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All the big names in entertainment come to Utah . . . and freeze By
Brian Tibbets How does it feel to be a part of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics? Thousands of people from around the globe came to Utah with divergent goals, emotions, nomenclature and status, but they were all united by one common impression: It's cold here. Devon Harris, original Jamaican bobsledder, was excited to be here and be part of the hustle and bustle. Harris said, "It's fun to see the competitions from a distance. I don't have to stress about doing a good job." Harris retired from bobsledding after the Nagano Olympics to New York, where he is now a financial planner and educational motivational speaker. Ross Powers, gold-winning snowboarder, was still in a half-daze moments before receiving his medal. When asked how it felt to win gold, Powers said, "Thanks man, thanks for all the support." He then turned back to the screen waiting for his name to pop up. The cold was starting to affect his ears. He needed to light the fire within. Jamie Jones and Delious, lead singers from All 4 One, were honored to be here. After a captivating performance singing hits including I Swear and I Can Love You Like That, they mingled with the crowd for pictures and autographs. Jones said, "It's beautiful here, the people are all so nice. I wish we could stay for the games, but we have another show back home." L.A.-based All 4 One was only in Salt Lake for their one performance. All 4 One's half-sloshed manager said to my wife, "You like 'em, they'll sing at your wedding for 50 grand." Some people resorted to firewater to light the fire within. Rick Sinese (Sneez), drummer for the Dixie Chicks, was soaking up all the Olympics he could. He collected pins to put on his accreditation neckband. Sneez said, "I'm not going to trade these pins, I want them to show my friends and family back home all the stuff I got to do. This place rocks." The Foo Fighters showed up in a fury. Or maybe their music is supposed to be that way. By any means they had too much fire within. After an ear-bleeding hour of wrath and rage, the Fighters decided to get the Foo out of there. Gus Brandt, their manager, said, "My guys are pumped to play at the Olympics, but I think they came mostly for the free snowboarding." Free snowboarding? I must have missed the line for that one. In contrast with the Foo Thrashers, Ben Taylor, son of James Taylor, came with all the mellow you could grip. Taylor played some original songs that will debut on his new album this spring. Album name TBA. Former NBA player Thurl Bailey was at the governor's reception, singing. It's not too often you see seven feet of human singing. Bailey did a great job warming up the crowd after they froze at the opening ceremonies. Frankie was stage manager at the Olympic Medals Plaza (OMP). Frankie was in charge of making sure everyone was where they were supposed to be at the right time. He worked with SIR, the company contracted to set and run the stage for the OMP. Frankie said, "It's f*@!in' great to be here, it's f*@!in' cold, but it's f*@!in' great." I'm thankful my ears were affected by the cold too so that I couldn't understand him. All in all the Olympic scene was a great one. There were no major problems. Everyone received gold medals, even those in second place. Security was great. Rick McCullah, FBI director, said, "I don't think we'll run into any trouble, we've got every inch covered." He must have been talking about snow. With any luck Utah will get the Olympics again. Let's hope it's in July.
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