Even Angry Mickey Rooney has an Olympic Connection

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

Olympic Filmmaker Bud Greenspan

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.

Over The Wall

Those final days in Vancouver ... they each remain a fantastic, psychedelic blur.

After posting about hitting the wall weeks ago, the next day (the final Thursday of the Games), brought a great blend of work successes (interviews for clients), a ticketing coup (row three seats for the women's figure skating final for less than an arm and a leg), three nights of red carpet interviews at Club Bud (disclosure: a client of the firm where I work) and as much pin trading as I could muster.

Some old friends arrived in Vancouver, too, so some blogging time went away in order to catch up and create new Olympic memories.

There was a midnight visit to the Main Press Center (MPC) and International Broadcast Center (IBC), tying up loose ends with new friends at work and around town, then packing up from the Marinaside condo (realizing now I have yet to post details of that experience ... and dozens more experiences). Spending an hour at Sochi House, then a Saturday afternoon and evening in the Olympic Village residential zone, were icing in the cake of a fabulous yet extremely exhausting four days of Olympic wrap-up.

Could blog for days about the Closing Ceremony, too (seated under the stage where Avril Lavigne and Michael Buble performed). And I will in good time. There are gold medalist and other surprise interviews yet to be formatted and posted.

There was some big ice hockey game one day, too, wasn't there?

Leaving Vancouver was a HUGE BUMMER. I absolutely love and miss being there.

The commute back to Atlanta -- starting March 2 at 5 a.m. at YVR with landings in Seattle, Dallas and (at long last) ATL at 9:30 p.m. after several consecutive weeks with only 2-3 hours of nightly sleep -- made for a soupy/foggy first few days back (it was indeed good to be home, too -- torn between two cities, now). There are two steamer trunk-sized bags of loot with a label "for eBay" staring at me from the corner of my home office. :-)

It hardly seems possible that only a week after the layover in Dallas on March 2, work travel took me back to "Big D" on March 10. It's nice to sort of ease into a spring of busy days that, by comparison, will be calm and steady.

Was it all a dream?

Vancouver marked my seventh Olympic Games. It is going down among the best. No credentials? No problem.

I keep thinking of John Furlong's astounding speeches of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and the music of the Games. Paraphrasing Furlong, Canada's Winter Games will certainly be remembered for generations.

Only 862 Days to London.

On The Move

It's moving day in the Olympic City.

After 17 days in the "Chateau Granville" Hotel (they use the word "chateau" loosely at this 15-floor Best Western -- the staff here are very friendly, and the views of downtown are beautiful), yesterday two colleagues and I received the keys to The Castle, our Edelman apartment for the Games. More on that later. Hint: There's a marina about 10 feet from the front door.

Meanwhile, outside the city is on the move, too -- the sun is out and the Olympic energy is everywhere. A massive Canadian military helicopter just buzzed downtown, presumably on patrol. And some folks from Japanese media and Cartan Tours are moving in to their accommodations here at the chateau. I noticed a truck being unloaded at USA House (in a high rise apartment building), and they are putting the finishing touches on Irish House, a massive tent that was assembled atop a parking lot.

And last night, House of Switzerland opened on Granville Island (the opening party was interesting -- hoping to get back there during the Games as the media relations manager for Team Switzerland said "any night we medal is THE time to be here")

After cabbing it to the apartment and setting up shop there, hoping to trade some pins at the bay before taking the Vancouver Olympic Ferry from Horseshoe Bay for dinner on one of the islands west of the city (took the same boat ride last summer and can hardly wait -- absolutely breathtaking vistas on the water). So, more updates later in the weekend.

Enjoy the beautiful day!

Cultural Olympiad 4-1-1

A national reporter who contributes to a few broadcast shows in the U.S. today asked for story suggestions related to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. "What are some of the Olympic stories that aren't being told but should?" was one question posed.

For a P.R. person, talk about a dream conversation!

In tandem with a client-news-infused response, and donning an objective Olympic enthusiast hat, the first thing that came to mind was the lack of attention for the Cultural Olympiad, too often the red-headed step child of the Olympic Games.

The Cultural Olympiad was a significant element of the Centennial Olympic Games of Atlanta, including four years of major arts, music, literature and film events such as a Nobel Laureate gathering, pre-Games film festival, an Avon-sponsored exhibition on women in culture, Annie Liebovitz photography and the outstanding High Museum of Art exhibition "RINGS: Five Passions In World Art" which brought Rodin's "The Kiss" sculpture and Edvard Munch's "The Scream" to Atlanta.

But at each Games attended since, it's been difficult to impossible to find elements of the Cultural Olympiad for each host city.

I went out of my way to locate programs for Games-related arts events in Sydney to no avail. At Salt Lake, the first Olympics after 9/11, there were a few elements (like the Dale Chihuly installation downtown, which was gorgeous) but the Cultural Olympiad was likely scaled back as funds shifted to security.

Athens had an actual published program for the Cultural events, but most seemed too far afield. And in Torino and Beijing, I found programs but sparse time to experience the arts and music offerings due to timing and work duties.

So it was exciting to find tonight an official "2010 Cultural Olympiad Program Guide" magazine-style free program including almost 90 pages of Vancouver events now through the Paralympics. Get your copy at the Vancouver Public Library. Interested parties should also "know the C.O.D.E." (the Cultural Olympiad Digital Edition) to Connect. Create. Collaborate.

Some of the 2010 Cultural Olympiad events that jumped off the page include Destination Art, Laugh It Out!, KAMP, a Feist concert, the world premiere of "Laurie Anderson: Delusion," "Out From Under: Disability, History and Things To Remember," and the public poster project titled "Endlessly Traversed Landscapes."

