Please avoid American Idol & TV for the next two weeks

If you are even a casual television watcher, do yourself a favor over the next two or so weeks and keep your set turned off. The TV season, for the most part, has wrapped up and the next two weeks are either a string or repeats we've already seen, the season finales of series which nobody actually gives a shit about or the premiere of some rather horrid summer series which are mainly unscripted fare which is best left in the trash from which it came.

Think about the possibilities. Tonight marks the first part of the American Idol season finale on FOX. There are obviously two "singers" left on this overhyped karoake contest and there's probably a mere dozen or two die-hard fans of this groan-worthy snooze-fest that could enthusiastically rattle off the names of these perpetual nobodies. Sure, the Idol franchise has produced a few music stars during its 8 year run -- Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry and Carrie Underwood being the only contestants from the series to actually reach any level of true success -- but the series has, in my opinion, a habit of taking people who probably aren't ready for the limelight -- either in their overall lack of stage presence, being unprepared for the rigors of fame and criticism from the press or their lack of songwriting ability. In short, it's a show that tries to turn nothing in to something.

Then FOX follows up the first part of the Idol performance show tonight with the season finale of the second season of Glee. From people who watch the show, they say it's still decent but it appears that the writing staff felt they were a one-and-done and had little in the way of story to write anything even remotely conherent and compelling for a second season. Maybe it's time that some series just admitted that they'd be best at following the limited run model of British TV series and pull the plug after twenty or thirty episodes. Tell a great story, pack each episode with compelling plot elements and wrap up a story in a defined period of time. Glee, though, will probably drag on for another year or two before it's put out if its misery.

The rest of the next two weeks, though is shit. Wednesday has an overly bloated and sensationalized American Idol finale in which viewers will wait through 53 minutes of an hour with Ryan Seacrest stalling, shilling for Cocal-Cola and Ford only to find out that their personal favorite karoake star didn't win a record contract that will force the winner to churn out a really shitty CD and return to obscurity by October.

Even The Voice, airing at 9 PM C/T on NBC tonight and next Tuesday until moving to 8 PM C/T on June 7th, is beginning to slip a bit. It's still the most innovative and original singing contest on TV and the mentors are actually currently relevant personalities but without Tim Mahoney, the show has lost its appeal to me.

Oh well, at least I have a couple more seasons of Dexter to watch and that should take up a month or two of those pre-bedtime hours during the summer months. I'd recommend you do the same.

London 2012 Tickets Tours Hotels: Michael Phelps or Ian Thorpe, who will produce his magic at 2012 Games

www.london-olympiad.com

We have an Australian sheila working for us at Spyns and she always loves the Aussies athletes whether it is Cadel Evans in the Tour de France, Lleyton Hewitt at the Loire French Open, or Ian Thorpe in the Olympic pool, she’ll support them through and through.

 Travel to London with the specialists

One of the most highly anticipated finals for the London 2012 Summer Games will be the 100m Men’s Freestyle final, where there is a high chance of Michael Phelps and Ian Thorpe having a show down for the Gold medal.

The 100m Men’s Freestyle final is on August 1st. If you would like to be there with us to watch it, we have planned 5, 7, and 10-Day luxury tours that include hotels, breakfasts, transfers, guided tours, VIP access into some of London’s most sort after attractions, and much more.

 Chat with us live online to find a tour that suits you best www.london-olympiad.com.If you would like more information/detailed itineraries on our luxury 5, 7, and 10-Day tours feel free to contact me at henry@london-olympiad.com.

LONDON Olympic Games boss Sebastian Coe wants a lot of the Ian Thorpe magic at his 2012 Games.
Coe said at New Parliament House in Canberra yesterday he was delighted at the prospect of having Thorpe, one of the biggest stars from the 2000 Sydney Games, making his Olympic comeback in London.

"Ian Thorpe is arguably the greatest swimmer ever," Coe said. "His abilities and skills have inspired a generation of young swimmers in London.

"Ian Thorpe competing in the Games in London is a fantastic prospect."

Coe joked that there was a couple of million dollars earmarked in the federal Budget for Thorpe's return, hidden under funding for rare fish species.

But he claimed some credit for Thorpe's return.

"I had the great pleasure of taking him around the Olympic park just a few months ago into the aquatic centre," Britain's 1500m Olympic track champion in 1980 and 1984 said.

"We walked on to the floor of the swimming pool and I sensed then that he was sort of looking at the facilities and looking at the aquatic centre and thinking maybe this isn't one to sit out."
Thorpe admitted as much when he announced his comeback earlier this year.

Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates warned Lord Coe that Thorpe looked pretty fit at the royal wedding in April and that was great news for Australia's medal hopes in London next year.

Coates said Australia was hoping to break back into the top five nations at the London Olympics, after finishing sixth in Beijing with 14 gold medals, two places behind Great Britain with 19 gold.

Thorpe's Russian coach, Gennadi Touretski, said the 28-year-old Thorpe had just returned from an altitude fitness camp in St. Moritz, Switzerland, and his preparation was "going according to the plan".
"This is a private plan, I can't talk about it," he said.

"If you ask someone from a professional football team to explain their plans, they won't, no chance. So it's like this."

There has been much speculation about which individual events Thorpe would contest at next year's Olympics trials.

Touretski said it was not up to him to influence which events Thorpe would contest.
"I'm not trying to get into his life. His life is his life, that's my general rule with athletes," he said.
"I expect them to follow their own plan in life.

