There aren’t many TV events bigger than the Olympics and the Super Bowl, which is why Hey! Nielsen likes to keep one eye on the world of sports for trendsetters, trend watchers, and tastemakers like the guys at the sports blog ScoresReport.com. Multi-sports enthusiasts Anthony Stalter and John Paulsen follow the scores and all the personalities who make and break the plays. Not only are we happy to have had them lend a few questions to our special Olympic Trivia-thon (you can win a Wii), but we’re happy that they took the time to answer some questions about what’s happening in the sports world. We also like the fact that it allows us to pretend we’re jocks instead of the giant pop-culture nerds we really are.

Was there something about mainstream sports sites you felt was lacking that led you to start this blog?
John Paulsen: Most sports blogs seem to be niche sites in that they follow a single team or sport. We wanted to create a national sports blog where the average sports fan could come and learn about the “big three” (football, basketball and baseball), while also staying informed about what’s going on in the less popular sports. Our focus is on intelligent, insightful analysis, but we’ll also have a little fun from time to time.

How do you feel the Olympics are going?
JP: Obviously, the major story thus far has been Michael Phelps and his incredible accomplishment of winning eight gold medals in one Olympiad. The swimming overall has been terrific, while gymnastics and beach volleyball have been compelling as well. The Redeem Team is off to a good start and Usain Bolt’s dramatic performance in the 100m sprint kicked track & field into high gear.

What’s been the most dramatic / interesting story so far with the games?
JP: Hands down, it has been Michael Phelps and his quest for history. There  will no doubt be some great storylines emerging over the next week, but the Bejing Olympics will be remembered for his “Phelpsian” feat.

What could make it better?
JP: I’d like to see the U.S. men’s basketball team overcome one or two serious challenges en route to a gold medal. Now that Phelps is done swimming, there needs to be enough excitement so that the next week isn’t a letdown.

What sport overall do you think is the most entertaining or has the most interesting athletes?
Anthony Stalter: This will come as no surprise for anybody who reads my coverage, but I love football. The NFL has become a year-round spectacle with the draft and free agency consuming January through June, to training camps and preseason games to the regular season and of course, the Super Bowl. Football is so popular and in my experience, offers some of the most unique personalities in any of the major sports. Fantasy football has exploded over the last few years, so even people who don’t watch football that closely are still hunting for information online so that they’re ready to win their leagues in the fall.

If you ran a sports network, what would you change or add as far as programming?
AS: I would try and bring the focus back on to the highlights and game analysis. I won’t mention any sports networks in particular, but it seems like nowadays the networks are always trying to be in your face with their coverage and thus have become so flashy that it’s taking away from the actual games. Just tell me the scores, show me the highlights and give me well-rounded opinions. I commend the current sports networks for trying to bring originally programming to viewers. But sometimes less is more.

JP: Just to add to what Anthony said, I think fans are being inundated with the marketing/advertising side of sports. A few years ago, the NFL went to a running clock for certain parts of the game, but broadcasts are still as long as ever. That just means we’re forced to watch more and more commercials. Companies are sponsoring every little aspect of the broadcast, and it can get distracting. From a programming point of view, I’d like to see more shows like HBO’s “Hard Knocks.” Getting an inside look at how a team prepares for (or during) a season makes for great drama.

Who do you think the best announcers are in sports?
AS: I think Mike Tirico does an amazing job no matter what event he’s covering. He always seems well prepared and gives insightful game commentary. I also like Bob Costas and Al Michaels for play-by-play announcing, and I appreciate Charles Barkley’s tell-it-like-it-is attitude. Believe it or not, for as sidetracked as he gets sometimes, John Madden knows the game of football. After not making sense for a minute and a half, he’ll say one thing that will be incredibly dead on and you think to yourself, “Where did that come from?”

JP: In the realm of basketball, I think Gus Johnson is an underrated play-by-play guy. He brings such excitement to the game and knows when to shut up. From a color commentary point of view, Jeff Van Gundy really knows his stuff and has a great sense of humor. In football, I like Chris Collinsworth’s delivery.

