The opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics in London started with a video featuring James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Queen Elizabeth II. It climaxed with Britain’s top spy and QE2 jumping out of a helicopter and into the arena. Millions of women around the world go gaga over Bond, but my favorite part of the opening ceremony featured Rowan Atkinson reprising his role as Mr. Bean. The opening theme from Chariots of Fire + Mr. Bean = Awesome.
Personally, I would have preferred it if Mr. Bean was featured in the entire ceremony. Check out the clips below and let me know what you think (please!).
[Update 11:32PM PT]: Meh. The International Olympic Committee doesn’t understand the Internet and is reporting all embedded YouTube clips. That makes me less likely to watch Olympic events. Here are direct links to the James Bond and Mr. Bean clips.]
Triple-jumper Voula Papachristou was booted off Greece’s Olympic squad for a racially insensitive comment posted on her Twitter account. Here’s the deal according to the NY Daily News:
While gearing up for her first Olympic games on Sunday, Papachristou commented on the reported influx of West Nile mosquitos in Athens. She tweeted in Greek, “With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!!!” Her tweet provoked a bevy of ill responses, and many Greeks called for her dismissal from the Olympic team.
The reaction her tweet garnered is a testament to the power of social media. I’m sure many Olympians have cracked many questionable jokes over the history of the Olympics, but a tool like Twitter shares inappropriate jokes with the world and leads to expulsion. Giving athletes — many of whom really shouldn’t be addressing millions of people — a platform can be a powerful thing. In Papchristou’s case, a powerful platform led to her demise.
To be completely honest, I had a hard time concentrating on this article. It should be about the power of social media and questioning if Papachrisou’s punishment was just…but the women is stunning! I lost at least an hour “researching” photos of Voula Papachristou. She triple-jumped her way into my heart. *snicker*
You learn never to say never, but you know, with us, uniforms are really important. They’re history. You can close your eyes, and that Cub uniform, my goodness gracious, I can remember (that from) when I was 10 years old, and that’s a long time ago. And there’s the Yankee pinstripes, and the Red Sox and so on and so forth, so I’ve been pretty consistent on that.
I usually disagree with Selig on many things (not increasing the use of instant replay, expanding the playoffs, etc.), but I’m totally with him here. The major American sports leagues — NFL, MLB, and NBA — shouldn’t put advertising on their jerseys. Yes, there are millions of dollars to be had, but it’s not like that money will be used to lower ticket prices or make small-market teams better. This is one area where I’m (unusually) a traditionalist. Props to Selig for saying no on uniform advertising. It would pain me to see a Yankee jersey with a hot dog ad.
What do you think of Bud Selig’s stance on uniform advertising?
The NBA Board of Governors has agreed to increase the use of instant replay and allow sponsorships on team jerseys. The former is just common sense; if you have the tech to get calls right then it should be used (see tennis, for example). The latter is a polarizing issue. Many people love that uniforms in major American sports are free of advertising (aside from the garment manufacturer). It seems traditional and pure. Capitalists have long wondered why American sports have ignored this lucrative revenue stream while several football teams in Europe took in millions from sponsors. According to ESPN, NBA team jerseys will be allowed to have small advertising patches starting in the 2013-2014 season.
As a sports fan, I don’t like the move. I love the (mostly) unsullied uniforms in (most) American sports. My big fear is that the NBA’s move towards sponsored uniforms will pave the way for future New York Yankees players looking like NASCAR drivers. I honestly have this nightmare.
As a gamer, I can’t wait for an NBA team that’s sponsored by a videogame publisher. I loved the Manchester City kits that were sponsored by Eidos and the Arsenal kits with the Dreamcast logo. If an NBA team had a Square-Enix patch on its jerseys then I would be forced to become a fan of that franchise.
What do you think of NBA jerseys getting sponsorship patches? Hot or not? Please use the comments system to match up your favorite videogame company with an appropriate NBA team.
My friend Brad tweeted this awesome video of Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving starring as old “Uncle Drew” in a viral video for Pepsi Max. It’s a cute and clever spot that should help Irving reach a new level of marketability. More importantly, it’s just fun to watch! Some of the dunks and ball handling are totally bad-ass. Check it out and let me know what you think (please).
Hundreds of millions of Super Bowl advertising dollars have come and gone. A few of you mentioned being underwhelmed with Super Bowl XLVI’s commercials and I mostly agree with that sentiment. Having said that, there were several spots that…
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, M.I.A.’s middle finger, The Undertaker vs. Triple H WrestleMania rematch, or Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. being a weight cheat, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Hundreds of millions of Super Bowl advertising dollars have come and gone. A few of you mentioned being underwhelmed with Super Bowl XLVI’s commercials and I mostly agree with that sentiment. Having said that, there were several spots that caught my eye. Here are my 10 favorite Super Bowl XLVI commercials. After you’ve gobbled them up, please let me know which ads were your favorite.