"He has been preparing his whole life, he has thousands of kilometres of swimming behind (him)."
Thorpe, who is not eligible to compete until his name has been on the drug-testing register for nine months, will make his competitive comeback at the World Cup in Singapore in November.

While many see his age as a disadvantage, Touretski believes it could be the opposite, saying Thorpe is mentally and physically stronger than he was as a teen.

Having masterminded the careers of some high-profile swimmers including Alexander Popov and Michael Klim, Touretski understands Australia's fascination with all things Thorpe.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler, BC (Canada). For more information about Spyns and our package tours to the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, including London Olympics hotels, London 2012 tickets, and summer games VIP access, please visit our websites http://www.london-olympiad.com/ http://www.london2012-tours.com/ and http://www.london-tours-2012.com/ or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720. www.spyns.com.

Senator Al DeKruif, bigot and hypocrite

Below is a letter I sent to my Minnesota state senator on May 12, 2011 when I was first extremely riled up at the proposal to place a constitutional ban to outlaw gay marriage on the ballot for the 2012 election. I've never been one to be happy with politics but to see a question regarding the rights of a minority taken up by the increasingly backwards thinking Minnesota GOP makes me nothing short of angry.

Dear Senator DeKruif,

I am taking time to write to you today regarding your recent vote on the bill that places a constitutional question on the 2012 ballot banning same-sex marriage.

I find it appalling that the Minnesota Senate, yourself included, feel it to be necessary to propose a constitutional amendment for an act -- same-sex marriage, civil unions, etc. -- which itself is already not legally recognized in the state of Minnesota. It boggles my mind that a fellow citizen of outstate Minnesota would feel that such an amendment is necessary in a state which seems to pride itself on being forward thinking and accepting of our neighbors. Even voting to allow such a proposal to move forward seems to be both backward thinking and borderline bigoted in nature.

In a time when our state is facing a fiscal crisis, high unemployment, drastic cuts to education and the continuing extinction of the middle class, I am forced to wonder what the logic is behind such a divisive bill being introduced -- much less allowed to proceed forward and land in the hands of voters. Where are the priorities? Is this act simply pandering to the hard core conservative base? Is it about protecting the sanctity of marriage -- so sacred that approximately 50% of "traditional" marriages end in divorce? This sort of rubbish is what gives elected officials like yourself a bad name and makes me wonder what the priorities of government truly are. Shouldn't we be protecting the rights of individuals instead of ensuring that the future rights of a minority of Minnesotans are never allowed to see the light of day?

I hope that further issues such as this one are swiftly shot down in favor of actually fixing our state's shortcomings in education, transit and infrastructure. Again, a potential constitutional amendment prohibiting an act which is already not recognized is redundant and sets our state -- a culturally progressive shining star of the country -- back a number of decades.

Thank you for your time,

[Contact Information redacted]

Even more disgusting to me is that nine days has passed without so much as an automated reply acknowledging the receipt of my letter by a man whose wages my taxes pay. I guess that's what happens when a liar who ran on a platform of job creation votes to allow a question on the ballot which only further strips the rights of a few. Maybe Minnesota State Senator Al DeKruif can add hypocrite to his platform as well.

CBS Fall 2011 new series previews

2 Broke Girls

Starring Kat Denning, a fish out of water story where the perpetually broke Denning ends up taking in the newly broke former socialite and hilarity (hopefully) ensues.

Person of Interest

A gritty, sci-fi-ish crime drama starring Jim Caveziel (Jesus) and Michael Emerson (Lost's Ben Linus) where the team of Reese and Finch team up to prevent crimes. This is, by far, the most solid-looking show of the fall season.

Unforgettable

A woman with total recall, working as a cop, wants to forget elements of her life and uses her gift to solve crimes in the NYC burough of Queens.

A Gifted Man

A successful doctor reunites with is wife who he finds out is actually dead -- yep, he can communicate with her spirit, tying the two together and having him tie up the loose ends in her life.

How to Be a Gentleman

A manners columnist is reunited with an old friend who is his polar opposite. Cheap buddy comedy humor ensues. Stars Matthew Dillon. Call this one done within one season.

CBS releases fall 2011 schedule

Outside of a rather small number of new series, the biggest news regarding the CBS fall schedule is an actual origina, scripted series running new episodes on a SATURDAY night. With the constantly shifting Rules of Engagement rarely landing in the same spot twice, this time around it makes its way to a 7 PM C/T spot on Saturday. While I don't see it being permanent -- likely a placeholder in case one of its two new sitcoms (2 Broke Chicks and How to be a Gentleman) horribly tanks but it does seem that CBS is extremely confident about the strength of its fall line-up and with a mere 90 minutes of primetime slotted for repeats, CBS may be making a push to again program the remainder of Saturday night with original, scripted programs.

