TVSquad

It could have been worse. It was a 90-minute premiere.

There was a time when I would have watched a show like this, in the 70s or maybe the 80s, when real celebrities would be involved instead of reality show stars. They were fun shows. I watched the first 60 minutes of The Superstars and then sort of snapped out of it, thinking, why am I watching this? Nothing really happened, and I decided I wouldn't care at all if anything did happen. Who cares if Jennifer Capriati loses a bike race?

Wipeout is mindless entertainment. The Superstars is stupid entertainment.

ABC had an earlier version of The Superstars, many years ago, and if I remember correctly the celebrities they had were actually stars. Tonight's celeb list includes David Charvet, Estella Warren, Dan Cortese, and Julio Iglesias (Junior). But at least the athletes are pretty well known. Skier Bode Miller and tennis player Jennifer Capriati should be interesting to watch, and Terrell Owens is there for some reality competition show drama.

The Olympics are obviously coming to an end. NBC is the only channel airing Olympic coverage today and it's devoting much of that coverage to two Olympians who have been hyped but have yet to win a gold medal.

Apolo Anton Ohno has two sprints, in the 500m and the men's relay races on the short track. So far during these games, Apolo has won a bronze medal.

Also, we may finally hear the last of Bode Miller after he races in the slalom:

Three nights of ice dancing? No wonder ratings are down for the Olympics. Tonight promises to be the final night of ice dancing, with the free skate. Americans Tanith Belbin and and Ben Agosto are in second place, thanks to some falls by the top teams yesterday.

Big-mouthed Bode Miller is back on the slopes, this time in the Giant Slalom. The real talent here, still flying under the radar even after winning a gold medal, is Park City's Ted Ligety. And a cool spectacle tonight will be the men's aerials ski competition.

And, after all these days of hockey, the women of Canada and Sweden will play each other for the gold.

Here's the schedule on all of NBC's networks:

Thankfully, we're getting a break from all forms of figure skating. Daytime events include women's Cross Country, men's and women's Biathlon, and a live match of hockey where the USA men take on Slovakia. Seriously consider catching a curling match on USA when the American men take on Germany.

Primetime coverage is where all the excitement is supposed to be. American speed skaters Chad Hedrick and Joey Cheek each have a gold medal and tonight they'll race each other, plus American Shani Davis, for another one in the 1000m. Apolo Anton Ohno also is in that is in a separate race. Skiers Bode Miller and Daron Rahlves hit the slopes in pursuit of that elusive gold medal.

Here's the schedule on all of NBC's networks:

That's right, sports fans. We're already on day five of the Olympics. Tonight on NBC, the men take to the ice. You've got to check out Russian skater Yevgeny Plushenko just for his inflated ego. With his quadruple jump combinations, the guy comes in as a top contender for a gold medal. He is also the star of the Sex Bomb exhibition where he skates in a flesh-colored costume and dances to Tom Jones. I kid you not.

Also tonight, overexposed American skier Bode Miller is back on the slopes in the men's combined downhill and slalom. Hopefully he got to bed early last night.

Here's the schedule on all NBC stations:

Some big names in competition today. On the slopes, Americans Bode Miller and Daron Rahlves hope they can hold back Austrian hot shot Alpine Skier Hermann Maier, who is on a mission to win since he missed the Salt Lake City games due to a motorcycle accident. Seattle native Apolo Anton Ohno (and his soul patch) go for the gold in the same race that caused controversy in SLC when he won after a South Korean speed skater was disqualified for interfering with Ohno during the race. But, the real spectacle of the night will hopefully be top-rated, red-haired, American snowboarder Shaun White, a.k.a. The Flying Tomato, as he goes for the gold on the half-pipe.

Here's today's Olympic schedule:

The winter Olympics begin this evening with the opening ceremonies on NBC. That means, for the next two weeks, you'll hear a lot of people chanting, "USA! USA!"

Personally, I love the Olympics. I let myself get caught up in the drama and the action, even though I'm definitely not a sports fan any other time of the year. The most popular sport during the winter Olympics by far is figure skating, specifically women's or pairs skating. Here, I'm listing the other sports that I will definitely be watching:

Like many TV viewers, I get a little miffed every couple of years when the Olympics take over a network's schedule. I don't begrudge the athletes their TV time, it's just that the Olympics take a couple of weeks, and that means that shows you like are going to be preempted.

NBC has the Olympics again, starting February 10 and running through the 26th. Which means that shows like The Biggest Loser and Joey and E-Ring are taking a couple of weeks off. Oh, wait a second, maybe this isn't a bad thing...

Of course, I'm kidding, because NBC also happens to have The Office, My Name Is Earl, Scrubs, and The West Wing too (the Surface season finale airs this Monday). But if you're not into the Olympics, it's just something you'll have to live with until late February/early March, when the shows return on a regular schedule. (Of course, I say this, but I know I'll get sucked into the Games...)

So, are you watching the Olympics this year? What events are you most interested in? Are people being too hard on Bode Miller? And if you have no interest in the Olympics, what shows are you going to miss the most?