1) The Avengers Teaser — Earth’s mightiest heroes (and also Hawkeye)! Scarlett Johansson in her remarkably tight Black Widow costume! I’m totally geeked out for this movie.
2) MetLife — Any commercial that brings together Voltron, Charlie Brown, Marvin the Martian, Mr. Magoo, etc. is pure win.
3) Kia — I will absolutely buy that men dream about Adriana Lima and dozens of other women in bikinis. I think it’s hilarious that Kia thinks men dream about old bands (Motley Crue) and old MMA fighters (Chuck Lidell).
4) Audi — Making fun of vampires is always a good thing.
5) Chevy Silverado — This was a cute and clever spot. Combining Barry Manilow, a post-apocalyptic world, and Twinkies is borderline genius.
6) Teleflora — More Adriana Lima! This time she shows off her body and her sexy Brazilian
accent.
7) Volkswagen — I’m a geek. This commercial features the Mos Eisley cantina. Of course I loved it!
8) G.I. Joe: Retaliation Teaser — The action looks slick and I’m a homer for movies starring The Rock.
9) Time Warner Cable — I’m really unhappy with my Time Warner Cable television and Internet service, but I have to give the company props for this commercial with Rick Gervais.
10) Fiat 500 Abarth — Sexy Italian woman dropping frothed milk on her breasts? Yes, you have my attention Fiat.
It’s almost game time boys and girls! You’ve shared your initial Super Bowl XLVI picks. Now it’s time for your final answer. How do you think it will play out? Is the team you’re rooting for the same as the team you think will actually win? Please share your pick and the spread in the comments section.
It was difficult watching the Australian Open semifinal between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. I had no faith in Federer winning the match. He was never the strongest player on the tour, nor did he ever have the biggest serve, the most…
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, disappointing ramen, creme brulee, or paying homage to Juan Epstein, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
It was difficult watching the Australian Open semifinal between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. I had no faith in Federer winning the match. He was never the strongest player on the tour, nor did he ever have the biggest serve, the most powerful ground strokes, or the most stinging volleys. His beautiful game is based on outstanding movement and precision ball striking. At age 30, he has lost half a step and his reaction time is a wee bit slower. Amazingly, he’s still good enough to go deep in any major tournament. I just don’t think he’s good enough to win another grand slam (without some fantastic luck and a friendly draw).
Roger Federer is the most dominant athlete I’ve ever seen. He terrorized the tour from 2004 to 2007, winning 11 of the 16 grand slam tournaments in that time period. He spent 285 consecutive weeks as the number-one ranked player in the world. He reached the semifinals or better in 23 grand slam tournaments in a row. He appeared in 18 of 19 grand slam finals from the 2005 Wimbledon Championships through the 2010 Australian Open. He’s had some rough moments over the last few years, particularly on clay and against Nadal, but I don’t think I’ll see an athlete like that again in my lifetime. He’s been playing at the highest level of the sport since 2003 and for four years he was virtually unstoppable.
Of course, that’s just my opinion. Who would you say is the most dominant athlete you’ve ever seen?
The teams for Super Bowl XLVI are set! It’s that classic East Coast battle of the New England Patriots taking on the New York (Football) Giants. While the AFC and NFC Championship games are still fresh on your minds, I wanted to hear your initial picks for the Super Bowl. Who are you picking? What’s your spread? Who’s…
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the Red Sox pursuit of Roy Oswalt, watching Moneyball over and over again, or wishing you were on an airplane, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
The teams for Super Bowl XLVI are set! It’s that classic East Coast battle of the New England Patriots taking on the New York (Football) Giants. While the AFC and NFC Championship games are still fresh on your minds, I wanted to hear your initial picks for the Super Bowl. Who are you picking? What’s your spread? Who’s going to have a break-out game? Who’s going to choke?
Of course this topic will be revisited in early February, but I wanted to get your gut feelings after yesterday’s games. So have at it (please)!
Here’s some space to talk about last weekend’s NFL playoff games…and what exciting games they were! Being in NY for a Giants playoff win is always interesting. It’s never hard to find a NY bar full of rowdy and passionate sports fans. Good times. San Francisco, my other “home”, surprised loads of fans too. Did you predict that those two teams would be meeting in the conference championship?
Oh yeah, there were other playoff games too. Ha! Kindly share your thoughts on the games and predict the conference championships in the comments section.
