Olympic Rings and Other Things

A Description of London

2012-01-08T07:48:00.000-08:00

Found a delightful poem posted on today's edition of "The Writer's Almanac" describing a potential preview of people to meet in London during the 2012 Olympics and on other trips to the famous metropolis.

Since it's a public domain item, posting here the full text for "A Description of London" by John Banks. Hope ye like it.

"A Description of London"

Houses, churches, mixed together,

Streets unpleasant in all weather;

Prisons, places contiguous,

Gates, a bridge, the Thames irriguous.

Gaudy things enough to tempt ye,

Showy outsides, insides empty,

Bubbles, trades, mechanic arts,

Coaches, wheelbarrows and carts.

Warrant, bailiffs, bills unpaid,

Lords of laundresses afraid;

Rogues that nightly rob and shoot men,

Hangmen, aldermen and footmen.

Lawyers, poets, priests, physicians,

Noble, simple, all conditions:

Worth beneath a threadbare cover,

Villainy bedaubed all over.

Women black, red, fair and grey,

Prudes and such as never pray,

Handsome, ugly, noisy, still,

Some that will not, some that will.

Many a beau without a shilling,

Many a widow not unwilling;

Many a bargain, if you strike it:

This is London! How d'ye like it?

Illustration of London via Mappery.com

Saturday Mornings

2012-01-07T06:41:00.000-08:00

I love Saturday mornings (who doesn't?). Though it's tempting to sleep in, during recent Saturdays (excluding Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve) and today, found it enjoyable to wake up early, tune in to "Weekend Edition" on NPR, catch up on newspaper sections missed during the week (with three subscriptions, sometimes The Times, WSJ and AJC hard copies pile up) and enjoy the bright Atlanta sunrises that fill the Myrtle Street house apartment with light.

Today's NPR reports are mostly about election topics, but looking forward to "Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!" and the Tappit Bros. later in the broadcast. By evening I'll be enjoying Garrison Keillor and Saturday night's great jazz programming. Love it!

With the radio news in the background, I read a couple more chapters of Roger Ebert's excellent memoir "Life Itself" -- during the week the pages mostly highlighted Ebert's upbringing and travels (delightful to learn of his early book titled "The Perfect London Walk" which should come in handy at the London 2012 Olympic Games). Now finally getting to more of his early film critic days, nights and weekends. Good stuff from an author who already had three books on my bookshelf.

Catching up on some recent Olympic headlines, a few reactions came to mind ...

-- Olympic champion Kurt Angle will pursue a spot on the 2012 Olympic wrestling team, as reported in the New York Post. Angle won a gold at the 1995 World Freestyle Wresting Championships while I was interning with USA Wrestling (his victory in the Omni Coliseum was pretty cool, a preamble to his gold during the Atlanta Olympics in 1996). It would be so cool for Angle to make the 2012 Olympic team. As they say in Hollywood and perhaps in the showbiz side of professional wrestling, "Break a leg!" (not your neck again, Kurt).

-- After pulling a twice-in-Olympic-history "psych!" move on the International Olympic Committee -- winning the bid to host the 1976 Olympic Winter Games then cancelling -- Denver is now considering a new Olympic bid, according to NPR. Channeling "SNL - Weekend Update" anchor Seth Meyers, Denver's decision begs the question, "Really?" (I learned in the NPR blog post that the other city to win, then decline, the Games was Rome in 1908, but they gave the Games back to the IOC in response to a natural disaster rather than results of a local vote denying funds/support).

-- AFP reports on the U.K. release of new Olympic and Paralympic stamps for 2012 (perhaps the plainest Olympic postage stamps I've seen in 25 years as a philatelist).

-- Authorities investigating a stolen 1996 Atlanta Olympic torch (or perhaps the cyclist owner of said torch) drastically overestimated the value of the torch in various reports about the recovery of the torch at a North Carolina pawn shop. WSB-TV of Atlanta reported the accurate value of about $1,500, with help of Olympic memorabilia collector Craig Perlow, and glad to see the Asheville Citizen-News did some basic research on the correct value (unlike other outlets that picked up the AP story and took it at face value).

-- The swashbuckling swordsman who helped create great fencing fights as a 1952 Olympian and as consultant for the silver screen -- including famous scenes in "Star Wars" and "The Princess Bride" -- died at age 89 (Bob Anderson's obit, as reported in the LA Times and other outlets).

-- Forbes reports that London 2012's Olympic volunteers are not permitted to use social media while on duty. Again, thinking of "SNL Weekend Update" and the question, "Really?"

Happy New Year -- 2012 hold a great deal of promise, and (*bonus*) it's an Olympic year!

Photo via Associated Press photo by Alastair Grant

Weightlifting Icon Vasily Alekseyev

2011-12-12T18:27:00.000-08:00

Sad to recently read that Olympic weightlifting champion Vasily Alekseyev died in Germany on Nov. 25.

I recall viewing Alekseyev's super heavyweight feats as a kid, and his gold medal lifts in Munich and Montreal are burned in the brains of many who viewed highlight reels of Olympics from the 1970s.

Through The New York Times obituary for Alekseyev, I learned he was undefeated from 1970 to 1978. Also found that his wife's name is near match for my Yahoo! email address: Olimpiada.

An online video of an archived sports TV report also shared some insight into the life of the man who set the record for breaking sports world records.

Photo via this link

Paul Simon in Atlanta

2011-12-11T09:15:00.000-08:00

Blogging during autumn months is tough. November is notoriously busy, and Thanksgiving with family is usually a week of recovery from a rigorous work schedule.

Fortunately, early December brings a bit more time for fun and games, and how better to end the first week back in the office than to experience the Grammy winning sounds of Paul Simon?

Al (he told me to call him that) was in the Atlanta area on December 2, performing to a (sadly) half-filled Arena at Gwinnett Center in suburban Duluth, Ga. (several fellow audience members commented "did anyone promote this show?" as the arena was embarrassingly sparse with fans -- probably 4,000 of 7,000 available seats had butts in them; on behalf of Atlanta, sorry, Paul, they could have had them all).

Before diving in to notes on Simon's performance, which was amazing and quickly advanced into my personal Top 10 list for best attended concerts, a brief note on Paul Simon's loose ties to the Olympics.

It is my understanding, per this blog post from 2005, that Mr. Simon's most recent five-ringed interaction may have been his private performance for IOC members in Manhattan for a New York 2012 Olympic bid function. Also found an amusing Associated Press photo of Olympic champion Usain Bolt striking a Paul Simon pose at an event press conference.

Next time I see Al it will be a point of conversation to clarify his Olympic interests.

Back in the Gwinnett Arena, Paul Simon took the stage with about half-a-dozen band mates who each showcased expertise on an array of brass, percussion and stringed instruments, many I had not previously seen/heard in a live concert.

My floor seat was on row 15 near the aisle, and you can imagine my stunned amazement when the Indigo Girls' better half Amy Ray and three of her friends arrived during the second or third Simon song and took their seats near mine (I later took advantage of another late-arrival's seat shift and moved up to a vacant row 13 aisle seat -- UPGRADE!).

So, how cool is it to be singing along with the local audience, including Ms. Ray, to popular favorites such as "Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover," "Slip Slidin' Away" and "Diamonds On The Souls of Her Shoes"?

As Simon and the band played tune after unforgettable tune, the audience slowly grew less subdued. By the first encore performance "The Sound of Silence" played acoustic by Simon in a solo spotlight, many of us floor seaters were inching up to the front row with cameras, and by the second encore set including "Graceland" and "Still Crazy After All These Years" it was a front row free for all with Simon high-fiving fans between songs (see photo of my one hand clapping Al's).

I mentioned the range of instruments used during the show. Tunes like "Rewrite" and "The Boy In The Bubble" (which opened the show with an amazing accordion solo) and others brought out special guitars, a chime made of assorted cutlery, and about the biggest saxophone ever seen or heard. There were amazing piano and drum solos, notable for "The Obvious Child."

My personal favorites of the evening were "The Only Living Boy In New York" as well as "The Obvious Child," "The Boy In The Bubble" and Simon's rendition of "Here Comes The Sun" by George Harrison.

Indeed, we were "Born At The Right Time" to experience this living legend in Duluth. Up close, Simon appeared to perform with as much joy as he must have had during those early career gigs with Simon & Garfunkel.

After the show, I reintroduced myself to Ms. Ray (we first met in 2001 at a music law client event at Emory University, which she politely pretended to remember). When asked, she said she had not performed with Paul Simon (on the stage at the same time) but she had previously seen/heard him live when they were part of a benefit event or two. It was really cool to hear her group of friends singing along, and even cooler when she agreed to a quick photo with this fan.

Experiencing Paul Simon live was on my wish list for a long time. Attending his next tour is on the wish list for the future (perhaps we can talk London 2012 organizers into getting him on their set lists).

Photos by Nicholas Wolaver

The World Comes to Orlando

2011-11-18T06:50:00.000-08:00

For the 13th consecutive year, my third week of November included a trek to IAAPA Attractions Expo, our client IAAPA's global gathering of more than 25,000 professionals in the world of theme parks, water parks, zoos, aquariums, family entertainment centers, museums and other attractions.

This week our team worked with reporters from the Associated Press, Central Florida News 13, Fox 35 Orlando, USA Today, the Orlando Sentinel and MSNBC (among others) to report from this big business event.

A couple of years back an Olympian was on the tradeshow floor, and though no Olympic competitors are here in 2011, we did find a nice Olympic surprise in a recent book by Ripley Publishing -- "Strikingly True" -- in which the colorful text features Ripley's - Believe It Or Not! factoids about several Olympic competitors as well as other five-ringed trivia. It is worth a look-see on your next trek to the bookstore, Nook or Kindle.

Infographic via IAAPA.org

The Family Circus and the Olympics

2011-11-09T20:01:00.000-08:00

My maternal grandmother introduced me to "The Family Circus" during the late 1970s.

Tacked to a metal kitchen cabinet, wedged between family photos, magazine-clipped recipes and other ephemera attached to the door with magnets, was a Bil Keane cartoon showing a little girl standing on a tennis court, holding up a can of Pringles potato chips mistaken for a can of new tennis balls. The brother-sister pair in the illustration resembled my sister and I.

Though I don't recall the caption on that cartoon, I do recall several of the clipped Olympic-themed editions of "The Family Circus" cut from the funny pages and mailed with letters to college or my new home in Atlanta (some turned up online tonight, now included with this post). It was always fun to read these enclosures and other Keane creations over the years.

Sorry to read this family-friendly cartoonist's obituary this evening, and of the death of Olympic champion Joe Frazier earlier this week.

Cartoons located across the Web are copyright Bil Keane Inc. and distributed by King Features Syndicate or www.familycircus.com

Darrell Hammond on "Fresh Air"

2011-11-07T18:27:00.000-08:00

Driving home tonight, after posting about the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, I heard an extremely moving interview on "Fresh Air" -- the second time in as many months that Terry Gross kept me in the car listening to someone balling their eyes out.

In Gross' sites tonight: Darrell Hammond, the "Saturday Night Live" star and author of a new book aptly titled "God, If You're Not Up There, I'm F*cked."

Sheesh! This interview was raw. Almost as raw as the September interview with Emmy winner Margo Martindale. I don't know now Gross can keep her own composure during these conversations.

The only Olympic connections I could find for Hammond is his impersonations of NBC Sports' Bob Costas, as well as Olympic gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi. From the "Fresh Air" interview and new book, it seems Hammond would likely be on the medal stand if surviving child abuse turned into an Olympic sport.

Photo via HarperCollins

London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay

2011-11-07T15:56:00.000-08:00

The Associated Press gave a little love to the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay with an international wire story updating readers on plans for next year's run.

The Olympic flame will trek about 8,000 miles but almost entirely on British soil during 70 days next summer, according to the article.

Additional details are available at the official site for the Olympic Torch Relay. Of course, part of the Torch tradition will also take place in Olympia, Greece.

The destination list for the flame looks good to me. It would really be something to see the flame at Stonehenge, for instance.

I did not yet look closely at the route yet, but in case they did not think of it already, consider this my Olympic blogger suggestion that the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay Team at LOCOG, as well as Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung, recreate the "Chariots of Fire" opening sequence by carrying the Olympic torch down the beach made famous by the film's director, Hugh Hudson, and Vangelis (in case you missed it, Hudson answered questions about that famous scene during a film festival in Atlanta, and his comments are available via this post).

Photo via LOCOG

London 2012 Unveils Official Posters

2011-11-04T16:08:00.000-07:00

Today the London Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) unveiled the official posters for London 2012, including six Olympic and six Paralympic designs.

Check out the full press release (including artist bios) and links to the designs!
Building on an Olympic arts tradition spanning several decades, the LOCOG-commissioned works by 12 leading U.K. artists highlight competition and athletic themes of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Looking at the collection, I am enthusiastically drawn to the work titled "Big Ben 2012" by Sarah Morris. The poster features a modernized view of the Clock Tower in a framework reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright windows. Beautiful! I want this poster in my apartment!

Another poster titled "Divers" -- created by Anthea Hamilton -- is also appealing with vivid color and silhouetted legs and Olympic rings in white.

The third and poster of note, however, sort of made me think, "Huh?!"

The work titled "Swimming" by Howard Hodgkin is described in LOCOG press materials with the following note: "The fluidity of the brushstrokes perfectly captures the movement of water and the sensation of swimming."

Not so much.

For this blogger, it sort of captures the movement of child's fingers dipped in finger paint.

Though to Hodgkin's credit, the painting did also remind me of a favorite R.E.M. song titled "Night Swimming" so I guess the poster is OK, just not for my walls.

Next!

Like Athens 2004's terrible selection of official posters, the rest of the London 2012 official poster series leave a bit to be desired. For instance, the illustration of two birds appearing under an inspiring message was to me, well, inspiring, yet better suited for the cartoon collections of The New Yorker magazine.

The other workz juzt make me zort of **yawn** zleepy ... ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz ...

I guess my Olympic official poster tastes are influenced by the dazzling array of memorable official works created for LA84, Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996. LA's official works, including artists Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg and Martin Puryear, are just tough to beat. Javier Mariscal's 1992 designs, and the 1996 posters by Howard Finster and James Rizzi, stand out as exceptional.

Other favorites Olympic poster works include designs by Jacob Lawrence, David Hockney, Andy Warhol and (official or not) the works of Dallas artist Bart Forbes are personal favorites (his works for several U.S. Postal Service stamps are tops in my book).

I'm sure the London 2012 official posters will be quite popular in spite of my remarks. Would love to hear which London 2012 Olympic posters are most liked -- or disliked -- by readers of this blog, and I will send an official 1996 Atlanta Olympic Opening Ceremony postcard of Muhammad Ali lighting the Olympic cauldron to the person(s) who post the most colorful comment(s) during the next three days.

Disclosures: LOCOG and the IPC/Paralympics are clients of Edelman, the agency where I work. Photo credits: London 2012/LOCOG website.

NaNoWriMo -- The Olympic Marathon of Creative Writing

2011-11-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

Until 10 minutes ago, I never heard of NaNoWriMo.

But at first glance at a brief description, it looks like the creative writing equivalent of running an Olympic marathon.

According to this blog post (which introduced the topic to this blogger), NaNoWriMo is a tradition started about 12 years ago, challenging writers to crank out a novel -- about 50,000 words -- in just one carpal tunnel syndrome-inducing month.

NaNoWriMo = National Novel Writing Month.

In case you are wondering, carpal tunnel awareness month is in May (well, sort of -- I guess some NaNoWritMo folks could have rallied for that during recovery mode after November, but they were too sore to type a petition).