Do you think sports blogging is going to replace sports talk radio? What can sports blogging do that talk radio can’t?
AS: I worked for a sports radio station in Detroit (WDFN, AM1130) and no, I don’t think sports blogging will replace sports talk radio. When people are driving to work in the morning and driving home at night, they want their sports coverage. And there are a ton of incredible radio personalities in this country that people want to listen to. And even though they can share their opinions in blogging comment sections, people still get a thrill of being on live radio and debating sports. If anything, sports radio can help bloggers and vice versa.

What are the hottest topics/debates right now among your staff and readers? Where do you stand?
AS: Well for a week or two, I was about sick of all the Brett Favre coverage, but it was such a dynamic situation that you had to cover it from all angles. John Paulsen is a huge Packers fan, so it was nice to get his perspective on the team making more of an effort to retain him, while I was more neutral and discussed where he could eventually end up if Green Bay chose to trade him. It made our coverage on Favre more balanced.

Obviously, the Olympics are getting a lot of our attention as well, though nothing will trump football for the rest of the year. The MLB playoffs are coming up soon, so we’ll focus on that soon, too. (More specifically, which team(s) will come out of the AL East - the Rays, Red Sox or Yankees?)

What has been the best sports moment on TV in the last five years?
AS: There have been a lot of great ones, but I’ll go with Vince Young’s Rose Bowl performance over USC in 2006. The game itself was thrilling, but Young was extraordinary that night.

What about commercials? What’s the best sports-themed commercial you’ve seen recently?
NFL.com runs some great fantasy football commercials. I know this isn’t recent, but the commercial where the guy can’t say T.J. Houshmandzadeh is hilarious!


“Championship…”

JP: I like the ESPN fantasy football commercials where average Joes are talking to guys like Greg Jennings, Ryan Grant and Earnest Graham, only no one else can see them. Good stuff.

What’s the best trend in sports in general… and the worst.
AS: The worst has to be in football where a guy on special teams makes a tackle and he pops up like he just made the last play in the Super Bowl. I know these guys are pumped up and excited, but it’s one tackle, guys. Make the play and jog back to the sidelines like you’ve done it before.

Instant replay in baseball? Good idea?
AS: Absolutely. So many people are worried about it slowing down the game even more, but what’s more important - getting the right call on a home run or ending the game 15 minutes early? We have the technology to make the correct ruling on plays, so why not use it? For me, instant replay takes nothing away from the game and I think it’s a great idea.

So… Should Manny Ramirez cut his dredlocks?
AS: Although this will probably drive (LA Dodger coach) Joe Torre nuts, I think Manny should continue to be Manny. I don’t know what the length of a player’s hair
has to do with baseball, so I don’t even know why this is an issue anyway. I’m a big believer in following authority, but if Manny keeps crushing the ball like he’s doing, why would Torre or anyone else want to change him? Baseball players are so superstitious that if I were Torre, I would be afraid of messing with Manny’s psyche (if that’s even
possible).

Two movies opening this week have stirred up some chatter because of their content. One, being the sultry darkroom kiss between Penelope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson in Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

The other is Tropic Thunder which is drawing fire for the portrayal of people with disabilities in the movie.

The question is, does chatter or controversy over isolated bits of a film impact your decision to see a movie? Do protests actually draw more attention to the film than keep people away?

Also, we expect more people to be upset when Bill Maher releases his movie about religion. Check out his interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

Just a quick note to all you amateur and/or pro shutterbugs out there — our pals at Billboard and Photo District News are sponsoring a music photo contest. Find out how you can turn your music concert photos into major cash and prizes.

Billboard Photo Contest

Probably thinks those 'Mad Men' guys are too sensitive.

