Monthly Archives: August 2016
Happy Monday!
Lightning struck last night in Rio for the third time.
Usain Bolt is scary fast and awesomely entertaining. NBC journalist Bob Costas made the astute observation that Bolt is not a show-off, but is, more accurately, a showman. And Mr. Costas was proven right late last night when the legendary Jamaican sprinter beat American rival Justin Gatlin by .08 seconds in the breathtaking 100m final for his mind-boggling third consecutive Olympic gold medal and immediately joined in festive celebration with his countless fans along the rail of the track immediately following his epic conquest. His warm-down style is by far the best in the world.
Above all the entertaining bravado, Usain Bolt is a class act. This video/interview is from a few years ago.
The world-class 100m Olympic final was pretty close.
- Usain Bolt (9.81)
- Justin Gatlin (9.89)
- Andre De Grasse (9.91)
Even with the razor-thin margins between Bolt and Gatlin & Gatlin and De Grasse, Usain Bolt dominated everyone’s focus at the finish line. The man that Mr. Costas determined is now a more famous figure in Jamaica than Bob Marley (hmmm…?) is a larger-than-life athlete and persona. Standing (and sprinting) at a towering 6’5″, the “Lightning Bolt” has kept our attention for several Olympics and international competitions.
Back in 2013 at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, Russia, Mother Nature went as far as to validate Usain Bolt’s perfectly given last name.
Remember this surreal, once-in-a-lifetime moment?
(Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images)
Fans of Usain Bolt won’t have wait long to see his next strides toward Olympic glory. The Jamaican sprinter will run in the 200m tomorrow morning. As his 9.58 seconds world record in the 100m, 19.19 seconds world record in the 200m and the picture above reveal, you know something special will happen.
Wherever Usain Bolt is, a show is sure to follow.
A lightning show, to be specific.
Have a Showstopper Kind of Week!
This Story Has a 97.6% Chance of Success
Maybe the only cultural phenomenon that can compete with the summer Olympics in Rio is, you guessed it, intergalactic space battles.
That’s why NBC and Lucasfilm Ltd. timed the release of the official trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story to premiere during prime time Olympics coverage last night. In a wise tactical move, the trailer was teased all week for this Thursday, but never given an exact time. Promos throughout the week cleverly combined Olympians and their special moments and gold medal triumphs throughout this first week’s competition with the trailer music and quick dramatic cuts from the initial Rogue One teaser trailer for a uniquely inspirational and entertaining cross-promotion. Ladies and gentlemen, this is how you develop and execute a successful television marketing strategy that seamlessly transitions into the digital sphere of instant viral video status.
12 Hours Later: Nearly 3.5 million views on the Star Wars YouTube channel and 60,600 Retweets and 63,600 Likes on the Star Wars Twitter account.
During a week that’s resulted in many, many complaints from American viewers of NBC’s Olympics coverage, fans of the beloved franchise (and even non-Star Wars fans) were treated to a movie preview with exciting settings, thrilling action sequences, a strong heroine and a catch-your-breath moment of nostalgia.
Rogue One won’t arrive in theaters until December, but this Star Wars story could very well be given the Olympics treatment:
Individual high points for various elements of the film, as well as applause heard all-around your cinema as the credits roll.
Even Zeus Was Impressed
Gold medals are a pretty cool thing to accumulate and make space for on the shelf and every collection has to start with that first piece.
Or race.
Michael Phelps, competing in the 400m Individual Medley (as seen above) at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, started his gold medal legacy. And with a world record, no less. That’s just crazy impressive. The greatest swimmer in the sport’s history, by every modern standard and measure, has been dominating in the pool and with casual sports fans alike for a dozen years. Perhaps the most surreal reality, however, is that Michael Phelps isn’t finished in Rio.
His pursuit for gold continues.
Simply put: Michael Phelps is defining his own Gold Rush era with his stellar performances spanning the past few summer Olympics.
The Rolling Michael Phelps Gold Medal Count: 22.
Working 9-5 (a.m.)
Ever randomly wondered about the inception of Apple, Inc.?
Same here.
Steve Jobs will forever be the face of tech giant and lifestyle brand Apple, Inc. However, it’s imperative to remind ourselves that there was another Steve in Apple’s lore:
Steve Wozniak.
This is Steve II’s memory of how a revolution was born soldered.
As we’re enjoying the Olympics in Rio, specifically the events and sports we watch exclusively every four years, what we see is the final stage of years of preparation and determination. Equally fascinating, though, are the preceding years and moments alone on the beach, in the pool, in the gym, on the winding road, on the pitch or in the garage.
How did these individuals reach the summit in their respective fields?
Steve Wozniak’s recollection of his youthful motivation for building computer parts serves as an inspirational lesson for us all. That lesson is to find our passion and start creating. And so often, the drive behind some of the world’s greatest innovators (and some Olympic athletes) isn’t always what we imagine from a distance. The sport is not always the central reason for competing. Still, from far away, we possess the clarity to recognize authenticity, inventive vision and talent and it’s what brings us into another person’s story with a powerful, magnetic attraction.
And apparently, if you want to succeed in tech, be named Steve. If you want to host a late night talk show, be named Jimmy, James or Jay.
I have always wanted my own studio audience…
Time to write my monologue jokes, until about 4:00 a.m.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 