A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago

IN THE INTEREST OF EQUAL TIME, BECAUSE DEMOCRACIES WELCOME DISSENT: The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd takes on the WaPo's Paul Farhi (and do read the comments there) to explain why NBC's minimal scrutiny of China's regime is wholly appropriate:

[Y]ou can't blame NBC for airing exactly the sort of coverage viewers want and expect. When a network's sports division covers a Detroit Tigers game, we don't look for commentators to talk about the city's poverty rate or crime statistics. When other nations cover U.S.-hosted Olympics, we hope they produce stories on our events and athletes -- not use their army of cameras and reporters, here to cover gymnastics and swimming, to produce drive-by autopsies of our societal and political flaws.

... Because there's so much attention given to the Games, [] it's easy to think the event somehow deserves a focus that expands beyond mere sports reporting and fluffy travelogues. But what is it about the Olympics that necessitates such heightened scrutiny? The number of nations involved? The national pride on display? The John Williams fanfare? The athletes are the best each country has to offer, not what is typical. Olympic coverage tends to likewise focus on what is optimistic and extraordinary about the host country. In other words, the coverage is thematically consistent ... if not honest and realistic. ...

For most viewers, [] NBC has been providing precisely the Olympics they want to see: heartfelt stories of athletes from around the world overcoming all odds to win gold medals. If you tune into NBC's "Beijing Olympics" and NBC gives you Beijing Olympics coverage ... you can't say the network didn't deliver what it sold.

Actually, that'd be a fun Olympics -- instead of each nation picking its best athletes, just have each randomly select citizens from all walks of life and give them six months to train in their assigned disciplines. It'd be like reinstituting the draft ... only with team handball and canoeing. Would make for a hell of a fun reality show to watch.

Tonight's NBC coverage: women's artistic gymnastics individual all-around, and lots of swimming - men's 200m backstroke, women's free and 200m breaststroke, and Michael Phelps shoots for his sixth gold medal in the 200m individual medley.