When I was a kid growing up in Edmond, Okla., we had a colorful neighbor who lived in the "Pizza Hut House" (nicknamed for its flat shingled roof and dark red paint that looked like, well, a Pizza Hut). This neighbor was known as a friendly yet somewhat reclusive single woman, and neighborhood lore among the kids was that one day a soccer ball got kicked into her backyard, and when it was retrieved by a boy daring enough to climb the fence, the woman was spotted sitting naked at her typewriter, oblivious to the soccer ball retrieval (and impromptu window-peeking) in progress. For the record, I am NOT the kid who chased the soccer ball, but I am the kid who later introduced himself to the woman (selling candy bars for school fundraiser) and got to know her as "the lady down the street who writes books."

That woman was/is Hugo Award winning science fiction novelist C.J. Cherryh, and through a conversation shared with my dad, Cherry and yours truly (when I was about eight), we learned that C.J. worked hard to write a minimum of 10 pages a day. 10 PAGES!

So when I heard that there is a national month celebrating 50,000 words (about six pages a day) I got to thinking that C.J. is probably somewhere chuckling to herself, "I scoff at your meager six pages!"

Anyway, that's my 10 minutes of stream of conscientiousness typing (DRAT! Only a few hundred words!).

For those participating in NaNoWriMo 2012, good luck -- with some advance prep, I may try to join in 2012.

And if C.J. (or her agent) is out there reading blog posts noting Cherryh's work, I'd love to get back in touch; after all, she got me started writing!

Illustration via NaNoWriMo

A Wolaver Weekend, Vanderbilt Style

2011-10-30T21:22:00.000-07:00

During summer 2009, this blog's first and only thread to tie the Vanderbilt family to the Olympics got posted in the form of a special offer for the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.

Though I found no other direct Olympic connections to the Vanderbilts, this weekend afforded me a nice return visit to Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C., for the wedding celebration of Annie Moses Band member Alex Wolaver, my second cousin. The family held the reception at the Lioncrest, which was great fun.

Following the morning ceremony and early afternoon reception, my cousin Karen Wolaver and I spent a chilly yet fun couple of hours driving the Biltmore Estate grounds, walking around the Biltmore House, and snapping photos of the "Being There" movie set including the gardens, forests and Inn on Biltmore Estate in the distance. To share our photos with the family and friends, posting some of the "greatest hits" with this blog. Enjoy!

I hope the Biltmore P.R. team will consider a donation to the Atlanta Press Club silent auction coming up in December. The Biltmore generously donated in recent years.

Photos by Nicholas Wolaver and Karen Wolaver

St. Louis Cardinals Win World Series (Bravo!)

2011-10-28T21:10:00.001-07:00

Watching the St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series brought back a few Missouri memories.

In 1994, during the closing ceremony of U.S. Olympic Festival (held at the previous Busch Stadium), all of the volunteers and staff were invited onto the field. Amid the athlete presentations and fireworks, it was fun to walk hand-in-hand with my then-girlfriend as we approached the pitcher's mound, waved to the crowd and smooched while tuning out the cheers and activity all around us. At once we also felt like the whole world was applauding our kiss, which was pretty cool. (It actually was quite dark as the field lights were out for the fireworks, so probably only few folks saw us.)

Seeing the final few pitches tonight, then the Cardinals' celebration and the traditional catcher-tackles-pitcher and group hug, I wondered the extent the team was tuning out the applause (intentionally or not) then embracing the cheers. Though I am only a fair-weather fan of the Cardinals (St. Louis was my "hometown" for only one season), it was fun to root for them since their defeat of the Milwaukee Brewers (my second city to Atlanta).

But not one Cardinals player had their spouse or girlfriend on the field to kiss in celebration. I recommend they find a way to visit the pitcher's mound hand-in-hand when possible.

Only Olympic Bronze at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas

2011-09-18T11:56:00.000-07:00

About a week ago a colleague surprised me with an invitation to work for three days at the Interbike convention in Las Vegas.

Three days in Vegas? Twist my arm!

During this, my second trip to Nevada, we wheeled and dealed with media on behalf of client WingFlyer, a new scooter that combines the feel of a bike with the workout of a stair stepper as the foot platform provides a pumping action creating the "flying" motion. It was fun to also learn about popular cycling products and teams (though no Olympians spotted) on site.

When the show wrapped up on Friday, I caught a taxi to downtown Las Vegas for a visit to the world famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop where "Pawn Stars" was taping in-store on a Friday afternoon. To my surprise, there was a line about 100 fans deep waiting for entry into the shop, which is quite cozy when filled with tourists, but authentic to its portrayal on the History Channel series.

Of the show cast, during my visit only Rick Harrison, the shop's owner, was on site -- I stood across the counter from him while he spoke with a camera operator and they filmed b-roll for a deal in progress involving what appeared to be some very old firearms.

It was my hope Rick would make time to answer some questions about the many Olympic items for sale in the store, but Flip cameras are not allowed, and Rick left the building before many of my questions got answered.

Lots of Olympic collectors know about the two Joe Greene Olympic bronze medals -- one each from Atlanta 1996 and Barcelona 1992 -- and how they made their way to the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. Going into the store, I vaguely recalled a brief "Pawn Stars" segment with the back story, but not the exact story.

According to Yamil, a worker in the shop, Greene's medals were pawned by a thief (who was later caught), but when Greene came to the shop to retrieve them, the Olympic medalist and Rick worked out a deal with the condition that the Harrisons would never re-sell the medals. To this day, the two bronze medals remain on display among the many "priceless" artifacts that draw throngs of visitors to the store.

Of course, Yamil's story and the store's claim that Greene's Olympic medals are not for sale, doesn't jive with past news articles and YouTube videos about the medals, so I would still love to get the straight story from Rick.

What may surprise Olympic collectors or fans is that the shop also displays a 1960 Rome Olympic bronze medal (history unknown as of this blog post), a 1948 St. Moritz Olympic gold medal (priced at $8,000), a 1984 Longines pocket watch cast in gold with diamonds on the cover (see photo) and other Olympic items such as a Calgary 1988 poster (overpriced -- way overpriced), a gold 1996 commemorative coin and a bronze statue of a slalom skier which may or may not be Olympic-related.

Non-Olympic items of interest include some rare first and second-edition books, a Chicago World's Fair/Columbian Expo souvenir photo book, many of the iconic items purchased on "Pawn Stars" and stacks of newly-printed Chumlee T-shirts. Rick's new book, signed or unsigned, is also available.

A young sales associate, Krista, was helpful in providing more detail about the 1988 Winter Olympic poster by artist Melanie Taylor Kent, signed and numberd 285/400 titled "Let the Games Begin." It's displayed at the front of the shop, while the Olympic medals, watch and coins are mostly in the same middle section of the store.

I asked a lot of questions about the 1960 Rome medal, which featured an older shop price tag of about $3,900. Wishing now I bought it on the spot with no questions asked, because later during my visit, the shop changed the price tag to "not for sale" (as shown in photos). I have call planned early next week to learn more about the history of this item and how it arrived at Gold & Silver Pawn Shop.

If you decide to visit the store, be prepared for a wait outside ("up to three hours on some days" according to one shop security guard) as the store now hosts an average of 6,000 visitors per day, according to Krista.

The shop is open to the public and free to enter from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with a pawnbroker's window open overnight providing 24/7 options to barter. They have no Olympic pins in the store -- in fact, there were only a handful of rare military pins, and a few boxed sets of NASCAR pins, about which to write.

While in line to enter the store, a man my age was waiting to negotiate a sale of several mint in box G.I. Joe action figures. He did not make it onto the "Pawn Stars" show but he did successfully negotiate a decent pawn deal at the counter, so don't be shy about bringing your wares to Gold & Silver Pawn Shop.

Thinking I'll bring my cassette tapes and VHS collections next time. Think they'll buy?

Photos by Nicholas Wolaver

Photos RE: A Day In D.C.

2011-08-22T21:38:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos to accompany the Day In D.C. post.

A Day In D.C.

2011-08-22T21:08:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I tacked on an extra day after a Friday business presentation in Alexandria, Va., and visited two favorite sites in Washington, D.C.

Twenty-four hours in downtown D.C. also afforded me an accidental visit to the "Hinckley Hilton" as my Mapquest printout directed me to the wrong hotel on Friday afternoon (though the mile-long walk on Connecticut Street was nice, and helped me locate a wonderful Thai restaurant for dinner).

On Saturday, my first tourism stop was to the National Portrait Gallery. I love this place -- always learn a lot with every visit. Any my three-hours inside yielded an introduction or reintroduction to some Folk Art masters, a surprise Georgia O'Keefe skyline painting from 1932 (gorgeous), and a peek at the Ronald Reagan installation which was a new addition since my most recent visit.

Though there were no direct Olympic references spotted, some of the Reagan-era portraits reminded me of his role in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Opening Ceremony; also, the Folk Art of Alabama/Georgia fame, Howard Finster, brought back notions of his creations for the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games.

Another new addition (I think) was the enclosure of the museum's courtyard, which is now covered by a wonderful modern skylight.

The afternoon marked a return to the Newseum; my first visit was on Thanksgiving 2001, at the original location in Arlington, Va., and it was awesome to finally experience the Newseum's new home on Pennsylvania Ave.

Only moments after picking up the tickets, a trifecta of Olympic connections to the Newseum emerged. First, there is a "journalism in sport" film that brought to light several historic images from coverage of Olympians and the Olympics, from Muhammad Ali and Wilma Rudolph to more recent Olympic images from Barcelona, Atlanta, Athens and Beijing. The Olympic coverage was punctuated with Jim McKay's somber announcement "They're all gone" referencing the victims of the Munich Olympic hostage crisis carried live for more than 18 hours on ABC Sports.

Just outside the theatre for the sports film, I enjoyed the temporary "photos of the year" exhibition featuring several Olympic images of 2010 including the Vancouver Games and the first Youth Olympic Games at Singapore.

The third Olympic reference in the museum was in the video archive, where several Games' key clips are available via touch screen.

I was impressed with the new Newseum's outdoor overlook for Pennsylvania Ave., with commanding views of the Capitol Dome. Inside this viewing area they display a timeline of the week of Hurricane Katrina and how the news media (specifically print) covered the national tragedy (it did seem to me that more video highlights would enhance this gallery).

Of course, 9/11 and its upcoming 10th anniversary are prominently displayed with a headlines and video experience built around remains of the World Trade Center's radio tower. Somber, yes. Informative, yes. It was also interesting to read of many journalists who died in the line of duty. I found the Newseum also kept things current with an obviously new display featuring the last edition of the now-defunct Murdoch tabloid of London.

The one Achilles' Heel of the Newseum is its lack of social media displays, which were tucked behind several decades worth of historic broadcast coverage. It seems to me the Newseum has a real opportunity to inform its visitors of the rapid-fire changes underway through delivery of online news. They covered the basics -- would love to return to the Newseum with a new section or wing on social media in the last decade, big online news successes and flops.

Looking forward to another DC visit in the months ahead.

ISOH Symposium Set for Dec. 6

2011-08-15T21:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight I learned briefly that the International Association of Olympic Historians (ISOH) launched on Dec. 5, 1991, in London. The same date in 1991 I believe yeilded a B- in World History class exams handed back to me at Edmond Memorial High School.

To celebrate 20 years of ISOH, the organization announced recently a symposium set for Dec. 6, 2011, at Haus Menden, St. Augustin, Germany. A brochure for the festivities states that "everyone interested in the history of the Olympic Movement is welcome to attend" with a registration fee of 70 Euros for non-members or 60 for members (students are free). For more information visit the "contacts" page a www.isoh.org and send an email to Anthony Th. Bijkerk via the site.

Chicago Sports Collectors Event

2011-08-06T12:04:00.000-07:00

I'm in the Windy City sharing a dealer table at the National Sports Collectors Convention (a.k.a. "The National"), a five-day event at which baseball, Olympic and other sports memorabilia are showcased. Some tables are like museum showcases, while others (like mine) resemble a portable garage sale of souvenirs gathered from closets and draws full of five-ringed fare.

It's an interesting event, and also enjoyable to get acquainted or re-acquainted with several fellow Olympic collectors. The show is also challenging, finding the balance of selling items (to clear space in the apartment) with the desire to buy several items on sale.

Another highlight of the event: Meeting Olympic champion Dick Fosbury again (we first shook hands in Vancouver). Fosbury presented a keynote during a special dealer/collector dinner hosted by Olympin, which helped bring the Olympic section of the collector event to the USA for the first time (Olympic collector events of this scale traditionally take place in Lausanne, Switzerland, and the IOC sanctioned the Chicago event). Also discussed the World Olympians Association with Fosbury as he is president of the organization.

Pin collectors looking forward to London were dazzled by the official pin maker of London 2012 -- HONAV -- which as a corner display at the Chicago event. HONAV will produce 2,012 pins for London 2012, and sell up to 500 exclusive complete sets (retail price: about $17,000).

While The National will be back in the USA next year, I understand the Olympic section of the show next moves to Athens in 2012, which is perfect -- gives me another year to prepare my portable garage sale.

London 2012 Organizers Unveil "Goldfinger" Olympic Torch

2011-06-12T19:30:00.000-07:00

If James Bond's nemesis Auric Goldfinger survived being sucked out of his personal aircraft, he'd be smiling at the new Olympic torch unveiled last week by LOCOG.

The gold-toned metal torch is already getting nicknames, and I'm here to add an Ian Fleming/007 connection (in case 1948 Olympic silver medalist Harold Sakata, a.k.a. "Oddjob," did not already connect London's Olympic heritage to the British secret agent).

London's celebration next year will include the three-sided -- you read it here first, I think -- "Goldfinger" Olympic torch to be carried across Greece and the U.K. starting May 19, 2012.

With details from the organizing committee press release, here's a bit more about the LOCOG Olympic torch by the numbers:

-- The design measures 800 cm long, weighs 800g and includes 8,000 perforations or rings symbolic of the 8K torchbearers who will use the torches to pass the flame

-- Approximately 110 runners per day will participate in the 70-day 2012 Olympic torch relay, maintaining the Olympic tradition and long-distance publicity event started in 1936

-- The three-sided design is symbolic of several Olympic triumvirates: "Citius, Altius, Fortius" (faster, higher, stronger, the Olympic motto), the three London Olympiads (1908, 1948, 2012) and Olympic values of respect, excellence and friendship. Though not spelled out in the LOCOG press release, the three-sides could also represent the three presenting sponsors of the 2012 Olympic torch relay: Coca-Cola, Samsung and Lloyds TSB.

-- The torch is made of an aluminum alloy (and Al is No. 13 on the periodic chart).

-- Sean Connery's age during the relay: 81 (please, oh, please, he'll carry the torch somewhere).

From my view, the London Olympic torch is a winner, and from a coolness factor, is closest in design to the 2006 Torino Olympic torch.

What do you think of the 2012 Olympic torch design?

Photos via LOCOG/Getty Images

Weekend Update

2011-06-11T10:49:00.000-07:00

At work at Edelman, we've been cooking up something spectacular for a client, which is exhilarating and also keeping me busy sans blogging of late.

Catching up on some recent suggestions that hit this Olympic blogger's in box, here's a roundup of five-ringed briefs for consideration:

-- The U.S. Olympic Training Center now has a new Team USA Shop, which opened May 17 with Olympic gold medalist Curt Tomasevicz of bobsleigh signing autographs (see photo). Though it is good news there is a new shop, which I will frequent on future visits to the USOTC (my home for summer of 1995 internship), scanning the merchandise at the online shop reminds me how since the late 1980s the USOC's merch usually brought a cringe to my brow. From my view the folks who select the range of merchandise go too much for "mass appeal" while the items are plain and of moderate quality. How about some Made In The USA 100 percent cotton polo shirts with London 2012 logos, or some new creative on the lapel pins? I hope the shop's partnership with Staples Promotional Products will bring some new blood and new ideas.

