CHASING JOHNNY’S THRONE: WHY DAVE SHOULD JUMP TO ABC
By JOHN YOUNGREN
For 20 years, David Letterman has chased the memory of Johnny Carson as the king of late night, a title Dave will never quite grab – not as long as that idiot Jay Leno is hosting "The Tonight Show," Letterman’s rightful inheritance when Carson retired a decade ago.
Still, -- and despite what you think about Leno, Carson or any other late-night icon, past, present or future – Letterman has emerged as perhaps the most influential television talk show host of the past two decades. While Carson (still the undisputed king of cool, and the 30-year standard by which all hosts are judged) undoubtedly influenced the young Letterman, it’s Letterman who has influenced a generation of comics, among them Leno, Conan O’Brien, Jon Stewart, Craig Kilborn, Bill Maher, Rosie O’Donnell and anyone else who dares try a humorous talk show in this day and age.
This is what makes Dave’s newest flirtation with ABC so interesting. Nearly a decade ago, Letterman was doing some similar jockeying with CBS, once NBC so cloddishly gave Leno "The Tonight Show" job Letterman coveted while hosting the original "Late Night" on NBC. (Letterman had paid his dues, patiently waiting for some 12 years while his idol, Carson, finished up, but NBC looked the other way and went with the safer choice – the milquetoast, all-too-predictable Leno).
When Dave went to CBS, it drew the battle lines for a late-night war that continues to rage: With all the hype about the competition, Letterman beat Leno in the late-night ratings for the first couple of years that the two went head-to-head, but then Dave faltered – somewhere right around that ill-fated Academy Awards hosting gig he did in 1995 – and Jay had Hugh Grant on "The Tonight Show."
Flash-forward. Seven years later, Leno beats Letterman by about a million viewers each night, though each show makes gobs of money for its respective network. And the celebrated rivalry between the two hosts (once good friends; it was Letterman who exposed the young Leno to a national audience by asking Jay to make frequent "Late Night" appearances in the ‘80s) continues to enthrall: Since his heart surgery in 2000 and his celebrated, compassionate return to the airwaves following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Letterman has had a devil-may-care attitude that both rankles and amuses, and it’s not uncommon for him to take pointed jabs at Jay on the air, an aggressive posture that was all but unheard of in Dave’s first six or seven years on CBS.
And now … ABC? The network, which hasn’t had a presence in late-night entertainment since Alan Thicke wasted videotape (remember, before the sitcom "Growing Pains?") is said to be so keen on Letterman making the move over that it’s willing to boot Ted Koppel and the vaunted "Nightline" out of the way, even if that means pissing off Koppel and abandoning "Nightline," which – by the way – regularly beats (or at least ties) Letterman’s show in the national ratings (both finish behind Leno).
What’s got Dave so upset with the network that once welcomed him with open arms? CBS is said to be taking the dyspeptic Letterman for granted; he’s been grumbling about the lack of promotion the network gives his show, the low ratings its news affiliates generate as his lead-in, even his strained relationship with CBS honcho Les Moonves. Forever the jilted lover (will he ever be truly happy without "The Tonight Show," even if his influence and impact on American popular culture is so much more pronounced than Leno’s?), Letterman is said to have a mind on exacting revenge, which is why ABC suddenly sounds so enticing.
Word is, ABC would rebuild its late night around Letterman and provide him the promotional support and younger viewers CBS either won’t or can’t. They’re also talking about more money for Dave, but this isn’t a money issue.
Rather, this is a pride thing. For, if he’s willing to make the move, Letterman could instantly:
1) Generate some new late-night heat and rejuvenate another decade in his storied career, which would put him right up there with Carson.
2) Scare the bejesus out of NBC – which currently has the satisfaction of beating Letterman in the ratings, but never in terms of Leno’s reviews. The stir created by Letterman’s move to ABC, coupled with taking Koppel out of the mix and a new late-night gap at CBS (paging Pat Sajak, paging Pat Sajak) could change the ratings game in a hurry.
3) Establish a beachhead late-night franchise for ABC, much as he did at CBS.
4) Rightfully claim his throne as the post-Carson late-night king.
