WHO IS
TOM DALEY
Now if you have been stranded on a desert island for a number of years you may not have heard this name - so let me explain.
Tom Daley is a British Diver from Plymouth.
His picture appears everywhere - his videos on Youtube and television.
Girls swoon, gay men salivate, and various commercial interests jostle to shower him with gifts in the hope that he will sponsor their products.
But what actually goes on under that spiky mop of hair ?
Who is Tom Daley ?
DIVING - a little bit of history
Diving has never been a popular sport - even swimming is not particularly popular.
When you watch it, if you blink, then you miss it ! - and you have to wait for the slow motion replay.
The slow motion replay is not what really happens, however.
A dive lasts seconds, and only so-called 'experts' can really decide which is a good dive and which is a really great, medal winning dive.
The slow motion replay is not what really happens, however.
A dive lasts seconds, and only so-called 'experts' can really decide which is a good dive and which is a really great, medal winning dive.
It was known as "fancy diving" for the acrobatic stunts performed by divers during the dive, such as somersaults and twists.
Nobody, however, (except for divers, their relatives, friends and 'groupies') was really interested in the sport until the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.
At the Summer Olympics in Berlin, four diving events were contested, two for men, and two for women. The competitions were held from Monday August 10, 1936 to Saturday August 15, 1936.
The 1936 Olympic Games was unique because it was the first Games to be recorded on film.
(It was also the first Olympic Games to feature a 'Torch Relay' - and Nazi invention !)
Leni Riefenstahl was chosen to document the Summer Olympics, which were held in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany.
The film was released in two parts: 'Olympia 1. Teil — Fest der Völker' (Festival of Nations) and 'Olympia 2. Teil — Fest der Schönheit' (Festival of Beauty).
Many advanced motion picture techniques, which later became industry standards but which were groundbreaking at the time, were employed —including unusual camera angles, smash cuts, extreme close-ups, placing tracking shot rails within the bleachers, and the like.
The film appears on many lists of the greatest films of all-time, including 'Time' magazine's "All Time 100 Movies."
The most spectacular section of the documentary featured the diving events - and why ? - because the divers were shown in 'slow motion' - the first 'slow motion action replay'.
From then on people began to take a little more notice of the sport of diving, but it still languished well near the bottom of the popularity rating for sports.
That is until Tom Daley !
TOM DALEY
TOM DALEY
Thomas Robert Daley was born on 21 May 1994, in Plymouth, England.
His mother was a receptionist and his father had been a taxi-driver.
His mother was a receptionist and his father had been a taxi-driver.
He started diving at the age of seven, and is a member of Plymouth Diving Club.
He made an impact in national and international competition at an early age.
It was his youthfulness that attracted people's attention to begin with - he was undoubtedly a bit of a prodigy, competing with divers many years his senior, and often beating them.
His photos appeared on Google, and his videos appeared on Youtube and he was occasionally reported in national newspapers.
To begin with he looked a bit 'goofy', - skinny, and with wired teeth.
As time passed, however, he began to gain an unnaturally developed physique for a boy of his age, and started to gradually change from 'goofy' to 'cute' - and eventually, of course, he was transformed into 'sexy'.
He was diving at an international level when he was nine, and still 'goofy' and skinny, but once he got into his teens he started to put on muscle, wear speedos that were a couple of sizes too small, and started to get his photo in the newspapers, and on the internet.
The question is how much of this publicity and public exposure was deliberate - and who engineered it ?
Now what about Jack Laugher ? Google him and you get about thirty photos - tellingly interspersed with photos of Tom ! - And a year or so ago you would turn up only a couple of photos.
Now Jack is a good looking lad, and wears equally revealing speedos - so how come Tom got so much publicity - right from the beginning ?
So let's go back to the beginning.
Thomas Robert "Tom" Daley was born on 21 May 1994 in Plymouth.
He was undoubtedly the cuckoo in the nest.
He seemed, and seems, to share very little in common with his two brothers, Ben and Will.
They do not share with him his good looks, confidence, athletic abilities or physique.
If anything Tom is most like his mother, Debbie.
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Of course Tom is special not just because of his good looks, confidence, athletic abilities or physique, but because of his diving.
And here we come up against the ironic mystery of this boy - by his own admission he's frightened of heights !
'I still get scared every time I go up there.'
'I still get scared every time I go up there.'
Now what drives a boy, who is terrified of heights, to climb all those steps, and end up on the edge, - with thirty feet (ten meters) of empty space between him and a body of water which, from that height, will have the consistency of soggy concrete ?
