| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Thursday, February 21, 2002
9:00am ET | |
| • | Comprehensive Olympic Coverage: Today’s Headlines, Schedules, Forecasts |
| • | Security Measures Increase Government Contribution To Winter Games |
| • | Tracking The Advertising Presence Of OPUS Sponsors, Partners |
| • | Accentuate The Positive: Upsets Reign At Match Play Championship |
| • | Cleveland Lands Gravity Games For ‘02 |
| • | A Lighter Buzz/In Other News/Laugh Track/TV Monitor |
THE SALT LAKE CITY WINTER GAMES, DAY 14: TODAY’S HEADLINES
Salt Lake Tribune:
- Just Like Grandpa: Jim Shea Claims A Gold Medal.
- Ohno Wins Gold After Korean Speed Skater Is Disqualified.
- U.S. Hockey Team Ready To Relive A Dream.
- Apparent Prank Causes A Stink In Downtown SLC.
- Late-Night Jokes Target UT.
Deseret News:
National News:
- Vonetta Flowers Rewards Faith Shown In Her (L.A. TIMES, 2/21).
- U.S. Skeleton Out Of The Closet (WASHINGTON POST, 2/21).
- Now Canada Must Duck The Upset (N.Y. TIMES, 2/21).
- Michelle Kwan Still Has Long Night To Go (L.A. TIMES, 2/21).
- Skaters In Nike Suits Also Wearing Medals (USA TODAY, 2/21).
QUOTE FROM THE GAMES…
“Now that I have a gold medal, I can honestly say the friendships are more important than the medals. It's about friendships. It's about competing, and the world coming together.”
– U.S. Gold Medalist Jim Shea (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 2/21).
TODAY’S UT WEATHER
The forecast calls for cloudy skies today, with a high of 47°F.
Click on the buttons below for additional Olympic links:
SECURITY MEASURES MAY INCREASE FEDERAL CONTRIBUTIONS
The DESERET NEWS reports that the federal government “will spend $58 million more than expected” on the ‘02 Winter Olympics, but it’s “almost entirely due to post-Sept. 11 security measures.” A U.S. General Accounting Office report in November “pegged the government-aid figure at $342 million. That will probably rise to $400 million when the GAO files its final report on the Games” (DESERET NEWS, 2/21).
CHANCE OF U.S. ATHLETES CASHING IN ON GAMES IS HIGH
Octagon’s Peter Carlisle was a guest on NBC’s “Today” show and graded the endorsement potential of the athletes from the Winter Games on a scale of one to ten. He gave U.S. Gold Medalist Jim Shea Jr. a ten, saying, “Unbelievable. … There is no question that Jimmy Shea’s story is one of the breakout stories of the Games. He is a fantastic guy and I think that marketers would kill to have him endorsing their products and services.” U.S. figure skater Michelle Kwan received a ten, as did U.S. snowboarder Chris Klug. U.S. Gold Medal speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno received an eight (“Today,” NBC, 2/21).
COINCIDENCE? U.S. HOCKEY TEAM FOLLOWS FAMILIAR PATTERNS
The CHICAGO SUN-TIMES reports that on Friday, Team USA will play Russia for a berth in the Olympic Gold Medal hockey game, which coincidentally happened “22 years earlier. To ... the ... very ... day.” U.S. Men’s Hockey C Jeremy Roenick: ''Back in 1980, the U.S. played the Germans on a Wednesday and the Russians on a Friday. It's kind of strange how it's playing out this year, isn't it?” (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 2/21).
OLYMPIC NOTES: NBC’S ADS, ATHLETE PROFILES & WRONG NUMBERS
Last night's NBC 8:00-11:30pm ET primetime Olympic broadcast aired one promo four NBCOlympics.com promos; one for "Tonight Show;" three for "Crossing Jordan;" two for "Ed;" two for "Friends;" one for "Third Watch;" two for "Watching Ellie;" one for NBC Sports; one for "NBA on NBC;" one for "Leap of Faith;" one for "Frasier;" one for "Scrubs;" one for "West Wing" and one for "Law and Order" (THE DAILY).