So far, in our Emmy Poll for outstanding Drama, curmudgeonly, chauvinistic caregiver House is ahead. What does this tell us about the state of health care in America? And what does it say that all of the nominated shows (including comedy) seem to thrive on characters with less-than-perfect personalities? The other shows nominated in Drama are, Damages, Boston Legal, Lost, Dexter, and Mad Men.  This week, we’re also running an Emmy Poll for outstanding Comedy series featuring 30 Rock, The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Two And A Half Men, and Entourage. Be sure to cast your vote!

We know that some of your favorite shows don’t always get nominated (um, or renewed), so be sure to tell us WHY your show is better than any of the nominated shows. Or, of course, why any of the nominated shows are worthy.

Aimee Carlson has one of those 21st Century dream jobs: getting paid to surf the web and watch videos. It’s up there with video game tester or ice cream taster. Carlson is the US Creative Director for Dailymotion.com, an international viral video site that has built up a community of budding filmmakers, animators, and content creators from around the globe. Aimee took a break from staring at the screen to… stare at the screen and share her thoughts, and favorite videos!

What’s your day like at Dailymotion? How do you decide what to feature on the site?
The day usually begins and ends with me slapping on my headphones to dive into all of the recently uploaded videos from our Official Users and Motionmakers. I program videos across 18 channels organized by interest (Music, Sports, Film & TV etc) and change the homepage every day. I keep an RSS of profiles I can feature videos from - and it’s an extremely diverse list. I get to choose videos from huge media companies like MTV Networks, to online-exclusive content from Next New Networks, For Your Imagination, Vuguru, or MyDamnChannel, music videos from record labels of all sizes, and user generated content from our Motionmaker program. The homepage is purely editorial, so I’m picking content that would appeal to a broad range of interests, with an emphasis on video that is of extremely good quality and exceptionally creative.

Because of Dailymotion’s commitment to respecting copyright laws, we feature only videos from our Official Users and our Motionmakers. Our Official Users are professional content providers, and their online presence is usually not the only part of their business. Record labels, magazines, marketing companies, TV studios, and sports organizations are all included in the Official User program. Motionmakers are what make our site unique. These are users who are uploading professional-quality videos, but don’t have the backing of larger organizations. Their primary goal is usually exposure - and they represent all of the artists, musicians, filmmakers, reporters, and athletes who are raising the bar for what we think of when we think about Consumer Generated Media.

What have been some of the your favorite user submitted videos lately?
We recently ran an animation contest on the site and got some extraordinary submissions. We worked closely with Loren Bouchard, the animator behind Adult Swim shows “Lucy Daughter of the Devil” and “Home Movies” - Loren created the call-for-upload video, and judged the contest. The prize was a development deal with Loren. The winner of the contest was a young animator named Daniel Cardenas, and his winning submission remains one of my favorite videos on the site - ever.

We also have some excellent licensed music videos from indie labels both in the US and other countries that I think we help our users discover through programming:

This Motionmaker is inspired by the French music site La Blogotheque. His other videos are Athens, GA versions of La Blogotheque’s take-away shows; but he also made this beautiful music video:

This is a Motionmaker who made an innovative cover of “Umbrella” - and filmed it in a way to showcase that he plays every instrument he uses in the song:

This video was recorded using MacBook webcams:

A French Britney Spears parody band called The Spears made an amazing video about Britney’s downfall. It’s hilarious and charming. And it’s a great illustration of what’s so unique about Dailymotion. We originated in Paris, and have a huge international audience - but it’s really a global community of creative web producers. A video like this works in the US because it’s about an icon like Britney. But we also have wonderful films from international Motionmakers that have no language in them, so they play wonderfully to an international audience. And it’s nice to be able to promote their work and introduce them to an American audience:

Remi Gaillard is a French performance artist whose videos work anywhere - this video is a classic.

We have localized homepages in the US, France, UK, Germany, Poland, Spain, Italy, Russia, Belgium, a catchall International page and are adding more localizations. With that in mind, just as I can feature cool videos from our other countries, I get to suggest features for each of the other homepages. Again, videos without any dialog are universal and work great. It’s nice to be able to write to a Motionmaker to tell them - not only is your video blowing up in the US, but you now have fans in these other countries - and wild untranslated comments to go with it!

