Vancouver Olympic Media Updates

[Durban Sandshark 155]

FOXTEL's Ruby Rose pays a visit to the Molson Hockey House in Vancouver during the Winter Olympics to see the immense obssession of hockey and the feeling of positive patriotism from her red-clad, maple leaf-wearing, Commonwealth cousins in Canada. I, like Ruby, was speechless with the red-clad man, his dove, and his rendition of the Olympic torch. Glad it wasn't like what happened in Seoul with the dove barbeque after the lighting.

And Ruby tries her hand at curling against FOXTEL's hockey commentator Michael Buble. Neither winter Olympic sport is anywhere as big in Australia as they are In Canada, though Australia is a IIHF member and is decent in it with its own pro domestic league and has its own curling program like New Zealand does.

[Sir Rols 1900]

After Eddie Maguire's love fest with Johnny Weir at Vancouver, I wonder if they'll sign him up as a guest commentator/presentrer at London. I could imagine a good Johnny Weir-Ruby Rose tag-team.

[Durban Sandshark 155]

Another adorable and fun Ruby Rose FOXTEL report from Vancouver. She's at the Hudson Bay department store wondering about why the popular Mukmuk isn't an official mascot:

[Durban Sandshark 155]

Another FOXTEL video from Vancouver that was just uploaded last week. This trio of FOXTEL Vancouver promos were all part of the Just You Watch Australian Winter Olympian athlete campaign. In them, people in traditonal Winter Olympic powers (played by actors of course) watching the Australian Winter Olympians on TV laughingly dismiss them from afar simply because of the fact that Australia does not have much Winter Olympic cred, history, or medals, no matter how world class they may be. Australians know this and use it as motivation. Obviously, that has changed in recent Olympics starting with Lillehammer 1994 with the men's 1600m short track relay team winning Australia's first Winter Olympic medal. The last three Winter Olympics, including up to Vancouver, Australia of course won some gold in each of them. Of the three athletes ready to prove them and the rest of the world wrong (skiier John Oates, aerialist Jacqui Cooper, and bobsledder Jeremy Rolleston), the accomplished Jacqui Cooper--widely regarded as Australia's best chance for its first Winter Olympic gold in Salt Lake City until injury had other plans for her, allowing Alisa Camplin into the door--came the closest, finished fifth.

[Durban Sandshark 155]

Lots of South Koreans were greatly disappointed over the fact SBS didn't cover the Vancouver Winter Olympics as comprehensively and around the clock as promised and only focused on short track and Kim Yu Na and later in the day. Nevertheless, the ratings were there for SBS overall. Given the fact that South Korea's Winter Olympics success is recent and boosted largely because of short track in recent ones. SBS, I guess, assumed South Koreans did not want to see other winter sports that don't involve South Koreans or North Koreans. Another sign of how South Korea needs to build an all-around competitive Winter Olympics team when the nation hosts it come 2018.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2010/02/123_60917.html

Hopefully starting with London, NBC had learned its lessons regarding West Coast TV times being live next time any Olympics are reasonably close to North America if not at it.

http://voices.yahoo.com/nbc-attempts-ruin-2010-olympic-coverage-5455993.html

[Quaker2001 1251]

Hopefully starting with London, NBC had learned its lessons regarding West Coast TV times being live next time any Olympics are reasonably close to North America if not at it.

http://voices.yahoo....ge-5455993.html

Oh, Durban.. you're supposed to know better than the complainers watching the Olympics, especially that you're linking to a 2 years old article.

2 things to remember.. 1) this is a European Olympics, primetime wouldn't be live to either coast anyway. 2) have we forgotten already that every event is going to be live in its entirely online? NBC only has 1 lesson to learn.. make money. If they can continue to profit from the complaining and bitching of folks on the West coast, that's exactly what they're going to do. Easy for me to say that living on the East coast I know, but I get so sick and tired of reading about all these folks taking to the Internet to air their grievances, only to see some West coast markets produce some of the highest ratings in the country. It's like going to a restaurant and saying "this food is awful, can I come back tomorrow for some more?" I'll save the good rants for July and August, but rest assured if folks here are bringing the live concept up, this will be just a small part of my long ranting response.