Olympics

I’m pretty much a big huge fan of the Olympics. Summer, winter, I like them all. So I’m pretty excited about the London 2012 games that just started. One of the interesting things about living in Canada is that we have some more choices for Olympics coverage- we can watch the CTV coverage broadcast in Canada, or the NBC feed from nearby NBC affiliates in the US.

So we watched the Opening Ceremonies twice last night- first when it was broadcast live on CTV, and then when NBC broadcast it on delay. There are some things about the NBC coverage that I like- first of all, they have John Williams’ Olympic Fanfare and Theme. Which I love. Also, they do make a pretty montage.

I could pretty much do without Meredith Vieira, however. When I saw that she was hosting the Opening, I was surprised, and then thought “hey, maybe she’ll do well!” I was wrong. It was kind of a foot-in-mouth parade for her. I do kinda like Bob Costas, mostly because he’s been doing the Olympics forever so he’s like, the Olympics voice from my childhood. But man, Ms. Vieira really brought it down for me. Thankfully I’d already seen the ceremony once (including the bits NBC cut out in order to run more commercials), so I was just watching again to see the initial bits that I missed and to compare the coverage.

So a few point-form comments on bits I enjoyed of the Opening Ceremonies!

• Kenneth Branagh in a stovepipe hat
• Um, the Queen as a Bond girl.  I <3 being in the commonwealth.
• And her CORGIS.  I swear, corgis are turning me into a dog person.
• Glowing beds and dancing nurses and kids and a tribute to the NHS
• Childrens’ choirs singing pretty songs I know
• Abide with me, so pretty.
• All the pretty sod that they used for the opening
• The hill with all the flags of the represented countries on it
• OMG, each country a part of the cauldron. How awesome is that?

So the actual events start today! Artistic gymnastics is a favourite of mine, so I’ll be watching that. We’re watching a good bit of cycling (fresh from watching weeks of the Tour de France, we love our cycling). I like gymnastics and diving the best, but I also like to watch sports I don’t get to see much of otherwise- canoe/kayak, badminton, equestrian, rowing, etc etc. I like the opportunity to learn more about the various nations that have sent athletes, and about the host country. Super excited.

So yeah, for the next couple weeks, it will be Olympics fever up in here! Yaaaaaay. 😀