And when Tom dives from the 10m board he is airborne for less than two seconds, and he enters the water at 34mph.
And when Tom dives from the 10m board he is airborne for less than two seconds, and he enters the water at 34mph.
This is obviously the meaning of the significant quote by J M Barrie, from Tom's auto-biography - 'Courage is the thing. All goes if courage goes.'
But to stand on that board - wearing only a tiny pair of Speedos - with thousands - maybe millions of people watching you - is either a terrible ordeal for the shy and nervous - or the ultimate thrill for the egotistical narcissist.
If this is the reason for Tom's obsession with the diving board then he may be on of those unfortunate individuals who exalts himself above all other things as being the only true reality, yet in doing this locks himself in a tragic torment of a undeclared loneliness - which may even be outside his concious awareness.
To pursue the theme of loneliness we should consider Tom's partners - or more correctly 'sidekicks'.
There was Blake Aldridge.
Blake, much older than Tom, accompanied Tom the the Bejing Games.
During the Games, the pair messed up their entries on their inward three-and-a-half somersault, failing to find the splash-free 'rip' that judges look for in a dive.
But it was not the dive itself but the reaction of the two divers afterwards.
It was as if the spark had gone out of them, and they had already resigned themselves to defeat.
The body language changed about halfway through the contest and the partnership began to dissolve.
They were in the shower together and weren't even talking to each other, and that indicated that they thought they had blown a dive and were out of it.
They should have known, better because in the next round three teams all blew a dive.
All Tom and Blake had to do was bounce back with a really good dive and they could have been back in the mix.
Blake blamed Tom, and he was probably right.
Tom was undoubtedly too young and too inexperienced for the Beijing Olympics.
Tom, rather stupidly, blamed Blake, despite the fact that Blake was an older and far more experienced athlete.
Very foolishly Robert Daley then got involved, and viciously criticized Blake Aldridge.
Of course Robert felt that he had to - after all, he had been 'pushing' Tom for years, believing the boy to be 'the greatest diver ever'.
So Blake was out.
In February 2009, Tom's father, Robert Daley, told BBC Devon, "If it was up to me, Tom would get a new partner".
Just how much influence did Robert Daley have over the national coaches ?
So, to placate Rob, a new 'partner' was selected for Tom - someone rather more compliant and amenable - Max Brick (see right).
Interestingly, Blake then mysteriously started getting into trouble - and some have suggested that he was being 'set-up' by 'persons unknown' for having supposedly ruined Tom's chances at the Beijing Games.
Regardless, Blake has continued to send Tom emails and texts congratulating him on his subsequent achievements - and expressing his sympathy when Tom's father, Robert, died - and 'sweet little' Tom never ever replied !
And even in his autobiography, 'My Story', Tom continued to criticise Blake - who was neither forgiven nor forgotten.
However, when Tom was asked if they're still friends, he said, "Yeah! Yeah, we still get on really well. We've never really spoken about what happened. We've kind of just like left it, and like forgot it happened, kind of thing." ?
However, when Tom was asked if they're still friends, he said, "Yeah! Yeah, we still get on really well. We've never really spoken about what happened. We've kind of just like left it, and like forgot it happened, kind of thing." ?
Max Brick, Tom's new partner, however, didn't last that long, and was replaced with Pete Waterfield.
Speculation in the 'diving world', however, is that the partnership between Tom and Pete Waterfield will probably not continue for long after the 2012 Games, particularly if medals are not won.
LOST CHILDHOOD - LOST CHILD
LOST CHILDHOOD - LOST CHILD
And so we come to the matter of Tom's friends.
Tom often refers to his friends when he Tweets, or on Facebook - but rarely names them.
Two school friends are mentioned - Sophie Lee and Harriet Jones - and there is Jack Laugher and Max Brick.
There is of course Tonia Couch - a fellow diver.
Tonia has said she had been a confidante to Tom about all kinds of things over the years, from the perils of being a teenager to more serious matters - like helping him when his father died in May last year.
But as the years have passed, the relationship has changed - and now the 'goofy, squeaky' boy is one of the world's most highly-regarded divers - and no longer a little boy.
‘I used to be able to beat him up but now he’s too strong,' said Tonia
'He’s a big boy, so heavy-handed. I started off by looking after him and now he looks after me.’
And one must puzzle over the phrase 'so heavy handed'.
But Tom never seems to have had a 'best friend' - something that is usually very important to teenage boys and girls - a close 'same sex' friend who is is confidant, and some one who shares many of the adventures of a young person's teenage years.
