Catch the fever

OK...so we haven't been very dedicated bloggers lately. But it's not our fault! All the celebs have been behaving themselves. Even the L.A. police chief agrees. Britney and Lindsay seem to be outgrowing their wild child ways. Heck, Paris is planning a run for the White, er, Pink House.

So what are we poor bloggers to do? Watch the Olympics, of course! It's what all the cool kids are doing. NBC, which has exclusive rights to the games, reported that 157 million people -- that's more than half the U.S. population -- watched some Olympic action on one of eight outlets.

I (Heather) have always been a sucker for the Olympics and especially the Summer Games. This year is no different. Maybe it's because I've actually participated in some of these sports (swimming and volleyball though nowhere near Olympic level) that I find them so compelling. But then again, as much I as love watching U.S. beach volleyball champs Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor bump, set and spike in the sand, I'm equally fascinated by whitewater canoeing -- the only canoeing I'm familiar with is what you do on Current River. The Olympics have it all: pagentry, competition, human interest, even celebs in the form of the NBA stars on several countries' basketball teams, the Williams sisters and Roger Federer in tennis, and gold medal magnet Michael Phelps in the pool.

If you saw the 4x100 men's freestyle relay and didn't scream when Jason Lezak stormed from behind to out-touch a Frenchman -- who had been bragging about beating Team USA -- to win the gold and shatter the world record, you can't get excited about anything. But the Olympics aren't all about winning and the medal count. I watched an Israeli swimmer, who only made the Olympics when someone else was disqualifed, compete in a prelimary heat despite the fact that his father had died days before. He didn't advance, but he didn't finish last. And, he said, it's what his father would've wanted.

NBC and its affiliates -- including USA Network, MSNBC, CNBC, Oxygen and Bravo -- are airing Olympic coverage almost nonstop. So put on some red, white and blue and cheer on Team USA. I will be.