Olympic and Canadian fever has taken over most of the viewing schedule here at Couch Potato Central and there will be only a few rants coming over the next week on some of the regular shows that are currently airing. The Olympics only happen every few years and some sacrifices have to made -- all for a good cause.After catching the spectacular opening ceremony early Friday morning (the 12 hour time difference makes for an early start here in eastern Canada), I have been taking in as many competitions as possible and it has been a great pleasure to watch all these great athletes. There will be tons of different events to take in, and I am happy to have already seen some gymnastics, swimming, rowing, volleyball and water polo. It's only the tip of the iceberg and it looks like it will make for some long days and nights glued to the tube watching the World's best. If you haven't heard the amazing story about Canadian gymnast, Kyle Shewfelt, it's simply incredible to see him compete less than a year after breaking both of his legs. It's always inspiring to see athletes like Kyle who push themselves and are such great role models for today's youth. It's not always about winning but also about how you play the game and sportsmanship. Bravo to Kyle and the best of luck to the rest of the Canadian Team.
There is no question that I will be glued to the swimming competitions to see home boy Alexandre Despatie perform and am dying to see if Michael Phelps can hit his goal and become the biggest medal winner in Olympic history. Here's hoping the games follow their creed : "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well." I really hope to see some great Olympic games that are not marred by tons of doping charges and athletes that try to cheat. Cross your fingers on that one.
Speaking of winners -- a big congrats to Iliza Shlesinger for winning this edition of Last Comic Standing. Iliza was pretty fearless, and eliminated quite a bit of the competition before making it to the Final Four and then surviving one on one against fellow competitor Marcus. Here's hoping that Iliza hits Montréal at next year's Just for Laughs festival and I get the chance to see her live.
