Announcers we love and/or hate

[MyAimIsTrue]

Your announcers thread!  What awesomeness will Mary Carillo be up to this time and how quickly will Al Trautwig elicit his first "shut up, Al?"

[Ohwell]

I hate to start this thread off with an unpopular opinion, but I've watched the Mary Carillo badminton riff on youtube several times, and I still don't get why it's regarded as so awesome.   As an announcer, I think she's adequate, but that's it.   

[kittykat]

6 hours ago, MyAimIsTrue said:

 how quickly will Al Trautwig elicit his first "shut up, Al?"

Probably immediately.  I was trying to remember what sport they stick him on at the Winter Games but then I realized he usually does cross country.

[scarynikki12]

8 hours ago, kittykat said:

Probably immediately.  I was trying to remember what sport they stick him on at the Winter Games but then I realized he usually does cross country.

Then it may be a while.  That won't get as much primetime air as other events. 

On the other hand, there's no reason not to start now:

SHUT UP AL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Indy]

It's going to be weird to me to have no Bob Costas at the Olympics. I always enjoyed him. It'll also be a bit odd with no Matt Lauer, but not in a bad way...never cared for him but with NBC controlling the Olympics coverage he was omnipresent. 

I wonder without them how much more Seacrest we'll get....

[kittykat]

Let's just streamline the process and make Michael Phelps the face of Olympic coverage.

[selkie]

The US women actually have some decent medal shots in cross country and Jessie Diggins is a sponsor's dream- pretty but exceptionally fierce blonde woman who is liked by both teammates and rivals for the energy she brings to the start line. So they might get higher scheduling priority than usual. 

[tanyak]

On 1/9/2018 at 9:09 AM, Indy said:

It's going to be weird to me to have no Bob Costas at the Olympics. I always enjoyed him. It'll also be a bit odd with no Matt Lauer, but not in a bad way...never cared for him but with NBC controlling the Olympics coverage he was omnipresent. 

I wonder without them how much more Seacrest we'll get....

Yeah. I like Mike Tirico. But I didn't realize until just a couple of months ago that Bob Costas has practically retired. I knew Tirico had taken over his part with Sunday Night Football, but I didn't even think about the Olympics. It will be weird. 

I also don't think Seacrest will be there. I haven't seen his name on any of the announcer list. There are actually quite a few new names this year. No Al Michaels, either. 

[Ohwell]

I hope Seacrest isn't going to be there.

[galaxygirl76]

13 hours ago, tanyak said:

Yeah. I like Mike Tirico. But I didn't realize until just a couple of months ago that Bob Costas has practically retired. I knew Tirico had taken over his part with Sunday Night Football, but I didn't even think about the Olympics. It will be weird. 

I also don't think Seacrest will be there. I haven't seen his name on any of the announcer list. There are actually quite a few new names this year. No Al Michaels, either. 

Aw man, I'm going to miss pink eye Bob.

[MyAimIsTrue]

I'm going to miss Bob as well.  No one did opening ceremony snark better than he did.

[chitowngirl]

Seacrest is an ABC employee and I don’t see producers letting leave Live for two weeks. And American Idol stuff is happening.

[Peace 47]

On 2/7/2018 at 7:53 AM, MyAimIsTrue said:

I'm going to miss Bob as well.  No one did opening ceremony snark better than he did.

I think it may have been the closing ceremony, but I’ll always remember laughing when Bob remarked something like, “And there go the always-enjoyable inflatable beavers” when some giant beavers balloons  were passing by at the Vancouver Olympics (maybe dressed as Mounties?).  He’s very dry.  I grew up with him as my Olympics announcer, so I’ll miss him. 

NBC has been trying to make Tirico happen for a couple of years and were thwarted at first by the NFL when NBC tried to push Al Michaels out in favor of Tirico on either Sunday or Thursday Night Football (the NFL vetoed it from what I read).  I think NBC invested heavily in Tirico.  I’m sure Bob didn’t want to do the Olympics forever, but I wonder if his stepping aside was entirely voluntary.  NBC has a rich tradition of botching talent relations.

[Daisy]

Wait? no Costas at the Olympics?! 

[SophiaD]

I know it's shallow, but I love Johnny and Tara's matching outfits.  Also, her lipstick game is unparalleled. 

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

 I think NBC invested heavily in Tirico.

Don't know why.  He seems bland and personality-free.  He reminds me of Greg Gumbel, who at least had the exciting Lillehammer Games (Nancy and Tonya, David Letterman and his mother, Dan Jansen)  

Mike is like a nice uncle in your family with whom you discuss the weather at family gatherings. I'd rather hang out with my funny uncle Bob or my snarky cousin Johnny.

[irisheyes]

I missed Bob’s opening monologue as the camera swept over random mountains.  Tirico  is a nice enough guy, but he doesn’t quite have the same gravitas as Bob Costas.  I can’t even remember an Olympics without him. Would it have been 84?

Edited February 9, 2018 by irisheyes
Stupid autocorrect

[meep.meep]

Hate Johnny and Tara

Love Johnny Mosely

[BitterApple]

2 hours ago, SophiaD said:

I know it's shallow, but I love Johnny and Tara's matching outfits.  Also, her lipstick game is unparalleled. 

