanilli, either.
• I don't care that the "children of diversity" from around China were all Hans that make up 90% of the Chinese population. I still liked their outfits and that's really what that was about.
• I read that some folks were put off by the goose-stepping soldiers raising the flags. Not sure why. It's the same thing we do with our Marine honor guards, it's just that our styles of marching are different.
• What was up with that primitive printing press? I was blown away when the performers popped their heads out!

Swimming
• Michael Phelps is amazing. What can you say...eight gold medals and seven world records. He's alternately handsome and adorable; geeky and looks like he's trying to catch flies with that open mouth odd. Hey, it works for me. I'm partial to endearing men with jug ears and lantern jaws. Really, that's not a joke.
• The Mens 4x100 Freestyle Relay was one of the most outstanding races I've ever seen. Props to Jason Lezak for coming from behind on the final leg.
• The 100M Butterfly, won by Michael Phelps by 1/100th of a second, was nearly as crazy. American Ian Crocker, the world record holder, came in fourth place in the same race by 1/100th of a second!
• Dara Torres missed an individual gold medal in the 50M Freestyle by 1/100th of a second. Awesome work at 41 years old. Good on her.

Gymnastics
• The elephant in the room is the under age of the Chinese girls. But how do you prove it when it's the government that issues the falsified passports?
• The U.S. women did great but the cameras should stay out of their huddles. They were playing to the cameras and making shit up to talk about.
• The U.S. men did great, too, but I can't stand it when an athlete thanks "the Lord" the first chance they get their puss in front of a camera. If the best your Lord could do was third place, you need to get a better God.
• I had such a crush on Mark Spitz and his mustache when he was swimming in Munich and I was nine years old.

Basketball
• The Redeem Team finally seems to be taking Olympic competition seriously.
• I'm amazed that the Chinese fans know the U.S. players so well and are cheering them on like they're the home team. Kudos to NBA Commissioner David Stern, who is a marketing genius, for opening up China to American basketball.

Beach Volleyball
• The crowds listen to the announcers whipping them up in English and American pop music between points.
• One member of each team always seems to be much hotter than the other. Americans Sean Rosenthal and Todd Rogers come to mind.

Miscellaneous
• I enjoy watching men's water polo, only so I can see them when they are poolside. The Croatian team is woofy.

It was a great first week and I'm looking forward to the second!