America's First Family of Curling deserves ... a Duck Dynasty–style family reality show.
Siblings Erika and Craig Brown were born into a curling family: their parents have won two national titles together, and their father is one of America's most decorated curlers. Sochi will be Erika's third Olympics and Craig's first, and Erika is married to a world-champion curler, too. The show could be calledCurling Up With the Browns, and it could educate us all about the wonderful world of curling.
Oscar Pistorius, a.k.a. the Blade Runner (sprinter, 2012 Olympics), should get a … procedural.
There is surely already a Law & Order episode in the works about Pistorius, who was the first double-leg amputee to ever participate in the Olympics and who was then arrested for the murder of his girlfriend in 2013. (He shot her through the bathroom door; he claims it was self-defense.) A season-long procedural might have to get flexible with the details — some sort of conspiracy should probably be involved (if it isn’t already!) — but this seems like a ready-made cable drama, right down the unusual accents.![]()
Usain Bolt (sprinter, 2004, 2008, 2012) should get a … reality show.
A by-no-means-comprehensive summary of the activities chronicled on the very charismatic Bolt’s Instagram: motorbike racing in Jamaica; cooking with Jamie Oliver; playing the piano; crashing a wedding in Paris; reviewing the Drake album; meeting Jay Z; purchasing Call of Duty; winning a bunch of medals. Don’t you want to watch this show?
A by-no-means-comprehensive summary of the activities chronicled on the very charismatic Bolt’s Instagram: motorbike racing in Jamaica; cooking with Jamie Oliver; playing the piano; crashing a wedding in Paris; reviewing the Drake album; meeting Jay Z; purchasing Call of Duty; winning a bunch of medals. Don’t you want to watch this show?
Surya Bonaly (figure skating, 1992, 1994, 1998) should get … a biopic
During figure skating's nineties heyday, Bonaly stood out not just for her talent, but also because she wore unusual bodysuits and frequently skated to avant-garde music (or nature sounds). She also has a pretty fascinating backstory: She was already a decorated tumbler when a figure-skating coach discovered her at 10, and that coach created a fake story about Surya's origins to garner media attention. (This 1995 profile of Bonaly is riveting.) Whatever demure princess-y image we might associate with female figure skaters never seemed like it applied to Surya, and in her final program at the Nagano Olympics, she performed an illegal backflip — as a fuck-you to judges.
The 1996 Atlanta Bombing should be … an action film.
ESPN just released a "30 for 30" short on Richard Jewell, the security guard who was falsely accused of the 1996 bombing at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta. It is excellent, but it’s only part of the story; Jewell was later exonerated and Eric Rudolph, the real bomber, was arrested after living in the woods for several years. The bombing, the false accusations, the dramatic hunt for the radical anti-abortion fugitive: Your action film is already written.
Rest of the list at the Source
OMG @ Actor! Chow. Will The Gabby Douglas Story be as cheesy as Flowers as the Attic ONTD?