Monday, August 13, 2012

Hello, everybody. They say that all good things must come to an end, and that was the case for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London on Sunday with plenty of company from the Spice Girls, One Direction, Madness, George Michael, Muse, Monty Python's Eric Idle, and Annie Lennox among others. With a $14 billion bill, those performers were each paid something that could be worth a small drink: $1.50!

Anyway, The Who closed the festivities off after the dousing of the Olympic cauldron, which followed the the 10,800 athletes all marching in as one plus remarks by International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge declaring the games over.

The United States had their best ever showing during those two weeks, coming home with the most medals haul with 104; 46 of them gold including the men's basketball team holding off Spain 107-100 in the finals. The host country, Great Britain, did well themselves: 29 golds, 65 overall (their largest since 1908).

There were some unforgettable moments throughout the games, including Michael Phelps capping off his career as the most decorated Olympian ever...not to mention passing the swimming hotness torch to Ryan Lochte, who will probably follow his lead at Rio in 2016. Mo Farah swept the 5,000- and 10,000-meter races to not just the roar of the hometown crowd at Olympic Stadium, but to the ecstatic BBC commentators calling them!

Females dominated these games, headlined by Gabby Douglas's and Missy Franklin's golds, the U.S. soccer, gymnastics, and basketball teams, and women's boxing making its Olympics debut.

Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee track athlete from South Africa, may not have a medal around his neck, but was a champion to everybody's hearts. And yes, there was Usain Bolt...winner and still king of the track.

With the Games of the XXX Olympiad over and the other athletes still departing from Heathrow Airport with the ultimate souvenirs, it's now on to Sochi, Russia and the XXII Olympic Winter Games in 2014. For the United States and Canada, they will finally compete at an Olympics in Russia 34 years after they and 60 other countries boycotted the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow. But during those last two weeks in London, this year's Olympics sure lived up to their theme: "Inspire a generation."

And last but not least: Stacy Keibler has followed the Olympics while in Italy with George Clooney, and pretty soon, she's returning to television as host of a new Lifetime show called "Supermarket Superstars." As for "The X Factor"? She's still in the running for that hosting job

It's already been a year since she and Clooney as an item became front-page news around the world; and in the months since, we saw them stealing the show at the biggest entertainment events including the granddaddy of them all, the Oscars. There were even rumors about Stacy sprouting a baby George, but an Instagram pic of her toned abs put those to bed.

With Miley Cyrus and now Jennifer Aniston engaged, and Natalie Portman recently wed, what are the odds that wedding bells will ring for George and Stacy? One in about never! But if the two happen to become over after one year, then Stacy's next guy? Fellow Baltimoreian Michael Phelps...unless if   she cheats on him in the backseat of a Porsche with Ryan Lochte! So long and stay strong.

Sunday, August 05, 2012

Hello, everybody. Week 1 of the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London is coming to an end, and has the United States been owning the podium or what?

Most of the bounty belonged to Michael Phelps, as he wraps up his stellar career has cemented his place as the most decorated Olympian of all time with 22 overall medals; 19 of them gold. Four of those 19 came over the course of the week: The 4x200m freestyle relay, the 200m individual medley; his last individual medal, the 100m butterfly on Friday; and to cap it all off: the 4x100m medley relay on Saturday. 

As a matter of fact, the men's swimming in these games should be called "The Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte Show", as the two have been a duel starting with Lochte claiming gold in the 400m individual medley on Saturday (Phelps didn't medal, finishing fourth); Michael would outswim him a few days later with the 100m butterfly.

The women have also dominated in the water, with Alison Schmitt, Missy Franklin, Rebecca Soni, Dana Vollmer, and Katie Ledecky claiming golds themselves.

In gymnastics, call it the Fab Five as the women raked their first team gold since the Magnificent Seven in 1996; that would be followed by Gabby Douglas' gold in the all-around. At 16, she was also the youngest gold medalist in these games...well, for at least one day, when 15-year old Ledecky took that honor.

And on Saturday, it was advantage: Serena Williams as she beat Maria Sharapova for gold in women's tennis. The other major U.S. gold medalist this week was Kayla Harrison in women's judo (78kg), a first for us.

Great Britain is also doing impressive medals-wise, with their first golds in men's cycling time trials and rowing on Wednesday; the former thanks to this year's Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins. 

The United States have not only taken the most golds so far with 26, but also the one-medal advantage overall over China (54-53) who has 25 golds; the host country is not far behind with 29 (14 golds) followed by Russia's 28. And Canada finally got their first gold in women's trampoline, but they have a lot of ground to make up with the nine others they already got.

The track and field events are already underway, and that's where Lolo Jones and Usain Bolt will shine. Other events to take center stage in week 2 of the Olympics: Wrestling, basketball, and indoor and beach volleyball.

Now...if infidelity was an Olympic sport, Kristen Stewart would easily get that gold. It's been a week since scandalous photos of Stewart and her "Snow White and the Huntsman" director Rupert Sanders allegedly getting more than cozy shocked Twihards around the world, and here's the latest:

Stewart and Robert Pattinson have both went into exile, with Kristen at her parents' house while Pattinson retreated to his "Water for Elephants" co-star Reese Witherspoon's home just up the highway in Ojai. The two were scheduled to present together at next month's MTV Video Music Awards, but that appears to be up in the air...at least for now.

In the risk of editorializing, I think that Kristen Stewart has made a mistake which may have not only cost her her relationship, but her career as well. But I wouldn't be surprised if her next guy could be...well, Ryan Lochte or Michael Phelps! So long and stay strong.