Here's the schedule:
MONDAY
8:00-8:30 PM HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
8:30-9:00 PM 2 BROKE GIRLS (New)
9:00-9:30 PM TWO AND A HALF MEN
9:30-10:00 PM MIKE & MOLLY
10:00-11:00 PM HAWAII FIVE-0
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM NCIS
9:00-10:00 PM NCIS: LOS ANGELES
10:00-11:00 PM UNFORGETTABLE (New)
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM SURVIVOR: SOUTH PACIFIC
9:00-10:00 PM CRIMINAL MINDS
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (New Time)
THURSDAY
8:00-8:30 PM THE BIG BANG THEORY
8:30-9:00 PM HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN (New)
9:00-10:00 PM PERSON OF INTEREST (New)
10:00-11:00 PM THE MENTALIST
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM A GIFTED MAN (New)
9:00-10:00 PM CSI: NY
10:00-11:00 PM BLUE BLOODS
SATURDAY
8:00-8:30 PM RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (New Time)
8:30-9:00 PM COMEDYTIME SATURDAY
9:00-10:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY
10:00-11:00 PM 48 HOURS MYSTERY
SUNDAY
7:00-8:00 PM 60 MINUTES
8:00-9:00 PM THE AMAZING RACE
9:00-10:00 PM THE GOOD WIFE (New Time)
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: MIAMI

The Good Wife seems very much out of place in its new 9 PM E/T Sunday home against what I see as a fading but still strong enough Desperate Housewives on ABC but it's really the only questionable move I see with the CBS fall 2011 schedule.

ABC fall 2011 new series previews

Apartment 23



Charlie's Angels



Good Christian Belles



Last Man Standing



Man Up!



Missing



Once Upon a Time



Pan Am



Revenge



The River



Scandal



Suburgatory



Work It



All told it looks like I have a lot of TV series to watch and pass judgment on this fall and again in January when the mid-season shows roll out. Outside of Good Christian Belles and Charlie's Angels, I'll actually give each series one episode to suck me in.

My best guess is that Once Upon a Time will be the first ABC series of the fall season to fall prey to cancellation.

ABC's 2011 fall schedule

MONDAY
8:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars”
10:00 p.m. “Castle”
TUESDAY
8:00 p.m. “Last Man Standing”
8:30 p.m. “Man Up”
9:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars the Results Show”
10:00 p.m. “Body of Proof”
WEDNESDAY
8:00 p.m. “The Middle”
8:30 p.m. “Suburgatory”
9:00 p.m. “Modern Family”
9:30 p.m. “Happy Endings”
10:00 p.m. “Revenge”
THURSDAY
8:00 p.m. “Charlie’s Angels”
9:00 p.m. “Grey’s Anatomy”
10:00 p.m. “Private Practice”
FRIDAY
8:00 p.m. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”
9:00 p.m. “Shark Tank”
10:00 p.m. “20/20”
SATURDAY
8:00 p.m. “Saturday Night College Football”
SUNDAY
7:00 p.m. “America’s Funniest Home Videos”
8:00 p.m. “Once Upon a Time”
9:00 p.m. “Desperate Housewives”
10:00 p.m. “Pan Am”

Again, a somewhat bland fall schedule from ABC. I can see the reboot of Charlie's Angels falling apart quickly and being the first casualty on ABC's schedule. I'm surprised that there wasn't some sort of attempt to actually program Friday night with some cheaper comedies. Despite what the suits think, some people -- especially those with families -- are actually home on Friday evenings.

I'll have previews/trailers of the new series later.

FOX new fall series

Overall, FOX has a fairly strong line-up and a couple of shows I'm actually looking forward to watching. Terra Nova looks extremely compelling but is also very high concept and heavily serialized meaning miss an episode and you're totally lost and the high concept part of it makes me think that much of the concept of the series will go over people's heads. However, I do feel like it has the possibility of gaining an extremely loyal fan base if FOX allows Terra Nova to run interrupted for 13 consecutive weeks.

New Girl, starring Zooey Deschanel, looks like it could be a movie based on the production values and that, along with Deschanel starring in it, is what has me wanting to see this series play out. It seems like a fish out of water comedy with a heart of gold -- both sides, Deschanel's character Jess and her new three male roommates -- bettering each other in different ways and being there to pick each other up. I pray that it doesn't go to the extreme sappy side of things but I don't think it would work if it were full of cheap, easy prat falls.

The video previews are below.

Terra Nova

Mondays 7 PM C/T

New Girl

Tuesdays 8 PM C/T

I Hate my Teenage Daughter

Wednesdays 8:30 PM C/T

Allen Gregory

Sundays 7:30 PM C/T

New NBC series previews

As a follow-up to yesterday's commentary on NBC's fall 2011 schedule, below are the official trailers from each new series debuting beginning in September.

I have to admit that Grimm looks compelling and given its Friday night time slot, it won't have to be a blockbuster to stick around for at least a year.

The Playboy Club

Mondays at 9 PM C/T

Up All Night


Starring Will Arnett & Christina Applegate
Wednesdays 7 PM C/T

Free Agents

Wednesdays 7:30 PM C/T

Whitney

Thursdays 8:30 PM C/T

Grimm

Fridays 8 PM C/T

London 2012 Tickets Tours Hotels: Get ready for London: Athletes to watch

 Travel to London with the Specialists

www.london-olympiad.com

At Spyns is happy to announce that our website is live giving you information on all the tours we have on offer. With so many athletes out there to watch, it makes it a tough choice choosing what Olympic sessions you want to see. We can help you out, and show you around London at the same time. Chat with us live online to find a tour that suits you best www.london-olympiad.com.If you would like more information/detailed itineraries on our luxury 5, 7, and 10-Day tours feel free to contact me at henry@london-olympiad.com.

Whatever geopolitical or other storylines may surround an Olympics prior to the Opening Ceremony, once the Games commence, the world's athletes usually dominate the headlines for 17 days.
The 2012 Olympics in London should feature many of Beijing's stars looking to write new (hi)stories and a cadre of promising athletes from the host nation vying to become the "face of the Games." Here are some athlete stories to watch in the lead-up to the Games of the 30th Olympiad.