-- Coca-Cola celebrated its 125th anniversary by donning its Midtown Atlanta skyscraper headquarters with fabric screens on which to project massive imagery from their iconic advertising. The effect was spectacular -- very cool to see from across the street and across town. Wishing they had seized the opportunity to project images from their Olympic partnerships since the 1928 Olympic Games (not a single Olympic connection was projected, from what I could tell).

-- It's not new news, but was reminded of rugby sevens as an addition to the Olympic roster for 2016, with Olympic rugby starting at Rio de Janiero. An interesting site that will help me learn more about rugby is WatchLiveRugbyWorldCup.com.

-- Not a fitness enthusiast myself, but for those who are, keep an eye open for LegacyChamp.com and their blog.

Photo via Team USA Shop/USOC

NBC Loves The Olympics $4.38 Billion Ways

2011-06-07T19:54:00.000-07:00

Today in the International Olympic Committee's hometown Lausanne, Switzerland, I suspect several fishermen cast their lines from the northern banks of Lake Geneva.

But NBCUniversal landed the catch of the day -- and the next four Olympiads -- securing the 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games' U.S. broadcast rights for a staggering $4.38 billion, according to published reports.

I once paid $4.38 for a Coca-Cola beverage in Lausanne, so maybe something in the water there gets people spending money.

The Los Angeles Times ran an interesting video and print report highlighting the NBCUniversal bid and the IOC. Though I was looking forward to a potential change up from NBC's "storytelling" from the Games (as noted in previous Olympic blog post), there is some comfort knowing that Bob Costas may be at the helm at the Games for another decade.

With Fox bidding, I shuttered to think of Bill O'Reilly spewing Olympic "commentary" for even a second.

Photo via Wikipedia

So Long, Dick E.

2011-05-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

Last week Dick Ebersol resigned from NBC Sports, where he championed the network's signature style for presenting the Olympics. Though this is a big change for NBC, the IOC and the Olympic Movement, this is, to me, a change for the better.

The change also provides a real opportunity for the next Olympic broadcast producer to right things that NBC skewed a bit in the last 20 or so years of five-ringed telecasts.

I'm not a fan of NBC's "storytelling" method for showcasing the "Olympic drama" -- though it was an interesting approach that I first noticed during a Barcelona 1992 Olympic segment regarding the surviving family members of the 1972 Munich Olympic terrorist attack, to me the NBC/Ebersol presentations of the Games jumped the shark with the over-the-top broadcast of Kerri Strug and her stuck landing in Atlanta Olympic gymnastics competition.

Why does the NBC style bother me?

During the Atlanta Olympics, some Olympic Village colleagues and I learned about the IOC's live feeds that provide commercial and commentary-free channels of all warm-ups and competitions in progress. It is possible, in the Olympic Village and other Olympic venues, to view the "gymnastics channel" or "tennis channel" or any other Olympic sport channel courtesy of multiple camera positions inside each venue, broadcast via the International Broadcast Center (IBC).

While most of America was watching/listening/enduring John Tesh nearly soiling himself over Kerri Strug's Olympic feat, I was watching the same drama unfold with commentary-free comfort of the Olympic Village. The drama was just the same -- perhaps more so -- as we also got to see athletes compete who were ignored by NBC.

Once you've viewed the Olympics in this commentary/commercial-free format, there is no topping it (unless, of course, you have a ticket to an Olympic event and view it live and in person).

To me, NBC continuously misses the boat by adding over-the-top commentary and "storytelling" to the mix. The Olympic "drama" of the world's best athletes is all the drama one needs -- viewers don't need Tesh droning on and on with faux-expertise.

To his credit, I do usually enjoy Bob Costas' informed perspective on competition, and select sports commentators also bring some interesting flavor to the mix. Also, to Ebersol's credit, he did take the Olympic viewer experience to a new plane, and the Olympic Order bestowed upon him is deserved. The Olympic Movement is better for all of Ebersol's creativity, leadership and contributions.

I just wish NBC would cut back on the storytelling and showcase a broader international mix of the real drama of global competition. People will watch it with as much, if not more, interest, in my opinion.

No matter which network picks up the U.S. Olympic broadcasting rights for Sochi 2014 and Rio de Janiero 2016 in a few weeks, when the IOC determines the Games broadcaster of the two post-London 2012 Olympiads, I hope they will seize this post-Ebersol opportunity to assess the IOC commentary-free format and consider a sport-by-channel offering that will let the viewer determine for themselves the "drama" unfolding on screen.

Could be a real treat for viewers to enjoy IOC-pure format (with all the new technology at everyone's fingertips, why not empower viewers with on-screen options to learn more about ALL of the athletes in the competition rather than only the Americans?).

Chicago Tribune Olympic reporter Philip Hersh also poses some interesting questions about Ebersol worth a read at the Globetrotting blog.

It will be interesting to see where Ebersol turns up next in Olympic circles.

Photo via AFP/Getty Images/Stephen Lovekin at this link

Olympic Headlines

2011-05-08T13:11:00.001-07:00

Just read a couple of inspiring Olympian stories from recent news reports: NOLA.com reports on 1948 Olympic bronze medalist Herb Johnson delivered an inspiring commencement address; hope to see him return to London next summer! The Houston Chronicle showcases a speedskater to watch in the lead-up to Sochi 2014. Also a great read, Chicago Tribune international sports columnist Philip Hersh's update regarding IOC President Jacques Rogge's delayed reaction to Osama bin Laden's death. Happy reading on this happy Mother's Day.

POM Wonderful Presents The Greatest Blog Post Yet Cajoled

2011-05-07T12:53:00.000-07:00

The Atlanta Film Festival is underway. Until this week, my last visit to the Festival was a few years back (to see one of the all-time greats, "American Splendor.")

One title in the 2011 Atlanta Film Festival included an Olympic theme, while I also found several other documentary films of interest, starting with the wonderfully funny "POM Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold."

More on this tall drink of a movie later in this post.

But first, the Olympic connection: "Beijing Taxi" is a new documentary shadowing three cabbies in China during the months (or even years) leading up to the 2008 Olympic Games. I went into the screening (with thanks to the AFF for the blogger tickets) anticipating a trip down memory lane and up the labyrinth of highways and side streets experienced in taxis during my month in Beijing three summers ago.

"Beijing Taxi" did deliver in terms of memory lane. You can almost tasted the grit and smog during some of the in-taxi interviews across the city. If you've been to Beijing you'll recognize the Ring Roads and towering new buildings juxtaposed with ancient neighborhood dwellings. It was refreshing to see some of the countryside the drivers enjoyed in their leisure time, and to gain a fresh perspective on reality faced by the taxi drivers we encountered in 2008.

For those who did not yet experience Beijing, this film does provide a decent slice of life for the recent Olympic city during its pre-Games prep. Watching the film, though, I realized that for at least two of the three profiled drivers, it was a bummer of a tale as they managed health issues, family dramas, entrepreneurial dreams sans support structure to bring them to fruition, unemployment, corruption and terrible car trouble (I've experienced car trouble, but nothing compared to what being stranded on an eight-lane superhighway in a stalled Beijing taxi).

One other highlight of "Beijing Taxi" is the film's portrayal of the Olympic hype, and how at least one of the drivers felt duped by the Olympic machine. In spite of strong anti-Games feedback, she was strangely drawn to one of the official Beijing Olympic theme songs. I wondered what Travis Bickle (who also showed up at AFF) or cabbies of one popular show might have to say about the theme.

Speaking of hype, I was taken hook, line and sinker by the previews for "POM Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold" (it was a huge bummer when this film did not open in ATL as in other markets two weeks ago, and a big relief to find it on the AFF schedule in advance of wider release).

Morgan Spurlock nailed it with his exploration of paid product placement. I can't write here my favorite line of the film (as it involves a client of the communications agency where I work), but I can write that Spurlock left out an obvious pun for the official gas station beverage cups, which is my suggestion: "This Sheetz's for Reel!"

Four words: Go see this movie. Then talk about it with your friends. It's a good one to discuss and think about while developing a critical eye for product placement.

Is POM Wonderful still sponsoring blogs?

One film screened at the AFF that is worthy of a "pass" is the documentary "Miss Representation."

While I agree with the messages the film seeks to present, and concur that women in the media are not treated fairly nor with respect in a male-dominated industry and world, and I side with some of the points made by Geena Davis, Margaret Cho and even the creator of "Miss Information" Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the topic presented was nothing new, and it was presented in an uncompelling manner.

People should be talking about the topics in this film, mind you, but there are other sources of similar information presented in a better way elsewhere.

The film got off to a slow start and showed promise, but the jumping of the shark was the reveal of a new movement created by Siebel Newsom, leaving me with the question "why not drive viewers to give financial support to existing, meaningful and successful women's organizations portrayed in the film in lieu of creating another expensive-to-operate nonprofit?"

If the filmmakers are so passionate about this movement, why have they posted no discussions on their blog since March? Where is the momentum? Who is driving it? Five blog posts and give up? C'mon?!

Sidebar: If you want to see a film on the topics of "Miss Representation" done with some punch, and a film that touches on some of the marketing topics covered by "POM Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold" then check out the 1991 documentary "Dreamworlds" and its sequels by creator Sut Jhally (who, strangely, was not reference by either of the recent films ... were the current documentary filmmakers doing homework on their topics, and did they know of Jhally, I wonder ...)

There were plenty of other films at the AFF that caught my eye -- it was disappointing to miss "Page One" due to a work deadline, and tonight's screening of "Africa United" looked interesting.
Will look forward to the 2012 Atlanta Film Festival when it arrives next spring.

Photos via the "Beijing Taxi" website and this site which cites AP/Victoria Will

Olympian Interview: Summer Sanders

2011-04-26T21:54:00.001-07:00

At age 19, watching the Barcelona Olympic competition on NBC, I admit to dreaming of one day waking up with swimming gold medalist Summer Sanders. Today, it finally happened! Sort of.

Thanks to the dutiful publicists at Schwinn, who contacted me with an offer to interview Sanders by phone for the little Olympic blog that could, my arm was twisted and April 26, 2011, began with an early morning alarm and a phone call with the Olympic champion.

Sanders was patched in from Park City, Utah, where she now resides with her husband, two kids, and (I am guessing) a garage full of Schwinn bikes.

Before sharing a few notes from our conversation, let me just write here that Sanders was and is among the friendliest Olympians met to date. She is also among the smoothest and best skilled spokeswomen yet interviewed -- she had Schwinn plugged in at all the right places during our conversation (as a publicist on my end of the line, I typically offer up the first couple of minutes to "get all of the messages out on the table" and Sanders delivered, but found a way to bring it all around to bikes again at least twice during our conversation). Game on!

"Though I was a swimmer by trade, I was biking to practice," said Sanders. "A bike was my mode of transportation in college, as it [provided] the fastest path from the pool to food."

Sanders said she vividly recalls learning to ride a bike -- on a pink Schwinn with a banana seat -- telling her father "You can let go now" and finding herself down the bock, sans training wheels, for the first time.

I searched online for a Sanders photo with pink bikes, but nothing popped up yet -- hence, the 1990s-era photo on this post, which I suspect is from the college days Sanders mentioned.

Before the interview, also stumbled upon a circa 2000, pre-Sydney Olympic Games live-chat interview Sanders completed with USA Today, during which she stated, "I don't think I want to do a triathlon because I don't have the time or desire to train ... and I'm too competitive to do it half-way."

This statement drew my interest considering the Schwinn folks mentioned Sanders' recent triathlon activities. Sanders cheerfully explained her change of heart.

"In 2000, that was my 30-year-old self talking," said Sanders. She added that now, as a mother of two, having a "mommy head is like a reality check; it takes the pressure off.

"Back then I was running in marathons, living and working in Manhattan, and it was harder to find places to swim," Sanders said. "I did my first triathlon last summer, training sometimes with two toddlers or taking awesome longer rides and meeting for a social hour with 'mommy girlfriends' -- [sometimes] my legs felt like cement starting up, but I love the feeling of challenging myself."

Sanders' trademark competitive spirit came up several times during our conversation. When asked about her days with "The Celebrity Apprentice" she mentioned the competitive atmosphere and the pressure to win. When asked about her take on Trump's potential presidential run, Sanders brought up The Donald's competitive nature as well.

"Donald Trump is an amazing person, a straight shooter who says exactly what he is thinking," said Sanders. "He's smart, [and] probably one of his goals [in hinting at a presidential bid] is to get people thinking."

Sanders also expressed that one of the most frustrating elements of the "Apprentice" gig was the long van rides in rush hour Manhattan traffic.

"We would beg, 'could we please take a bike?' but we had to stay in the car," said Sanders.

I smiled and believed her, as she did not bring up Schwinn at this stage of the conversation.

Sanders was happy to talk about her Barcelona Olympic experience as well, explaining that during the weeks between the 1992 Olympic trials, the team spent time training in France before driving into Spain and directly to the Olympic Village.

"We bused into Barcelona, and I remember looking out the window seeing the first [street] signs for the Village," said Sanders. "That was when it hit me it was real."

Sanders added that the Village was "just barely" completed as athletes arrived, and the swim team's rooms had no air conditioning.

"There was a rumor that only Team Spain had A/C" said Sanders, chuckling about the experience. "To sleep we took cold showers to keep cool."

When our conversation turned to future Olympic Games, Sanders said she is just starting to figure out what options might work around London in 2012.

Sanders appeared in the current edition of Shape magazine, and she mentioned there is an upcoming show in the works with Yahoo! Sports that starts shooting in July (Sanders and Olympian Dominique Dawes will interview athletes, splitting the nation with East and West Coast beats).

A follow-up Olympic commentary gig with NBC might fit, too, while Sanders said her five-year-old daughter and three-year-old son are a priority.

"I'm happy to be working with Schwinn for two years," said Sanders. "I love the partnerships I have that fit with who I am and my [family] lifestyle, providing time to focus on the joy of life."

It was indeed a joy to chat with Summer Sanders.

Photo via Stars Base

Big-Time Sports

2011-04-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

During my college days at Mankato State University (now Minnesota State at Mankato), the school was known more as the location of the Vikings training camp than our local student athletes.

So low was my interest in college sports then (and now), I think there were only two or three events I attended, including one football game (dragged there as a freshman), one hockey game (as part of an SID work study assignment) and, all lumped together as one complete match, a collection of women's tennis events (my beat for the sports section of The Reporter).

Even Tom Wolfe's college sports fiction "I Am Charlotte Simmons" could not hold my interest a few years back. And I usually love Tom Wolfe texts (check out "Hooking Up" if you have not yet read it).

But recently, thanks to publicists at Cambridge University Press, I gave it another shot by scanning a review copy of Charles T. Clotfelter's new book "Big-Time Sports In American Universities."

The verdict: Still not a college sports fan here, but the book was interesting (affirming many of my longstanding hangups with university athletics), and I think the die-hard college sports fans around me should read it, particularly those in sports marketing.

Clotfelter examines four key roles fulfilled by college sports, as a consumer packaged good, business enterprise (which tees up conflicts of interest for academic institutions),as an instrument to forge relationships, and as role in education. The author's research delves into the positive, neutral or negative outcomes of commercial sports at universities, and provides detail for discussion by those who are critics or fans of the college sports machine.

Not one page of the book delves into Olympic athletic endeavors -- mostly NCAA basketball, college football and other larger sports are explored through Clotfelter's research -- so the book was not as relevant for my interests. But I'll cheerfully loan my copy to those who are interested.

Photo via Amazon.com

Olympic News Is Everywhere

2011-04-23T06:06:00.001-07:00

The last couple of weeks yielded an array of Olympic headlines.