Strangely, it seems that Robert Daley took on the role of Tom's 'best friend' - after all Robert was with Tom for much of the boy's time.
As the years went by, however, Tom seemed to 'outgrow' his father - and as Robert became ill, Tom's fame and increasing 'sophistication' made their relationship just a little less close - although since Robert Daley's untimely death Tom would probably deny such a possibility.
This lack of a 'best friend', however, is indicative of another problem - a lost childhood.
This seems to be concomitant with youngsters who are discovered to be unusually talented. Michael Jackson is a case in point - and it is significant that Tom quotes J M Barry (author of 'Peter Pan') in his autobiography, while Michael Jackson was obsessed by the concept of Peter Pan.
Justified or not, the suspicion lingers that Robert Daley was somehow living out his own dreams through Tom never quite goes away.
Tom was undoubtedly a 'child sports star', and is now a 'teen sports star' - or more precisely a 'teen soft-porn pinup'.
The track record of child sports stars turning into well-rounded, contented adults is not always an encouraging one.
Think of Jennifer Capriati, who made her professional debut on the women's tennis tour at just 13 in 1989 and was in the top 10 by the time she was 14.
Three years later, the "Can't Miss Kid" had dropped out, been arrested for shoplifting and possession of marijuana, and has gone on to have a troubled adult history with drugs.
Tom, so far, has managed to stay on the straight and narrow, but his problems will undoubtedly loom when his diving days are over - which may not be too far in the future.
Until recently, after school every weekday, Tom has done an hour and a half of homework, and then trained for four hours in the gym (see left and right - rare photos of Tom Daley training) and the pool, before going home to do more homework.
But on Saturday evenings he goes out with his 'friends' to a restaurant or round someone's house to watch the 'X Factor' (X Factor ? - that's the highlight of his week ?).
When Tom was asked to name the wildest, naughtiest thing he'd done, he was genuinely confused. - His reply - 'There hasn't really been anything.' (that was, of course, before he re-tweeted Reece Masser's tweet - effectively calling on his fans to pour abuse on a vulnerable individual with psychiatric problems).
(And what would a psychiatrist deduce from such an answer - given by a teenager who says 'hello' to his deceased father's ashes every morning ?).
(And what would a psychiatrist deduce from such an answer - given by a teenager who says 'hello' to his deceased father's ashes every morning ?).
Now the average teenage boy would say something like - 'Too many to count' - but Tom's self assessment of himself, in his deepest heart, is a cross between an super-star, an adonis and a saint - although publicly he insists he's 'just like everybody else'.
And with that we are back to the reference to Peter Pan of 'the monstrous egotism, which can fill the soul with a triumphant sense of delight, echoing Peter Pan's cry, - I am youth ! I am joy !'
Obviously Tom has never smoked, or taken recreational drugs, and on the rare occasions when he has gone to a party, he only drinks Coke or orange juice.
This, of course, is no normal childhood, and no normal child or teenager - but Tom has benefited materially from all this deprivation - a car, an expensive watch and a ring, a published book with a nice fat advance, more clothes than he knows what to do with, and a very, very big, fat bank balance.
But at what cost ? Tom himself has bewailed the fact that he has never had a normal school-life, and his friendships, because of this, have been weak, and lacking the intensity which is normal for most teenagers.
And it is for this reason that Tom's father, Robert, became such a looming figure in Tom's relatively brief life.
But Robert Daley developed cancer, and after five years succumbed from the disease.
Robert Daley was, in Tom’s words ‘my best friend, sounding board, taxi driver and biggest champion’.
But father's are not supposed to be their son's 'friend' (despite the pathetic attempts of some 21st Century fathers) - they are, surprising as it may seem, supposed to be a father !
After all, there are things a teenage boy would confide to his best friend that he would never say to his father - and that's the point !
At the last of Tom's diving events that Robert Daley was able to attend he was wearing a T-shirt which read: "Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning."
Tom said after the event: "I am his oil." An amazingly egotistical (and maudlin) remark to say the least.
And that is not a good situation.
If anything it should be the other way round.
So after Robert Daley died Tom kept his father's ashes in a gold, heart-shaped container in his bedroom, and touches it every morning when he says 'hello'.
Now this is a bit creepy, and not really normal.
It has echoes of Queen Victoria clutching Albert's night-shirt to he as she slept, or Miss Havisham clinging to her wedding dress.
There is, about Tom's behaviour, a whiff of unfinished business - and maybe even a touch of guilt.
