MTV’s ‘Over The Bolts’ Brings The Country’s Top Snowboarders Into Your Home

MTV Over The BoltsIf you mixed “The Hills” with TSN, you’d get “Over the Bolts,” MTV Canada’s brand new reality show that documents the country’s national snowboard team as they vie for 18 Olympic spots.

The show premieres this Sunday at 10 p.m. on MTV, but we got to see the first two episodes before its debut. And let’s just say you can already set the Tivo because “Over the Bolts” is as addictive as they come!

Michael Lambert, one of the country’s top snowboarders who stars in the show, admits there’s just something about reality TV that gets you hooked. “One of my friends was on the show ‘The City,’ Duncan Davies, so I enjoyed watching it and watching him interact with his girlfriend and stuff like that,” shares the athlete. “I think the dangerous thing about any of those TV shows is you can say ‘even though I may not watch them, every one of them is addictive.’ I could just watch two episodes and I could be hooked on any of them,” he laughs.

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Michael Phelps Revealed to be Drinking Before Accident

Michael PhelpsAmerican Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps admitted to police he had a beer an hour and 15 minutes before he was involved in a car accident last Thursday in Maryland, reports Perez Hilton. Police, however, have ruled out alcohol as the cause of the collision, saying Phelps showed “no signsof alcohol impairment.” They deemed sobriety tests unnecessary at the scene of the accident.

The other driver, Amanda E. Virkus, caused the accident by running a red light.

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NBC Looks Back At Beijing Olympics

Can’t wait until 2010 for your next Olympics fix?

Here’s your chance to relive highlights from this summer’s Games, when NBC airs a two-hour primetime special about the Beijing Olympics on Dec. 27.

“Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony: TV Event of the Year” will be hosted by Bob Costas and Matt Lauer, who also covered the opening ceremony when it took place on Aug. 8.

An estimated 2 billion people worldwide watched the dazzling display of fireworks, music and synchronized performances, which culminated in the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron.

In addition, the special will take a look back at some of the biggest Olympics moments, including Michael Phelps’ record-setting performance.

It will also take a brief look forward at the 2010 Winter Olympics, which will be held in Vancouver.


Beijing Olympics Drew 4.7 Billion Viewers

About 70 per cent of the Earth’s population watched the Beijing Olympics, making it the most-viewed Games in history.

According to data released Friday by Nielsen Media Research, 4.7 billion people watched some portion of the Games in between the Aug. 8 opening ceremonies and the extinguishing of the flame Aug. 24.

That smashed the previous record of 3.9 billion viewers for the 2004 Athens Olympics.

China topped the list of countries in terms of viewing percentage, with 94 percent of its population of 1.3 billion people tuning in to the Games.

Close behind was South Korea with a 94 per cent audience reach in its much smaller population, and Mexico with a 93 per cent audience reach.

Nielsen said the estimates were based on data its companies and partner firms collected in 37 markets around the world.


Oprah To Welcome Olympic Athletes

Over 150 U.S. Olympic team members will help kick off the 23rd season of “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

A number of gold medalists are among the special guests at the Sept. 2 taping in Chicago’s Millennium Park, including record-breaking swimmer Michael Phelps, gymnast Nastia Liukin, beach volleyball teammates Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, and basketball players Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Lisa Leslie.

Winfrey’s company, Harpo Productions, said the episode will be a “welcome-home celebration” for the athletes, as well as a chance to put the spotlight on Chicago as the city bids for the 2016 Olympics Games.

The season premiere of Winfrey’s talk show airs Sept. 8.

Fans of Phelps, who took home eight gold medals at this year’s Games, can catch the 23-year-old swimmer again that night when he appears on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

As previously reported, he will also present an award at the Sept. 7 MTV VMAs, host the Sept. 13 season premiere of “Saturday Night Live” and release a book in December.


Flipsyde Benefiting from Olympics

Flipsyde may be a small-town band, but they’re fulfilling big dreams.

The members of Flipsyde, the four-member eclectic band from Oakland, California, were playing in small garages and basements until they got their big break.