Observers are saying Dave might even end up moving to Los Angeles to host a new ABC show; one way or another, it’s likely he’ll have to give up the remodeled Ed Sullivan Theater, which has basically served as a recurring player on his show during the CBS years. Personally, I doubt Dave would ever leave New York – at least at this point in his career – particularly given the strong affinity he has shown for the city (and it for him) in these troubling post-Sept. 11 times.
That said, I’m betting Dave will take the bait and make the jump to ABC. Things like Koppel and a new New York studio and contractual obligations have a way of being worked out. If Letterman were to end up making the move to ABC, it’d give him essentially a decade on each major network (NBC, CBS and ABC) in late night. It’d give him the thrill of launching a new franchise, the creative rejuvenation of fighting the late-night war with some new energy and resources. And it’d be the 2002 version of Letterman – at once kinder and feistier – that’d be in the trenches.
It’d be the 2002 version of Letterman on the line, the one who ran circles around Jay and "The Tonight Show" during the recent 2002 Winter Olympics, despite the fact that it was Leno’s network, NBC, that had the Games while Dave and CBS were the outsiders.
It’d be this Letterman who’d kick Leno’s ass.
# # #
That’s it for this time. Tune in again soon for another edition of "Pop Stew!"
Thursday, February 28, 2002
VH-1’S BEHIND THE MUSIC: NO ONE CAN EAT JUST ONE
By JOHN YOUNGREN
OK, I'll admit it. I’m an addict. A "Behind the Music" junkie.
In fact, if they did a "Behind The Music" on me (assuming I was famous and in music, of course), there would be a large segment devoted to the lost period of my life when I was strung out watching episodes of "Behind the Music."
VH-1’s musical biographical series is my television lifeline. Parodied by pop culture, copied by others (I know, I know … "Behind the Music" is basically a rip-off of A&E’s "Biography"), "Behind the Music" is always a saving grace -- no matter what crap is on the broadcast networks.
And viewing the episodes is like eating M&Ms – one’s just not going to make it.
Watching, I’ll wait and see if there’s another episode coming up, even if I could care less about the next group being spotlighted (but damnit, the Hall & Oates story turned out to be pretty interesting!).
And if there’s a "Behind the Music" marathon? My weekend’s shot. Order some Domino’s and chill a bottle or two of Chardonnay, brother, because I’m about to relive the rise and fall of Styx again -- and it’s a pretty emotional tale.
Styx, REO Speedwagon, Lenny Kravitz, Hall & Oates, Shania Twain. Doesn't much matter. For example, I’ve watched the story of Poison – rise, fame, glory, drugs, undoing, squabbling, fall, heartache, reunion, redemption. I can’t say I own one Poison album or have ever paid much attention to the band, but that’s not the point. I watched their "Behind The Music" episode.
But then, I’ve watched everyone’s "Behind the Music" episode.
I got into the Goo Goo Dolls because of "Behind The Music." Can’t stop playing that CD now – at least when I don’t have the TV on, watching "Behind the Music." I remembered how much my younger sister loved the Bay City Rollers when I saw their episode of "Behind the Music." I would have called her to reminisce, but I was watching the Bangles episode of "Behind the Music."
A friend of mine who doesn’t really know that much about music fell in love with the Red Hot Chili Peppers when she saw Anthony Kiedis and Flea on their episode of "Behind The Music." The Chili Peppers came to my city and played in concert a year or so ago, but I was watching the Badfinger episode of "Behind The Music" – there’s a doozy -- and couldn’t go.
So where the hell is a "Behind The Music" on the Gin Blossoms, anyway?
New "Behind The Music" episodes – or at least those that are "new to you" – are like found money. David Crosby? Never seen that one until recently – and it’s a "Behind The Music" granddaddy of rise, fame, glory, drugs, undoing, squabbling, fall, heartache, reunion and redemption. There’s even a little sickness and a little health thrown in there. And a prison sentence, a long lost son and Melissa Etheridge’s kid. It’s a "Behind The Music" extravaganza -- all the toppings.
Other episodes don’t have as much to work with, so they try to make due with less: Donny Osmond’s stage phobia, whatever the hell that was, has been well chronicled, but it was the meat of the "BTM" episode about Donny & Marie. The Go Gos basically fell apart because they were full of ego and drugs and really not very talented in the first place -- they only made what, two albums? – but somehow their story carried (it even inspired me to buy VH-1’s Go Go’s compilation. Conveniently enough, I was able to order it through the VH-1 website, meaning the CD was delivered during another pizza and Chardonnay marathon, this one centered around the emotional "Behind The Music" episode of The Monkees’ story).