The Fastest Men in Water and on Land
Michael Phelps, whose eight golds in eight events in 2008 may never be matched, will be 27 in London, and though he will swim a slightly reduced program, he should still be the man to beat in the races he enters. The Baltimore native won five gold medals and one silver at the 2009 World Championships in Rome. Already the winner of the most golds in a single Games (eight) and in an Olympic career (14; five more than any other athlete), Phelps enters London in need of three medals to own more medals than any other Olympic athlete, ever (Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina won 18 medals), a feat that he should accomplish, cementing his place as the greatest Olympian ever.

On the track, Jamaica's Usain Bolt, who won both the 100m and 200m with a dramatic flair befitting his record-shattering speed in Beijing, will look to become the first man to twice sweep the Olympic sprints in London, when he'll be 25 years old. Bolt added gold in the 4x100 relay to leave Beijing with three victories, a feat he matched at the 2009 Worlds in Berlin while lowering his own world records in both the 100m and 200m. London could also deliver the matchup many had hoped to see in Beijing: Bolt vs. American Tyson Gay, who will turn 30 during the 2012 Games. Gay won both the 100m and 200m at the 2007 Worlds but a hamstring injury at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials knocked him out of the 200m and he was unable to advance to the finals in the Beijing 100m. Gay was second to Bolt in the 2009 Worlds 100m.

Who will be the "face of the Games" for the host nation?
Great Britain finished fourth in both gold (19) and total (47) medals in Beijing, and should have considerable successes at home in 2012. Here are four of the athletes with a good chance to become Olympic icons on their native soil.

Paula Radcliffe
Radcliffe, the marathon world record holder, will be 38 in Beijing and has one large void left on her resume - an Olympic medal. An injury forced her to the curb in Athens and another injury hampered her training leading up to Beijing, where she struggled to a 23rd place finish. Already a mother (she gave birth to her daughter, Isla, in January 2007), Radcliffe is pregnant again, but should have plenty of time to recover and train for the 2012 Olympic marathon.

Tom Daley
One of the stated objectives of the London 2012 Olympic bid was to increase youth participation in sport. Daley, the 2009 world champion 10m platform diver who will be 18 in London, could just be young man to do that. Despite his youth, he already has Olympic experience - he competed in Beijing as a 14 year-old, finishing 7th in the 10m platform and 8th in the synchronized 10m platform.

Jessica Ennis
Ennis, who will be 26 in London, is the reigning world champion in the heptathlon. An injury forced her out of the Beijing Games, so she will be seeking an Olympic redemption of her own in 2012.

Chris Hoy
At the Beijing Games, track cyclist Hoy became the first athlete from Great Britain to win three gold medals at a single Games in 100 years. Hoy, a Scot who will be 36 in London, also won a gold in Athens and a silver in Sydney. Nicknamed "The Real McHoy", he was named BBC's Sport Personality of the Year in 2008.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler, BC (Canada). For more information about Spyns and our package tours to the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, including London Olympics hotels, London 2012 tickets, and summer games VIP access, please visit our websites http://www.london-olympiad.com/ http://www.london2012-tours.com/ and http://www.london-tours-2012.com/ or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720. www.spyns.com.

NBC's Fall Schedule: fairly awful

Well before today's official announcement of their fall 2011 primetime schedule, NBC's schedule leaked and was published on a number of websites late last night and appears below. There was plenty of insider chatter late last week about the titles, details and overall large amount of series which the 4th place network was officially picking up for the 2011-2012 season but it appears that the network in need of the most help and the most daring scheduling has played it extremely safe for the fall.

MONDAY
8-10 p.m. – The Sing-Off
10-11 p.m. – THE PLAYBOY CLUB
TUESDAY
8-10 p.m. – The Biggest Loser
10-11 p.m. – Parenthood
WEDNESDAY
8-8:30 p.m. – UP ALL NIGHT
8:30-9 p.m. – FREE AGENTS
9-10 p.m. -- Harry’s Law
10-11 p.m. -- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
THURSDAY
8-8:30 p.m. – Community
8:30-9 p.m. -- Parks and Recreation
9-9:30 p.m. – The Office
9:30-10 p.m. – WHITNEY
10-11 p.m. – PRIME SUSPECT
FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. – Chuck
9-10 p.m. – GRIMM
10-11 p.m. – Dateline NBC
(new series in ALL CAPS)

With NBC opting to sign a whopping six new comedy series, placing only half of them on the fall schedule says that they are either serious about having more first-time content (no repeats) airing or that the other three series are straight-up awful. Two of the remaining three sitcoms, Bent and BFFs are reportedly only signed for six episodes each but before you pass judgment on that fact, The Office began with a mere six episode run and that seems to have turned out quite well. No real details have been released regarding Are You There Vodka? It's Me Chelsea which is based on one of comedian Chelsea Handler's books.

On the drama side, opting again for six new hours, only three of the six have made their way on to the fall schedule. The missing dramas are Smash, The Firm and Awake.

Bigger news, at least to me, is the fact that NBC is kicking off their week with two nights of back-to-back two-hour reality blocks.The Sing Off, which seems cheap to me, is supposed to build a young-skewing base for their current hit The Voice which returns for a second season in January 2012 but I have to wonder if people will really sit through upwards of three months of a cheap singing show with no real payoff or if NBC truly doesn't give a shit about Monday's ratings and is more than happy to win a few advertiser dollars and call it a day. Let's face it, ABC's Dancing With the Stars will crush the cheap Sing Off and won't do much to build toward the second season of The Voice.