Illustrious talent scout Martin Kierszenbaum ? who recently started his own personal music label, Cherrytree Records ? stumbled upon a musical gem. He spoke to Flipsyde’s manager on the day the band was already auditioning for Interscope competitor Warner Bros.. Not sure whether it was luck or coincidence, and not waiting to find out, Kierszenbaum signed Flipsyde on the spot.

They recorded their first album with Cherrytree/Interscope Records called “We the People,” an LP originally released in Summer 2005, but re-released when NBC’s Winter Olympic advertising team picked up their track “Someday,” and took it straight to the skating rink. NBC filmed the band’s music video for the single, which simultaneously showed off Flipsyde’s talent and showcased the Torino games.

Flipsyde had finally arrived and CD sales and media appearances reflected their newfound fame.

Flipside appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, performed at the Winter X Games, and rubbed elbows with artists like Snoop Dog and Black Eyed Peas in a cross-Europe tour. The band’s hob-knobbing and quick rise to celebrity was not only a sign that good things were in the cards, but clearly spelled success.

?It?s beautiful thing, our fans love us,” says Piper, Flipsyde’s auspicious emcee. “We?ve been writing and coming up with stuff for a while. We were just lucky to get Jimmy Iovine to take interest in us.?

Flipsyde also received much of their popularity in Europe, with their “Happy Birthday” single charting well in Scandanavia, and rated the number three most downloaded song on iTunes in Sweden. “We the People” not only received attention from media moguls, but fans seemed to be hooked on Flipsyde’s unique sound. The album entered Billboard’s Top Heatseekers chart at 43, in January.

It’s no wonder that listeners don’t want to change the dial; Flipsyde seems to have something that fans have been waiting for. With edgy lyrics and instrumentals, Flipsyde sings about real life experiences and political issues. The band takes a unique alternative covering social issues, drug abuse and poverty, making their music as diverse as their band members.

Piper rhymes with strong conviction and politically motivated lyrics. Steve Knight is the band’s lead singer who?s sandy and rough-edged vocals inspire music-lovers of all walk of life. Dave Lopez plucks acoustic and electric guitar strings with a sensual South American sound and Deejay D Sharp ties tracks together with solid record scratches and impeccable flair.

?Our music comes from the soul. We?re influenced by life. Our group is really diverse, I mean, Steve is a white boy from Alabama, and I?m half Brazilian. Our head guitarist is from Chile, D Sharp is a Oakland boy and a hip-hop head,? says Piper. “We’re all about breaking down the barriers out there, we’re not focussing on close-minded people. We do music for us.”

Lead singer, Steve Knight agrees. He believes that they stand out from other bands already in the industry. ?I think we?re a new kind of music. I call it Slash music. We?re rock, slash hip-hop, slash soul…we?ve got the best of all worlds,? says Knight. ?We do our own thing. We?re not worried about bling bling, we?re just trying to make our own music that our fans can relate to.”

Steve Knight puts his real-life experiences to sheet paper and wrote their breakout single.

He wrote “Someday” when he was at a low point in his life. He decided to use the song to motivate others.

“I was involved with drugs, I had no concrete future. I wrote that and it inspired me to make better for myself. We?re making music to open their minds and to make people think. People can educate themselves and realize that the world is bigger than they are. There are other issues out there,? says Knight.

Flipsyde is still reeling from their quick rise to fame, but the surrealness of it isn’t leaving them dazed or confused. Although the members of Flipsyde have received a lot of attention from major media players like NBC and others, they say their newfound celebrity won?t change their music.

?I?m gonna do what inspires me, and what inspires people. If mainstream success changes our music then it wouldn?t be real anymore,? says Knight.

Flipsyde’s rise to fame is far from over and the group has several projects and performances lined up. The band is talking about another album, and is focused on touring their home turf, the United States. They also plan to tour with funky hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas again and perform with the sensual female posse, The Pussycat Dolls, on the Honda Civic Tour in March.

“We can?t wait to see our fans. We get so much energy from them, the love is amazing,? says Piper.

For more information on Flipsyde, visit flipsyde.com or check out their MySpace profile.


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