Yes, really.
On the other hand, someone like, say, Cher has a real life story to tell, so she definitely deserves what I believe is a 90-minute "Behind The Music" (when you’ve really had a life, they evidently expand the show). But it brings to mind some other checklist points I've assembled for watching "Behind the Music":
--The disturbing – or voyeuristic – thrill of seeing how everyone looks these days, for his or her present-day interviews. If someone spent years on heroin and cocaine, do they look like hell? (Fat and bald seems to be prevalent, except for Keith Richards, of course, who is simply thin and essentially dead.)
--If "Behind the Music" tells the story of a band that broke up bitterly, where do things stand today? (Susan Dey, for example, didn’t take part in the "BTM" on The Partridge Family. Members of the Mamas & The Papas still don't speak (especially now that John Phillips has died). But the aforementioned Go Gos or the Bangles, on the other hand, seem to be getting along and are even on a reunion tour.)
--Finally, when a rock star goes "broke," what does that really mean? Do they have actually have trouble buying food or is it more a matter of selling the house in Bermuda, but keeping the Santa Monica place?
Ah, well. That’s the whole point. Part of the fun, part of the formula. The show lures you along as you ask those questions to yourself and breathlessly wait for the answers to unfold. Before every commercial break, mellifluous "Behind the Music" announcer Jim Forbes intones something like: "Next, the [INSERT BAND NAME HERE] get their first taste of success, when [INSERT SONG HERE] cracks the top 10. But later, things begin to go sour, as [INSERT LEAD SINGER HERE] becomes a heroin addict and breaks up the band.
"When ‘Behind the Music’ continues…"
God. I get chills.
Like I said, I’m an addict. Get me another glass of Chardonnay.
* * *
SOLE SURVIVOR: The new "Survivor" premieres on CBS Thursday night, and anyone actually excited about that fact might be the truest survivor of all.
Is it just me, or did this show wear out its welcome about four islands ago?
Never much a fan of the first one, I totally stopped paying attention to "Survivor" after that dreadful first-season finale – or right around the time that truck driver woman ripped into hippie chick and vowed never to come to her aid, "even if she was dying on the side of the street like a dog," or whatever.
C’mon. The show is dumb. The reality craze it inspired a year or two ago is thankfully on the downside. Witness "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" Regis Philbin began the series as a run of specials, and they drew high ratings. Then ABC began running the show every night of the week, and three times on Tuesdays. What do you know? People got tired of it. Now they’re scaling it back and trying to boot Regis out of the chair.
"Survivor" drew decent ratings in the fall, when it took on "Friends," but it finished second to the spunky NBC sitcom – unlike the previous spring, when the two squared off and "Survivor" consistently finished first. Wouldn’t that fact alone give someone at CBS a hint? Wouldn’t it make the most sense to save the "Survivor" seasons for once a year at most, giving everyone time to recover and generate some actual interest in each new cast?
But why take follow the logical route? And why should I advance such an argument, anyway? Truth is, I can’t stand the show – so I say, yes, CBS, run it into the ground. Program it every night. Let’s have celebrity "Survivor" and Olympian "Survivor." Let’s have "Survivor" marathons. Let’s start a "Survivor" cable network, 24 hours a day. Show the "Survivor" cast morning, noon and night.
Let’s see if "Survivor" survives.
Let’s pray it does not.
* * *
QUICK HITS: Speaking of "Behind the Music," Wednesday’s Grammy Awards on CBS were fairly entertaining, but also a bit strange. Two major reasons: The generation gaps between some of the nominated acts and performers are so large that the Grammys are almost three-shows-in-one: One for the teens, one for the 30ish crowd and one for the "Big Chill" gang. Second, I'm always a fan of host Jon Stewart -- but he was strangely detached during the broadcast. It was like he was hosting a show on another network. … Hot prospect for next season: "Monday Night Football," with Al Michaels and John Madden. Nothing against Dennis Miller and Dan Fouts, but that team never really came together. And with Pat Summerall out at Fox, Madden seemed a little disenfranchised, too. Michaels and Madden is a long overdue (ABC has made runs at Madden before) pairing. Let the games begin!