By not realizing, too, that people are getting sick of fatties losing weight on The Biggest Loser and saying that Wednesday evening was the only place to launch a second evening of comedies, they are effectively dooming their entire Wednesday lineup and while ABC's first hour of their Wednesday comedy block isn't huge, it is stable and watchable. People give new shows only one shot and unless the new NBC comedies have people pissing their pants from laughter, they are toast.

My best guess is that by mid-October there will be more than a couple shows pulled from NBC's fall schedule and they'll be scrambling to fill those holes -- something you'd never see CBS do. This is why NBC is in 4th place and will continue to remain there for the forseeable future.

London 2012 Tickets Tours Hotels: The big events that will attract the London 2012 crowds

www.london-olympiad.com

Travel to London 2012 with the Specialists

Athletics, Cycling, and Swimming

are the biggest events in the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games. At Spyns we get a lot of clients requesting tours for a range of events. Everyone’s preferences are different but most people want to see the Opening or Closing Ceremony, and Athletics, Cycling, or Swimming. Other popular sport are Gymnastics, Beach Volleyball, and Equestrian. With over a year to go to the Olympics, we are surprised at the amount of tours flying out the door. I recommend booking early rather than later as London 2012 gets set to be the biggest Olympic Games yet. If you would like more information/detailed itineraries on our luxury 5, 7, and 10-Day tours feel free to contact me at henry@london-olympiad.com.

The undeniable "big three" of the 2012 Games will be the athletics, cycling and aquatics. Athletics remains the number one draw, despite the fact that Team GB won just one gold medal in Beijing in 2008, courtesy of Christine Ohuruogu, and four medals in all.

Ohuruogu will be back to defend her 400m title, while Jessica Ennis and Phillips Idowu will be among our other leading contenders.

Expectations will be higher elsewhere - Britain is currently ranked the top track cycling nation.

Last time, British riders won seven of the 10 golds. But it is not just in the velodrome where Britain could shine, with a talented line-up going for gold in the road races, BMX and mountain biking events.

The Aquatics Centre will see swimming's top two nations, the US and Australia, pitched against each other but Britain should feature heavily with a much-improved squad, among them double gold-winner Becky Adlington. World champion diver Tom Daley is also a real prospect for gold.

Cycling

When: Track: August 2-7; Road: July 28-29; BMX: August 8-10; Mountain biking: August 11-12

Where: Track: Velodrome, Olympic Park; Road: The Mall/Hampton Court Palace; BMX: BMX Circuit, Olympic Park; Mountain biking: Hadleigh Farm, Essex

The stars: Beijing triple gold medal winner Chris Hoy and Individual Sprint champion Victoria Pendleton. Australian Cameron Meyer could be a potential star who could ruin British hopes.

The expected drama: because of new qualification rules British cycling boss Dave Brailsford has made it clear that Team GB will not emulate its previous Olympic heroics but the drama will still be about the rest of the world trying to topple the British contingent.

Records to be beaten: perhaps the most prestigious record in track cycling is the 4,000m individual pursuit, which Britain's Chris Boardman used to hold until his time was recently broken by Australian Jack Bobridge. Sadly the event has been scrapped so the main records up for grabs are in both team sprints - the men's record is currently held by Team GB while the women's is in the hands of the Australians.

The highlights: Hoy's bid to retain the triple sprint gold, but he could be matched by Victoria Pendleton.

British hopefuls: there is no shortage of British medal prospects, ranging from experienced names like Bradley Wiggins and Pendleton to up-and-coming stars Lizzie Armitstead and Becky James. The road race is always wide open but in the men's event Mark Cavendish is a potential winner while Armitstead will be among the stars in the women's race along with defending champion Nicole Cooke.

Cost of tickets: £20-£325

Athletics

When: August 3-11

Where: Olympic Stadium, Olympic Park

The stars: on current form, there is just one undoubted star of the athletics, Jamaican sprint sensation Usain Bolt, who won gold in both the 100m and 200m in Beijing and is the world record holder over both distances.

The expected drama: that will come as Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell try to topple Bolt from his position as the world's fastest man. In the women's event, the spotlight will be on Caster Semenya, the South African 800m runner caught up in a gender row at the 2009 World Championships.

Records to be beaten: Bolt's times of 9.58 seconds and 19.19 in the 100m and 200m. In the women's events, all the current sprint records date back to the 1980s so there is plenty of scope there too. The three fastest male 110m hurdlers of all time, American duo Dayron Robles and David Oliver, as well as China's Liu Xiang, look set to break Robles's current best of 12.87 seconds. Over the longer distances, Tirunesh Dibaba, of Ethiopia, will be hoping to beat her own 5,000m mark while pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva is aiming to jump higher than her previous best of 5.06m.

The highlights: the men's 100m on the final Saturday, August 11. The two days of the heptathlon should also keep spectators on the edge of their seats with home interest high in that particular event.

British hopefuls: heptathlete Jessica Ennis is a gold possibility - she missed the last Olympics due to injury but is the current world and European champion. Londoner Christine Ohuruogu will be hoping to retain her 400m crown while, of the field athletes, Phillips Idowu will be among the favourites in the triple jump.