He definitely seems to be unable to let go. (Nor can the rest of the family it seems - both brothers and Debbie have identical gold hearts containing Rob's ashes).
Why not scatter the ashes in a favourite place of Rob's, and make that the 'last goodbye' ? - after all - it's something that all of us have to do with regard to someone at some point in our lives - and often, sadly, more than once.
But then one is assailed by unpleasant doubts - doubts that surface about many aspects of 'the Tom Daley story'.
These are doubts that one doesn't really want to entertain.
It would be more polite and less disturbing maybe to take the whole story at face value - but then ....
An example of this unease comes from Debbie Daley herself:
'Despite his photogenic good looks, Tom is not vain' (?), says Debbie.
‘He doesn’t use fake tan or sunbeds.
He moisturises because if he doesn’t the chlorine dries out his skin, but that’s his limit.
The one thing he worries about is whether his teeth are white enough. I tell him if they were any whiter he’d look really freaky.’
Now Tom's perpetual tan is obviously not natural.
When he was young, and started diving he was almost white (see left).
Then he got tanned (see right), and stayed tanned summer or winter - and that's just not possible without fake tans or sunbeds.
And what's wrong with tanning cream or sunbeds anyway ?
Why the attempt, contrary to the evidence, to make out that 'our Tom' is completely and perfectly 'natural'.
And the capped (crowned) teeth are far too white and regular, so they do look very 'freaky' regardless (at £300 to £400 per tooth).
Matched with these remarks about Tom's appearance is the statement by Tom that he has never done anything really wild or naughty - never smoked, drunk alcohol, taken drugs, always done his homework and his training.
(see above)
And combined with this is his 'Preppie', well groomed appearance, and apparent politeness and good humour, and you have a story that is really just too good to be true !
(No wonder Tom was bullied at school !)
And the reason why this anodyne image is presented to the world in general ?
Well obviously - it sells incredibly well !
THE GRAVY TRAIN
THE GRAVY TRAIN
What most people probably don't realise, however, is the degree of control there is over Tom's image.
Robert Daley was often depicted as the doting father, although Rob was never short of an opinion, and often dominated interviews. Debbie Daley is usually depicted as the cuddly mum, but both Debbie and Rob were instrumental and intent on presenting their son to the world as the clean-living, well-behaved schoolboy - the sweet young 'boy next door' in order to sell his image - jealously controlling Tom's images and interviews.
Later, Tom's parents signed a 'deal' with Jamie Cunningham (now Tom's éminence grise - see left), the CEO of Professional Sports Group, an Abu Dhabi based public relations company (see right).
It has never been 'stated' exactly when this deal was made, and it only really became public knowledge with the showing of the BBC Documentary on Tom, when, surprisingly, Jamie Cunningham actually made an appearance.
Because Tom was under-age when the original 'deal' was made, he had no say in what was happening, and equally therefore, he had no say in the various sponsorship deals which were made, presumably with the approval of Robert and Debbie Daley, by Professional Sports Group on his behalf.
Tom refers to his 'agents' at Professional Sports Group - Michela Chiappa, Charlotte Hallam and Jamie Cunningham - in his autobiography.
He explains that they 'organise his life' and 'help everything move forward'.
It would be interesting to know exactly who these people are, and what is in it - financially - for them.
Equally, it would be interesting to know just how much of what Tom says, does and even writes originates with him - in other words - what degree of autonomy does he have.
Tom refers to his 'agents' at Professional Sports Group - Michela Chiappa, Charlotte Hallam and Jamie Cunningham - in his autobiography.
He explains that they 'organise his life' and 'help everything move forward'.
It would be interesting to know exactly who these people are, and what is in it - financially - for them.
Equally, it would be interesting to know just how much of what Tom says, does and even writes originates with him - in other words - what degree of autonomy does he have.
A list of Tom's sponsors are to be found on the official Tom Daley website http://www.tomdaley.tv/sponsors/, (why 'TV' ? - it's not a TV channel, but a website) - however this does not include 'under the counter' sponsors, and the many products which are marketed to Tom's financial benefit.
One of Tom's sponsors is Nestlé - and Tom's official website has the following blurb about the company
'Tom is a member of Team Nestlé, a group of elite athletes Nestlé is working with between 2008 and 2012.
Nestlé is the world’s leading nutrition, health and wellness company.
Team Nestlé are supporting the company’s strategic “Good Food, Good Life” position as well as helping the business achieve world-class performance.'
Now it's really difficult to read this with a straight face !