Sadly, a mix of work and personal projects kept me away from the computer, er, away from blogging time.

Here's a grab bag of five-ringed headlines, in case you missed them:

Olympic marathon silver medalist Grete Waitz, who also ran the New York City Marathon (highlighted in this post from January 2009) and Atlanta's Peachtree Road Race, died of cancer.

Kellogg renewed sponsorship of the U.S. Olympic Committee. This news is Grrrrrrrrrrrreat!

Nintendo and Sega will bring Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Olympic champion Carl Lewis is not only running for New Jersey Senate, but he also has a New Jersey driver's license!

Olympic champion and fellow Edmond, Okla., home-towner Shannon Miller is tackling cancer treatment with exercise regiment.

London will spend a cable car full of money to build a transport system across the Thames in time for the 2012 Games.

Rio's historic architecture is worth revitalizing before 2016, say some locals.

Make it an Olympic day!

Photo via FreakingNews.com

Jumping For Joy

2011-04-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

Delighted to read in The New York Times and USA Today that women's ski jumping will debut as an Olympic sport at Sochi 2014. Ski jump is one athletic feat that always intrigued me, but never enough to drop fund for an Olympic ski jump ticket. I plan to check it out when we get to Russia in three years. Photo via The Ski Channel website

Olympian Interview: Natalie Coughlin

2011-03-26T10:23:00.000-07:00

When I was three years old, my parents placed two items in the upper terrace of our Oklahoma backyard.

First, they planted a plum tree, which lasted only a few years in the crusty red dirt of the plains (I think we did harvest plums one or two years). Then my folks purchased and placed beside that tree a blue plastic kiddie pool -- likely from TG&Y -- which was a fun escape from the summer heat for my sister and I.

There are home movies of the youngster Wolavers splashing and spinning around to pretend to be Wonder Woman or other heroes of popular shows (both donning our swim trunks, made by mom, from fabric that matched Team USA's swimsuits worn at the Montreal Olympics of 1976, which was on TV during that summer in the pool).

The plum tree, plastic pool and Bruce Jenner on television -- these are my earliest Olympic memories, from age three.

Through a recent conversation, I enjoyed an introduction to Olympian Natalie Coughlin -- the swimming champion with 11 Olympic medals (so far) -- who shared via phone that she also got started in a pool in her parents' backyard.

"I was 10 months old, and we had a pool -- they taught me to swim, because it was a safety issue" said Coughlin, the recent celebrity judge on "Iron Chef America" and self-proclaimed foodie who now lends her voice to the California Dried Plum Board. "[And] I ate dried plums all the time."

Small world.

For those who are hungry, or plum lovers, or foodies, check out the plum good recipes Coughlin created for the Plum Board. My girlfriend and I may try to cook the meatball recipe soon (though making the salad may be more my speed).

During our phone conversation, I inquired how Coughlin made the transition from backyard swimmer to Olympian, and her first Olympic memories.

"In 1988 I was cheering on Janet [Evans]," who Coughlin mentioned she met for the first time only 12 years ago. "And during 1992 I was cheering for Summer Sanders and had a Speedo and shirt with 'It's Summer Time.'"

On meeting Sanders years later, Coughlin described the introductions as "a surreal thing."

It surprised me to learn that Coughlin got a start in broadcasting at the invitation of MSNBC for their 2006 Winter Olympic coverage, a footnote found in one of Coughlin's bios online. Coughlin explained she did contribute on air commentary and the Olympian's point of view during coverage for Torino, but the interviews were live from New Jersey rather than the Northern Italian host city.

When asked whether the experience was intended as a stepping stone to a broadcasting career (similar to Evans' and Sanders' post-Olympic endeavors), Coughlin said she "would love to do something in TV if the opportunity came along."

Though the "Iron Chef America" gig and "Dancing With The Stars" competition may be additional building blocks for on-air adventures, Coughlin made it clear her sights and focus are now on London 2012 and the competitions leading to next year's Games, including the upcoming world championships in Shanghai.

I asked whether she felt pressure to "three-peat" in her signature Olympic events, and whether her training focused on one stroke versus another.

"I'm training equally for the backstroke and the free," said Coughlin. "I can't just focus on one stroke. I will also continue on the butterfly and the breaststroke. It's more fun that way."

On the potential to "three-peat" at the 2012 Games, or bring home more medals, Coughlin said the pressure is different now than in 2004 or 2008.

"There was more pressure in Athens; more pressure to prove myself," said Coughlin. "Now there is less pressure. Now it feels like everything [i.e. medals in London] is icing on the cake."

Coughlin said she had been to London only once for less than 48 hours, and she looks forward to spending more time there. Of the future and prospects for an Olympic "four-peat" in Rio de Janiero in 2016, Coughlin said the focus only on the near future.

"It's way too soon to tell for Rio," said Coughlin. "I'm focused on the next year and a half."

Coughlin resides in the Bay Area of Northern California, so we also talked about San Francisco's Olympic connections including the Beijing-bound 2008 Olympic Torch Relay. Readers of this blog may recall the Mayor and other officials changed the relay path to minimize risk of anti-China protesters who lined the original route in equal numbers to Olympic fans.

"I was supposed to light the cauldron," said Coughlin, describing the ceremony that was to be the climax of the day's route through the city. "Instead, I carried the torch in the Presidio ... with Herschel Walker and [former San Francisco Mayor] Willie Brown.

"I still have the torch, and we're making a stand for it," said Coughlin.

Photo with plums via California Dried Plum Board

Photo at Beijing Olympics via Daylife.com and Getty Images

Milwaukee Art Museum Gets It Wright

2011-03-07T05:34:00.000-08:00

Frank Lloyd Wright's good works are part of my memory since teenage years, but a 1994 exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art marked the first time the architect's fame and accomplishments "stuck" with me.

Wright's city plan for Baghdad intrigued me for its inclusion of an Olympic stadium in Iraq, though I cannot confirm whether the New York exhibit showcased that Wright design, or if the Olympic/Wright connection came to my attention later.

In the 17 years since experiencing that MOMA exhibit, however, each visit to a Wright destination either earned comparison to the Manhattan display, which set a very high bar for architectural exhibitions, or brought back memory of lessons learned in that temporary assembly of Wright drawings, models and materials.

Now showing at the Milwaukee Art Museum, the new exhibition "Frank Lloyd Wright: Organic Architecture for the 21st Century" gets it right, and sets another high bar for future exhibitions.

Students, fans or anyone curious about Frank Lloyd Wright will find the MAM show enjoyable, entertaining and informative, including a broad overview of Wright's career (covering most of the basics and big milestones in his work) and many surprises for those more familiar with Wright projects across the U.S. (the exhibit focuses on stateside projects).

Thanks are in order for the MAM media relations team, which arranged tickets for this blogger and a guest to visit the museum on March 5.

"Frank Lloyd Wright: Organic Architecture for the 21st Century" begins with a large room filled with enormous architectural models created at Taliesin or Taliesin West, Wright's homes and working studios in Spring Green, Wis., and Scottsdale, Ariz., respectively.

From the towering model of "The Illinois" -- a soaring design for a mile-high skyscraper in Chicago -- to panoramic three-dimensional displays of "Broadacre City" and "The Living City," Wright's visionary take on the possibilities for architecture on a citywide level, attendees are treated to handmade models and hand-drawn ideas that mostly lived only in Wright's mind, and on rare sheets of drafting paper. Only one or two designs in the room -- the Price Tower built in Bartlesville, Okla., and a synagogue in Pennsylvania -- made it from dream or proposal stage to construction.

The most unusual and surprising (and unbuilt) designs of the exhibition include rare, full-color renderings for the Rogers Lacy Hotel in Dallas (sigh for what could have been ...) and the Gordon Strong Automobile Objective, a scenic overlook and destination (rooftop for a massive planetarium) intended for Sugarloaf Mountain, Md., which shares spiral design elements that later appeared in the Guggenheim Museum's spiral atrium.

Following what I describe as the futuristic/unbuilt "room of dreams," the exhibit looks at a range of residential projects and designs for families. Attendees are treated to views of Usonian, Cloverleaf Quadruple and other private residences, showcased around several elements from Taliesin. My girlfriend and I tuned into some rare home movies from Wright's home before studying the designs for Falling Water, which is on our target list for the next Wright experience to share.

The best surprise in the "residential" sections of the exhibition: Large renderings for the unbuilt Raul Bailleres House, a beachfront property that would have included tiered infinity pools and waterfalls in Acapulco, Mexico, displayed beside a spectacular "Seacliff" house intended for waterfront property near San Francisco.

We later learned that the Bailleres House, with many updates and redesigns for other clients, now stands in Maui, Hawaii, as the "Marilyn's House" built in the 1980s (my girlfriend and I visited that beautiful site, which overlooks Haleakala Mountain, last year).

A cottage designed for bestselling author Ayn Rand was a nice surprise in the exhibition. Another delight was learning the back story related to the drawing.

We also enjoyed several drawings of the Frederick C. Bogk House, a Milwaukee home built on Terrace Drive near Lake Michigan. We delighted in driving from MAM to this residence, only a mile from the museum, on the same afternoon, and if time permits, we suggest any MAM visitors also make time to experience the Wright-designed Greek Orthodox Church in suburban Wauwatosa, Wis. (spectacular).

The Greek temple is one of a handful of iconic places of worship highlighted in the exhibition. The standout, of course, is Unity Temple of Oak Park, Ill., and MAM installed a shadow box-style model of the temple sanctuary.

Numerous office and government buildings -- some built, some only proposed -- come to life in more large illustrations and models, such as a large model of the S.C. Johnson headquarters of Racine, Wis. We enjoyed learning about Wright designs for Marin County, Calif., and the Lenkurt Electric Co.

There were only a handful of "holes" in the exhibition. We noted that both the Guggenheim Museum and Ennis House noticeably missing. I suspect the Guggenheim has its own stronghold on Wright artifacts, which the Manhattan institution may or may not be willing to share. In the case of Ennis House, and nearby Hollyhock House (also in Los Angeles, and also missing from the MAM exhibition), maybe its imperilled status factored for MAM exclusion.

But then, there are hundreds of Wright structures from which to choose, and MAM covered the right bases with great detail. Anyone can read more in the Frank Lloyd Wright Field Guide or other publications available in the exhibition gift shop.

For those who visit MAM, be sure to enjoy the lakefront dining experience at Cafe Calatrava in the lower level -- the cauliflower soup is magnificent, and the architecture-inspired menu (honoring the Wright show as much as the famed Spanish architect who created MAM's expansion 10 years ago) is great for fueling or refueling for a day at the museum.

Illustrations via MAM:
-- Lenkurt Electric Company, San Carlos, CA, 1955, © 2010 Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Scottsdale, AZ
-- Rogers Lacy Hotel, Dallas, TX, 1946, © 2010 Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Scottsdale, AZ

Even Angry Mickey Rooney has an Olympic Connection

2011-03-02T21:52:00.000-08:00

It is troubling to see acting icon Mickey Rooney in the news with regards to elder abuse.

According to CNN and other sources, this week he testified before congress regarding his own struggles as an aging American.

I hate to admit it, but it reminds me of Dana Carvey's skit on SNL Weekend Update which sort of spoofed Rooney (well, Carvey DID spoof Rooney as well, in another favorite SNL skit).

Even Rooney has an Olympic connection via this blog, in that about 13 months ago, on the date of my flight to Vancouver to begin work at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, I ran into Rooney and his younger escort (quite possibly the stepson who Rooney accuses of alleged elder abuse) in the T-Gate at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

In the afternoon ATL airport exchange with Rooney, the actor was in a wheelchair as the duo searched for their American Airlines connection (my flight that day was on United, which also departs from the T-Gates). Rooney appeared to me in good spirits, save the usual airport commute-inspired crankiness many endure when catching a connecting flight.

Rooney did not speak when I asked him two questions. His younger escort, a man in his 30s, was polite and explained it had been a long day for both of them. After wishing them well, I did notice they were in line to board as my own flight prepared to board, and that concluded the afternoon celebrity sighting.

Photo via CNN.com by Associated Press photographer Alex Brandon

Oscar Comes To Atlanta

2011-02-27T20:50:00.000-08:00

Watching the Academy Awards presentation tonight, it was good to see an array of nominated films take home some hardware.

Honorees for "The Fighter," "The Social Network" and "The King's Speech" appeared on my ballot, and it was good to see Melissa Leo, Christian Bale and Colin Firth victorious. Big relief to see that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross earned statues (bravo!).

Though it was pleasing to see a longtime actress favorite, Natalie Portman, as winner for "The Black Swan" I was rooting for Annette Bening's amazing, emotional performance in "The Kids Are All Right."

Biggest disappointment of the evening: Twenty-time nominee Randy Newman winning for original song (in my opinion, his was the least original, again).

Another disappointment was that Winona Ryder received no nominations for her twisted character in "Black Swan" (she stabbed herself in the face with a nail file, for crying out loud!).

Going into the evening, I maintained that "The Social Network" might take home best picture, and though "The King's Speech" is excellent, the moodier tone of the former seemed more contemporary.

"The King's Speech" themes of friendship and British connections remind me of best picture from 30 years ago, another U.K. great (which some say 'saved' British cinema), "Chariots of Fire."

I was just seven years old when "Chariots of Fire" won best picture of 1981, and I still enjoy vivid memories of viewing this film on the big screen with my dad and my grandmother.

What a treat it was to again experience "Chariots of Fire" in a theatre last Thursday when the premiere 30th anniversary presentation, including Q&A with the film's Oscar-nominated director, Hugh Hudson, appeared as the centerpiece of the 2011 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival.

Interviewing Hudson during the film was an extraordinary treat.

In our one on one conversation in the lobby of Regal Cinemas Atlantic Station (with thanks to the AJFF's P.R. team at MS&L), Hudson explained that sport played an important part of his upbringing.

"I was always interested in sporting achievement," said Hudson. When asked about his earliest Olympic memories, he said, "I went to the 1948 London Olympics and have memories of Fanny Blankers-Koen. I saw her run!"

Hudson said that athleticism and the Olympics were not the intended themes of "Chariots of Fire;" rather, the "timeless story of youth standing up for [their] beliefs ... for their own sense of freedom, [and] refusing to have ideals diverted by their elders."

I asked Hudson to reflect on great Olympic films that preceded his, and the extent to which he studied Olympic films or film makers prior to "Chariots of Fire." Hudson replied that Leni Reifenstahl's "Olympia" was "breathtaking" and he also cited "Tokyo Olympiad" by Kon Ichikawa as influential.

"[But] they were pure documentaries," said Hudson, who added that the use of slow motion in those films made it to "Chariots of Fire" but with more criticism for his work.

When asked the extent to which the International Olympic Committee, British Olympic Association or other Olympic entities engaged Hudson before, during or after the success of his film, Hudson said they never contacted him (I found and still find this hard to believe since the film screened at several Games since 1981). Hudson said, "Going into Barcelona [in 1992] I wrote a script" and "had a part in Spain" that fell through, but he declined to provide more detail because he "might still use that idea."

After talking about the impact of early Olympic films on his career, I followed up with questions about Hudson's impact on Olympic films that followed his. Hudson said he enjoyed Steven Spielberg's "Munich" and it reminded Hudson that he planned to attend the Munich Games in 1972, but instead he only watched the Games on television. Hudson added he did not attend a Games since 1948, and that organizers for London 2012 are not in contact with him.

HELLO, are there any London 2012 publicists reading this? Golden opportunity awaits!

(Disclosure: Some P.R. elements of London 2012 are organized by Edelman, the agency where I work.)