What are some of the ways people use the site besides entertainment? Are businesses using it as a promotional tool?
Absolutely. Online marketing is huge, and sometimes some really excellent videos come out of it - in fact, most of the big virals in recent weeks have been a result of online marketing, like the Levi’s pants jumping video. The best promotional videos are either really random, high-production videos that look like viral videos, but are in fact, the online equivalent of a Superbowl commercial - or, when marketers distribute full, compelling clips of TV shows or Films or great music videos. Entertainment is entertainment - if a marketer provides a hot trailer or a really great clip, I may put it on the homepage.

Do you feel breaking the site down into channels makes it easier for users to find specific content?
We try to move users around Dailymotion to point them to relevant content through the channel programming. Currently, our homepage features 18 channels with one featured video per channel. When you click on each channel, you get a featured history - so we’re presenting our past recommendations to the user as well. We have some developments underway to expand on the channel experience. Unfortunately, I can’t get into too many specifics - but I’m very excited about the idea that if you come to Dailymotion to see, for example, great Arts videos, I’ll be able to point you to a diverse offering of high quality videos across any number of possible subgenres within Arts. Each channel has the potential to become a destination rather than limiting our entry point to the homepage.

What’s the most common feedback you get from users?
I’ve learned that our Motionmakers are primarily interested in exposure, and ultimately of course, money! But I feel that everyone knows that web video has made a lot of stars, but not so much money for individuals. I also think it’s very interesting that currently, most web video creators are using internet exposure to ‘move up’ to traditional media. It makes sense from an ‘internet as star-making’ perspective - what with representatives from every major agency scouting on the web, and network development deals for series like Quarterlife (and if you haven’t seen Independent Comedy Network’s spoof: 2/8 Life)

The concept of verticals from Film & TV to the web and back is very easy for consumers to wrap their heads around - at least until the money starts to really shake out for web video. And I think it will - in fact, it already is.

The challenge is, what incentives do we provide to our Motionmakers while the dollars catch up? We’re trying to help them get that exposure through participating in established showcases like the Viral Film Festival and organizing our own. We’re doing a screening of comedy videos this month and inviting influencers in the comedy, web video, and film/tv worlds to check out our Motionmakers’ work. Future Motionmaker events will follow for the arts and music. And the contests we run on the site focus on meaningful mentorships as well as traditional prizing. In addition to the animation contest I mentioned earlier, we ran a very successful sketch comedy competition with producer Jim Biederman of Kids in the Hall and The Whitest Kids U Know, and the winners, a NYC based sketch group called the Dregs, won a development deal with Jim.

How do you combat the flow of content that is copyrighted? What is your policy?
We are probably the most progressive company in setting copyright protection policies and technologies. We have implemented audio filters and video fingerprinting from the leading technology providers. We are also signatories - along with Viacom, Disney and others - of the Copyright Principles that outline how to best protect copyrighted content on the Web.

What has been the reaction to the 18+ channel you have?
If Dailymotion is offering a wide range of channels to cater to a number of interests, the Flirt and Sexy channels are just another way to organize that content. We have a family filter in place to protect users who aren’t interested in that experience - it’s similar to a cable system where you have a wide variety of content, with channel blocking for family-safe viewing.

Where do you see consumer generated media heading in the next five years… or maybe even just five months!?
We’re emphasizing premium content though our Official User and Motionmaker programs as well as programming because we feel there is a clear distinction between user generated personal videos and user generated entertainment from professionals and semi-professionals. Individual entertainers will be become even more important as they continue to create more content specifically for the web.

We’re doing out part to kick off the biggest global sporting event of the year — the 2008 Summer Olympics — by launching a greuling trivia contest based around the Olympics. Dozens of fanatic sports bloggers have contributed some very challenging questions (we hope you’re up on your fencing trivia!). A gold medal prize of a Nintendo Wii stocked with sports games awaits the winner. Find out more about the prizes, the rules, and the great sports bloggers that helped us build this brain-busting challenge.