Cost of tickets: £20-£725

Aquatics

When: Swimming: July 28-August 4; Diving: July 29-August 1/August 3-11; Synchronised swimming: August 5-7/August 9-10; Water polo: July 29-August 10/August 12

Where: Aquatics Centre, Olympic Park; Water Polo Arena, Olympic Park

The stars: Michael Phelps of the US will be the swimmer to watch, having clinched a staggering eight gold medals four years ago. But Australian Ian Thorpe's decision to come out of retirement for 2012 adds an exciting twist to proceedings.

The expected drama: Thorpe insists his focus is on making the Australian relay team but there is a potentially electric duel with Phelps in the 200m freestyle. In the diving, Tom Daley will be up against the might of China and Australia's Matthew Mitcham as he goes for gold off the 10m platform.

Records to be beaten: in a 50m pool, not a single world record has fallen since world swimming body FINA banned swimmers from using bodysuits or suits made from polyurethane or non-textile materials.

The highlights: the Phelps v Thorpe showdown plus any other race involving Phelps.

British hopefuls: public expectation will be high for Becky Adlington after her double gold in 2008, but other medal contenders are backstroke specialist and Standard columnist Liam Tancock and freestyle/butterfly specialist Fran Halsall. On the diving board, Daley will be targeting medals in the individual 10m platform and the synchronised event with new partner Peter Waterfield.

Cost of tickets: £20-£450

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler, BC (Canada). For more information about Spyns and our package tours to the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, including London Olympics hotels, London 2012 tickets, and summer games VIP access, please visit our websites http://www.london-olympiad.com/ http://www.london2012-tours.com/ and http://www.london-tours-2012.com/ or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720. www.spyns.com.

London 2012 Tickets Tours Hotels: London Olympic Park nears completion as Handball Arena is finished

www.london-olympiad.com

At Spyns we are about to

send our site live with all the information you need to book a luxury Olympic tour to London. The Olympic kick off on July 27th and finish with a bang on August 12th 2012.
Unlike the doubt surrounding the Beijing Summer Games, London has been beating construction targets months in advance and has nearly completed Olympic Park, the heart of the Games which has most of the major arenas.
If you would like more information/detailed itineraries on our luxury 5, 7, and 10-Day tours feel free to contact me at henry@london-olympiad.com, or go to our site and chat live with us.

THE Olympic Park is now 83 per cent complete, as the Handball Arena became the latest venue to be finished today.

The 7,000 capacity stadium is where handball, goalball and modern pentathlon will take place during the Games.

And the Basketball Arena is also nearing completion, as the Park shapes up ahead of London 2012.

The Handball Arena - complete with 3,000 square metres of external copper cladding - will become a multi-use sports centre for community use and athlete training after the Games.
The public sector funding package for the Games has stayed at £9.3 billion but the estimated costs for the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), in charge of Olympic build and infrastructure, has been cut by £35 million to £7.3 billion.

This is due to a combination of further savings and reducing risks this year, according to the Government Olympic Executive’s Quarterly report on preparations for the London 2012 Games.
In a written ministerial statement, Olympics minister Hugh Robertson said the ODA had made "strong progress" adding: "We continue to seek value for money and cost savings in our day-to-day running of the project."

More than 240 British businesses won contracts for the construction of the 80,000-seat £486million Olympic Stadium and more than 5,250 people have worked on the project during the last three years.

The last piece of turf on the Stadium’s field of play was laid in March and the 6,000-seat Velodrome was unveiled in February.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler, BC (Canada). For more information about Spyns and our package tours to the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, including London Olympics hotels, London 2012 tickets, and summer games VIP access, please visit our websites http://www.london-olympiad.com/ http://www.london2012-tours.com/ and http://www.london-tours-2012.com/ or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720. www.spyns.com.

Ashton Kutcher replaces Sheen on 2 1/2 Men

So Ashton Kutcher, a guy about my own age, will somehow be shoehorned into CBS' 2 1/2 Men for next season. While I'm not exactly sure how the show's writing staff will work this one, I'm sure it will definitely feel contrived. The weak-ass possibilities to explain Sheen's departure from the dysfunctional, sex-fueled household and endless. Will Sheen's departure be explained away as something at least moderately believable or will it be totally far fetched?

Did Sheen die in a drinking accident? Did he contract a particularly nasty strain of chlamydia from one of his many sexual conquests? Did he tan too much and become so small and dried up that he simply blew away? I have a feeling that the show's creator/producer, Chuck Lorre, doesn't particularly care how Sheen's departure is handled -- but he'll probably opt for the most degrading way possible given the past these two have.

Then what about Ashton's arrival as the lead in the series? Ashton Kutcher, while he played a complete dumbass on "That 70s Show", does definitely have comedic chops as an actor. He's practically a decade removed from his time playing the complete doofus Michael Kelso on the FOX sitcom which makes a new TV role well-distanced from his previous work. I actually liked his work in "The Butterfly Effect" which was, in my opinion, his best dramatic work to date while his comedic roles on the big screen have been downright terrible.

While I'm happy to see Charlie Sheen hopefully gone from television and movies for good, I'm not exactly sure that Ashton Kutcher will be a good fit for today's TV landscape. Sure, "2 1/2 Men" has been a hugely successful show during its nearly decade-long run on CBS but that's also an insanely long time and while we always bitch and moan about wanting things to be fresh and new, people often times run aways screaming from something new.

