E!'s
"Gymnastic Superstars" follows in the footsteps of NBC's coverage of gymnastics
during the Atlanta games. Namely, America is everything, America is the best, and
there never was anyone else. Add a little of E!'s Hollywood style and you get an
hour of fluff. The program is hosted by Mary Lou Retton.
Nadia Comaneci is the only non American gymnast to be featured. Her presence is due more for the fact that she is still active in gymnastics, and lives in the United States, rather than her accomplishments (Olga Korbut was simply a still photo). And there is NO olympic footage, both for Nadia and the other gymnasts featured. Such omissions shows E!'s production budget and editorial decisions.
But on to the good stuff...Nadia. While brief, Nadia and Bart chat a bit in their gym and walk down the street. It's always great seeing Nadia looking happy and relaxed. She answers the usual stock question, "How did it feel to score the first 10?", talks about falling in love with Bart Conner, and getting married.
Nadia's segment was very short, and was used more as a link for Bela Karolyi to set up the Mary Lou Retton sequence.
Overall, the program was very superficial, but at least we got to see Nadia again.