Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Ballets Are Gross

I like basketball but I love football. With no meaningful football last weekend and only one game remaining (I won’t call it the Super Bowl so that the NFL can’t sue me.) I’m stuck surrendering the TV to my wife. As a result, I was lucky enough to watch some figure skating over the weekend. In the spirit of full disclosure, I actually went to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships with my family when they were held in Washington, D.C. a while back. I am proud to admit that I fell asleep within 30 minutes of arriving and did not wake up until we left.

Okay, back to this weekend. A great part of a figure skating broadcast is the announcing. The announcers say some of the craziest things and do it while talking in a soft voice as if talking normal really matters. What I heard on Saturday night floored me. In fact, I was grossed out. It was spoken as if it was not a big deal. My wife didn’t even think it was that bad. Maybe it’s a gender thing.

I never got the name of the lady that said this but she was the only lady in the booth. As a teenage girl was prancing on the ice she flippantly noted, “The ballet is about a man that inadvertently falls in love with a doll.” Of course I know it isn’t a true story, I think, but what demented mind would think to write an entire ballet on that topic?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

JM I knew I loved more than just your flamboyant personality. I laughed my a-- off when reading about your nap at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. I can just see the head bob being broadcast on national TV and one of those "Oh So Original " commentators have moment with you...

J Smith said...

Glad to read that you are back. I was beginning to wonder if one of my 5 loyal readers had moved on like so many of the others!