I do too! I don't know why people don't like them, I think they're great.

[MissT]

54 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

I do too! I don't know why people don't like them, I think they're great.

I think they are great together.  They are both very knowledgeable about the sport, they are honest, and they are very good friends off the ice and that comes through in their commentary.    They always seem to make sure they enjoy themselves and entertain you at the same time.  

Edited February 9, 2018 by MissT

[kittykat]

I'll take those two over Hamilton/Button/Bezic AKA the Other Terrible Trio any day.

[BitterApple]

I was reading comments on the NBC Olympics FB page where people were complaining that Johnny and Tara were being too "negative" towards the skaters. Considering only one man skated a clean program and most of the pairs were shaky, there really wasn't much material to turn lemons into lemonade. 

[GreyBunny]

3 hours ago, kittykat said:

I'll take those two over Hamilton/Button/Bezic AKA the Other Terrible Trio any day.

Same here, I love them. Hamilton & pals are so stale and obnoxious I just want to shove them in a locker. The woman who is calling figure skating for CBC can join them, she's a complete idiot.

[Indy]

11 hours ago, meep.meep said:

Hate Johnny and Tara

Love Johnny Mosely

I’m the opposite. I love Johnny and Tara but I find Jonny Moseley to be an irritating douche (though admittedly my feelings for him relate to a personal interaction with him 20 years ago where he was a douche..)

 

I also love Terry Gannon. I enjoyed how his tie subtaly matched Tara and Johnny’s outrageously sparkly outfits. I hope that was on purpose. 

[MyAimIsTrue]

3 hours ago, Indy said:

I also love Terry Gannon.

Me too, he's always done a good job.

[mtlchick]

On 06/02/2018 at 11:00 AM, Ohwell said:

I hope Seacrest isn't going to be there.

Other than doing the red carpet on E! which is under the NBC umbrella, he's considered a full time ABC employee now. 

 

I didn't realise Costas was done with the Olympics.  Kind of a bummer whatever you think about him.  

 

Anyone know if the (Canadian) Brian Williams is back with the CBC for this one? 

[Matryoshka]

If Johnny, Tara and Terry would cut out about 1/3 of their chatter and just let me watch the skaters skate in peace I'd like them a lot more.

[Minneapple]

16 hours ago, BitterApple said:

I do too! I don't know why people don't like them, I think they're great.

I think they're overrated. Fine but not worth all the gushing. Also Tara's makeup looks like it's been plastered on her face. Ease up on the contouring!

[Cherrio]

I will always miss Dick Button, but I have slowly come to tolerate Tara and Johnny.

I did laugh when I read in an interview where Dick Button said he loved the costumes they wear.  Ha !

[absnow54]

I don't know who's announcing with Johnny Mosely, but they're a good balance for keeping Johnny reigned in and prompting him to explain what's happening, since it seems like Johnny just wants to watch and enjoy the events.

I loved Terry Gannon/Tara Lipinski/Johnny Weir B-team coverage on NBCSN during Sochi, so I'm glad they got promoted. Hamilton/Bezic/Wilson were so boring and would just fawn over the skaters instead of giving any productive information. Lipinski and Weir haven't been as sharp as they were in Sochi though, and have fallen into "so and so really wants this!" cliches.

[Indy]

1 hour ago, absnow54 said:

I don't know who's announcing with Johnny Mosely, but they're a good balance for keeping Johnny reigned in and prompting him to explain what's happening, since it seems like Johnny just wants to watch and enjoy the events.

That’s Trace Worthington, old-guard freestyle skier.  He competed in Lillehammer in both Moguls and Aerials, the first time they were Olympic events. He also competed in moguls, aerials, and ski ballet when they were demonstration sports in Albertville. Him I like. 

[blackwing]

18 hours ago, MissT said:

I think they are great together.  They are both very knowledgeable about the sport, they are honest, and they are very good friends off the ice and that comes through in their commentary.    They always seem to make sure they enjoy themselves and entertain you at the same time.  

I agree.  I thought it was hilarious how Weir comments "the first Swan Lake of this Olympics" and Tara responds with "Johnny's getting all excited".   I much prefer their muted assessments ("that was a gorgeous triple flip") to the frenetic orgasmic commentary of Scott Hamilton (and here's her first combination... triple Salchow... tripleFLIP... TRIPLETOELOOP!!!!!!!)

[kittykat]

38 minutes ago, Indy said:

That’s Trace Worthington, old-guard freestyle skier.  He competed in Lillehammer in both Moguls and Aerials, the first time they were Olympic events. He also competed in moguls, aerials, and ski ballet when they were demonstration sports in Albertville. Him I like. 

Oh he's great.  He gets so animated particularly in moguls.  I don't understand half of the techniques he calls out but I get into it anyway.

[Thumper]

I really only pay attention during the Olympics, but I loved Dick Button!  You could count on him for some sharp, funny commentary.  I also like Tara and Johnny.   And I will always love some Scott Hamilton for his enthusiasm for the sport.