# # #
That’s it for this time. Tune in again soon for another edition of "Pop Stew!"
By JOHN YOUNGREN
OK, I'll admit it. I’m an addict. A "Behind the Music" junkie.
In fact, if they did a "Behind The Music" on me (assuming I was famous and in music, of course), there would be a large segment devoted to the lost period of my life when I was strung out watching episodes of "Behind the Music."
VH-1’s musical biographical series is my television lifeline. Parodied by pop culture, copied by others (I know, I know … "Behind the Music" is basically a rip-off of A&E’s "Biography"), "Behind the Music" is always a saving grace -- no matter what crap is on the broadcast networks.
And viewing the episodes is like eating M&Ms – one’s just not going to make it.
Watching, I’ll wait and see if there’s another episode coming up, even if I could care less about the next group being spotlighted (but damnit, the Hall & Oates story turned out to be pretty interesting!).
And if there’s a "Behind the Music" marathon? My weekend’s shot. Order some Domino’s and chill a bottle or two of Chardonnay, brother, because I’m about to relive the rise and fall of Styx again -- and it’s a pretty emotional tale.
Styx, REO Speedwagon, Lenny Kravitz, Hall & Oates, Shania Twain. Doesn't much matter. For example, I’ve watched the story of Poison – rise, fame, glory, drugs, undoing, squabbling, fall, heartache, reunion, redemption. I can’t say I own one Poison album or have ever paid much attention to the band, but that’s not the point. I watched their "Behind The Music" episode.
But then, I’ve watched everyone’s "Behind the Music" episode.
I got into the Goo Goo Dolls because of "Behind The Music." Can’t stop playing that CD now – at least when I don’t have the TV on, watching "Behind the Music." I remembered how much my younger sister loved the Bay City Rollers when I saw their episode of "Behind the Music." I would have called her to reminisce, but I was watching the Bangles episode of "Behind the Music."
A friend of mine who doesn’t really know that much about music fell in love with the Red Hot Chili Peppers when she saw Anthony Kiedis and Flea on their episode of "Behind The Music." The Chili Peppers came to my city and played in concert a year or so ago, but I was watching the Badfinger episode of "Behind The Music" – there’s a doozy -- and couldn’t go.
So where the hell is a "Behind The Music" on the Gin Blossoms, anyway?
New "Behind The Music" episodes – or at least those that are "new to you" – are like found money. David Crosby? Never seen that one until recently – and it’s a "Behind The Music" granddaddy of rise, fame, glory, drugs, undoing, squabbling, fall, heartache, reunion and redemption. There’s even a little sickness and a little health thrown in there. And a prison sentence, a long lost son and Melissa Etheridge’s kid. It’s a "Behind The Music" extravaganza -- all the toppings.
Other episodes don’t have as much to work with, so they try to make due with less: Donny Osmond’s stage phobia, whatever the hell that was, has been well chronicled, but it was the meat of the "BTM" episode about Donny & Marie. The Go Gos basically fell apart because they were full of ego and drugs and really not very talented in the first place -- they only made what, two albums? – but somehow their story carried (it even inspired me to buy VH-1’s Go Go’s compilation. Conveniently enough, I was able to order it through the VH-1 website, meaning the CD was delivered during another pizza and Chardonnay marathon, this one centered around the emotional "Behind The Music" episode of The Monkees’ story).
Yes, really.
On the other hand, someone like, say, Cher has a real life story to tell, so she definitely deserves what I believe is a 90-minute "Behind The Music" (when you’ve really had a life, they evidently expand the show). But it brings to mind some other checklist points I've assembled for watching "Behind the Music":
--The disturbing – or voyeuristic – thrill of seeing how everyone looks these days, for his or her present-day interviews. If someone spent years on heroin and cocaine, do they look like hell? (Fat and bald seems to be prevalent, except for Keith Richards, of course, who is simply thin and essentially dead.)
--If "Behind the Music" tells the story of a band that broke up bitterly, where do things stand today? (Susan Dey, for example, didn’t take part in the "BTM" on The Partridge Family. Members of the Mamas & The Papas still don't speak (especially now that John Phillips has died). But the aforementioned Go Gos or the Bangles, on the other hand, seem to be getting along and are even on a reunion tour.)
--Finally, when a rock star goes "broke," what does that really mean? Do they have actually have trouble buying food or is it more a matter of selling the house in Bermuda, but keeping the Santa Monica place?
