US TV Alert - Sunday November 18 on NBC

[Olympia]

I remember a charming disclosure comment from years ago when Pia Lindstrom was still a reporter for NBC and the movie White Nights came out. This was the film debut of Isabella Rossellini. Lindstrom said something about the fact that she would love the performance even if it were not her sister. (Both women were the daughters of Ingrid Bergman.)


By the way, in honor of Mussulman's sponsorship, I bought their unsweetened applesauce and just had some. I recommend it! Who needs sweetener in something as naturally sweet as apples? It would make a great ingredient for a smoothie also, I think.

[skatesindreams]

Wow, was not aware of the Mark Harmon history. In my opinion, that is the only example of non-recusal that rises (or sinks, I should say) to the level of Belbin/White. So during his radio broadcasts, Tom Harmon would give no disclaimer that Mark is his son? That's terrible.

Did you ever hear his TV commentary?
Tom Harmon (winner of the Heisman Trophy, BTW) went out of his way to be super-critical of Mark and UCLA, at every opportunity.
He could be truly awful. Sometimes, I wondered how Mark went home after the games.

[Tonichelle]

Ultimately, the audience does not vote for ice skating champions, nor does the audience decide the outcomes of football games. IMO the conflict is a lot bigger when journalists & political figures are closely involved and the relationship is not disclosed than in the case of sports figures.

If Danny Moir wants to do color commentary on ice dance, and Skate Canada wants to replace Kurt Browning, who does a very nice job, I don't see why he shouldn't do it, again provided there is a disclosure done.

Agreed - though it'd be a shame if Kurt got replaced lol unless he got to come back to the US commentary!

[Olympia]

Did you ever hear his TV commentary?
Tom Harmon (winner of the Heisman Trophy, BTW) went out of his way to be super-critical of Mark and UCLA, at every opportunity.
He could be truly awful. Sometimes, I wondered how Mark went home after the games.

I never actually did hear the commentary, not being a football fan. That sounds distressing! One comment Mark made about having a "hard" upbringing (not implying any abuse, but giving the impression that Tom Harmon was from the "old school" of parenting, rather stern) made me think that it wasn't all that easy being his only son. Or maybe Tom phoned his son after each game and said, "Sorry kid, but I had to say that to preserve objectivity--please don't take it personally." Who knows? Mark Harmon is one of the least revealing interviewees in Hollywood, which is both admirable and refreshing in these "tell-all" days. He's one of my few favorite actors whose interviews I rarely enjoy. Michael J. Fox, Michael Caine, George Clooney--all of these guys manage to be witty, friendly, and accessible while retaining a wall of privacy. Harmon is just polite--clearly a very nice guy, but can really only relax when talking about sports. I still love the guy.