My best guess is that this season's installment of "2 1/2 Men" will begin to slide in the ratings and while it won't completely fall apart and lose viewers in record numbers, CBS will continue to milk the series because of its value in syndication and DVD sales. Expect to see not only one season with Ashton Kutcher in the cast but a second and final season ending in the Spring of 2013 before the show ends with a total of ten seasons in the books. The 10th and final season won't be Seinfeld-esque because I'm guessing that the show will have become a shell of its former self and will go out at the bottom of the ratings versus its other Monday night comedy teammates.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver are so done

From bodybuilder to actor to governor to divorcee -- that's the string of landmarks for Austrian import Arnold Schwarzenegger who is splitting from his Kennedy-related Maria Shriver. What is more shocking that the divorce of a relative power couple living in California is the factt hat they were married for a whopping 25 years.

I'm not a fan of either of the two -- Arnold Schwarzenegger is only a borderline OK actor and while he definitely hasn't taken himself too seriously (remember "Twins"?) he seems to have almost no direction in his life as of late. A venture in to politics from an immigrant actor just screams "look at me -- look at what I'm doing now!" He had nowhere else he could have gone after being governor due to the fact that he's an immigrant. His movie career is basically done unless the "Terminator" franchise comes back for another installment. And now with his divorce looming, his future seems to be bleak.

Maria Shriver, too, seems to come to the end of her road in the public eye. I remember her having some bit reporting role for NBC about 20 years ago and that alone was kind of the pinnacle of her career. What has she done since then? I'm sure she was involved in some charitable work along the way because what else do Kennedy heirs do after their time in the limelight has faded? But what will she do now? Will she end up -- jacked-up face and all -- anchoring the 10 PM Saturday evening news on the sixth-rated TV station in Sacramento, California? Will she marry tattooed Nazi Jesse James and take up a career in the adult film industry? Doubtful on both accounts. She'll probably just go away like every has-been should which would be refreshing to see.

The best part about this non-story is that it will fade in a day and we can get back to talking about how much of a spoiled brat Justin Bieber is and hearing endless ploys for the taxpayers of Minnesota to fund a Vikings stadium.

London 2012 Tickets Tours Hotels: U.S. gymnast Nastia Liukin's 2012 Olympic plans still up in the air

Travel to London 2012 with the specialists

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At Spyns we have been getting a lot of requests for Gymnastic tours with most clients buying the 7-Day Closing Ceremony package that starts on August 7th and runs until August 13th. There are a large number of Olympic Gymnastic sessions throughout the games. Here is a quick overview for you:
-    Gymnastics – Artistic        Jul 28th – Aug 7th
-    Gymnastics – Rhythmic    Aug 9th – Aug 12th
-    Gymnastics -  Trampoline Aug 3rd and 4th

The Closing Ceremony is on the evening of August 12th at 7:30 pm. Our tours have been impeccably planned and have the following highlights: stay in a 5-star luxury hotel in central London; guides on call but not in your hair; send off dinner at Chef Gordon Ramsay’s famous restaurant Maze; Stonehenge, Bath, and Windsor Castle day-trip; London theatre tickets; Private Buckingham Palace tour; VIP access to London’s major sites (Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, and the Churchill War Rooms). If you would like more information/detailed itineraries on our luxury 5, 7, and 10-Day tours feel free to contact me at henry@london-olympiad.com.
She has become America's sweetheart, albeit with a touch of borscht.
Nastia Liukin is on what is perhaps an unprecedented run of popularity following her five-medal haul from the gymnastics competition at the Beijing Olympics. Almost three years after winning the all-around title, she remains in high demand.
"No, I didn't expect anything like this," she said over lunch Sunday. "It's been three years. London (Olympics) is next year. Usually the year after the Olympics there is a lot of hype. But this? I've been very fortunate."
Liukin, who resides in Texas, was in town to participate in the Susan G. Komen Twin Cities Race for the Cure on Mother's Day. It's one of several causes she does her best to support. She also is here to help promote the 2011 Visa Championships, which will be at the Xcel Energy Center in August.
When she isn't traveling for a good cause she's designing gymnastics apparel, guest starring on TV shows, modeling for magazine covers and working with USA Gymnastics, among other things. Oh, and she's still training. Liukin hasn't ruled out defending her all-around title in London next summer. But she hasn't said she would compete, either.
This is a major topic of discussion in Olympic circles: Will she or won't she? Liukin last competed in 2009 before declaring she needed a break from competition. That announcement received a tremendous amount of media attention but did nothing to curtail her popularity.
"I'm just
taking it day by day," she said. "Like any athlete, it's hard to make that decision. You can't really top what happened in Beijing. But at the same time, you don't do gymnastics just for the medals. It's the journey. You have to have the determination because nothing can make you train seven hours a day if you don't have that determination."
Seven hours a day? Is that all? I'm sure her dad has told her stories about his training days as a member of the Soviet Union Olympic team. Her father, Valeri Liukin, won two gold and two silver medals at the 1988 Games. Her mother, Anna Kotchneva, won gold in rhythmic gymnastics at the 1987 World Championships.
I'll bet they can tell a few tales:
In Soviet Union we no can afford balance beam. We do handstand on back of ox, 25 hours a day.
"Yes, my dad always tells me I have it better than I think," Liukin said with a laugh. "The Soviet Union was so strong in gymnastics back then. If you weren't at your best, there were five people just as good as you waiting to jump in."
No pommel horse. We jump over babushka.
"We train 'only seven hours.' They had three training sessions a day starting at 6:30," Liukin continued. "So they were up at 5 a.m. And when my dad was very young he had to move away to live with his coach. So, yes, I am very fortunate."
Valeri Liukin moved his family to the U.S. in 1992, when Nastia was just two. He and his wife never pushed their daughter toward gymnastics. But she hung around their studio and really took to the sport. And it has paid off. Her five medals in Beijing tied Shannon Miller and Mary Lou Retton for most by a U.S. gymnast in one Olympics. Liukin's nine medals overall in world events ties Miller.
All those medals are safely tucked away in suburban Dallas.
"They are in a safe at my parents' house," she said. "We have a lot of people coming in and out of the house. Not that we don't trust them. But we don't take them out too often. Recently, we took all nine out for a photo shoot."
Liukin and teammate Shawn Johnson were a charismatic duo in Beijing and brought a lot of attention to the sport. Johnson, too, has remained very visible since the 2008 Games. She suffered a torn ACL while skiing in 2010, but has announced her intention of training with the goal of competing in London in 2012.
Liukin isn't so sure. She has so many projects in the works that it could be tough for her to put them on the back burner and make that all-out commitment.
"The determination is still there," she said. "I'll always be involved with gymnastics. I wouldn't be where I am without USA Gymnastics behind me. And the fans, too. I have a lot of opportunities that came from the Olympics. I just don't know what is going to happen."

