 |
 |
 |
| 2:30 | 0:54 | 0:06 |
| Events | Ads | Fluff |
* Day two of the Olympics and Bob Costas has an eye infection. I was wondering about that yesterday, but it's good to know that he's simply ill and not turning into a pirate. He did make a good joke about it, saying that he had to wear his Clark Kent glasses while sitting in a set that looks like Superman's Fortress of Solitude. So now we have a name for the main set. You know, come to think of it, doesn't Vladimir Putin look a little like Lex Luthor?
* New to this year's Olympic coverage, the GoPro! These tiny little cameras are everywhere now, including on the Snowboarding Slopestyle competition, where American Sage Kotsenburg takes us along on a ride by holding a GoPro in his hand while sliding down the hill.
* Canada's Mark McMorris is the favorite in the slopestyle event, so of course he gets some fluff. He's from the plains of Canada. How could someone from the plains learn about snowboarding? This may come as a shock to the New York-based producers, but people are mobile and can go other places. Shocker! Two minute of fluff.
* The slow-motion replays of the snowboarders spinning in the air are beautiful. Just thought I'd mention that.
* McMorris's nickname is "McRib" and after he finishes a successful run, NBC comments "the McRib is back!" Is this a sneaky method NBC is using to get a little product placement money? I can play that game.
* Cris Collinsworth and Apolo Ohno are in the studio talking about last night's Opening Ceremonies. Surprisingly given their television experience, Ohno looks more composed than Collinsworth does. Maybe this is why Ohno has won a cabinetful of Olympic gold and Collinsworth lost two Super Bowls. Fluff!
* To the rink, where we get to watch some team ice dancing. The first round of this event was on Thursday. Why, you ask, did the Rockwood Olympic Watch start on Friday when the Games started on Thursday? Think of it this way. When you fill out your NCAA tournament bracket, do you pick for 68 teams or just 64? Any events that happen before the Opening Ceremonies are just like the play-in games during March Madness. They don't count.
* Ice dancing has a move called a "twizzle." Does that mean the dancers performing them are "Twizzlers"? There's another product placement opportunity, NBC! You're welcome!
* I'm watching US ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White and I keep thinking I've seen Charlie's haircut before, but I can't figure out where. I've got it! He's Harry Dunne!
* Back to Slopestyle. You know what I'd like to see on Olympic coverage instead of fluff? Slopestyle is a new sport and I have no idea how it's scored. Ice dancing isn't a new sport, but I have no idea how that's scored, either. We haven't spent much time on fluff tonight, but wouldn't it be nice if NBC would take a few minutes to show us what good versus bad technique looks like instead of just saying, "Oh no"? Give me something to look for and I'll be more invested.
* And Sage Kotsenburg wins gold, the first ever in Slopestyle! Sage's gold medal run has been brought to you by GoPro. GoPro, for all of your extreme sports videography needs!
* Figure skating? Was I calling this the wrong thing before? Team Rockwood member Sandy explains to me that this is the team ice skating event, where ice dancers and figure skaters all combine as one to win a medal for their country. Ahhhh. Translated: the Olympics needed more events with ice skating in them to attract the viewers. Gotcha.
* Ashley Wagner, US figure skater, is about to get a chance to validate her tears, or so says her fluff piece introduction. She finished fourth at the US qualifying and Team USA brought her along anyway. This is sort of strange for fluff. Usually up-close-and-personal spots are about how Athlete X has overcome some terrible adversity in their life. This one was about how Wagner was privileged enough to be picked even though she wasn't as good as her competitors on the day it counted.
* Ashley is dancing to "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" by Pink Floyd which she says describes her because it's sexy. I've never thought of Pink Floyd as "sexy" before. I don't think that anyone who's ever seen "The Wall" would ever think, "Wow! That was sexy!" Maybe she meant to say "disturbing." Regardless, I've always had a deep respect for Ashley, and I mean that most sincerely. She was just fantastic, that is really what I think. These US skaters are off to a helluva start. They could be made into a monster if they all pull together as a team.
* Where do Olympic ice skaters get these sparkly outfits? It's not like you can just walk into Sears and get one. Fret no more, aspiring ice dancers! Team Rockwood has your hookup to Olympic-quality ice skating outfits right here! That's a little product placement for my cousin.
* To the moguls! Ask and you will receive! Analyst Jonny Moseley shows us a video of what it takes to have a good mogul run. Maybe this is something they had on Thursday night's pre-Opening-Ceremonies coverage that I missed. They also have a little graphic at the bottom of the screen telling me to go to their website to learn more about mogul skiing. Perhaps I'm behind the times by demanding that NBC show me on TV what they're providing on the web? Nahhhh.
* The advantages of time delay? The semi-finals of the women's moguls just ended and now, thanks to editing, the finals can start right after a short commercial break. Will the US get their second medal of the night? We'll find out by the end of the show.
* American Hannah Kearney slips up and gets bronze, but Canadian sisters Justine and Chloe Dufour-Lapointe finish with gold and silver, respectively. Hannah is all choked up during her post-race interview, disappointed about finishing third. Take heart, Hannah. For the rest of your life, you will be the most decorated Olympian that any of your friends will have ever known. By comparison, Chloe will be relegated to second place at every family reunion for the rest of her life.
* Medal time! Will Sage sing? He wasn't favored, so he might not even be prepared to sing. He's a bit overwhelmed at first, but he picks it up about halfway through. Congratulations, Sage! You're my favorite Olympian so far!
Just six minutes of fluff today to go along with the six from yesterday. We're off to a good start, but the Olympics is still young and Mary Carillo looms large over the horizon. Who knows what horrors await in the gulags of NBC's fluff factory? See you tomorrow!
