What are you watching (or, at his point, DID you watch) in place of the Beijing opening ceremonies?

[ForrestGump]

Some of us are 'boycotting' the Games (not sure what effect that may have beyond our own sense of self, of course, unless you're in one of the five apparently taste-challenged families in this country that actually work for Neilsen), some of us haven't given a damn about the Olympics since coverage and color commentary got so moronic and jingoistic that any point the Games may have had were lost, and some of us just don't find televised sports to be interesting or resent the overt professionalization of the Games. In my case, it's a bit of each (the last Olympics I really avidly watched was 1976, back when it was a whole different animal than today's, I have always rarely watched sports on TV, and the fact that it's the PRC in charge is a bonus although I am quite ambivalent on that by virtue of being a massive Sinophile...also, and quite significantly, I don't watch TV these days even now that I'm in a place again, for a while, that has it). I'm not vehement about not seeing the ceremonies, but I guess I didn't care enough about them to seek them out. Whatever your motives and level of animosity toward the whole Beijing exercise, if you're not watching it are you watching anything else, or are you tonight liberated from the tyranny of television or prerecorded video?

I just finished Ladron Que Roba A Ladron, a Mexican (subtitled) movie that's a con-job caper-style piece along the lines of Oceans 11, sort of. I liked it. Gave it a try (ordered it from my local library) after seeing a preview for it (and a couple of other films I also requested) on the DVD of another Lion's Gate film I watched last week. It's not particularly deep, or anything -- it does make some nice points about US attitudes toward immigrants, being set Stateside and almost all dialog in Spanish, as well as greed -- but it was fun and nicely made. I've been watching more subtitled films of late as a result of delving into Akira Kurosawa's catalog and the next two films I've got ready to go are Downfall (German film about Hitler's last days...seen it mentioned here on DU many times) and The Seven Samurai. Them fur'ners can churn out some decent picture shows now and then, I reckon.

Right now, though, I'm about to eat dinner and watch a bit of About A Boy.

[Bicoastal]

1. Yeah, you missed an awesome show.

Your loss.

[ForrestGump]

7. No loss at all

Couldn't be bothered with it, which is pretty much the reason behind my canceling cable TV last year, too (realized I hadn't watched it in two years -- I watch a LOT of movies on DVD, but never tuned in the TV). Besides, I think I've become somewhat immune to large-scale human/media spectacle (the natural kind still does it for me), lately, when I think about it -- not all that surprising, I suppose, given where I work.

More to the point, I can always watch it in reruns when I feel like it. It's probably already on youtube, for that matter.

[Critters2]

2. Puppy Games. And reading a SW:EU novel.

And petting the beagle. And posting on DU. I'm quite the multi-tasker!

[ForrestGump]

14. Sounds like an Olympian

task.

Yeah, that was pretty bad. Maybe I should get a job with NBC. :-)

[johnnie]

3. I typically don't watch the opening ceremonies

I put them on earlier and it was one of the most amazing things I have seen on TV in a long time.

[ForrestGump]

15. If it was on,

I'd watch it. Just couldn't be bothered turning it on.

The last one I saw was the opening to the Sydney Olympics, and I thought they did a nice job.

[bicentennial_baby]

4. Yay! Another Olympics/Sports snob!!

:bounce:

Like we don't have enough here. Hey, I think Elvis sucks, but I don't go around trashing what you enjoy...but I figured I better join in. Get over yourself.

[ForrestGump]

17. I don't recall trashing anything,

unless you're a fan of the commentary provided on US broadcasts of the Olympics. I don't tend to watch televised sports and I've been turned off the Olympics -- not vehemently, just to the extent that they don't excite me at all -- and I don't see what the big deal is about that...it's not like I'm denying anyone else enjoyment from watching sports. Some Of My Best Friends Watch Sports on TV.

Your last sentence is richly ironic, by the way.

[Broken_Hero]

5. Batman Begins, on the FX channel, nt

[jojo54]

6. Had to watch the olympics

At my daughter's house 'cause she just had a baby and that's what they were watching. I would have watched the E-A-G-L-E-S!!!

[taterguy]

8. Live music: Pylon and a Let's Active cover band

I just got home

[BeachBaby]

9. Red Dragon on the Sleuth Channel.

From the Hannibal Lechter movie series.

[x-g.o.p.er]

10. Minnesota VIkings pre-season football!!

Woot Woot!!!

The Olympics have sucked since the end of the Cold War. We were the good guys, the Russians were the bad guys, we used amateur athletes, the Russians used pros, our guys were clean, the Russian and East German "women" had bigger penises than most of the American Men.

We're still the good guys, but there's no bad guy, we use pros, and our guys are on the cutting edge of doping, PED's, you name it. It's all corporate crap.

[Phredicles]

11. The Raiders-49ers game - I hate both teams, but I do like football,

even crappy pre-season football.

[lizziegrace]

12. Watched "Love Actually"

I needed to see the opening and closing sequences of people greeting loved ones at Heathrow. And the parts in between were pretty good too...

:)

[Lethe]

13. dude, you guys have no idea how much of a nerd i am

i've been watching C64 demos on youtube for hte past 2 hours.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fiul1Xu9wbg&feature=related

You guys have no idea...you think you are nerds...phffft, you are scrubs compared to me.

:D

edit: also i don't have a TV so i can't watch the olympics

[LeftyMom]

16. I went out and bought groceries for myself and sand and kibble for the kitties.

I forgot it was even on. :shrug:

[Kali]

18. the pages change on DU

[crim son]

19. I'm not watching the games.

Tonight, I watched my boys bicker and my cat play with the toy mouse (with real rabbit fur). I watched my lovely daughter sway and dance as she described her boyfriend and now I am watching the time. I wish the best for all the athletes but won't be watching this year.