Ah, well. That’s the whole point. Part of the fun, part of the formula. The show lures you along as you ask those questions to yourself and breathlessly wait for the answers to unfold. Before every commercial break, mellifluous "Behind the Music" announcer Jim Forbes intones something like: "Next, the [INSERT BAND NAME HERE] get their first taste of success, when [INSERT SONG HERE] cracks the top 10. But later, things begin to go sour, as [INSERT LEAD SINGER HERE] becomes a heroin addict and breaks up the band.
"When ‘Behind the Music’ continues…"
God. I get chills.
Like I said, I’m an addict. Get me another glass of Chardonnay.
* * *
SOLE SURVIVOR: The new "Survivor" premieres on CBS Thursday night, and anyone actually excited about that fact might be the truest survivor of all.
Is it just me, or did this show wear out its welcome about four islands ago?
Never much a fan of the first one, I totally stopped paying attention to "Survivor" after that dreadful first-season finale – or right around the time that truck driver woman ripped into hippie chick and vowed never to come to her aid, "even if she was dying on the side of the street like a dog," or whatever.
C’mon. The show is dumb. The reality craze it inspired a year or two ago is thankfully on the downside. Witness "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" Regis Philbin began the series as a run of specials, and they drew high ratings. Then ABC began running the show every night of the week, and three times on Tuesdays. What do you know? People got tired of it. Now they’re scaling it back and trying to boot Regis out of the chair.
"Survivor" drew decent ratings in the fall, when it took on "Friends," but it finished second to the spunky NBC sitcom – unlike the previous spring, when the two squared off and "Survivor" consistently finished first. Wouldn’t that fact alone give someone at CBS a hint? Wouldn’t it make the most sense to save the "Survivor" seasons for once a year at most, giving everyone time to recover and generate some actual interest in each new cast?
But why take follow the logical route? And why should I advance such an argument, anyway? Truth is, I can’t stand the show – so I say, yes, CBS, run it into the ground. Program it every night. Let’s have celebrity "Survivor" and Olympian "Survivor." Let’s have "Survivor" marathons. Let’s start a "Survivor" cable network, 24 hours a day. Show the "Survivor" cast morning, noon and night.
Let’s see if "Survivor" survives.
Let’s pray it does not.
* * *
QUICK HITS: Speaking of "Behind the Music," Wednesday’s Grammy Awards on CBS were fairly entertaining, but also a bit strange. Two major reasons: The generation gaps between some of the nominated acts and performers are so large that the Grammys are almost three-shows-in-one: One for the teens, one for the 30ish crowd and one for the "Big Chill" gang. Second, I'm always a fan of host Jon Stewart -- but he was strangely detached during the broadcast. It was like he was hosting a show on another network. … Hot prospect for next season: "Monday Night Football," with Al Michaels and John Madden. Nothing against Dennis Miller and Dan Fouts, but that team never really came together. And with Pat Summerall out at Fox, Madden seemed a little disenfranchised, too. Michaels and Madden is a long overdue (ABC has made runs at Madden before) pairing. Let the games begin!
# # #
That’s it for this time. Tune in again soon for another edition of "Pop Stew!"
Monday, February 25, 2002
CLOSING TIME: ONE LAST CALL FOR ALCOHOL, SO BRING ME A WHISKEY OR BEER
By JOHN YOUNGREN
SALT LAKE CITY -- Others will do it, and do it better.
But I had to do it myself.
So on Saturday night, in the last degrees of the February chill, I trekked the few blocks by foot from my apartment to Rice-Eccles Stadium, home of the 2002 Winter Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
And yes, I took a few (19, actually – it made sense to finish the roll) pictures of the torch.
I wasn't alone. People bobbed around all over the stadium and its surrounding streets, many with the same idea. Families posed. People situated themselves so it looked like they were "holding" the glowing torch, based on the angle of their cameras. People were shooting videos and digital pictures. Everyone kept pointing and flashing, in a kind of reverent, certainly respectful vigil around the flame.
Light the fire within? Let's get a photo first.
But then, scenes like that were taking place all over downtown Salt Lake City, downtown Park City, at the University of Utah and respective event venues all over the Wasatch Front on Friday and Saturday. It was like everyone needed a final look, a last gasp, one more taste. It was the last meal before the execution, the last sip before Betty Ford.