The last question I was able to pose to Hudson before his next interview of the AJFF concerned the iconic opening and closing sequence of "Chariots of Fire" during which the mesmerizing, Oscar winning theme song by Vangelis is played. Hudson confirmed my suspicion, since elementary school in 1981, that the beach runners were up to their ankles in "freezing cold water in March" (later, during the audience Q&A, seen in the video below, Hudson also explained the scene involved several takes and a quirky miracle of film making led to a second filming that captured more dramatic waves pouring into the shoreline; he also share more detail about his friendship with Vangelis).

During the audience Q&A, I also learned that Hudson married a "Bond Girl" from the James Bond film "The Living Daylights" -- Maryam d'Abo answered two questions outside the Atlanta screening of "Chariots of Fire," explaining that the first time she viewed Hudson's film she was a drama student -- with Colin Firth -- and she met Hudson several times during the 1980s before he remembered her (they married in 2003).

I found Hudson to be pleasant and conversational, offering to share his popcorn during our theatre chat. It would be tremendous to see the 30th anniversary edition of "Chariots of Fire" on the big screen in several cities now through London 2012. If it is screening near your favorite theatre, guaranteed, it is the best picture in town.

Photos by Nicholas Wolaver at the 2011 AJFF

New York Times: Unfit London and the Games

2011-02-16T19:21:00.000-08:00

Today's New York Times cover story regarding the London Games gave me a chuckle between bites of donut.

According to the report, the U.K. bid for the 2012 Olympics included a commitment to get more than 1 million host nationals up off of their arses and engaged in physical activity.

Jolly good show!

This was the first I heard of such a component of the Olympic bid process, but it was not surprising. The sounds of "fittest Games" ring similar to bid book language about "greenest Games" or other aspirational statements. Should we get ready for Annecy, Munich and PyeongChang to present their commitment to the "snowiest" Games in 2018.

Photo via Flaming Fun

Where Will You Be?

2011-02-15T18:25:00.000-08:00

A colleague today forwarded a wonderful attachment to an e-mail: The London 2012 Olympic ticketing/event schedule.

Scanning the contents and the one-page version, I can tell you the future. Well, at least where I aspire to be on the following dates (this list will certainly evolve over time):

27 July 2012 -- Opening Ceremony at Olympic Stadium (duh!)
4 August 2012 -- Women's Tennis Final at Wimbledon, Centre Court
8 August 2012 -- Women's Beach Volleyball Final at Horse Guards Parade (for an Olympic attendance three-peat with my good friend, Brian; we attended in Athens and Beijing)
9 August 2012 -- Women's Football Final at Wembley Stadium
12 August 2012 -- Closing Ceremony at Olympic Stadium

The only disappointment to the schedule: Men's marathon does not conclude at the Olympic Stadium as it did in Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium, where I stowed away ALL DAY in the BBC press seats and then evaded Chinese security sweeps (once, twice, three times, including bomb-sniffing K-9 units) to view the Closing Ceremony at no charge. Therefore, no option to repeat stowing away trick.

Experience-wise, Beijing and Vancouver set very high standards for Olympic awesomeness. London should provide an array of adventures.

Where will I see you in London?

Ticketing logo via London 2012

Sochi Mascot Competition

2011-02-08T21:52:00.000-08:00

Across the world in Sochi, organizers of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games kicked off a mascot competition with a public selection process involving 11 finalist mascots.

Scanning the choices on Fourth Place Medal and RIA Novosti, I quickly narrowed the field with three Nick picks.

First, take out all of the animals. The bears (one is too similar to the 1980 Moscow Olympic mascot, Misha), the leopard, the too-close-to-Twitter-mascot bird, etc., all seem too silly and too difficult to replicate as a body-suit costume.

Next, take out the foursome of Russian dolls (too many mascots clutter the field).

This leaves Father Frost (St. Nick of Russia ... for some reason, a Saint Nicholas Olympic mascot has a nice ring to it), the Snow Flake girl and Fire Boy.

Earlier today, the first time I saw the renderings, these last two options (the girl and boy) appeared as a pair, and they seemed decent as a duo. Too bad I have just one ballot.

Photos via Novosti

"Chariots of Fire" Blazes Vangelis Soundtrack Trail to AJFF

2011-02-08T19:32:00.000-08:00

It's not often -- dare I write, it may be a once in a lifetime -- that the greatest Olympic film ever made comes to town.

The Oscar-winning five-ringed film "Chariots of Fire" in its 30th anniversary format will premiere worldwide this month at the 11th Annual Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. Bravo!

The best picture of 1981 is one of dozens of great features heading to the AJFF, which kicked off tonight with a snazzy party at The Fox Theatre and a screening of the new documentary "Jews In Baseball: An American Love Story"

It was cool to connect at the event with the AJFF P.R. team from Manning, Selvage & Lee (thanks for the ticket), 790 The Zone's Steak Shapiro (who introduced the film), and to shake hands with Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank while we briefly waited in line for a plate of delicious catering (BTW, I asked Blank whether he trekked to Dallas for the Super Bowl, and he confirmed that he did go to DFW but came back to Atlanta before the kickoff since "it's hard, you know" to see the game after this season, to which I replied "there's always next year, right?")

Here's a rundown of some of the AJFF selections on my short list to attend:

"The 'Socalled' Movie" featuring the Canadian performance artist
"Little Rose" which appears to be a thriller spy flick
"Vidal Sassoon The Movie" documenting the man behind the brand
"Winston Churchill: Walking With Destiny" looking at pre-war England
"An American Synagogue" checking out Frank Lloyd Wright's design built in Philadelphia
"Tell Them Anything You Want" portrait of Maurice Sendak
"Louder Than A Bomb" looking at a Chicago poetry slam

And of course, I intend to screen "Chariots of Fire," which will include a possible Q&A opportunity with Director Hugh Hudson (I'll post video or Q&A if this happens -- fingers crossed).

The AJFF also features dozens of other films. For baseball fans, "Jews In Baseball" is excellent, featuring a frank and often humorous look at Jewish ballplayers through history, including Barney Pelty of the St. Louis Browns (the first Jewish player on a baseball card), Moe Solomon, Hank Greenberg, Sandy Koufax, several owners or managers, the composer of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" (also Jewish) and narration by Dustin Hoffman.

There are several great lines in the film, and my favorite arrived early in the feature. Paraphrasing, baseball was referenced in the Old Testament, in fact, in the opening line of the Bible, which states, "In the Big Inning ..."

Logo via AJFF

Olympic Thievery

2011-01-31T23:08:00.001-08:00

Saw a sad news story online tonight.

Turns out 2002 Olympic gold medalist Tristan Gale Geisler was the victim of a burglary in Oceanside, Calif. Among many treasures stolen from her residence: Her Salt Lake 2002 Olympic gold medal in skeleton.

I was the victim of an Olympic theft a few days prior to flying to Beijing in 2008. Theft sucks. Shame on the thief who took my Olympic vanity plate, and shame on the alleged burglars who invaded Olympian Gale's residence.

Spotting the headline from Oceanside, and Gale's comments about trolling Craig's List for the items she lost, was timely as just yesterday I noticed an Atlanta Olympic medal on the set of the show "Pawn Stars" -- for those not yet familiar, this program is like an edgy "Antiques Road Show" with managers and friends of a Vegas-based family business standing in for the academic and antique experts who appear on the PBS program.

I have an e-mail in to the "Pawn Stars" team to inquire about the '96 Olympic medal back story (there is a small bit of detail at this link). When they reply, it's my intention to suggest they be on the lookout for Gale's medal and help with its safe return.

I'd hate for Gale to go through life like Muhammad Ali lamenting over the lost medal. Fortunately, the IOC provides an option for a replacement for the irreplaceable.

Photo via USAToday.com and AP photographer Laurent Rebours

Feb. 3, 2011 UPDTATE: CRIME SOLVED -- OLYMPIC MEDAL RECOVERED

With thanks to Shreveport, La.-based J. Brian Carberry for flagging the news, today police announced they recovered the stolen Olympic medal and other missing items from Tristan Gale Geisler's burgled abode. WHEW!

Quoting Orson Welles as "The Shadow" ... "Crime ... does NOT pay ... The Shadow knows (bwah-hah-hah!).

From Ordinary To Extraordinary

2011-01-27T19:30:00.000-08:00

Readers of this blog may realize by now that movies are a big part of my spare time. So it was fun to receive an e-mail suggesting I check out a trailer for the upcoming documentary film "From Ordinary To Extraordinary."

According to the film synopsis accompanying the YouTube video trailer,

“In the fall of 2010, three individuals bound by friendship and driven by achievement, set out on mission to step out of their every-day routine of life and challenge themselves by testing their mental, physical, and spiritual stamina to become more than ordinary, but extraordinary. This challenge was the Rohto Ironman Miami – a 70.3-mile triathlon. Filmed several days preceding the race and on race day, the visionary creatives of Affiliate Media chronicle Gershon, Steven and Brian, in ‘From Ordinary to Extraordinary,’ as they achieve against the odds to compete and complete a race that is described as one of the toughest races in the world.”

Looks interesting! Included in the email suggestion, the sender noted that a study conducted by USA Triathlon and TribeGroup showed that only 0.5 percent of U.S. triathletes are African American.

This stat inspired the film's three subjects to get involved, and to recruit friends, to do their part to increase the number of African American participants in the sport.

It will be interesting to see where this documentary film shows up in the next few weeks.

Photo via Rhonto Ironman Miami

Olympic News Briefs

2011-01-24T19:46:00.001-08:00

Work's had me on the run of late, but that hasn't stopped Olympic news from arriving at the in box. Here's a quick pick list of recent items on the five-ringed front:

Allen Brooks, noted as a “veteran Olympic Games marketer” (according to a press release) joined GMR Marketing as vice president overseeing international client management, specifically to co-lead Procter & Gamble Olympic marketing in London and other future Olympic sites.
Rome's 2020 Olympic bid is gaining steam, according to the Associated Press. In other news, a shoe company is handing over a pile of money to refurbish Rome's famed Colosseum.
New Waverly, Texas, will be an official training site for USA Gymnastics, according to a local Fox News report noting the decades of work by Bela and Martha Karolyi (disclosure: the Hilton/USA Gymnastics news element of this report is related to clients of Edelman, the P.R. agency where I work).
Vancouver is going to celebrate like it's 2010 again!
Munich's Olympic bid books are now in the hands of the IOC, according to the AP.
Jan. 25 Update: I intended to also include this link to a Natalie Coughlin video related to BMW's support of the USOC and national governing bodies USA Bobsled & Skeleton, USA Swimming, USA Track & Field and US Speedskating.

Have a great week!

Photo of Munich Olympiapark via Reuters

Atlanta Defrosts After Ice Apocalypse

2011-01-15T16:36:00.000-08:00

This time last week, I joined the legions of Atlantans who trekked to the grocery store in anticipation of snow and ice predicted for the city.

While most snow/ice warnings of the last 15 years were false alarms, Ice Storm 2011 was the real deal (much more like the great Ang Lee film "The Ice Storm" starring longtime favorite Sigourney Weaver).

It was an ice storm that welcomed my arrival in Atlanta during the first days of 1996. That holiday season of 1995, while packing for the move to work at the Olympic organizing committee, I bragged to snowbound friends in Minnesota and St. Louis that the South's warm winter temperatures would be a welcome change.

Of course, within hours of arriving in Atlanta, the thermometer dipped to the teens, and the next few days brought more than an inch of ice, wreaking havoc on the city and the super-sensitive diesel components of the silver VW Jetta for which I held the keys.

The winter storm this week was fun, but it's good to get back to "normal" this weekend which honors Atlanta's first Nobel Prize winner (make Monday a day on, not a day off!).

Today I screened "The Fighter" (excellent film), did a little homework, and tonight look forward to the Atlanta Falcons versus Green Bay Packers game. Not much of a football fan here, but with my girlfriend's family in Milwaukee, it's irresistible to root for the Falcons and put down the Packers (even though in general I pull for neither team as I am a post-season-only fan and viewer of the NFL).

No matter the victors of tonight's game, the crowd inside the Georgia Dome will no doubt melt any remaining ice atop the stadium, creating a nice ice moat that may remind the Wisconsin fans of home.

Go Falcons!

Photo via the Georgia Dome

Post-Game Update 1/16/2011 -- Packers beat Falcons 48-21. Embarrassing.

Reality TV: The Biggest Winner

2011-01-05T03:56:00.001-08:00

Learned recently (but did not tune in to the premiere) that Olympic wrestling champion Rulon Gardner is competing on the current season of "The Biggest Loser," seeking to regain his Olympian physique after a few years of snacking sans exercise. I found it interesting his inspiration to join the show originated in Oklahoma, according to this USA Today article.

It's also interesting to me that reality shows keep tapping Olympians as contestants. Gardner on "The Biggest Loser," Shawn Johnson on "Dancing With The Stars." Jonny Mosely on "Skating With The Stars." There are bound to be others.

Just wondering the extent to which the Olympic star-status serves as an inspiration for reality TV viewers versus turning the Olympians into sideshows.

It's great that the shows provide the Olympians with a post-athletic career source of income or building their brand. But at what cost to their elite (or recent/former elite) status?

Photo via PopTower.com

Faux Controversy for Rio 2016 Logo

2011-01-04T08:04:00.001-08:00

Less than 48 hours from the logo launch for Rio 2016, "controversy" emerged with regards to the new emblem as a nonprofit in Colorado noted similarities to its own logo.

Now a prominent Olympic blog has stirred the pot, with more than 2,200 comments on the new design so far.

From my view the new logo does share similarities to the non-profit's mark, but to call this plagiarism is not apt.

Also, I think it is fine that the creators of the new logo drew inspiration from the people dancing in a circle, a la the sardana dance of Spanish culture.

Can't we all just get along with the new logo? It's just a logo, for goodness sake.

Photo via eil.com

New Rio 2016 Olympic Logo Unveiled

2011-01-02T10:23:00.001-08:00

As noted on New Year's Eve, the Rio 2016 organizing committee unveiled the new 2016 Olympic logo at Copacabana beach with more than 1 million revellers in attendance.

I first glanced at the new logo online just a few minutes before heading out for New Year's Eve in Atlanta (the unveil occurred a time zone or two ahead of EST), and both my girlfriend and I instantly loved the new design, which is the first Olympic logo that is truly three dimensional (or are there others I just don't recall?).

We also loved the cursive script, another first. As predicted, green and yellow factored into the design. This will make for some lovely "look of the Games" decor around the city come Games time, and the pins and other memorabilia will be gorgeous with this color scheme. Bravo, Rio!

What do you think of the new emblem?

Logo via the Rio 2016 Olympic Organizing Committee

Happy New Year & Happy New Rio 2016 Logo

2010-12-30T12:12:00.000-08:00

Excitement is building for the blowout traditional New Year's Eve festivities in Rio de Janiero, with the *BONUS* excitement tomorrow as the new logo for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will be unveiled at Copacabana Beach.

Today's Associated Press report shares more detail. Any predictions for the new logo?

I am guessing that green and yellow will remain prominent features. Something off the wall and new for the future (as was the London 2012 logo when unveiled) is also likely as Brazil may wish to push the envelope.

Looking forward to 2011 and the big unveil on the news, which I expect will appear on CNN shortly before midnight Eastern Standard Time.

Happy New Year from OlympicRingsAndOtherThings.blogspot.com!

Image via The Inspiration Room.

Televising the Games

2010-12-29T05:58:00.000-08:00

Interesting read in today's New York Times regarding the U.S. Olympic broadcast rights process underway with major TV networks and the International Olympic Committee.