[PaulaO]

I'm so old that I remember Jim McKay....

[AshleyN]

My favourite figure skating commentator has always been Tracy Wilson. Knowledgeable, informative and able to be critical without coming across as overly snarky or mean-spirited. She's great at helping a layperson like myself understand the intricacies of the scoring system, why certain skaters receive the scores they do, and some of the more subtle differences that separate the skaters.

Does anyone know if she's working these games for anyone? It's be nice to see her covering the Ice Dance at least, since I find that former singles skaters doing commentary often struggle there (eg. Kurt Browning, who I otherwise like quite a bit).

[mehtotheworld]

Are Tara and Johnny doing ice dance, considering how they don’t know anything about it? I really wish Tanith White (née Belbin) could handle that. I’ve always liked her announcing work. 

Tara and Johnny need to be put out to pasture. They were funny at first, but now just cliched and uninformative. Unlike Tanith, I never feel like I learned anything after listening to them. Blah. 

[MyAimIsTrue]

11 hours ago, AshleyN said:

 

My favourite figure skating commentator has always been Tracy Wilson. 

 

Nice to find another Tracy Wilson fan.  She has such a great delivery and explains things well, and gets excited without going into histrionics.

[absnow54]

8 hours ago, mehtotheworld said:

Are Tara and Johnny doing ice dance, considering how they don’t know anything about it? I really wish Tanith White (née Belbin) could handle that. I’ve always liked her announcing work. 

I'm pretty sure they're using Tanith for Ice Dancing (she's listed as an analyst along with Johnny and Tara in the NBC press releases.) She's at least co hosting Olympic Ice. 

Edited February 10, 2018 by absnow54

[BitterApple]

I really like Tanith as well. During the ice dance, I thought she did a great job explaining to the casual viewer why it's such a difficult sport even though you don't see any jumping, and the sorts of things the judges are looking for during a performance. I feel like I learn a lot by listening to her. 

[mehtotheworld]

I have to admit to finding Bode Miller’s voice grating because of what a dirtbag he seems to be. 

Tanith did really well last night! I’m so glad they didn’t shove Tara and Johnny in the booth with her. 

[Silver Raven]

Who is the English woman doing NBC's daytime coverage?

Who is the Australian (?)  woman doing the live stream figure skating commenting?

[bosawks]

Rebecca Lowe straddles that line of being both warm and professional better than anyone I’ve seen in awhile.  I really like her.

[scarynikki12]

On 2/8/2018 at 5:01 PM, Peace 47 said:

I think it may have been the closing ceremony, but I’ll always remember laughing when Bob remarked something like, “And there go the always-enjoyable inflatable beavers” when some giant beavers balloons  were passing by at the Vancouver Olympics (maybe dressed as Mounties?).  He’s very dry.  I grew up with him as my Olympics announcer, so I’ll miss him.

 

Here ya go:

 

 

 

On 2/8/2018 at 10:12 PM, MissT said:

I think they are great together.  They are both very knowledgeable about the sport, they are honest, and they are very good friends off the ice and that comes through in their commentary.    They always seem to make sure they enjoy themselves and entertain you at the same time.  

 

I like Johnny and Tara a lot but he needs to learn to be more objective towards the Russian skaters (so far he's barely acknowledged mistakes and, when he does, it only seems to be when the judges deduct) and Tara needs a better makeup artist.  Otherwise they're so much better than Scott and Sandra.

[Peace 47]

I think I love you @scarynikki12!  Thank you.  My god, there was a moose, too.  Fantastic.

[Pickles]

Katie Couric's forehead could not look anymore botoxed. She is really blonde now too. I find her so annoying. I suppose you can tell.

[Peace 47]

I just saw Katie interviewed on the afternoon coverage, and I was thinking that it was nice to see her again, as it was during the opening ceremony.  (And she’s not a horrifying serial sexual predator, so bonus.)  I laughed out loud at the very end of her interview today (as did the crew).  She was looking at the Olympic pin the host had just given her in exchange for the special pin Katie had offered the host, and then she said (probably thinking that they had cut to commercial) “I think it’s broken” as she was inspecting it.

I wanted to make a comment in the opening ceremony thread that I thought she was looking truly fab, but then I didn’t necessarily want to bring up her looks, but since it’s out there, I’m actually in love with her hairstyle and think she looks a decade younger than her 61 years.

[debster1]

2 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

Who is the English woman doing NBC's daytime coverage?

Her name is Rebecca Lowe, and she is normally found on NBCSN on weekends doing the studio stuff for English Premier League soccer.  She does a great job with anything I've seen her do. 

[QuinnInND]

Old Al Troutface was doing the men's cross country skiing today. Ugh. Because it can't be said enough, SHUT UP AL!!!! 

[mostlylurking]

I love Tara/Johnny/Terry.  They are knowledgeable and banter very easily.  Sometimes correspondents banter is very forced and awkward.  Katie's jacket during opening ceremonies was weird, it was really big on her and made me think she spilled something on her shirt and someone just gave her that to cover it up.  I'm liking the coverage so far.  No one sticks out as glaringly bad.