Friday night, downtown was buzzing with people and traffic, lights and noise. The corner crosswalk lights would flash from red to white (meaning "walk") and throngs would move through intersections in a festival of sound and wonder.
Most of the people just seemed to be looking around -- not wanting to forget the feeling. Restaurants were packed. Those long lines were still there at the Roots stores. Street vendors and ticket scalpers seemed busy.
Everyone just seemed so damn happy – until Saturday’s "riot," of course, when 20 idiots had too many Bud Lights and tried to storm the city.
Photo opportunities abounded downtown, too -- where you could still get pictures of those mighty murals that light the Salt Lake City skyline.
I'm sure I'll order the NBC highlights video for the certainly reasonable price of $19.99. I'm sure I'll buy another poster, or book, with the Salt Lake City scene.
But I just had to have a photo.
And I just had to take it myself.
* * *
FINAL MEDALS: I did this last week, so it seems only fitting that I'll present some final medals for the 2002 Winter Olympics, before moving on -- for the new "Pop Stew" audience, at least -- to some other things in life.
GOLD -- The Closing Ceremony. Call it what you will – Bon Jovi? Kiss? – but it was a heckuva lot of fun. From the opening moments to the closing fireworks, Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium seemed filled with fun.
My only beef? Christina Aguilera. Hey, I understand lip-synching (though Bon Jovi and Willie Nelson didn’t appear to be using that crutch). But if you’re going to karaoke to your own song while you dance around in a leather dominatrix outfit, at least know the words.
(Though from what I understand, the song Christina was singing, "Infatuation," was new. Still…)
SILVER -- NBC’s final Olympics essays. From Friday’s "Today" show to Sunday night’s prime-time coverage, nothing is more moving than watching a video montage of Olympic athletes, set to some kind of happenin’ music or, better, Beethoven’s "Ode to Joy."
Plus, I like it when they do the Olympics montages while rolling final credits, too.
One way or another, this kind of stuff is always good for a tear.
Utah fans will note that KSL-Channel 5, the NBC affiliate, did their own little closing Olympics montages, as well. They were relatively memorable, but I could have done without BOTH a highlight montage from "SLC Live" AND one from "The Biscuit Report" (a prime "SLC Live" feature, you see).
I’m not sure there were enough highlights there for one montage, let alone two.
BRONZE -- Bob Costas, NBC. Bob took such a beating around these parts over the past two weeks (including a catty comment or two from yours truly) that I think he's worthy of a medal, if for nothing else than his typically professional demeanor.
Saturday night, Costas appeared on KSL-Channel 5, for an extended live interview (including viewers' calls) to discuss the Olympics and his performance as prime-time host. He addressed comments he'd made early in the Olympics that were misconstrued as petty and cutting toward his Utah hosts.
But Bob played it all down Saturday, saying that when he's trying to be funny, he's mostly just making fun of himself, or NBC's plight, or some behind-the-scenes screw-up.
He was humble and genuine.
And he remains the best in the business.
* * *
HAT’S ON: Strange feeling, Sunday night, watching the U.S. Team in their "Roots" berets at the Closing Ceremony and thinking: "How did they get their hat?" and then remembering, that’s who the hats were made for in the first place.
* * *
POWER STRIP: Utah's 2002 Winter Olympics volunteer force has generally received high marks for its efforts and enthusiasm during the Olympics. With their blue parkas and constant presence, the Utah volunteers have undeniably been the backbone of everything from parking to security to tickets to information.
Even Mitt Romney, SLOC president, kept himself to just one tantrum when it came to the volunteers.
It does lead to a question, though: What will all those people do now, when it’s time to take off the parka and return to their real lives?
They won’t have the world to kick around anymore.
# # #
That’s it for this time. Tune in again soon for another edition of "Pop Stew!"
By JOHN YOUNGREN
SALT LAKE CITY -- Others will do it, and do it better.
But I had to do it myself.
So on Saturday night, in the last degrees of the February chill, I trekked the few blocks by foot from my apartment to Rice-Eccles Stadium, home of the 2002 Winter Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
And yes, I took a few (19, actually – it made sense to finish the roll) pictures of the torch.
