After a solid week of watching the Olympics, I’ve practically become an armchair expert on all things Games-related. And if you’ve been glued to your set, I’ll bet you know what I mean.
I can tell you little-known facts about Sochi, Bob Costas’ eye infection, and/or the intricacies of snowboarding, figure skating, snowboard cross, biathlon, etc. I’ve learned massive trivia about all sorts of sports. You want to talk about how important the twizzles are in the short program of the ice dancing competition or how to “meld” into the sled on the skeleton? You got it.
I’ve also become an expert on the commercials. Have you noticed that it’s the same two dozen ads played over and over? My kids are tired of them, but the repetition has given me time to perfect my ranking in one of my favorite pastimes — The “Whose Voice?” game.
Ever hear a certain commercial and think, ‘Huh. Is that Tim Allen talking about how wonderful it is to vacation in ‘pure Michigan’ — even in the winter?” Odds are, it probably is.
So far, here are my guesses for which celebrities are lending their voices to the following commercials:
Preliminary round: The iPad Air commercial that quotes the movie Dead Poet’s Society? That’s Robin Williams.
Qualifier round: The Visa ad that promises that someone will be able to go to the Olympics for the rest of their lives? Those are the unmistakably dulcet tones of Morgan Freeman.
Semifinals: This round’s a little trickier — that Enterprise car rental commercial? I had to close my eyes to picture this one — that’s Tom Selleck.
And the finals — for the podium. Who voiced the Nationwide commercial (the one with all the heart-shapes throughout it)? It took me a while, but I think I’ve got it pinned down. I’m going with Julia Roberts.
Want to play too and become an armchair athlete in your own right? You know they are going to rerun all of those ads throughout the next week, so check me and see if you agree with my answers.
Do you ever try to figure out who is voicing over the commercials? It’s one of my favorite things to do while watching TV — along with knitting. Sock update next time around…
the thing about joan... 
You’re so right on all of those, I think. I’ve really started to notice the celebrity voice-overs in all the commercials. Too funny.
Favorite game ever!
I immediately thought Robin Williams in the IPad Air but there is just a hint of Burgess Meredith that kind of confused me. Got the Tom Selleck and Morgan Freeman ones right off. Don’t recall seeing the Nationwide one, I’ll look out for it. What about the Jeep Cherokee? My guess is George Clooney.
Yeah, I’ve had trouble with the Jeep Cherokee one. The voice is familiar — maybe that guy from Parenthood (um, Peter Krause, I think is his name). That one has me stumped.
It’s the best game though, isn’t it? I love trying to match the celebrity with the voice over.