Will Bush at the Olympics really help NBC?
Amid controversy and the threat of certain world leaders boycotting the upcoming Beijing Olympics, the word came out yesterday that President George W. Bush would attend the opening ceremonies. According to the Hollywood Reporter, this is good news for NBC, and the companies that have bought advertising for the Games.
While I can see how a boycott based on human rights abuses in China and Tibet would be a serious problem for the network — and it still may lose viewers who choose to individually tune out rather than give positive sanction to China’s misdeeds by watching — I don’t see how NBC can think a Bush appearance will bolster ratings.
Currently, George Bush has one of the lowest approval rating of any U.S. President ever in the twilight of his second term in office. The CNN/Opinion Research survey on June 26-29, 2008 found that only 30% of the country approved of his job performance, compared to 68% disapproval.
That means only three out of ten people like what W. is doing right now. Even if every one of that 30% tune in to the Olympic opening ceremony, will it really help NBC?
NBC has done some polling, too, and a majority of American viewers haven’t been fazed by the political issues and separate the politics from the competition.
On the other hand, the AP reported that U.S. Representatives from the President’s own party, Chris Smith, New Jersey, and Frank Wolf, Virginia, were in China and said W. shouldn’t attend the Olympics at all unless China’s human rights stance is changed.
As the Olympics draw nearer, the negative rhetoric about China’s human rights violations are likely to grow louder. Will it effect NBC’s broadcast? I wouldn’t be surprised, and an appearance by an outgoing, unpopular president won’t help.
Jennifer Aniston and Will Ferrell Get Serious
Will Ferrell may be a big jokester, but his latest endeavor is no laughing matter. The Semi-Pro star is one of many celebs (along with Jennifer Aniston) who are participating in public service announcements to help end human-rights violations in Burma and free imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.
I can exclusively tell you that Ferrell’s PSA will debut online tomorrow at BurmaItCantWait.org as a kickoff for the Human Rights Action Center and U.S. Campaign for Burma’s new celebrity PSA program.
"Every now and again, a single person or event captures the imagination and inspiration of the world,” Ferrell says in his spot. “This moment belongs to Burma and to Aung San Suu Kyi. Please, honor her courage, honor your compassion and let this be the month you join an effort to change the world."
Aniston’s PSA will post online on Friday, followed by spots from other boldfaced names like Ellen Page, Anjelica Huston, Judd Apatow, Sarah Silverman and Sylvester Stallone.