I wasn't alone. People bobbed around all over the stadium and its surrounding streets, many with the same idea. Families posed. People situated themselves so it looked like they were "holding" the glowing torch, based on the angle of their cameras. People were shooting videos and digital pictures. Everyone kept pointing and flashing, in a kind of reverent, certainly respectful vigil around the flame.
Light the fire within? Let's get a photo first.
But then, scenes like that were taking place all over downtown Salt Lake City, downtown Park City, at the University of Utah and respective event venues all over the Wasatch Front on Friday and Saturday. It was like everyone needed a final look, a last gasp, one more taste. It was the last meal before the execution, the last sip before Betty Ford.
Friday night, downtown was buzzing with people and traffic, lights and noise. The corner crosswalk lights would flash from red to white (meaning "walk") and throngs would move through intersections in a festival of sound and wonder.
Most of the people just seemed to be looking around -- not wanting to forget the feeling. Restaurants were packed. Those long lines were still there at the Roots stores. Street vendors and ticket scalpers seemed busy.
Everyone just seemed so damn happy – until Saturday’s "riot," of course, when 20 idiots had too many Bud Lights and tried to storm the city.
Photo opportunities abounded downtown, too -- where you could still get pictures of those mighty murals that light the Salt Lake City skyline.
I'm sure I'll order the NBC highlights video for the certainly reasonable price of $19.99. I'm sure I'll buy another poster, or book, with the Salt Lake City scene.
But I just had to have a photo.
And I just had to take it myself.
* * *
FINAL MEDALS: I did this last week, so it seems only fitting that I'll present some final medals for the 2002 Winter Olympics, before moving on -- for the new "Pop Stew" audience, at least -- to some other things in life.
GOLD -- The Closing Ceremony. Call it what you will – Bon Jovi? Kiss? – but it was a heckuva lot of fun. From the opening moments to the closing fireworks, Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium seemed filled with fun.
My only beef? Christina Aguilera. Hey, I understand lip-synching (though Bon Jovi and Willie Nelson didn’t appear to be using that crutch). But if you’re going to karaoke to your own song while you dance around in a leather dominatrix outfit, at least know the words.
(Though from what I understand, the song Christina was singing, "Infatuation," was new. Still…)
SILVER -- NBC’s final Olympics essays. From Friday’s "Today" show to Sunday night’s prime-time coverage, nothing is more moving than watching a video montage of Olympic athletes, set to some kind of happenin’ music or, better, Beethoven’s "Ode to Joy."
Plus, I like it when they do the Olympics montages while rolling final credits, too.
One way or another, this kind of stuff is always good for a tear.
Utah fans will note that KSL-Channel 5, the NBC affiliate, did their own little closing Olympics montages, as well. They were relatively memorable, but I could have done without BOTH a highlight montage from "SLC Live" AND one from "The Biscuit Report" (a prime "SLC Live" feature, you see).
I’m not sure there were enough highlights there for one montage, let alone two.
BRONZE -- Bob Costas, NBC. Bob took such a beating around these parts over the past two weeks (including a catty comment or two from yours truly) that I think he's worthy of a medal, if for nothing else than his typically professional demeanor.
Saturday night, Costas appeared on KSL-Channel 5, for an extended live interview (including viewers' calls) to discuss the Olympics and his performance as prime-time host. He addressed comments he'd made early in the Olympics that were misconstrued as petty and cutting toward his Utah hosts.
But Bob played it all down Saturday, saying that when he's trying to be funny, he's mostly just making fun of himself, or NBC's plight, or some behind-the-scenes screw-up.
He was humble and genuine.
And he remains the best in the business.
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HAT’S ON: Strange feeling, Sunday night, watching the U.S. Team in their "Roots" berets at the Closing Ceremony and thinking: "How did they get their hat?" and then remembering, that’s who the hats were made for in the first place.
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POWER STRIP: Utah's 2002 Winter Olympics volunteer force has generally received high marks for its efforts and enthusiasm during the Olympics. With their blue parkas and constant presence, the Utah volunteers have undeniably been the backbone of everything from parking to security to tickets to information.
Even Mitt Romney, SLOC president, kept himself to just one tantrum when it came to the volunteers.
It does lead to a question, though: What will all those people do now, when it’s time to take off the parka and return to their real lives?
They won’t have the world to kick around anymore.
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That’s it for this time. Tune in again soon for another edition of "Pop Stew!"
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