dirac

Thank you for the recommendation, I'll look for it. Le Morte d'Arthur isn't for everybody and I'll say that in some respects T.H. White's rendering in The Once and Future King (one of my very favorite books) improves on it. There is a great deal of detail about various tournaments and who unhorsed whom, and the unsuspecting reader may feel he has stumbled on Ye Olde Sportting Tymes. Malory's English is still remarkably accessible, though.

Thanks for posting, bart. I liked that the writer highlighted Vidal's interest in the classical world, which gave us the fine novel Julian and, less happily, the Guccione "Caligula." One noticed during Vidal's regular television appearances that he could speak in beautifully parsed sentences and paragraphs. Not easy to do for even the most glib of writers and he made it look quite natural.

"If you can do it, you ain't braggin'." It's certainly true that Bolt has always had a warmth and generosity of spirit that take the edge off what might otherwise be hotdogging of the more irksome kind. After a certain point it seems a mite childish and Bolt's no longer a kid, but it could be me. (And I can't help thinking that a female athlete of any country would likely be pounded for such braggartry, but men are allowed greater leeway to act out in such ways.) He certainly has learned the value of Madonna's injunction, "Strike a pose."

Thank you for looking, Dirac. Yes, I'm always recommending "Stilwell" to anyone wanting to learn more about China and U.S. relations. It's also interesting to think "what if" regarding General Stilwell - he could have been involved in so much more during WWII, if he didn't happen to have experience in China, and speak some Chinese dialects... Unfortunately, it was a time when having knowledge of the country was becoming a drawback in U.S. government circles. That situation became a lot worse, as you know. Like you, I haven't been reading much fiction in recent years. I am dipping in and out of an old favorite, the Morte d'Arthur, and fortunately it's structure invites just such dipping.

Another awesome performance from Bolt. His act is getting a bit old, though. Q&A with Ashton Eaton.

Interesting list of titles, pherank. "Speak, Memory" and "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" are among the best memoirs I know. Barbara Tuchman was a wonderful popular historian. Her Stilwell book is also among my favorites.

Good question, Marcmomus. In a ballet context, offhand I think only of Ashton's dancing chickens, and they weren't actual chickens.

Lucky you! I don't remember Domingo ever being in blackface. That seems to be the trend with Othellos, even Othellos set in the past, as in the film "Stage Beauty," where Billy Crudup goes onstage as Othello with little more than a nice tan and some funny marks on his face. I wouldn't call the very dark makeup used by Olivier as seen in the film blackface either (and it was part of Olivier's conception of the role that his Othello be exactly that dark). As for the Bolshoi, the painting of those kids is ludicrous and would be offensive anywhere, not just the U.S. As GeorgeB fan notes, there are tasteful and acceptable ways of darkening skin for theatrical purposes. This is not one of them. Yup.

And they're taking chances, too. Such beautiful and sensitive animals, and it's moving when you think of the partnership between horses and human beings over the centuries (in which the former have often suffered). I like the cross country eventing best, but the dressage is fascinating for the seemingly invisible interactions between horse and rider. Thank you for that link, Lynette H. That's just awesome. Also thanks for chiming in, jsmu. Very instructive. Exciting race in the women's open swimming marathon in Hyde Park.

He did seem like a nice guy, and his music gave pleasure to many.

I agree. Thanks for reviving this thread, Moonlily. It's good to hear from people who've read the book.

I've been meaning to pick up that one. It sounds like good summer reading. Admirably forthright title.

The distinction hasn't quite vanished, but almost. I'm pleased to see it go. I have nothing against pros competing but I think the Olympics are not really the place for LeBron James, et al., or even the tennis stars. I like to see the less popular sports get their day in the sun. Bolt is a delightfully outgoing personality and I don't know why his sport hasn't made more of him to raise track and field's profile, which could use some raising. Helene writes: Federer handed Murray his hat at Wimbledon. It was pretty embarrassing. I was not pulling for Murray here but it was indeed nice for him to beat Federer in London. It's not Wimbledon but Roger certainly did want that gold medal. Federer has always been a good Olympian and it would have been nice for him to have it as well even if it means little in the context of his career.

