In the spirit of the Olympics and all of the constant online hours worth of coverage, we’re joining the bandwagon. (But in our own little way.)
I could make predictions about different events, like there’s going to be some people swimming and medals will be won, but I haven’t really followed the athlete hype just yet. I have, on the other hand, been swamped with commercials and sidebar ads everywhere I go for just the sheer amount of coverage promised.
So, we will be making some predictions about media usage in the Olympics.
- We will see some gymnasts filmed in a dark room with half of their face shadowed as a narrator tells us about how the gymnast should have quit/died but instead surpassed insurmountable odds.
- Some USA basketball player is going to be filming from his/her own handicam during the opening ceremonies, like a tourist. Also, a silly hat will be worn.
- Some blogger (besides myself) will make paranoid predictions about their blog being censored by a government. (Our own or the Chinese depending upon stereotypical liberal/conservative goofiness. The Kryptonian if they’re Zoddists.)
- The Chinese landscape will be described as peaceful, tranquil, and serene. (To emphasize how the Chinese government is not building up military might (or pirated Dark Knight DVDs).
- Some swimmer’s mom will cry in the stands.
- Some runner from an African nation will be featured because there’s a war going on in his/her country, but that war will not make major headlines for the rest of the year on NBC.
- A beach volleyball player will complain. And probably do something unhygienic that would otherwise be unacceptable in any other setting.
- Hopefully we’ll see a commercial for Chuck.
8 predictions for the ’08 Olympics starting 8-8-8.
Keywords to look for: insurmountable, peaceful, tranquil, serene, 8
I tried to leave out easy ones, like a volleyball player wearing old school sunglasses or some protesters with picket signs.
Update: Did you see about the three Americans already kicked out?
Here are some excerpts, but you can read the whole thing here.
“They bought us Kentucky Fried Chicken and filmed us eating it,” the Rev. Patrick Mahoney told The Associated Press after arriving at the Los Angeles International Airport.
Mahoney was accompanied by Brandi Swindell of Boise and Mike McMonagle on the flight from Beijing, where they protested human rights abuses before the start of the Olympics
The three arrived in China earlier this week and went to Tiananmen Square, where they unfurled a banner that said “Jesus Christ is king,” and laid roses on the ground to honor those killed there in the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations.
Mahoney said uniformed Chinese officers confiscated the banner and escorted them out of the square.
“I asked, ‘Are we under arrest?’” Mahoney said. “They said, ‘No.’ I asked, ‘Can we leave?’ They said, ‘No.’”
During a one-hour interrogation, the activists said they told Chinese officials they intended to return to the square to hold a news conference. When they came back to the square, now filled with journalists and cameramen, they said they were grabbed by security agents and dragged into a van and brought to a police station. While being held for about 10 hours, they said officials disabled their cell phones, revoked their travel visas, demanded that they sign papers and pay $2,000 each for a ticket out of China.
Being detained and all that, sure, that’s China. But KFC? Torture.
Actually, I’m glad that they got noticed (draws attention to human rights stuff). Craziness.
Semi-related posts:
Hard at work the first week of school, eh?
Entertaining!
I think your predictions are likely to be spot on.
Working on finishing up orientation handouts for teachers and students. But they’ve got me taking ID card pictures (I have some experience) and I had to change the cards stacks and refill the weird Magenta-Cyan-Black-Yellow ribbons that they use to print. And I saw it as a once in a 8-8-8 opportunity.
I mean, that only happens every million years.
Cool words from Kobe and LeBron in response to Neumeier’s questions about how they’ll do well.
Most of those 2008 drummers were CG, right?
Nice library.
Thanks!