As if watching Louie Anderson nearly drown on celebrity high-dive disaster Splash did not satiate the desire for celebrities to prove they're not Olympians, now there’s a project in development to see how badly tangentially famous people can injure themselves attempting to learn gymnastics. Celebrity Champions will feature former Olympian coaches mentoring celebrity contestants on bars, floor, rings, and vault—and somebody is going to get destroyed trying to learn the Amanar. The program boasts Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton as its lead judge, along with Shannon Miller and Paul Hamm as attached mentors. Core Media insists ...
- 10/10/2013
- avclub.com
There's a celebrity gymnastics reality show in the works, with Mary Lou Retton attached as the lead judge, and Shannon Miller and Paul Hamm onboard as well. Dreams do come true! According to Deadline, Core Media is developing Celebrity Champions, which will, a la Dancing With the Stars, teach celebrities how to do gymnastics — though there will be an emphasis on safety and training, in the hopes of avoiding a Splash-like run of injuries. Please, show, make sure Béla Károlyi is there to offer the contestants shouty, emotionally fraught guidance.
- 10/10/2013
- by Margaret Lyons
- Vulture
Exclusive: In a recent story, I noted that gymnastics, one of the consistently most popular Olympic sports, could be a new hot area in the reality TV space. I can now confirm that Core Media is developing Celebrity Champions, an original format that will see former Olympians coach celebrities – be they dancers, musicians, actors or athletes – in various disciplines. Those will include bars, floor, rings and vault. Gold medalist Mary Lou Retton is attached as the anchor judge on the project which was brought to Core by Shauna Thomas, Triana Lavey, and 1996 Olympic team member John Macready. The trio will produce Celebrity Champions with Core. Other former Olympians attached to participate include Shannon Miller and Paul Hamm. Core is currently talking to U.S. networks about the project. Sport-themed celebrity reality series have had rough going this year, most recently with the injury-plagued Splash. Of Celebrity Champions, Core head of U.
- 10/9/2013
- by NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor
- Deadline TV
NBC Sports will offer a star-studded gymnastic and skating event this weekend as the world's top gymnastics and figure skating stars team up for a memorable show at the "Progressive Presents Skating & Gymnastics Spectacular" from the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City, South Dakota.
The star-studded gymnastics talent includes 2008 Olympic gold medalists Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson, 2004 Olympic gold medalist Paul Hamm and 2008 Olympic bronze medalists Jonathan Horton and Raj Bhavsar. The cast of figure skaters is as equally talented and includes 2007 U.S. champion and 2006 world champion Kimmie Meissner, World reigning junior champion and 2008 U.S. National silver medalist Rachael Flatt, two-time reigning U.S. National champion Evan Lysacek and 2006 Olympic silver medalist Tanith Belbin.
"Progressive Presents Skating & Gymnastics Spectacular" will air Sunday at 4/3c.
The star-studded gymnastics talent includes 2008 Olympic gold medalists Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson, 2004 Olympic gold medalist Paul Hamm and 2008 Olympic bronze medalists Jonathan Horton and Raj Bhavsar. The cast of figure skaters is as equally talented and includes 2007 U.S. champion and 2006 world champion Kimmie Meissner, World reigning junior champion and 2008 U.S. National silver medalist Rachael Flatt, two-time reigning U.S. National champion Evan Lysacek and 2006 Olympic silver medalist Tanith Belbin.
"Progressive Presents Skating & Gymnastics Spectacular" will air Sunday at 4/3c.
- 1/15/2009
- icelebz.com
Click for more Beijing Olympics news
NBC's coverage of the Beijing Olympics dropped slightly Wednesday from its prior average, though easily bested competitors and won the night.
The Summer Games averaged 27.2 million viewers (9.1 preliminary adults 18-49 rating/26 share), down 13% from NBC's previous five-night average. For the first time, NBC's nightly average was below Athens four years ago, down about 4%.
Still, the figures are double other major networks combined and represent NBC's largest margin of victory over competitors on a Wednesday night since at least 1992.