The report by Richard Sandomir paints the picture that the money may come in under past Games' agreements given the economy, changes at NBC and other factors. My gut is that with the Games coming to Rio de Janiero in 2016, with prime time competition options for U.S. broadcasts, NBC may be willing to take a hit in Sochi 2014 for the potential payoff two years later. What do you think? Post a comment by Dec. 31, 2010, and I'll send you a pin from this blog.

Photo of TV camera at Berlin 1936 Games via this Flickr account

Olympic Filmmaker Bud Greenspan

2010-12-26T21:48:00.000-08:00

Saddened to learn that Bud Greenspan died Dec. 25 in New York, according to published reports over the weekend.

Greenspan's series "16 Days of Glory" from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics solidified my interest in the Olympic Movement during my early teens, and it was an honor to meet Greenspan more than once, starting in 1997 at the premiere of his documentary film for the Centennial Olympic Games of Atlanta.

I was also lucky to be in the room when the International Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH) presented Greenspan with an award on the eve of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic opening ceremony. Greenspan's health was clearly deteriorating but he was in good spirits.

The Olympic Family lost a major contributor. Fortunately, Greenspan's work will remain accessible for future generations.

Photo via AP.

College Days On The Brain

2010-12-14T18:24:00.000-08:00

This morning while perusing The New York Times, the dateline for a report on page A20 -- Mankato, Minn. -- jumped off the paper.

Mankato was home for my latter teen years and early 20s, and the site on the brain when the song "I Wish I Could Go Back To College" is performed in "Avenue Q" (for clarity: I usually don't wish I could go back to college, but Minnesota State University-Mankato was a pretty darn good place to attend classes).

It's not often this little town, where Silica Gel is produced* to delight owners of new luggage, gets some ink or Internet space in a national news outlet.

Also known as the "big city" portrayed in "Little House On The Prairie," Mankato is an hour southwest of Minneapolis. And yes, Walnut Grove is real and not far from Mankato. Bravo, Mankato, for the limelight!

Today's report in The Gray Lady describes an event from 148 years ago that may get some more media play for an upcoming sesquicentennial of the largest mass execution in U.S. history.

I will let the article by Robert K. Elder speak for itself, but you can imagine my surprise and delight to read a quote in the report, showcasing the expertise of one of my college English professors, Gwen Westerman. My file cabinet holds many pages of terrible late-night writing dated 1992, each covered with Westerman's handwriting and proofreader marks (see how I just used her last name, a la AP Style -- she might have suggested I just use 'Gwen' for this pseudo-journalism blog that is more an exercise in would-be creative writing).

So cool to see her name in The New York Times!

With thanks for her influence and good works, Gwen was the third in a series of influential creative writers, following Honors English teacher Saxon Vandagriff at Edmond High School, and Keith Sell in English 101 at Mankato, who taught me a great deal about writing before "things clicked" junior year and I pursued a journalism degree with the fine MSU Mass Communications Department.

Of course, after two years of "reporting" for the campus newspaper, journalism's "dark side" lured me away to a career in public relations, which I love, but not without the occasional "grass is greener" allure of a news room (for the record, more than one MSU classmate has since inquired about the greener pastures on the dark side).

By chance, a newsy friend at Atlanta's NPR affiliate WABE-FM today forwarded a timely video titled "So You Want To Be A Journalist," portraying a recent J-School graduate networking for a job. Hilarious!

What made the video all the funnier for me personally was that I hung out at Columbia Journalism School (referenced in the video) during a Manhattan apartment-sitting gig in 1996, pondering graduate school options. Also explored Syracuse University options before landing the first P.R. job back in Atlanta. Those were the days.

Who knows, maybe the recent grad in the video has some Mankato ties, too.

Photo of "journalist" via Xtranormal. Image of Mankato via The New York Times courtesy The Minnesota Historical Society.

*Technically, silica is produced in nearby Kasota, Minn., also of LeSeur Co., home of The Green Giant and the best peas in the world.

Munich 2018 All The Way

2010-12-12T17:06:00.000-08:00

Katarina Witt of the Munich 2018 Olympic Bid may be secretly jumping for joy over today's resignation of Annecy, France, 2018 bid chief.

According to Inside The Games, Annecy's CEO pulled out over government financial support (or lack thereof) as the next hurdle of the 2018 Olympic bid process -- delivery of the bid books to the IOC -- approaches Jan. 11, 2011.

July 6, 2011, is the big day when Munich, Annecy or PyeongChang, South Korea, will take home hosting duties from the IOC session in Durban, South Africa.

I am eager to eventually study the bid books and learn more. For the moment, Munich is my personal favorite as it would be wonderful to see the Games return to Bavaria and for the magnificent Olympiapark facilities of 1972 to see new life (though they remain a thriving legacy of the earlier summer Games).

If you wish to peruse the bid books, head over to GamesBids.com and look at the profiles for each city. Happy reading.

Photo via MotorInsight.com

The Shalit Just Hit The Fan (er, the door, leaving The TODAY Show)

2010-11-09T22:56:00.000-08:00

My eyebrows ascended upon reading that longtime TODAY Show film critic Gene Shalit is leaving the program later this week to continue film reviews online.

I'll never forget meeting Shalit in New York. During the fall of 1996, I had a brief apartment-sitting gig on the way-upper West Side (north of the George Washington Bridge), and a great friend of mine was working at Au Bon Pain beneath Radio City Music Hall.

I had just slipped in to the restaurant to surprise my pal Meg, who was working the counter, and undetected by yours truly, Mr. Shalit stepped in line behind me during the surprise, so my friend reacted both to Shalit and my appearance simultaneously.

Its fair to say Shalit was as surprised as Meg and I were with the gleeful exchange that ensued (Shalit was a regular at this location, if memory serves me, and Meg and I had not seen each other in months, so the retail reunion was boisterous). Shalit was a nice guy and really cheerful for our brief exchange, and as Meg and I later finally got to chat, Shalit waved goodbye and wished us well. Nice guy.

Shalit did a memorable review of an Olympic film when I was in grade school, stating "'Chariots of Fire' will lift you with exultation and hold you there." Agreed!

During the Vancouver Olympics, Shalit even took to the slopes of the Eastern U.S. for a ski-clad review of "Shutter Island." Well done!

Here's hoping Shalit's great work continues for years to come. Long live the puns!

Photo via this site

Screen The Dream Opens Nov. 15

2010-11-07T08:02:00.000-08:00

In Atlanta, The King Center announced this week that the nonprofit will launch its "Screen The Dream" film series on Nov. 15 with the award winning documentary "A Small Act" at 7:30 p.m. in the Center's auditorium.

According to the press release and the website for the 2009 film, "A Small Act" tells the tale of a Swedish woman and a life she changed.

"When Hilde Back sponsored a young, rural Kenyan student, she thought nothing of it. She certainly never expected to hear from him, but years later she does. Now a Harvard graduate and a Human Rights Lawyer for the United Nations, Chris Mburu decides to find the stranger that changed his life. Inspired by her generosity, he starts a scholarship program of his own and names it for his former benefactor."

This description reminded me of the letters sent to a young Tanzanian boy -- Ndugu Umbohe -- adopted by the retired Nebraska insurance executive (Jack Nicholson) in "About Schmidt."

I hope the organizers of this new "Screen The Dream" film series may consider some Olympic-themed films, such as "Chariots of Fire" or "The Jesse Owens Story," in which themes of equal treatment for all are explored.

More details about the Atlanta and other screenings are available online. Enjoy the show!

Photo via this site

Please Re-Peat This ... Four Times

2010-11-06T15:12:00.000-07:00

If Bob Costas, Jim Lampley, the other NBC Sports anchors, or their army of Olympic researchers and interns, are online to gear up for the London 2012 Olympic commentary, I hope they'll read this post.

Because on my desk is a copy of a page-turning academic paper my good friend J. Brian Carberry got published in the most recent edition of the Journal of Olympic History.

In his report titled The Olympic 4-Peat -- A Rare Achievement, Carberry presents his case as to why the terms "Olympic Four-Peat" (changed here to match AP Style), "Olympic Three-Peat" or similar should be added to the Olympic and sports lexicon.

That definition states that to achieve the rare Olympic Four-Peat one must take home the gold medal in four consecutive Olympic competitions in the same sport/discipline. An example: Carl Lewis winning his fourth gold medal in the long jump at the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta. One blogger used the term in 2004 to describe the original/first Olympic Four-Peater, Al Oerter.

(11/7/2010 correction: Oerter was not the original/first Olympic Four-Peater.)

Carberry also charts the history of past or potential Olympic Four-Peats, including 15 athletes -- five women and 10 men -- who may Olympic Four-Peat themselves into the history books AND Carberry's updated research during the Games of the XXXth Olympiad.

Yes, we are shopping for tickets to attend the potential Olympic Four-Peats (as stated in my previous post, Carberry and I also seek tickets so we may achieve a personal Olympic Three-Peat in spectating at the women's beach volleyball final in 2012).

Following Carberry's six-page report, a 10-page chart provides excruciating yet thorough detail about Olympic Three-Peat and Olympic Four-Peat achievements in modern Olympic history (only eight Olympians achieved Olympic Four-Peats thus far -- remarkable.

Commentators should clamor to describe the one-time Olympic Five-Peat (would that also be an Olympic Pent-Peat or Olympic Pente-Peat) and the single Olympic Six-Peat (Olympic Sex-Peat?) winners in history, Hungarian fencers Pál Kovács and Aladár Gerevich, respectively. CNN.com features a nice write-up about Gerevich.

By way of this post, I am encouraging Carberry to set up his own website, Facebook page and blog to showcase and elevate the terminology he proposed should have more prominence. This way, Brian and others will be able to continue to build a case for the Olympic Four-Peat vocabulary to achieve mainstream status in sports coverage and conversation.

An online resource dedicated to this topic will permit more interactive history and discussion on this topic, and give fans a place to reference -- in real time from London 2012 -- the status of the upcoming Olympic Four-Peat contenders.

To inspire Mr. Carberry to get online and get busy, I added an "Olympic Four-Peat" statement to the Al Oerter page on Wikipedia.

(11/7/2010 update: Because this statement was incorrect, it was later edited from the Wikipedia page; I stand corrected.)

And send a copy of the article to Mr. Costas -- he needs to read it.

Photo via this site

At London's St. James Park, Life's A Beach

2010-10-31T13:10:00.001-07:00

World travels took me through London twice, and only via the airport. One travel goal by next May is to check out the city in advance of London 2012.

So I've never seen, but often heard, of Downing Street and St. James Park. It pleased me to read that the London 2012 beach volleyball venue will be wedged between both destinations at a spectacular temporary venue, announced last week and reported by the Telegraph.

Both in Athens and Beijing, a good friend and I each trekked to Beach Volleyball for the women's gold medal finals. Kerri Walsh-Jennings and Misty May Treanor are 2-0 for gold, and a three-peat would be an awesome feat to witness.

In Athens, the venue was on the Mediterranean beach near Piraeus. In Beijing, an amusement park ground (in pouring rain). What will the London venue include? Views of Big Ben and the London Eye, apparently (can't wait).

Photo via Populous and the Telegraph

More Images from Salvador Dalí: The Late Work

2010-10-30T17:15:00.000-07:00

To supplement the post of a few moments ago, here are a few more images captured at the media preview for Salvador Dalí: The Late Work, the current exhibition at Atlanta's High Museum of Art.

This is for REEL

2010-10-30T06:54:00.000-07:00

With thanks to the High Museum of Art public relations team, a couple of months ago I attended a media preview for the current exhibition Salvador Dalí: The Late Work.

A few days later, in Milwaukee, at trip to The Monster Ball Tour provided a second dose of surreal, courtesy of Lady Gaga.

I read or heard over the years that Dalí infused zeal to his U.S. exhibition debut by creating a P.R. stunt, breaking into his own exhibition and getting arrested by New York City police. Everywhere you look these days, Gaga is creating a similar spectacle, sans police involvement thus far.

Among the most stunning moments of The Monster Ball is the series of video vignettes projected on a white curtain. In the mini art house films -- with Gaga, clad in some of her elaborate fashion creations including a white gown on which a female model vomits a neon green liquid to the squeals and screams (of awe and curious delight) of onlookers -- the visuals serve as filler during set changes for the event.

The complete Gaga experience from costumes to flaming props and custom guitars, and the videos in particular, made me wonder how big Dalí might be grinning if he were among the audience members. I also wondered how long it may be before Gaga will appear with her own handlebar moustache.

Today I read that the High Museum of Art is hosting its first SurREEL video contest with a deadline of mid-December. This is a tempting invitation to roll out the Flip Video camera and dust off the video editing skills.

Whether or not you choose to enter the contest, consider this recommendation and review of Dalí: The Late Work.

At the museum's main entrance to the Renzo Piano-designed structure, welcome signs covered with Dalí-esque red ants foreshadow some of the arachnid-inclusive paintings inside the venue. With ticket in hand, emerging from the gallery elevator, it's your Dalí Time, almost literally, as all eyes meet with a billboard-sized blowup of one of the Philippe Halsman's black and white photographs depicting Dalí's whiskers as the hands of a clock ("Dalí Time" appears also at the exhibition's end with a Time magazine cover among many magazine covers featuring the Spanish artist).

Each room of the exhibit includes many surprises. Among the Halsman photographs, for instance, there is a staged image in which Dalí appears to be hanging by his facial hair from a helicopter. This iconic image of the spread eagle and dangling painter appears later in some of the paintings.

Room two includes the small and beautiful painting Morphological Echo, which impressed me for its miniature detail much like the famous work, also of the 1930s, The Persistence of Memory soon to be added to the High exhibit, on loan from the Museum of Modern Art.

Bring on the ants!

Moving into the next gallery, the massive work Santiago El Grande is muy grande and draws you in for a peek up close (much like in the smaller works, this painting includes many small details worthy of close inspection).

During our media tour, some of the attending reporters took the guide's advice and got flat on the floor to gaze up at the expansive blue and white canvas. Standing at a distance, one can almost make out the head fashioned from the many arches that form a cathedral ceiling framing the centered white horse.

The same head shape appears across the room in a series of photographs of nudes who posed under Dalí's direction to form a skull. Take note of the white "teeth" made of the models' feet dusted with powder for effect.

Science and religion merge in Dalí: The Late Work through several works comprised of atomic particles turned surreal mosaics.

I also enjoyed the large gathering of portrait paintings, including a commissioned piece recognized on loan from the California Palace of the Legion of Honor. Favorite among these portraits: a painting of an unknown woman who apparently did not pay the artist, inspiring his brush to convert her likeness from socialite to Medusa. If my ex-girlfriend from St. Louis is out there reading this blog ... well, you know who's resemblance is striking in this snake head work.

It was good to see so many representations of Gala, Salvador's wife, in one place. She appears in several paintings from the early to the later years. Don't miss the Marilyn Monroe/Chairman Mao photograph and the sculptures that appear just beyond a side gallery exhibit of film works and collaboration with Andy Warhol.

By far my favorite surprise of Dalí: The Late Work appears in the final room of the exhibition.

Feast your eyes on Fifty Abstract Paintings Which as Seen from Two Yards Change into Three Lenins Masquerading as Chinese and as Seen from Six Yards Appear as the Head of a Royal Bengal Tiger. This is a painting I had not previously seen in the many Dalí books collected over the years. Bright, bold, and vivid.

And to its right is the Ben-Day Dot-filled Portrait of My Dead Brother which I had seen many times in books but now believe must be seen in person. Many of the dime-sized (or smaller) dots feature their own "personalities" while other details, observed up close (as close as security may let you get to the canvas) reveal another world from the large portrait of a boy.

