halopub

Animal Planet has put up some bonus shorts online and on demand. I thought the commissary one, which discusses food management, was pretty interesting.

I think he said last summer that he'd be doing at least 8 tapings to let J. Neilson get some forging time in.

It did come up briefly last March. Still don't know if the site's a reliable source of info but yeah, depressing all around. Glad to see The Zoo has its own forum now.

Yup!! He pulled yet another Mao Asada. Enero, after the short program I think Boyang said that he hadn't been training enough after the Olympics. Just like last night with the last group of ladies, the crowd really tried to encourage and will him on. As for Shoma, who has had both boot and injury issues this week, he told the Japanese press that his ankle actually felt better today than yesterday. Which, hell. I hope he gets to take a proper break after his ice shows next weekend. Perkie, Nathan aside the last group of men was that painful to watch. So. Many. Falls. Vincent tweeted that he has a back injury but is disappointed in himself regardless for not successfully pushing through in the free like he did with the short.

Jackie Wong says two spots for US women.

I think the step out was on the quad salchow? I'm glad he didn't flub the triple axel and actually upped his plan to the six quads. The five, seven minute delay on Olympic Channel was pretty annoying. I ended up relying on Tweeters from Europe and Japan to get the jump results as they came in. Even Jackie Wong offered timely updates and he's supposedly on an iffy Wi-Fi connection at 30,000 feet. As Herbz pointed out, post-Olympic exhaustion and the resulting limited training time were the main factors. I'd throw in residual bad energy from the ladies event and lingering injuries that probably haven't been publicized. Shoma, for example, has reportedly been skating with a bum ankle, which would at least partially explain his three falls. And he still hung on for second. I don't know if this performance means Nathan's healed from whatever leg injury he had during the Olympics. We never heard about that or his virus until Raf alluded to it in that grumpy interview. I feel for Vincent but great on Max Aaron to save three US spots in next year's Worlds.

The NBC press release says it's Steve Schlanger with Tanith White covering ice dancing. Ryan Bradley is working with Schlanger on the other events.

I don't have your trained eye for this and have to rely on the Olympic Channel and Eurosport commentators to point out any under-rotations. I don't recall either pair mentioning them for Nathan - though the Eurosport folks did point out a potential double footed landing and generally how the jumps had to be gutted out. The Olympic Channel coverage did discuss potential under-rotations and the need for additional review for other skaters, I think including Vincent. It would be interesting to hear what the Russian or Japanese commentators thought. For my untrained eye, I tend to notice much more obvious things like a quad fully downgraded to a triple, or a rushed, iffy landing. Nathan told Fuji TV that he's currently thinking five quads for the free. The last time was Rudy Galindo's magic season, wasn't it? The crowd really tried to buoy their spirits and cheer them on. I'm glad they acknowledged it wasn't an injury or boot issues - just a really off day.

After Nathan's short Raf actually smiled and was chatty in the kiss and cry. So maybe the two are on the same page right now. I didn't think Nemesis was as energetic as it has been - the pony jumps weren't in time to the music, for example - and the jumping passes could have been more elegant. But hey, after those last two short performances, it was a relief to see a solid skate. Vincent had beautiful jumps and I'm glad that Max Aaron was able to fight and save that quad. I'm sorry that Shoma's skating on an injured ankle - he's actually my favorite of the current Japanese skaters.

Yeah, it was a weird one. DannyFranks pointed out that the episode illustrated socioeconomic issues in a digestible way, which I count as a positive. However, that cynical ending, with the would be do-gooders helicoptering off away from their failure felt especially depressing in light of what's been revealed recently about NGOs like celebrity-supported Oxfam. Granted, that was news that came to light long after the trip was filmed. I can go without any future Long Way Round, Ewan McGregor references. The Grand Tour couldn't have anticipated that the actor would go through all that personal drama after their trip but how he's handled that mess has ruined my love of those two motorcycle shows.

TV Guide:

This is about what Bindi Irwin made three years ago and another contestant confirmed was the standard contract at the time. Court documents cited: a $125K base $10K per week for weeks three and four $15K for week five $20K per week for weeks six and seven $30K per week for weeks eight and nine $50K per week for the final two weeks Let's definitely add extended spread eagles and high altitude deathdrops to the wish list for future choreography. Appalachian Spring is a classic that I hadn't watched in forever. After that YT suggested old, obsessive media coverage of Boitano's quadruple loop that felt timely. I'm glad he ultimately focused on jumping perfect triple axels instead but the quads were really elegant when landed (:37 in). It's not the same, but I think US Figure Skating offers athlete scholarships. Aren't Vincent and Nathan both headed to college this fall? Job-wise, I presume shows like the ones under Disney on Ice like to hire skaters with senior level experience.