There's also some mitigating factors: The comparable night in Athens touted headline-making drama, with U.S. gymnast Paul Hamm earning the narrowest gold medal win in Olympic history. But last night's coverage lacked recent ratings-spiking events such as women's gymnastics and Michael Phelps' gold-medal runs.
Through six days, the Summer Olympics continue to track 10% higher than Athens the adult demo (10.2/29 vs. 9.3/27) and up 17% in total viewers (30.8 million vs. 26.4 million).
NBC has also released the first data from its work-in-progress audience measurement system it calls the Total Audience Measurement Index. NBC said that for the first four days of the Games, there has been an average of 96 million impressions across NBC and its other TV networks, online, mobile and VOD.
CBS placed second for the night, airing repeats and "Greatest American Dog" (5.2 million, 1.3/4). ABC was third with repeats (averaging 3.8 million, 1.3/4). Fox was fourth with repeats (averaging 3.5 million, 1.0/3).
NBC's coverage of the Beijing Olympics dropped slightly Wednesday from its prior average, though easily bested competitors and won the night.
The Summer Games averaged 27.2 million viewers (9.1 preliminary adults 18-49 rating/26 share), down 13% from NBC's previous five-night average. For the first time, NBC's nightly average was below Athens four years ago, down about 4%.
Still, the figures are double other major networks combined and represent NBC's largest margin of victory over competitors on a Wednesday night since at least 1992.
There's also some mitigating factors: The comparable night in Athens touted headline-making drama, with U.S. gymnast Paul Hamm earning the narrowest gold medal win in Olympic history. But last night's coverage lacked recent ratings-spiking events such as women's gymnastics and Michael Phelps' gold-medal runs.
Through six days, the Summer Olympics continue to track 10% higher than Athens the adult demo (10.2/29 vs. 9.3/27) and up 17% in total viewers (30.8 million vs. 26.4 million).
NBC has also released the first data from its work-in-progress audience measurement system it calls the Total Audience Measurement Index. NBC said that for the first four days of the Games, there has been an average of 96 million impressions across NBC and its other TV networks, online, mobile and VOD.
CBS placed second for the night, airing repeats and "Greatest American Dog" (5.2 million, 1.3/4). ABC was third with repeats (averaging 3.8 million, 1.3/4). Fox was fourth with repeats (averaging 3.5 million, 1.0/3).
- 8/14/2008
- by By James Hibberd
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- A year before the 2008 Summer Olympics, NBC is tuning up its coverage amid a new deal with AT&T and China Netcom that will provide digital TV for the games and play a key role in televising Wednesday's one-year countdown celebration from Beijing.
NBC's "Today" will cover the event live at 8:08 a.m. ET Wednesday from Tianamen Square in Beijing. It might be one of the first times a live TV signal has been broadcast without government control from inside the communist country after Chinese officials relaxed regulations this year, though that couldn't be confirmed late Monday.
It also will be the first run for a new circuit being established by AT&T and China Netcom, which will provide a signal to NBC from the event.
NBC's coverage will feature correspondent Mark Mullen and American swimmer Michael Phelps in Beijing as well as Olympic gold medalists Natalie Coughlin and Paul Hamm and Olympic hopeful Kate Ziegler with the "Today" crew at Rockefeller Plaza in New York.
NBC's "Today" will cover the event live at 8:08 a.m. ET Wednesday from Tianamen Square in Beijing. It might be one of the first times a live TV signal has been broadcast without government control from inside the communist country after Chinese officials relaxed regulations this year, though that couldn't be confirmed late Monday.
It also will be the first run for a new circuit being established by AT&T and China Netcom, which will provide a signal to NBC from the event.
NBC's coverage will feature correspondent Mark Mullen and American swimmer Michael Phelps in Beijing as well as Olympic gold medalists Natalie Coughlin and Paul Hamm and Olympic hopeful Kate Ziegler with the "Today" crew at Rockefeller Plaza in New York.
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