It was in this final exhibition room, I asked Dalí scholar and exhibition/independent curator Elliott King whether any works by the artist (in the High exhibit or otherwise) had a specific Olympic connection. King seemed convinced there IS some possible five-ringed connection, but he could not recall one on the fly, including the Barcelona 1992 Games held near Dalí birthplace (in the moment King believed Dalí was part of Spain's Games which occurred three years after Dalí died -- we were unable to complete the interview as we were rudely interrupted by a film crew for the museum).

One thing missing from the Dalí: The Late Work -- and I believe a lost revenue opportunity for the High Museum of Art -- is Chupa Chups. Where are they? Not in the High Museum. Dalí designed the logo for this global candy brand, and it seemed a natural that these might be on hand (for sale) for folks departing the exhibit.

I wonder if the museum will hand out Chupa Chups for their Dalí-Ween Halloween event tomorrow. If not, that might chupa (suck).

It's my intention to visit the exhibition again once The Persistence of Memory arrives in November. If you have a favorite Dalí story or work to share, please post it as a comment on this blog and I'll send you a nice Barcelona 1992 Olympic pin or Olympic blog pin.

Atlanta Loses An Olympic Contributor

2010-10-11T18:25:00.000-07:00

It was troubling to learn that one of my clients and new friends of the last year, Holly Mull of Holly Mull & Associates, suffered a major stroke last week.

Very sad to learn today she died Thursday, just a couple of weeks after her team produced the successful Midtown Festival of the Arts, which more than 20,000 people attended.

It was only through the Atlanta Journal-Constitution obituary, Maria Saporta's blog post and numerous Facebook messages of condolences that I learned of Holly's many connections spanning Atlanta's Olympic bid (all the way back to the late 1980s through September 1990 -- note, the AJC.com hyperlink takes you to an archived report which incorrectly lists Denver as the home of the U.S. Olympic Committee, which has always been based in Colorado Springs -- this uncorrected error from 1996 led to a factual error in today's AJC.com obituary -- where are the copy editors of 1996, and 2010?) and eventual work with the Centennial Olympic Games.

Holly mentioned her Olympic work from time to time, but never the full extent of her five-ringed contributions. Holly was just a couple of years younger than my mother, and seeing Holly in action at meetings and events reminded me of witnessing my mom's work with community events back home.

I will miss working with Holly. Condolences to her family and many friends and associates.

Photo via AJC.com, which attributes the photo to the family. This photo also appeared on the Holly Mull & Associates website

Chicago 2016 One Year Later

2010-10-02T19:00:00.000-07:00

Has it really been a year? A year since "Black Friday" in The Windy City?

Until receiving an email from World Sport Chicago on Friday, it almost slipped by this weekend: The anniversary of Rio de Janiero winning the 2016 Olympic Games bid, and Chicago's first-round elimination in the big vote at Copenhagen.

The loss for Chicago was a disappointment to thousands of people, notably the hard-working army of volunteers who donated time and resources to World Sport Chicago and the multi-year bid effort.

On this day, there are likely folks in Madrid and Tokyo pondering their Olympic dreams denied as well.

It still hurts thinking about the stunning news delivered via satellite when my girlfriend, her sister, thousands of Olympic enthusiasts and I stood shoulder to shoulder in Daley Plaza on a Friday morning. Like Phil Rogers expression and the "face" of the plaza's famous Picasso sculpture, the devastating news -- Chicago was out -- left us all breathless and frozen. Stunned silence. Like a kick hit everyone in the solar plexus.

I was very happy to learn yesterday, however, that one year later, World Sport Chicago, NBC 5 in Chicago and others collaborated to create a one year later video titled "Making Big Plans: The Story of Chicago's Olympic Dream" to focus on the positive aspects of the bid, and (I suspect) to close the books on the 2016 with an inspirational message for a future potential attempt to host the Olympic Games in Chicago. This was a classy move.

The trailer for the film includes Patrick Ryan, father of the bid, Mayor Daley and other key players from Chicago 2016. Here's wishing someone can share a recording of the full broadcast with me -- I really would like to view it.

Love that Ryan states "Chicago didn't lose. Rio won. But Chicago won in so many ways" and Mayor Daley summed it up with, "You have to take risks and if you don't you never succeed in life, and that's why I'm glad we did it in Chicago."

In my bones I have a feeling that Chicago will someday be a great Olympic host city. For 2016, it just wasn't our turn again for North America and the U.S. When another bid team is ready to start work, sign me up to help make some big plans.

The Social Network and the Olympics

2010-10-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

Just got home from a matinee screening of "The Social Network" at Midtown Art Cinema.

"The Social Network" is about the best film I've seen in months, including a thoughtful, compelling and dry humor-packed script, an outstanding soundtrack (thrilled to see Trent Reznor in the opening credits), excellent acting, interesting photography (would love to know how they filmed the rowing competition to make it look like a miniature landscape), a bit of recent history and, of course, an Olympic connection.

Actually, two Olympic connections (or three, if you count each involved Olympian twin once).

Before getting to these five-ringed ties, a bit about the "The Social Network" overall:

I've only been in Boston twice, and on the Harvard campus once, during October in 2003, when and where this film opens. Through some of the opening sequences of Mark Zuckerberg trekking to his dorm after a breakup, the filmmakers really nailed it capturing the Harvard experience of an autumn evening. There's a curious energy -- perhaps from the convergence of intellectuals, money, society, history and creativity -- on the campus and somehow they caught it. Brilliant!

Mark Zuckerberg is portrayed by "Zombieland" and "Adventureland" co-star Jesse Eisenberg, and this role is likely going to go Oscar (I predict a nomination at least). He does a fine job delivering Zuckerberg douche bag one-liners as cool as George Carlin and his matter-of-fact style and timing.

I highly recommend seeing this film.

Much has been made in press and reviews for "The Social Network" regarding the film's dramedy versus factual portrayal of Facebook's early days. In my book, mincing the facts for the sake of a more entertaining story is OK in the movies (provided the mincing is acknowledged). But I did take issue with one of the mini-fictions portrayed in "The Social Network," and this is where the Olympic connections come into the picture.

Two of the main characters in both the true, and faux-non-fiction, stories of Facebook are the twin Olympic rowers for Team USA: Tyler Winklevoss and Cameron Winklevoss.

I must admit, unfortunately, in spite of Olympic writing and travels, today was the first time either of their names came into my world. Apparently they both competed in rowing at the Beijing Olympics (and I even went to the rowing venue in 2008!). One must take for granted that the filmmakers for"The Social Network" took liberties with their portrayal of with Winklevoss twins.

But where the filmmakers crossed the line, or brought even more fiction into the mix, is during a scene of "The Social Network" where the Winklevi (a clever nickname from Zuckerberg) allegedly met Prince Albert of Monaco at a British rowing event.

They got this scene downright wrong on three details (here comes the Nick-nitpicking).

First off, Prince Albert of Monaco does not have a British accent (duh!).

Next, Prince Albert, though articulate, thoughtful and genuine in conversations and public events, could not have stated the script as shown in the film, for Mr. Grimaldi has a very slight stutter (10/3: correction speech impediment*), which is apparent in an interview with the Monégasque IOC member for this blog (here's a link to that interview filmed in Vancouver earlier this year).

Third, I doubt that such an introduction of the Winklevoss brothers would have taken place without some Olympic discussion during the conversation, seeing as the Winklevoss Twins aspired to compete in Beijing and Prince Albert is a five time Olympian.

Did the screenwriters or the actor portraying Prince Albert, James Shanklin, do ANY research of Prince Albert (other than his haircut and suits ... oh, wait, the makeup and costume crews did that research)? It came as no surprise to discover that Shanklin's background includes acting in soap operas and the occasional TV episode. Bravo!

OK, that's all the nitpicking for this post.

Like I wrote, "The Social Network" is excellent and worth the time and ticket price -- and (bonus!) not a single car chase, firearm or 34B breast on screen (though Zuckerberg does reference at least one of these three topics in one of his blog posts at the opening of the film.

Enjoy!

*10/3: Upon reflection since original post, determined he does not really have a stutter, but rather a regular pause during speech.

NY Times: USOC Works to Combat Athlete Abuse

2010-09-29T05:57:00.000-07:00

Found an interesting sports brief in today's New York Times, noting the U.S. Olympic Committee will help NGBs tackle the issue of abusive coaches.

Though Lynn Zinser's report was just a couple of paragraphs in print, it's worth a read of the full article.

The U.S.O.C. announcement also includes details on this program, with additional team news also archived here.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps ... But Audience Members Do Sleep!

2010-09-27T19:07:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year I wrote a preview post regarding "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" (now in theatres and the No. 1 film of the weekend).

The May 2010 prediction that the film "might suck" unfortunately came true, though it was not as bad as this blogger expected when purchasing my ticket.

Add this film to the pile of sequels that failed to live up to the original.

A few highlights on the "disappointed" side:

David Byrne, Brian Eno and the Talking Heads tunes return to the soundtrack. Sadly, the songs went overplayed (one tune in particular seemed to crop up over and over, with no instrumentals of the first film; instead, a lackluster Craig Armstrong mix played in some scenes, prompting the question, "does this theatre sell No-Doz?"
Though the motorcycle "chase" of the trailer proves to be more of a "competitive ride" for boss and employee, the whole scene was unnecessary and, ultimately, another in a series of poorly written dialogue punctuated by a predictable and forgettable "F*ck You!" (c'mon, in the original, the dialogue had much more clever angry exchanges ... for instance, "When I get a hold of the son of a bitch who leaked this, I'm gonna tear his eyeballs out and I'm gonna suck his f*cking skull!"-- now, that is some dialogue!)
The set-up for the motorcycle scene begins with a Manhattan helicopter ride for Shia LaBeouf that is reminiscent of those ridiculous Scottrade chopper ads that subtly showcase that "with every spin of this rotor, we're burning your investment money in the form of jet fuel."
No Daryl Hannah. They dug up the 100+ year old Manhattan realtor from the first film, but could not find a way to bring back Daryl Hannah.
Whoever the actress is playing Gordon Gekko's daughter = poor man's Katie Holmes, with bad hair. Future viewers may consider drinking games built around the volume of crying scenes for this performance. "She's crying again -- take another shot!"
What in the world were they thinking, writing in two (lame) scenes for Susan Sarandon? Hello -- she is an Oscar winner, and like Sigourney Weaver in "Avatar," Sarandon's talent was totally wasted.
No Terence Stamp. I got hopeful of a cameo by Stamp when Gekko set up shop in London for the sequel. Alas, no Stamp.
Little or no actual footage of Wall Street (the geographic location).

During the course of the film, an on-screen graphic sequence pops up from time to time, taking a panoramic skyline shot and converting it into a graph of declining stocks. This might as well have been a flat line or a heart monitor -- I found myself squirming in my seat several times, shaking my head, asking why "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" was so drawn out and downright boring.

Photo via this MSN link and 20th Century Fox

Chicago, Don't Tease Me

2010-09-26T19:32:00.001-07:00

Catching up on weekend Olympic headlines, came across a UPI.com story noting that Chicago Mayor Richard Daley shared advice for future administrations (since he will not seek reelection) regarding a possible 2020 Olympic bid.

It hasn't yet been a year since Rio de Janiero won the Games for 2016 (with Chicago out in early voting by the International Olympic Committee -- that was a long and gray day in The Windy City).

According to the article, Daley's caution was that the IOC is likely to continue selection of host cities based on geographic locations where the Games did not yet visit: Africa, the Middle East, India.

While I tend to agree with this assessment, the Olympics have not been to the Midwest U.S. since St. Louis in 1904 -- only a state away from Chicago. Could this be a shimmer of hope for Chicago that Mayor Daley inadvertently planted?

Given the Commonwealth Games fiasco in India, that does perhaps move that nation way down the "next for the Olympics" target list. Africa could indeed be a contender. Not sure about the Middle East.

Whatever the case, Chicago, please don't tease! Will the city jump into another bid? That would be something!

Photo via UPI.com

Atlanta's New Midtown Festival of the Arts Arrives!

2010-09-26T07:39:00.000-07:00

After two years of planning, Atlanta's new Midtown Festival of the Arts (a client) finally arrived on Peachtree Street yesterday.

It's awesome to witness the throngs of residents and visitors shopping, dining and strolling between 10th Street and 5th Street, just a few blocks from my Midtown residence.

I first learned about plans for the Midtown Festival of the Arts on a call during June 2009. A small group of Midtowners was working hard to secure sponsors and permits to set a very high standard for future event planners seeking to close Peachtree Street. By all indicators on Friday and Saturday, the work of this core group, as well as hundreds of additional volunteers who came on board during the last year, has paid off big time.

One of the best things about Midtown Festival of the Arts is the food. My girlfriend and I shared a break on Saturday to dine at "Plates On Peachtree," where we were treated to gourmet samples from Bacchanalia, Ra Sushi, Gordon Biersch, South City Kitchen, Ecco and other culinary arts establishments across Atlanta. I highly recommend the sweet corn ice cream and lobster corn dogs, courtesy of Park 75.

Several media outlets previewed or reviewed the Festival this week. Today's weather is bound to cooperate, making for a pleasant afternoon in Midtown Atlanta.

We're heading back to the Festival on Sunday to pick up some hand-made pottery art from a couple of the artists along Peachtree Street. Hope to see you there!

Olympian Interview: Gail Devers

2010-09-24T04:52:00.000-07:00

Shared a fun phone conversation this week with Gail Devers, Olympic champion in athletics.

An Atlanta resident, Devers was on site at the Carver School of Health Sciences & Research for an appearance to speak about the importance of balance, exercise and eating well. We also chatted briefly about her role with the GE BEE Healthy program (disclosure: GE is a client of Edelman, my employer).

On the same day in Atlanta, the GE Foundation announced selection of two Atlanta area non-profit community health centers -- West End Medical Center and Southside Medical Center -- will split $1 million in grants.

Devers impressed me for her positive outlook at the points she made about doing things with a high standard of excellence and thoughtful approach. We started the conversation going way back to her own school days in California, where she graduated high school a Class of '84 member, just in time for the Los Angeles Olympic Games.

"I went up to L.A. [as a spectator] ... for the Olympics," said Devers, responding to questions about the extent to which the Los Angeles Olympic competition inspired her career. "Sitting in the stands, looking at the best runners, seeing Florence [Griffith-Joyner] get silver ... this all made me strive the best I could be.

"Before 1984, to me the Olympics as 'history' in that I was a fan of famous runners, like Wilma Rudolph," said Devers. "L.A. put it in my head, 'I will compete for as long as I can."

We also talked about the five Olympiads at which Devers competed: Seoul, Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney and Athens.

Devers is now the mother of a two year old and kindergartner.

"I always regarded myself as health conscious, but it is important to be fit 'for life' not just an athletic career," said Devers. "I want to stay fit and hang out with my two- and five-year olds!"

Staying in shape was among the key messages Devers sought to share with the young adult audience in Atlanta.

"It is important to set goals, but if you are not living right, it's lost potential," said Devers.

Devers also shared detail about her former role with Chicago 2016 and the U.S. Olympic bid, noting her location for the Oct. 2 announcement of Rio's successful bid.

"I was home [in Atlanta] watching CNN," said Devers. "Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be for Chicago."

Photo via BlackSpeakers.com

Youth Olympic Games Underway

2010-08-17T20:26:00.001-07:00

The last couple of weeks are a bit of a blur. First the mad dash of a pre-vacation week, then the mad dash of the vacation time itself (most recent trek included blend of food, family and sightseeing in Dallas, Fort Worth and Oklahoma City).

Also took on a writing project with the Edmond Sun newspaper in the home town where my folks live. Their sports editor was kind enough to indulge my suggestion that I write a report on one of the Edmond entrants to the Youth Olympic Games now underway in Singapore. Inquiring minds may check out the full sports report online in the Edmond Sun archive. Good luck to Edmond's YOG participants Gunnar Nixon and Micha Hancock!