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler, BC (Canada). For more information about Spyns and our package tours to the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, including London Olympics hotels, London 2012 tickets, and summer games VIP access, please visit our websites http://www.london-olympiad.com/ http://www.london2012-tours.com/ and http://www.london-tours-2012.com/ or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            1.888.825.4720      end_of_the_skype_highlighting. www.spyns.com.

London 2012 Tickets Tours Hotels: Michael Phelps set to retire?

London Olympic Tours - travel with the experts

www.london-olympiad.com

At Spyns were have planned 5, 7, and 10-Day Olympic tours for travellers who want the best Olympic experience in at the London Summer Games. The Men’s 100m Freestyle Final will be on the afternoon of August 1st. The Games begin on July 27th and run until August 12th. We have arranged hotel suites, will be giving guided tours, have VIP access into some of London’s most famous sights, to name a few. If you would like more information/detailed itineraries on our luxury 5, 7, and 10-Day tours feel free to contact me at henry@london-olympiad.com.

Michael Phelps thinking to retire after 2012 London Olympics: Swimming News

Michael Phelps, who is America’s top most swimmer for the upcoming world stage of 2011 World Championship and the 2012 London Olympics, is deciding to retire at an age when most individuals try to settle into their practical lives.

North Baltimore’s Phelps, which speaking to the media, is putting his swimming suit in a drawer after the 2012 London Olympics, as he intends to create his interest in something else.

The 14-time Olympic Games gold medallist, Michael, explained that he has an aim to accomplish more in the pool, but there is not much time left. Nevertheless, Phelps ensured that he will try to make a splash at the upcoming world events, as these will be his final events.

The 25-year-old Phelps’s decision is said to be driven by his upsetting performances during 2011. At first, Phelps lost his events of 200m IM and 400m IM from Ryan Lochte at the 2011 USA Grand Prix Series in Austin. Then, he enhanced his performance at the fourth stop of USA Grand Prix in Indianapolis, conquering five gold medals, but failed to retain his position in the 200m butterfly event at the Eric Namesnik Michigan Grand Prix during April 2011.

This was his first defeat in the 200m butterfly event in ten years. Phelps said, "I wasn't too pleased with what happened there. It's frustrating, losing the streak I had in 200-fly."

"That was a streak I wanted to keep throughout my career. I think it was a good thing for me to have now, something I can use as a wake-up call heading into worlds. I will use it as fuel and motivation to be in the shape I want to be in — and need to be in — next time I compete," He added.

With the decision concerning his retirement, Phelps is left only with three championships including the Charlotte UltraSwim Grand Prix in May, 2011 World Championships in July and the 2012 Olympics.

Furthermore, Phelps’s decision will have a severe affect on USA Swimming, as they might lose the most dynamic athlete in the history of swimming and their medal tally after Phelps’s retirement.
 

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler, BC (Canada). For more information about Spyns and our package tours to the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, including London Olympics hotels, London 2012 tickets, and summer games VIP access, please visit our websites http://www.london-olympiad.com/ http://www.london2012-tours.com/ and http://www.london-tours-2012.com/ or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            1.888.825.4720      end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlightin. www.spyns.com.

Tim Mahoney's big break happens Tuesday

When I first heard him on the now-gone Drive 105, I turned my radio up a bit. When I heard the afternoon DJ announce the artists in the previous block of music I was blown away. Holy shit, I said to myself, Tim Mahoney stepped up his game for that track. When his CD, Stay/Leave, landed at Target, I snapped up a copy and when I was organizing my disheveled CD rack yesterday I took note of that disc and how it thanks former Drive 105 DJ J.P. The Radio Slave for getting him on the air on an actual radio station and making him at least regionally popular.

Tomorrow night, though, Tim Mahoney takes to the national stage on NBC's surprise hit The Voice.



His music, especially Piece of You, has the core elements of an excellent rock song with the memorable and sing-along lyrics of a good pop song. He's the type of Twin Cities musician who deserves to be on the larger, national stage and I hope that his national television debut tomorrow night on NBC proves to be successful for him. Check it out locally on KARE-11 at 8 PM C/T.