Oh Canada

Walking down Granville Street in Vancouver tonight I saw something you hardly ever see  in the United States.  Twenty something girls playfully singing and strutting to their national anthem.  They were on the crosswalk and at the top of their lungs they were singing “Oh, Canada, our home and native land…”  Of course patriotism and spirit are running high at the Olympics but the Canadians also have a very singable … Continue reading Oh Canada

Gretzky Lights the Flame

Immediately after the opening ceremony people began to run.  They hoofed it to the International Broadcast Centre to see the after party.  Wayne Gretzky rode in a flatebed truck with the Olympic torch aloft to light an external flame outside the building.  The crowd went wild, shouting “Gretzky, Gretzky, Gretzky.”  Amazing to see how Canadians adore The Great One.  A Shaun White look alike and his sidekicks led the crowd in the … Continue reading Gretzky Lights the Flame

Why I Work at the Olympics

My 16 year old son is mad at me.  When I call home his anger is palpable.  He does not understand why I leave home for extended periods of time every couple of years to work at the Olympics.  He won’t listen when I try to explain so I’m putting it out to the world.  Being part of a production team at the Olympics is, … Continue reading Why I Work at the Olympics

Enlightened Canada

I walked out of my hotel room this morning carrying a plastic bottle of water and by the time I was at the front desk it was empty.  I handed it to the concierge and asked if he could throw it out.  Before I could correct myself a hotel manager did it for me.  Recycle!  From what I can tell, Canada is an enlightened country.  There are as many … Continue reading Enlightened Canada

Olympics: Canada Style

I walked out of my hotel room in Vancouver this morning to see a flock of seagulls squacking their heads off.  That’s the most noise I’ve heard since I arrived in Canada.  Toto, we’re not in Beijing anymore.  In 2008, with the Olympic Games a week and a half away, the city was buzzing with anticipation and chaotic with last minute preparations.  Thousands of people were … Continue reading Olympics: Canada Style

Greyhound Bus to Vancouver

This blog was born so that I could post to my friends, family and anyone else interested from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Now on the eve of 2010 Olympics, as I prepare to board an airplane for British Columbia, I find myself blogging again and reflecting on the only other time I was in Vancouver. I was 10 years old and my great uncle … Continue reading Greyhound Bus to Vancouver

The Audition Tape

My 11 year old son, Blair, wants to be a movie director when he grows up and asked if he could attend Denver School of the Arts so he has a better shot at getting into a good film program someday. The audition process was as grueling as getting into college. He needed a 2:00 film, an essay, a resume, a storyboard and examples of … Continue reading The Audition Tape

Satan Responds to Pat Robertson

In an editorial in the Minneapolis Star Tribune a very clever Lily Coyle took on Pat Robertson of CBN’s 700 Club.  You know, the guy who said the earthquake in Haiti happened because former slaves made a pact with the Devil in 1791 in order to overthrow the French.  I think she’s got the voice of Satan down, don’t you?  For what it’s worth I’ve … Continue reading Satan Responds to Pat Robertson

Haiti Earthquake: Telling the Story

The Los Angeles Times and the New York Times are doing a great job reporting a backstory in Haiti.  Their journalists are telling how broadcast and cable news handled the incredible logistics of deploying their people to Port Au Prince to cover the story.  This is not to diminish the role of Facebook, Twitter, blogs, YouTube and cell phones, but to get people like Anderson Cooper of CNN, … Continue reading Haiti Earthquake: Telling the Story

Acid Attack Survivor Katie Piper on CNN

Many of you came to this blog to see the story of Juliette’s acid attack. Former model Katie Piper recently spoke to CNN in Great Britain about the brutal attack that changed her life. She is incredibly courageous and is now working to help others through her Katie Piper Foundation (http://www.katiepiperfoundation.org.uk/.) http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/01/12/uk.katie.piper.acid.attack/index.html For more information on Vicky Collins visit http://teletrendstv.com. Continue reading Acid Attack Survivor Katie Piper on CNN