Althouse: "Representing either Italy..."

February 18, 2010

"Representing either Italy..."

"... or the Clampett family."

30 comments:

Shanna said...: I think that guy was actually french, too, and couldn't make the french team.; 2/18/10, 8:26 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: That's not fair. Jethro's overhauls were remarkably clean and well kept.

This guy just looks like a slob.; 2/18/10, 8:28 AM
MadisonMan said...: (Laugh) Yes, I saw that too and had the same reaction. Then during the skate, I kept thinking: That denim must be awfully uncomfortable. Of course, it wasn't denim, but it did a good job of looking like it.

I wasn't sad when he fell.; 2/18/10, 8:30 AM
William T. Sherman said...: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

On Ice!; 2/18/10, 8:36 AM
Joan said...: The clothing, combined with the music, bothered me so much I couldn't watch it regular speed - I fast-forwarded through it and, like MM, I wasn't sad when he fell.

The thing is, I liked the music -- a bluesy harmonica piece. But the fact that this guy and his people thought that outfit went with a bluesy harmonica piece was just so, so wrong.

OTOH, Evan Lysacek's outfit was also somewhat ridiculous (the feathers at his cuffs were absurd) but he was still completely amazing.; 2/18/10, 8:37 AM
Fred4Pres said...: His interpretation of America is grounded in a total ignorance of it, and it strongly implies that Robert Johnson, down at the crossroads, sold his soul not to the devil but to Hee Haw. I wanted to laugh at him when he fell down but could not, being already in stitches.

Ha!; 2/18/10, 8:38 AM
AllenS said...: Clothes that AllenS wears. Since it's winter, I go with coveralls.; 2/18/10, 8:40 AM
MadisonMan said...: The all-time best althouse Olympic comment remains this one.

In my opinion. Everytime I see a woman skater, I hear the comment: Quit aiming that thing at me!; 2/18/10, 8:47 AM
MadisonMan said...: And yes, Joan, you hit the nail on the head. The outfit and the music were a total mismatch. It didn't occur to me then, but when I read your comment: Spot On!; 2/18/10, 8:48 AM
Automatic_Wing said...: Some guy wore a skeleton costume, too, kind of like the ones you see kids wear at Halloween. Not sure what that was supposed to signify.; 2/18/10, 8:48 AM
traditionalguy said...: This Tea Party Poulism is going around the world. I wonder how many Europeans think the USA is really a Jed Clampett land outside a few big cities.; 2/18/10, 8:49 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: I wonder how many Europeans think the USA is really a Jed Clampett land outside a few big cities.

I'm betting less than those in NYC.; 2/18/10, 8:52 AM
KCFleming said...: I could watch women skating figure 8's or a dance number.

I cannot cannot cannot watch men skate, except racing or when playing hockey.

Actually, I could watch women not doing much of anything at all.

Maybe I don't understand the Olympics much.; 2/18/10, 9:00 AM
Hoosier Daddy said...: Actually, I could watch women not doing much of anything at all.

Maybe I don't understand the Olympics much.

No, you're just straight.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.; 2/18/10, 9:07 AM
Edgehopper said...: What about the German clowns? The pairs team that ended up in 3rd did their short program dressed up like particularly silly clowns, skating to "Send in the Clowns". My mom's comment: "They do know the song's not actually about clowns, right?"; 2/18/10, 9:22 AM
Wince said...: The Warriors vs The Punks, in Italian!; 2/18/10, 9:30 AM
Shanna said...: OTOH, Evan Lysacek's outfit was also somewhat ridiculous (the feathers at his cuffs were absurd) but he was still completely amazing.

Oh, the feathers! He was amazing, though.

I couldn’t stop staring at Johnny Weir’s outfit, but I thought he also did an excellent job. He had charisma. The announcers kept alluding to some mysterious comments he was making that were very "controversial" but they never said what the hell they were talking about. Whatever.; 2/18/10, 9:34 AM
Scott M said...: Having not seen the performance (is it a sport? Or do we not want that can o' worms spilled all over this thread?), my first impression would be that he was trying as hard as possible to put a double-thumb in the eyes of the convention which has figure skaters wearing the glitzy, flashy, showy outfits.

If the music in the performance (is it really a sport?) matched the outfit, I'd bet the horse came before the cart, so to speak.; 2/18/10, 9:39 AM
chuckR said...: I can't take the time to watch a lot of the Olympics, but I've decided that of the figure skating I would make time for the pairs skating. Some may argue that it isn't a sport, but I think the women are pretty brave. They let some guy pick them up and toss them a few yards backwards while they spin like tops. And they have to land gracefully - merely avoiding a broken ankle or other physical injury isn't nearly enough.; 2/18/10, 10:38 AM
AllenS said...: For the life of me, I can't understand why figure skating is an Olympic sport. Give them some hockey sticks and let them go at it.; 2/18/10, 10:57 AM
Unknown said...: Looks like the homesteader's kid that takes on the hired gun and gets drilled before the opening credits.; 2/18/10, 11:10 AM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: Actually, I thought from the photo that he looked like Luigi of the Mario Brothers. Italian plumbers.

He was just using the wrong music.; 2/18/10, 11:33 AM
Blue@9 said...: What we consider rubbish is exotic to others.; 2/18/10, 12:15 PM
BJM said...: @Shanna

Wier's in a pissing match with anti-fur activists over a white fox trimmed skating costume and wearing fur off the ice.; 2/18/10, 12:36 PM
LordSomber said...: How about we do an 'interpretation' of Italy:
Don Corleone doing figure-eights.; 2/18/10, 1:06 PM
MadisonMan said...: It would be hilarious if a skater's routine started off with the Donkey Kong music. How about combining it with Pac-Man?

That would be genius.; 2/18/10, 1:22 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: Hey, you are being unfair to Jethro (Max Baer, Jr.). He just got permission to build a casino a couple of miles north of here. Well, actually, it was to put up a sign for the casino he wants to build, and it took a couple of years to do it. He somehow thinks that the hillbilly theme is going to attract a lot of gaming customers. But then, he will be competing most directly with Fandango which has the most horrendous neon interior imaginable.

Oh, and it appears that Jethro was not a Clampett, but rather a Bodine (I think that the name of the proposed casino is "Bodine's").; 2/18/10, 1:45 PM
Hoosier Daddy said...: Wier's in a pissing match with anti-fur activists over a white fox trimmed skating costume and wearing fur off the ice.

I picture a bunch of Birkenstock PETA losers chasing a arm flailing, shrieking Wier decked out in his fox lined leotard and I can't stop laughing.; 2/18/10, 2:00 PM
Shanna said...: Wier's in a pissing match with anti-fur activists over a white fox trimmed skating costume and wearing fur off the ice.

Ah, thanks. NBC’s coverage is obnoxious in the extreme. They kept yammering on about the controversy without ever saying what it was. Idiots. I have to tivo and ffwd through most of the crap.; 2/18/10, 2:49 PM
Methadras said...: Why in the name of fuck is ice dancing considered an Olympic event? This is the gayest shit I've seen to date. On that note, why the fuck is kurling an Olympic event too? I'd have more respect if one of these people who are competitors ended up becoming pornographers. Now there is an event you can respect.; 2/18/10, 7:02 PM