The Japanese broadcasters have been showing more behind-the-scenes footage of exhibition practices: Some curling: A bit repetitive, but then there's a lift and Shoma also goofing off (skip to 1:36):

Someone posted much earlier in the the thread that the Australian commentator is Belinda Noonan, who works for Olympic Broadcasting Services. I guess the NBC app taps into their audio feed, rather than simulcast it's own coverage.

Thanks for the tip. It was nice to see Nathan a bit more animated and talking a little bit about his decision to attempt the six. Those were his older siblings, though. I'm guessing the person behind them, whose face and fist pumping was a bit obscured, was his mom. I'm okay with his coach not being emotive - but maybe going forward Nathan can speak with a professional about managing pressure and also internalize the mantras of trusted folks for "game time." I love how Chloe Kim's dad, for example, tells her to kill it in competition by saying to be a dragon on the half pipe. Edited to add: Jaded, I haven't been staying up to watch the late night post shows live - but maybe you could set your DVR to begin recording after the late night news? As leopardprint, pointed out, the app has terrible navigation but I did find the shows online by going to the show page on NBColympics.com. Also, I just checked and the episodes are not available on my cable's free-on-demand service - only the pre-show is.

Never mind, growsonwalls beat me to it.

He'd be isolated from Team USA if he'd caught the Norovirus. Nathan did win Nationals with solid performances despite being ill there. Skip the cringing-by-proxy - Nathan's short was painful and it's not how you want to remember him.

I think they used them in practice in Pyeongchang and in World Cup competitions prior to the Olympics. There was a spiderwoman one too.

I've been seeing a few when I've dipped into the Today Show. David Chang took the morning crew out to Gangneung Central Market to introduce some produce and dishes. Rutledge Wood got to visit a spa and experience the extensive skincare routine. I'm kind of okay with them doing fewer cultural packages and instead showing live sports in prime time - I remember finding CBS's exoticization of the Nagano Olympics to be pretty painful.

I heard some genuine laughs at the end of the promo, which is usually a good sign.

Thanks so much for the detailed primer. I also appreciate the little insight into ISU math. It'll be interesting to see if we hear the results of the post-Olympic scoring review and whether they'll conclude judges over/underscored anyone. Absent a major scandal, probably not but I vaguely remember commentators mentioning a ladies skate years ago, which would have switched two skaters that were both off the podium.

Those of you with technical expertise...does it make sense that some judges would only give Mirai a zero or one for execution of her triple axel? To my untrained eye, it looked like she had a smooth entry and decent height. Should she have held the landing longer? I was surprised that jumps like that only warrant a 1.57 for grade of execution.

I liked the Olympic promos that NBC ran during the Superbowl. There was Chloe Kim and her dad, plus Nathan Chen skating to James Brown. Toyota supports a couple of current US Olympians but I haven't seen any commercials with them. I can't remember if it was on NBCSN or just online but Lindsey Vonn has a commercial for Bounty. United has at least two variations in their ad campaign and also include Nikko Landeros, Jamie Anderson, Gus Kenworthy and Nathan Chen. A bit dorky but works. September Song by Agnes Obel?

I like the Lauren Ralph Lauren line - it has a nice mix of nautical and work-friendly design elements. I think Double RL is the one that has a lot of Western themes at the moment. Including suede fringe. While the opening ceremony uniforms leave a lot to be desired, at least the designers who handle individual sports tend to create more appropriate looks. The different U.S. Snowboarding Team uniforms over the years have made sense and I like this year's NASA-inspired look by Burton. I also liked the medal ceremony jackets Nike furnished two years ago. I've been trying to figure out who designed the opening ceremony looks prior to 2002. I know Ralph Lauren has been designing them since Beijing in '08 and Roots handled 2002-06. I realize the berets weren't for everyone but I remember the 2002 collection to be terrific when I checked them out in person at a pop up shop. Here's what I've been able to dig up so far: Both games, 1976: Halston Winter games, 1980: Levi Strauss Both games, 1984: Levi Strauss Both games, 1988: Adidas? Both games, 1992: Henry Grethel, underwritten by JC Penney Winter 1994: Champion? Summer 1996: Champion, with volunteer uniforms by Hanes Winter 1998: Bill Blass? Summer 2000: Bill Blass? 2000 - failed deal: Tommy Hilfiger 2002-2006: Roots 2008 - now: Polo Ralph Lauren

Apparently the baby voice is something she's used since a kid for manipulation and then later on, to construct that whole dumb blonde, party persona Paris has monetized so well. I think she's also talked about how she still reverts to the baby voice and catchphrases when she feels out of her element. "That's sick." I can respect how Paris has made her own money without liking her, her methods or political deafness. Edited to add: A law firm has tweeted that the woman in the Tesla's front passenger seat is one of their barristers. So were all the passengers actual lawyers?