1) Maybe this will make us the world class city we're always talking about
What would you think about Seattle hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics? Apparently Seattle officials are entering into "informal talks" with the U.S. Olympic committee – I guess just meeting casually at a Starbucks, wearing polo shirts and khakis -- just to get an idea of what would be involved in taking this on. I think we already know what would be involved: a traffic nightmare, and a lot of money! They do say a lot of our infrastructure improvements will be finished by 2024, like the Alaskan Way tunnel, the 520 Bridge and the Link Light Rail expansion, and we could use lots of existing venues, from Safeco and Century Link Field to Husky Stadium to Comcast Arena in Everett and ShoWare Center in Kent (a stately Olympic venue if there ever was one!) and they could even give Emerald Downs a makeover for equestrian events.
I really don't want to be a wet blanket, and I know we're always looking for ways to prove to ourselves that we are, indeed, a "world class city," but I'm very skeptical that Seattleites would really be okay with the expense and the hassles that an endeavor like this would entail.But maybe I'm wrong -- I'd love to get your thoughts on The Mountain's Facebook page. Did I mention the traffic?
2) In case you've run out of ways to drop a few grand in Las Vegas
If you’ve always had dreams of rock stardom, maybe you need to go to Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp in Las Vegas. We’re only two weeks away from your chance to jam out with Def Leppard. I guess they do these camps all the time, but this one is really big – over the course of four days, you’ll be placed in a band and mentored by real musicians, you’ll hang out with the members of Def Leppard, you’ll see them play live at the Hard Rock in Vegas, and you’ll play live on stage at the end of the weekend, performing the songs you learned at camp. Oh yeah, and it costs $5,999. Maybe this will get you revved up for it:
If you've got an extra six grand burning a hole in your pocket, get all the details here.
3) Step away from the NCAA Tournament, leave your house, and go to a movie this weekend
Going to see a movie this weekend? Well, there's Admission. Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Michael Sheen . . . . A straight-laced Princeton University admissions officer makes a recruiting visit to an alternative high school run by her former college classmate, and she's on her way to romance and fulfillment. And I guess the child she gave up for adoption 18 years ago shows up, too. Here’s my question – do you want to see Tina Fey do drama? I’m not sure that’s what people want from Tina Fey. So, possible conceptual flaw in this film.
And then there's Olympus Has Fallen. Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart, Angela Bassett, and Ashley Judd. The White House (Code Name: "Olympus") is captured by a terrorist mastermind and the President is kidnapped. The only guy who can save the day is a disgraced former Secret Service agent who's trapped in the building, so it becomes his mission to retake the White House, save the President and avert global disaster. It’s kinda like Air Force One, only it's not in the air. And -- spoiler alert – just like in Air Force One, I hear the President ends up punching out the terrorist. With his bare fists. It could happen.