PLAY NOW

Not a member? JOIN NOW. It’s free, painless, and fun.

Today, The Nielsen Company issued the first in what we’re calling “three-screen reports” that monitor how Americans are viewing entertainment on TV, the web, and on mobile devices. According to the report:

Screen time of the average American continues to increase with TV users watching more TV than ever before (127 hrs, 15 min per month), while also spending 9% more time using the Internet (26 hrs, 26 min per month) from last year.  At the same time, a small but growing number of Internet and mobile phone users are watching video online (2 hrs, 19 min per month), as well as using their cell phones to watch video (3 hrs, 15 min per month).

The New York Times takes a closer look… you can read it on your mobile phone or computer.

Do you find yourself watching more TV, viewing more online video, and streaming more media on your phone as compared to a year ago?

Class Clown: The godfather of politically incorrect comedy, George Carlin, passed away this weekend at the age of 71. Fans no doubt will gather to recite seven dirty words to pay their respects.

But who really was George Carlin? He explains it better than anyone:

Bad Karma: A steady flow of bad reviews perhaps kept viewers away from The Love Guru, the new Mike Myers movie (which the the NY Times called “antifunny“). The flick opened in fourth place while the big-screen version of the spy vs. spy tv show Get Smart nabbed the #1 spot.

Shutter Thugs: A group of surfers tangles with photographers trying to snap pictures of a shirtless (surprise!) Matthew McConaughey. Oh, and two years later, Woody Harrelson gets sued for allegedly assaulting a photographer and breaking his video camera.

What R U Debating Now?: Political soundbites and spin are being reduced to 140 characters of text as the Obama and McCain camps go at it, Twitter style.

We’re at it again with a prize-packed, summer-themed quiz covering music and movies — 25 brain-teasers to test the depth of your pop culture brain.

We’ll pick a winner from members who have the most correct answers (check the Official Rules).

Prizes include an iPod Touch (yes, that’s the cool one), a year’s worth of Netflix DVDs, movie tickets, and credits for movie and music downloads.

Have a great summer and good luck!

TAKE THE QUIZ

If you find yourself trapped in the house this summer due to heat waves, rising gas prices, or just general agoraphobia, there are a handful of fresh reality/game-based shows aimed at keeping your interest. Check out a selection of these new shows that have just debuted or are scheduled to land soon. Be among the first to make an opinion on these by following the links below.

Million Dollar Password: TV’s Million Dollar Game Show emcee of choice, Regis Philbin, hosts this update of the classic game show ‘Password,’ where celebrities help contestants win as much as, you guessed it, one million dollars.

Legally Blonde The Musical - The Search For Elle Woods: The movie that was based on a book and then became a musical is now a TV show that sets out to find the lead for the musical… which we’re guessing is probably going to be made into another movie, which will be turned into…

Greatest American Dog: Who doesn’t love a stupid pet trick? If this show catches on, perhaps they’ll expand it internationally to include more than American Dogs… but maybe German Shepherds, French Poodles, and Irish Wolfhounds are already eligible for this show through some sort of international work visa program — we’re not sure.

Celebrity Circus: So You Think You Can Trapeze? This series follows the famous and semi-famous in their quest to be circus stars. We’re afraid of clowns, so you’ll have to watch and tell us how it is.

Wipeout: Braving mud and more across extreme obstacle courses, two dozen contestants each week compete for $50,000.

I Survived A Japanese Game Show: Americans travel abroad to compete in / be humiliated by a zany Japanese Game Show for cash prizes… probably a good deal considering the exchange rate.

Hopkins: No fun and games here… a documentary crew was allowed to follow a team at the famous Johns Hopkins Hospital for this gritty six-part series.

High School Musical: Get In The Picture: Singer, celebrity dancer, and now reality show host Nick Lachey oversees a talent search for the next round of High School Musical stars. Can a show about their eager stage moms fawning over Nick be far behind?