Day 13 of NBC’s Olympic coverage included three athlete profiles: Janica Kostelic, Croatia, alpine skiing; Jim Shea Jr., U.S., skeleton and Lea Ann Parsley, U.S., skeleton (THE DAILY).
The public is invited to meet U.S. Gold Medalist speed skater Chris Witty on Friday from 11:30am to 1:00pm MT at the AT&T Wireless store at The Gateway in downtown Salt Lake City (SALT LAKE CITY, 2/21).
The SALT LAKE TRIBUNE reports that Melyssa Romney, a 26-year-old single woman who “made the mistake of listing her phone number … as ‘M. Romney, Salt Lake City,’” is receiving 15 to 20 calls a day from “sponsors, international media and spectators wanting information about the Olympics.” Since the Olympics started, she has recorded a message saying, “If you are calling for Mitt, I don't know his number. Call SLOC” (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 2/21).
Meanwhile, during the halftime edition of TNT's "Inside the NBA," TNT's Charles Barkley was "challenged" by the U.S. Women's Olympic Curling team after Barkley said curling was "not a sport" and he likened it to "dusting." Team member Ann Swisshelm said she "will make more free throws than you will put stones in the center of the ring." Team member Debbie McCormick: "I just want to let you know that I can compete at two Winter Olympics before I even get close to your age." Barkley: "When are they going to set-up this grudge match? I can curl. ... I want them to win the gold medal in dusting, but I will challenge the babes from the (U.S.) curling team" (TNT, 2/20).
OLYMPIC AD MONITOR
OPUS sponsor Home Depot continues its Olympic ad campaign with a full-page ad featuring U.S. Gold Medal speed skater and Home Depot employee Derek Parra in today’s USA Today (THE DAILY).
OPUS partner GM’s Chevrolet takes out a full-page ad in USA Today supporting its sponsorship of the U.S. Ski Team (THE DAILY).
FOR SALE: CARL POHLAD PUTS TWINS ON THE MARKET
The Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE reports that Twins Owner Carl Pohlad “put his beleaguered franchise up for sale Wednesday on the belief that new owners would stand a better chance of getting legislative support for a new stadium.” MLB Commissioner Bud Selig “supported the move,” saying that the sale of the team “was in the best long-term interest of the Twins franchise” (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 2/21).
GRAVITY GAMES TO TOUCH DOWN IN CLEVELAND
The Cleveland PLAIN DEALER reports that the Gravity Games will announce today that, after three years in Providence, RI, “the ultra-hip, death-defying games have made the jump to Cleveland, where they will reside for two years” (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 2/21).
KNICKS RAISE OVER $335,000 FOR AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS
The Knicks announced yesterday that their “Knicks Bowl 3,” presented by Met Life, raised more than $335,000 Tuesday night for the Red Holzman Knicks Cheering for Children Foundation. HOFer Earl Monroe and other alumni joined the entire Knicks team and over 400 fans to support the Foundation at the sold-out event. The money raised will aid after-school programs in all five boroughs of N.Y. (THE DAILY).
TOP SEEDS MEET EARLY EXIT AT THE ACCENTURE CHAMPIONSHIP
The ATLANTA CONSTITUTION’s Glenn Sheeley reports, “That sound you heard Wednesday afternoon at the La Costa Resort & Spa was the crashing of TV ratings for the remainder of the Accenture Match Play Championship,” as top seeds Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and David Duval all were defeated in the first round. The event is televised on ESPN and ABC (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 2/21).
A LIGHTER BUZZ
This week’s issue of Sports Illustrated features Chris Witty on the cover with the tagline: “ICE BREAKERS: You Can Thank The Speed Skaters For The Record U.S. Medal Count” (SI, 2/25 issue).
The ARIZONA REPUBLIC reports that Rep. James Kraft “apologized to colleagues Wednesday for lying about attending the Super Bowl as a guest of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.” The politician “repeatedly had said the Patriots owner was a relative [but] the two are not related.” Additionally, Patriots officials claim the two have never met and that James Kraft “has no connection to the Kraft Foods family” (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 2/21).