Upon returning to Atlanta and catching up on Olympic news, was saddened to read that David Wolper, producer of the magnificent Los Angeles Olympic Opening Ceremony of 1984, died last week. Wolper's work on the Games made a tremendous impression on me 26 years ago -- I was fortunate enough to shake his hand during the July 18, 1996, Atlanta Olympic Opening Ceremony dress rehearsal (Wolper was running around like a kid in a Willy Wonka candy store and we crossed paths near one of the tunnels).

Was curious to find headlines about Olympic figure skater Nicole Bobek found some new 'meth'ods of spending her spare time.

And this just in: Kerri Walsh and other beach volleyball greats may hold their ground regarding an upcoming tournament seeking to play by 'retro' rules.

I'm currently reading a new Olympic book titled The 1972 Munich Olympics and the Making of Modern Germany. Will work to post a review of this new text by Kay Schiller and Christopher Young before month's end.

Photo via Associated Press and Los Angeles Times

Olympic Headline Hodgepodge

2010-08-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

Lots of weekend Olympic headlines.

Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard talked to the New York Times about motherhood.

Beijing's Water Cube is set to open as China's grandest water park on Aug. 8.

Jim Thorpe's family is duking it out in court with the town of Jim Thorpe, Pa. (don't let me bury the lead -- the family wants to move Thorpe's casket to his Oklahoma home town).

Commonwealth Games calamity is just one of many "issues" for India's Olympic leadership.

X marks the spot for Gagnon, not Shaun White.

Have a great week!

Photo via this site

Get Inspired

2010-07-31T15:19:00.000-07:00

Quiet day in Atlanta, except for the thunder. This afternoon in Midtown there were lighting strikes like those in "War of the Worlds," plus torrential rain. Great day for catching up on emails.

One inbox message unlocked some inspiration: A note from an old friend who now lives in Denver.

I first meet Tricia Downing while we interned at the U.S. Olympic Training Center during the summer of 1995. For three months we lived, with about a dozen other interns, in the former military barracks on the southeast corner of the USOTC (steps away from the nation's best athletes-in-training for Atlanta 1996, and in the other direction just a few blocks from "The Jock's Trap" bar).

Tricia, the other interns and I worked hard that summer. Fortunately, one of the perks of living at the USOTC was free access to the dining hall. And except for a couple of intern excursions or crossing paths in the dorms, visiting over meals was the main time Tricia and I got to chat.

Five years later, got a call that Tricia was involved in a terrible cycling accident, leaving her paralyzed from the chest down by a driver making an improper turn. Fortunately, a few years later on her visit to Georgia, a mini-reunion for four of us former interns proved that Tricia persevered through the terrible challenges she faced at age 32.

Today's email announced Trish recently completed a published book telling her story. I ordered a copy immediately after reading the first two chapters shared via her website, http://www.trishdowning.com/.

Also got some additional inspiration from this Oct. 2007 Muscle & Fitness feature on Trish.

I hope you will join me in supporting Trish by purchasing her book and looking into Redefining Able, Inc., which she founded. Go-Trish-GO!

Photo via Amazon.com

Wannabe Marine One Helicopter Buzzes Downtown Atlanta

2010-07-30T15:06:00.000-07:00

Since a third grade "transportation unit" assignment, I have remained in awe of helicopters.

Today at my high rise desk on the 29th floor of an office building, it was amazing to see Marine One -- or at least a helicopter that would be named as such if President Obama was aboard -- buzzing over downtown Atlanta with a clear sky as its backdrop ... in flight at eye level!

Wishing my camera was handy, watching the massive "bug" one could clearly see "United States of America" emblazoned in white letters across the glossy black tail boom. The aircraft cruised into the downtown area from the east then banked north, over Centennial Olympic Park, continuing along Interstate 75 in the direction of Cobb Co. (home of Dobbins AFB).

I suspect this was a logistics flight -- getting the helicopter into place for a presidential visit elsewhere -- as there was no apparent escort aircraft. A couple of hours later another giant military helicopter buzzed downtown, destination unknown.

Would be cool to see Marine One up close. Anyone got a hook-up at the White House to help me with that?

Photo via this site

WEEKEND UPDATE AUG. 1, 2010: According to this Atlanta Journal-Constitution report by Ariel Hart, President Obama is landing at the aforementioned Dobbins AFB on Monday morning, then heading to the Hyatt tower in downtown Atlanta (via Marine One?). That would be cool to see the presidential helicopter in action again! My camera will be ready. Hail to the Chief in Chopper!

Better Know An N.O.C -- Paraguay

2010-07-29T22:41:00.000-07:00

It's been too long since the last post of a "B.K.A.N.O.C." -- Better Know An N.O.C.

This entry is for South America's national Olympic committee for landlocked Paraguay, which is nestled amid Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia.

A few years ago I experienced Paraguay first hand, first entering from Brazil via Ciudad del Este, terrified because our taxi did not stop at the border crossing on the Paraguay side of a large arch bridge (some travel books warn that Ciudad del Este is about the least-safe city in South America). Fortunately when we finally stopped the cab and walked back to the bridge, the crossing guard laughed and instructed us to "just go back" to Brazil. Whew! We carried our backpacks while some of the locals carried parcels of goodness knows what.

At any rate, a few days later, had a more relaxed entry into Paraguay at the southern border town Encarnacion, which is a fun little metropolis. It was interesting to see an early 1900s locomotive -- a real one -- in operation (on about a quarter mile of track) on one corner of town. Our "downtown" Encarnacion hotel was $4 per night. Great food at the town square, and the sushi restaurant beside the bus depot!

But back to Paraguay's N.O.C. and Olympic connections.

Paraguay entered the Olympic Family in 1968 with a single foil Olympic fencing competitor at Mexico City, and Paraguay fielded a team at each summer Olympiad since (except 1980 as the nation joined the U.S.-led boycott of Moscow's Games). Paraguay has just one medal -- silver in the 2004 Athens football (soccer) finals against Argentina.

I won't soon forget Paraguay's track and field entrant at Athens and Beijing (and I hope London): Olympic javelin would not be the same without Paraguay's Leryn Franco hurling Paraguay's Olympic dreams across the Olympic Stadium grounds every four years.

After a night in Encarnacion, my girlfriend, her sister and I took a jalopy bus to Asuncion, which is also an interesting metropolis and home to the Paraguay Olympic Committee. Some of the friendliest people in South America are in Asuncion, and we were impressed with the historic architecture.

I'll be rooting for Paraguay at London 2012 (their team at the 2010 World Cup did well; expect good things in the U.K. competition.

Photo via this Flickr account

Cincinatti 2024 Olympic Bid

2010-07-28T20:47:00.000-07:00

You read it here first, folks.

Cincinnati, the Ohio metropolis that is home to the International Olympic Committee's new TOP Olympic sponsor Proctor & Gamble (P&G), is planning a bid for the 2020 or 2024 Olympic Games!

Just kidding.

But with today's announcement that P&G will share its wealth with the IOC and the U.S. Olympic Committee now through 2020, a decision by Cincinnati to dust off its 2008 and 2012 Olympic bid books would not be as much of a stretch as, say, this time yesterday.

According to P&G's press release, quoted executives from the company are "proud" and "thrilled" about the 10-year Olympic partnership (unfortunately, proud and thrilled are, in this public relations writer's opinion, two of the most overused press release executive canned quote buzzwords).

But even with (Pringles?) canned quotes, P&G is embarking on an interesting global program titled "Raising an Olympian, The P&G Momumentary Project," through which a "video series will tell the stories of Olympic hopefuls as seen through the eyes of their moms."

I like the program -- probably would have considered "Olympic MOMents" as an alternative title (maybe in creating the word "Momumentary" there was a MOMentary lapse of ... hmmm, I don't know), but I will tune in regardless.

Today's P&G and IOC press event in Manhattan included several top Olympians' mothers, which may be viewed in an online photo gallery.

Other noteworthy items from the announcement:

" ... due to the success seen during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, P&G is in the early stages of evaluating plans to host a family home facility at the London 2012 Olympic Games for all U.S. athletes, similar to the one in Vancouver at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The P&G Family Home was a place where all U.S. athletes and their families could relax, do laundry, entertain their children, and participate in other family activities.

"For P&G, [the sponsorship] is about partnering with the IOC to make life better for athletes, moms and their families as we take the Olympic Movement to our four billion consumers around the world that our brands already serve.

"P&G will continue helping athletes, moms and families immediately. As part of the 'Proud Sponsor of Moms' campaign, the company will continue its 'Thank You Mom' program in conjunction with the IOC's inaugural Youth Olympic Games to be held in Singapore from Aug. 14-26, 2010.

"P&G will help up to 25 moms of Youth Olympic athletes from around the world, including three mothers of U.S. athletes, with their travel and lodging costs so they can be in Singapore with their children as they compete." (NOTE to P&G P.R.: If you are sponsoring either of the moms from Edmond, Okla., with YOG athletes heading to Singapore, email me for my news reports, in progress, on these two Oklahoma athletes)

P&G began as a candle manufacturer in the 1800s, so one may ponder ... did IOC founder Baron Pierre de Coubertin draw some inspiration while reading by P&G candlelight in 1894?

Sadly we may never know the answer to this burning question.

The P&G and Olympic Rings illustration is a blend of images at this link and this link, respectively

Fitness Ambassadors Bound For London 2012

2010-07-27T12:53:00.000-07:00

With today's two-year countdown to London 2012, my inbox contained a handful of Olympic announcements, including one tied to my Edelman colleagues working with 24 Hour Fitness.

According to a U.S. Olympic Committee press release, the San Ramon, Calif.-based company is creating a U.S. Team High Performance Training Center (HPTC) in London, which will be staffed by "Fitness Ambassadors" (a.k.a. 24 Hour Fitness team members from their 420 locations).

The 2012 HPTC is now under construction at the Docklands Campus of the University of East London.

National Governing Bodies (NGBs) -- the national federations for Olympic sports in the U.S. -- also benefit from the 24 Hour Fitness NGB Incentive Program and Elite Membership program, according to the press release.

More Olympic Acronyms Coming Soon

2010-07-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

There's a running joke, or trend, or something (can't put finger on how the right noun) from one Olympic organizing committee (OOC) to the next.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) or other National Olympic Committees (NOCs), international federations (IFs) and even the global TOP Olympic sponsors have TMAs -- Too Many Acronyms.

According to the AP -- that's the Associated Press -- and ATR (Around The Rings), two more acronyms are signing up for five-ringed status this week: BMW and P&G.

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG was not a big surprise. After all, BMW provided hundreds of gorgeous new cars used by the NOCs staying at the Atlanta OLV (Olympic Village, where their global CEO -- chief executive officer -- presented me a sweet BMW sponsor pin).

Also, BMW's global showcase BMW Museum in Munich is nestled between the 1972 Olympic Village and Olympiapark (if you haven't seen these three sites, they are worth a round trip flight no matter where you live, and you need at least three days to see them all).

Proctor & Gamble. Well, they aren't exactly a surprise either. In Vancouver they had a broad range of engagement underway, and a lot of their product found its way onto The Colbert Report post-Games. What surprised me is their likely announcement of TOP global sponsor status so close to Dow Chemical's IOC sponsor announcement. But then, Tuesday, July 27, marks the two-years-to-London 2012 milestone, so the timing is right.

What other brands do you want to see in the OAS (Olympic Acronym Scene)?

TTYL.

Photo via this Flickr account

A Piece of Work -- Joan Rivers

2010-07-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

Love low-key Saturdays. A couple hours shipping eBay items to buyers. A hour for laundry. Slowly reading the newspaper (rather than scanning the paper's website). AND ... time to catch a flick.

Today's pick was "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work," the new documentary that arrived last month. Though it's doubtful this film will be up for an Oscar, it is well-made, interesting and best of all, seriously funny. The New York Times review of the film made me curious -- glad the film finally showed up in Atlanta.

I was never much of a Rivers fan. Most recollections of her work are from drivel red carpet shows for big Hollywood events. Had no idea she apparently won on "Celebrity Apprentice" (new drivel) last year. The documentary shed some good light on Rivers, outlining her rise and fall and constant ups and downs since the 1960s.

It was impressive, too, to see her floor to ceiling (and I suspect custom-built) index card file cabinet drawers crammed, card catalog-style, with thousands and thousands of hand-written or typed note cards, each with its own joke and punchline. Paraphrasing here ...

" ... When you get old, your body droops. Your boobs droop. Even your vagina droops. I woke up the other day and looked down to see I was wearing bunny slippers with gray fur."

" ... I often address my staff as, 'Hey, Staff," because I can't remember their names. The other day I said, "Hey, staff. I'm lonely. Who's gonna f*ck me tonight?"

And in describing her Manhattan high rise home, decked out much like a Donald Trump condo or Liberace set (top to bottom historic French opulence), she said,

"This is what Mary Antoinette's condo would have looked like if she were rich."

The film follows Rivers through a year of her career -- and her 75th year on earth -- including the launch of a new stage play in the U.K., her Trump show appearance, chats with her daughter and about her absent agent (the audience learns his fate), and 'a day in the life' shots with her personal assistant trying to keep her schedule full morning, noon and night.

In addition to the card file/joke archive, I was impressed with Rivers' charity work (including annual Thanksgiving Day traditions for those in need), and appalled to learn what happened to her late husband (I had no idea). After seeing some of the downs Rivers endured, it was a relief to see some successes, too, including how Rivers manhandled a heckler at a casino stand up gig in Wisconsin.

Not in the film, there's at least one Joan Rivers Olympic joke online. Here's hoping Rivers will take her show on the road again for some club or theatre gigs -- she would likely bring down the house!

Photo via IMDB

Two Years And Counting

2010-07-23T08:28:00.000-07:00

Tuesday marks the two-years-out milestone for London 2012. Donning my marketing cap, I wrote a guest post for Edelman's global ConsumerActionism blog, highlighting some Olympic planning that's likely underway via TOP Olympic sponsors and those who might seek to ambush market to London Olympic audiences. Hope you'll check out the post and the range of other content on the Edelman (where I work) site.

Photo via London 2012/LOCOG, an Edelman client

Cool Event Alert!

2010-07-22T21:48:00.000-07:00

Surfing the Atlanta event scene, tonight I found word of a potentially off-the-chart cool event set for August 7 in Atlanta.

The High Museum of Art will host the "So Real ... Surreal Soiree" to open its new exhibition "Dali: The Late Work" featuring a variety of works by Salvador Dali.

Dali is one of my all-time favorites. It's been ages since my Florida trek to St. Petersburg to see the U.S. museum dedicated to Dali's work (hint: a fantastic experience!). It will be intriguing to see how the High presents the Catalan artist to an Atlanta audience.

One detail I've searched for in the past was any possible connection Dali may have had to Spain's numerous Olympic bids, including their successful Barcelona 1992 bid (which was in play around the time Dali died). So this may be my scavenger hunt topic for the High's new exhibition -- did any of the artist's late works tie back to the Games?

Perhaps the closest-to-Olympic work by Dali I've seen is "The Hallucinogenic Torreador" -- a massive work (see photo with this post) -- at St. Petersburg. The painting has an arena theme (and so much more).

The soiree invitation mentions the event includes "a phunky photo booth, Flamenco guitarist, a jewelry trunk show, live DJ, a wearable art fashion show highlighting several Atlanta artists, face paining" and more. I suspect tapas and/or Sangria will be on the menu.

Check out all the details at the High Museum website. Hope to see you there. I'll be the one wishing I had a handle bar or Dali moustache.

Photos via High Museum and this Flickr account