Hundreds of millions of people will be following the 2014 Winter Olympics, even though the underwhelming motto — “Hot. Cool. Yours.” — sounds less like a paean to athletic excellence than the sort of progression that accompanies a court-ordered paternity suit.
Of course some people will be more keenly interested than others. According to Wikipedia, this 22nd Winter Olympics is on track to be the most expensive Olympics in history, with cost overruns more than quadrupling the original price tag. Perhaps the planners merely underestimated the cost of venues, transportation infrastructure and power supply infrastructure — but political opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin accuse him and his cronies of embezzling tens of billions of dollars.
An indignant Putin told reporters, “I will hold a televised speech to deny these scurrilous charges just as soon as Bill Gates gets through polishing my shoes.”
NBC, of course, has a lot at stake. The network hopes the Olympics will help launch Jimmy Fallon as the new “Tonight Show” host and boost their midseason series. Long-term, the network of “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago PD” hopes the Olympic momentum will catapult next fall’s “Chicago Lenin’s Tomb Guard” into the Nielsen ratings stratosphere.
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