The MISL Crunch-Kixx game, which started yesterday at 10:35am ET as part of the Kixx’ School Day promotion, drew a crowd of 9,216 fans (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 2/21).
N.Y. POST’s “Page Six” reports that “fortified with wine, the bathing beauties of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue braved grabby advertisers and a leering Enrique Iglesias at the Hammerstein Ballroom the other night.” The swimsuit models “not only had to walk the runway in high heels without tripping, they had to avoid being manhandled by headline-act Iglesias, who tried to dance with many of the beauties as they sashayed past” (N.Y. POST, 2/21).
TODAY’S EVENTS
CFL Commissioner Michael Lysko will discuss brand-building strategies and corporate and broadcast interest in the league at a noon ET luncheon at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, hosted by the Empire Club of Canada (THE DAILY).
Redskins T Chris Samuels and WR Darnerien McCants will help award $50,000 in grants as part of the Redskins All-Stars program, which recognizes and encourages community service, dedication and teamwork among area youth. The ceremony will take place at 11:00am ET at FedEx Field (THE DAILY).
76ers G Eric Snow and his wife DeShawn join Philadelphia Daily News columnist John Smallwood in reading to students at Birney Elementary School as part of the team’s “Read to Achieve” program. The reading begins at noon ET (THE DAILY).
IN OTHER NEWS….
The N.Y. TIMES profiles Time Inc. Editorial Dir John Huey and states he “has involved himself in the details of operations, the kind of approach that could challenge the various editorial fiefs at Time Inc.” (N.Y. TIMES, 2/21).
CMGI CEO David Wetherell announced Tuesday that he would step down. Wetherell will remain as Chair while CFO George McMillan becomes the company’s new CEO (BOSTON HERALD, 2/20).
The WASHINGTON POST reports that USA Network’s telecast of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show averaged about 4.3 million viewers over two nights, “nearly 1 million more than the combined averages of CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC and CNBC during the same hours” (WASHINGTON POST, 2/21).
The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes Infinity Broadcasting President & CEO Farid Suleman “has resigned to become CEO of a privately held company,” Citadel Communications, “which owns 140 FM and 65 AM radio stations in 42 markets” (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 2/21).
FINAL JEOPARDY QUESTION
Last night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was "2000 Films."
"This film was partly inspired by Jean-Leon Gerome's painting 'Pollice Verso,' or 'Thumbs Down.’”
LAUGH TRACK
NBC’s Jay Leno: "Welcome to day 187 of the Winter Olympics Games." Leno, on figure skating: "Did you see that one outfit? It was like totally sheer, cut all the way down to the navel, with those sequins all over it. What was Scott Hamilton thinking?" ("Tonight Show," NBC, 2/20).
CBS’ David Letterman, on the French figure skating judge: "They say that she is an emotionally fragile woman who is easily manipulated. And I'm thinking, 'How do you meet women like that?'" Letterman: "I'm Olympics-ed out. They're running out of events. Tonight the big primetime event on the Olympics is blowing your driveway" ("Late Show," CBS, 2/20).
Last night's "Top Ten" list was "Top Ten Ways I'll Improve New York City" The list was read in-studio by new N.Y. Mayor Michael Bloomberg ("Late Show," CBS, 2/20).
| 10) | "I'll personally pay every New Yorkers rent for the next four years." |
| 9) | "Get caught jaywalking and we'll impound your shoes." |
| 8) | "Once a week, a different New Yorker has to mow Central Park." |
| 7) | "Subway cars now equipped with complimentary all-you-can-eat soup and salad bar." |
| 6) | "Every weekend, bare-knuckle boxing matches on the front lawn of Gracie Mansion." |
| 5) | "Free full-body massage from your cabbie." |
| 4) | "I'm renaming the city ‘Funkytown.’” |
| 3) | "Mandatory ten o'clock curfew for Bill Clinton." |
| 2) | "If a car alarm goes off, call me and I'll personally come and tow it.” |
| 1) | "Okay Arizona, you had your fun -- now we're coming to get our World Series trophy." |
WEDNESDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR
ESPN’s 11:00pm ET “SportsCenter” led with the Accenture Match Play Championship.
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
"What is ‘Gladiator?’"
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