I can't follow cycling at all. Most likely I haven't tried hard enough. I don't find it great television viewing in truth, although the sight of the cyclists massed together at top speed can be pretty amazing, not to mention scary. Props to Komova for bringing it to the floor exercise after a difficult time. Douglas was remarkable. Talk about peaking at the right time.....

I could say the same about a lot of dance I've seen I don't think I could. Dancers relate to music very differently, even the least musical, in my experience. (I wouldn't expect it to be otherwise.)

I would have to agree with sandik, polyphonyfan (and thanks for raising another interesting topic). It all very much depends. I'm reminded of Margot Fonteyn's remark that if people knew how much ballet hurt, no one would watch it except for bullfighting fans and the like. And of course no one was better at making the difficult look easy than she, nor was Fonteyn required to hurl herself about as you describe or perform some of the extreme feats asked of today's dancers. Other thoughts? examples?

That might be arguable but after today there's increasingly little doubt as to his place among Olympic swimmers. Wow. Congratulations, indeed!

I had a musician friend who used to maintain that there was no relationship between music and the sport. I watch anyway, though.

Just a note that as a rule threads related to sports are not encouraged (including figure skating). The Olympics are the exception, not the rule.

I understand the bikini bottoms are mandated by the beach volleyball league. Presumably the athletes aren't complaining -- at least I have not heard of any protests -- because of what I assume is the additional exposure, as it were, and income gained by the women showing more skin. (I don't blame the athletes.) I see the point of the photo essay and it's a valid one, but then it's not hard to understand why public displays of butt cheek draw the eye and thus the camera. It seems that as years go by the women show more and the men show less. In tennis the men were baggy tops and shorts while the women tend to go for form fitting and very brief tennis dresses, and old footage shows that it used to be quite different, with the women wearing more modest gear and the men showing lots of leg. I was watching an old Borg match recently. He favored Fila pinstriped shirts that looked painted on and of course the short white shorts were standard wear. As Borg crouched to return serve the camera parked itself directly behind him, offering a no doubt appreciative CBS Sports audience a prime view of the Borg buns and thighs. Those were the days. But I digress.

Wait till we get to track and field, LiLing. The men wear normal outfits while many of the women are decked out in modified bikinis. Enjoy the swimming events while you can.

I agree, I think the 'artistic' bits were a concession to the fundamental distrust that people seemed to have about women participating in sports. True. "People" includes women as well, of course. I've read another article lamenting the decline of "artistry" in gymnastics and like the Slate piece it was written by a woman. Figure skating and women's gymnastics attract a predominantly female audience and they are both sports which tend to reflect traditional expectations regarding how women should look and move. (They're also sports in which the women's events are the marquee events - unusual. Probably not a coincidence.)

Burr is better than 1876 by a long way, but the second book is not bad. 1876 lacks a single fascinating historical figure to provide a center (Tilden ain't no Burr). The Schuyler family is more to the fore and because Vidal doesn't invest his purely fictional characters with the same kind of life as his historical/fictional characters this is a weakness. He once said he wanted to see 1876 as a movie (with his friend Claire Bloom as the central female figure, Emma) and I think the material could be improved upon if dramatized. Vidal's Messiah is a good read. Also liked Two Sisters and Williwaw. The City and the Pillar has dated but it is worth a look. And of course, there's Myra. I never got around to Kalki or Duluth.

Big of him. (Reminds me of those people who used to say things like, "I don't really care for graphic novels, but have you read Maus?")

Thanks for the article, kbarber. Note that the article focuses entirely on women’s gymnastics, which as Helene notes is where the emphasis on music, theatrical makeup, and dance elements comes in. (The men can just do their tumbling passes and don’t have to bother about hip wiggles and saucy glances.) The article is a little behind the times -the twinkle-toes era in gymnastics has been over for awhile. I like to see grace and musicality if it comes naturally but I also like the wonders that a powerful little athlete like Shawn Johnson can perform and I’m not crazy about the cutesy-wootsy Nina Pretty Ballerina mannerisms that creep in when the girls are playing too obviously to the crowd. So if those particular aspects of the requirements are de-emphasized it’s no great loss to this viewer. The article also mentions Beth Tweddle’s great routine on the bars the other night, which US TV audiences didn’t get to see, natch.