Further afield, the celebration sites Whistler Live!, Richmond O Zone and Surrey 2010 Celebration Site are enticing. And in the city, the LiveCity Yaletown and LiveCity Downtown venues (disclosure: Edelman clients) will be hopping, as wil the 2010 Aboriginal Pavillion.

Vancouver has some interesting options for arts at the Games. In the future, it would be cool to see the Cultural Olympiad gain event more attention at the Olympics.

Photos via VANOC's C.O.D.E. site

Setting Up Shop

These last few days were all about setting up shop at my temporary Olympic home in Vancouver.

For the first 17 days in town, I'm roosting on the 14th floor of a Granville Street hotel room nicknamed "the penthouse" facing the skyline and mountain range to the north.

Within a few blocks, everything one could need for Olympic residence and living is steps away -- feels very much like Manhattan sans grit and grime.

Down the hill to the east is our Edelman Vancouver office and the trendy Yaletown neighborhood. If you're heading to the Olympic City, be sure to stop by the Opus Bar for a drink, and get some sushi or a arugula/beet/candied walnut salad at Earl's.

Along Granville Street, the best dining option explored thus far was Taf's Cafe and Gallery, where they offer a tasty open-face Cajun chicken sandwich, fresh sangria and other delicious appetizers with great dance music (their chocolate mousse and coffee dessert special hit the spot, too).

There are two movie theatres within four blocks, as is The Bay (disclosure: a client), the upscale shops of Pacific Centre, as well as Robson Square, access to the Skytrain and Nesters Market. CTV's Olympic Studio is up and running.

I'm on the hunt for a decent taco shop and margarita, and will appreciate any local suggestions.

From this 14th Floor perch, it's cool to gaze upon the building-size banners going up in every direction, including all four sides of one tower to the north (now covered with a Welcome to Vancouver greeting from the Olympic mascots -- see photos). And the weather report tonight brought some welcome news for VANOC as a few flakes of snow fell on the Vancouver area slopes.

Spotted a truckload of NBC Sports technical team unloading gear from a truck into their apartment tower around the corner.

It is so on!

Touchdown At Vancouver

After years of work and planning, and months of anticipation, I woke up this morning jazzed about the "travel day" notation in my work calendar.

Two flights and two taxi rides later, tonight it is great fun to write from Vancouver, the Olympic City, from the 14th floor of a downtown high rise hotel, a.k.a. "home" at the Olympics for the next three weeks (Edelman, the P.R. firm where I work, has an apartment arranged for the three weeks following this hotel arrangement -- looking forward to living without a car for several consecutive weeks).

Flying into Vancouver for the third time in as many years, this evening marked my first night-time arrival to Canada, and it was cool to disembark from United Airlines Flight 97 to enter the newly-decked-out YVR airport, with colorful "Look of the Games" banners, billboards and other decor on just about every surface.

For those arriving at Vancouver via air, you may anticipate a short green walk (most of the carpet is forest green) to an enormous First Nations carving and gorgeous fountain that surrounds the escalators to Passport Control. Luggage retrieval is a breeze, and just outside the baggage claim area I was happy to complete my first Olympic pin trade of 2010 with two friendly Information Kiosk volunteer workers (look for them, donning lime green jackets, under the big "?" question mark sign before grabbing a taxi or the train into the city).

If you deplane hungry at Vancouver International Airport, from the arrivals area head upstairs to the food court (excellent selection of Asian cuisine) and one of the Olympic Stores operates across the atrium from an enormous emerald-colored First National sculpture that is reminiscent of George Washington Crossing the Delaware.

Heading to this area is worth the trip also for a peek at the giant touch-screen Samsung "official phones of the Vancouver Olympics" with what appeared to be plasma touch screens with real working (and over sized) phone apps for fun (I watched some kids send a text message "Brian You Suck" handwritten on screen - LOL).

I was pleased the taxi ride to downtown was only $28 (last time I found the new city train to be fantastic and easy, but tonight there were too many bags to brave the rails). It was cool and memorable to cross the waterfront via Granville Street Bridge (is that what it's called?) and find all the city's neon lights fired up, much like the gargantuan million-dollar Olympic Rings lighting up the airport road (tonight in all-blue, but according to the cabbie, they change colors daily) -- it's going to be a remarkable Olympiad here!

The buzz so far regarding the Games (including feedback from the airport volunteers to the cab driver, hotel staff and Yaletown neighborhood grocery clerk) is that the weather is of concern as it's been a bit warmer than a typical January for the last several days (tonight typing this post I have my balcony doors open as it feels like it's about 65 degrees Fahrenheit outside -- gorgeous!).

The local TV weather reporters predict continued rain this week, and sustained warmth (hallelujah!), which leads me to the following weather prediction (you read it here first): It will snow in downtown Vancouver on Feb. 12 just in time for Opening Ceremonies!

A Streetcar Named FLEXITY

Too bad Marlon Brando isn't around for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games, as the Olympic City apparently has a new streetcar named "FLEXITY" set to open -- and operate free for several weeks -- connecting downtown Vancouver visitors with just about everything on the waterfront.

According to the city's website and fact sheet, this spanking new Bombardier vehicle will quietly and cleanly wisk winter sports fans (and everyone) along the Olympic Line at no charge from January 21 to March 21 -- 60 days of not taking the bus.

This is good news for the thousands of likely carless-in-Vancouver visitors descending on B.C. Loving that the Olympic Line treks right up Cambie Street (site of my office). Bravo!

Hey, Stella -- see you at the FLEXITY station!

Photo via City of Vancouver