The company, which produces Aero, After Eight, Caramac, KitKat, Quality Street, Rolo, Smarties, Häagen-Dazs ice cream, Mövenpick Ice Cream to name just a few products, actually has the cheek to call itself a 'leading nutrition, health and wellness company'.
How products consisting mainly of fat and sugar (empty calories which are a major contributing factor to obesity, heart disease and diabetes) can be described as promoting health and wellness is almost beyond belief.
And notice how the name 'Team Nestlé' gives the impression that a multinational company pedalling unhealthy food can present itself as a healthy sporting organisation.
Apparently financially supporting some athletes, (and getting them to advertise Nestlé products) makes up for all the ill-health and obesity caused by so many of Nestlé's products.
To be fair, Tom promotes a project called 'Get Set, Go Free' with Nestlé to encourage families to tackle a new sport together - while they tuck into their sugar and fat laden snacks.
Tom says, 'I guess 'Get Set, Go Free' is getting families to be active and have fun and try something they wouldn’t normally try and become good at it.'
To be fair, Tom promotes a project called 'Get Set, Go Free' with Nestlé to encourage families to tackle a new sport together - while they tuck into their sugar and fat laden snacks.
Tom says, 'I guess 'Get Set, Go Free' is getting families to be active and have fun and try something they wouldn’t normally try and become good at it.'
Another of Tom's sponsors is BMW MINI, and Tom, a BMW London 2012 Performance Team member, took delivery of a new MINI One D Hatch (manufactured in Munich by BMW) after his 17th birthday (see right).
BMW MINI was chosen by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) as the Official Automotive Partner - German company for British Olympics ?+-+BMW+MINI+-+Tom+Daley+-+Adolf+Hitler+-+Dr+Joseph+Gobbles.png)
Guenther Quandt (see left), the founder of BMW, (Bayerische Motoren Werke AG - Bavarian Motor Works), was a member of the Nazi party and benefited from its 'Aryanisation' programme by taking over Jewish firms.His wife, Magda Behrend Quandt, later divorced him and married Joseph Goebbels, with whom she died in Hitler's bunker in 1945.
Quandt factories employed 50,000 slave labourers to churn out weapons and ammunition for the Nazis during World War Two, making the family very, very rich.The Quandt family, at the time of the London 2012 Olympics, still retains the majority of shares in BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke AG).
Tom, who presumably is ignorant of the Nazi past of BMW, just like he's probably ignorant of the Nazi past of Adidas®, is supposed to have said on recieving this free car, (to you and me about £20,000), “Like every other 17 year old I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of my first car, but in my case having my driving licence will be a huge help in my training and preparation schedule for the Olympic Games.
When I learn a new dive, it’s all about practising until I get it right.
When I learn a new dive, it’s all about practising until I get it right.
I’ll apply the same practice and determination to learning to drive.”
And why do we think that someone from Professional Sports Group wrote that script for Tom ?
And, of course, a 'birthday present' of £20,000 avoids some problems with one's personal Tax Code.
The most well known of Tom's sponsors is Adidas®. - and here's what they have to say:'Adidas have a clear, simple and unwavering passion for sport. Benefitting from 50 years of innovation and creation adidas continue to stay at the forefront of technology. Adidas are the official sportswear partner to the London Olympics Games in 2012 and have been involved in the Olympics since 1928.'
Adidas AG is a German sports clothing manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company (including Ashworth), and Rockport.
Besides sports footwear, Adidas® also produces other products such as bags, shirts, watches, eyewear, and other sports- and clothing-related goods.
Adidas® is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe and the second biggest sportswear manufacturer in the world.
Rudi (Rudolf) and Adi (Adolf) Dassler, founders of the company, were both members of the Nazi Party !
Adidas®, is a sponsor of the London 2012 Olympics, and the makers of Team GB kit.
Makes sense - a German company making kit for Team GB !
Unfortunately the Adidas® diving trunks that Tom is wearing for the Games (he still manages to wear them at least two sizes too small) are no where as 'sexy' as those made by Speedo® - but then Speedo® are specialists in swimwear.
Tom is also sponsored (given money) by British Swimming
(British Swimming is the National Governing Body for Diving in the UK and supports Tom on the World Class funded programme.)
Tom is also given money by the UK Sport Lottery Fund,
(UK Sport, the nation’s elite sports agency, provides support to talented athletes to realise their potential).
So just remember that when you go to buy your lottery ticket your'e giving money to one of the most 'well-heeled' teenagers in the country !
But its not only the 'official' sponsors, mentioned on Tom's webpage that give him money - he also gets money from numerous 'side-deals' - and many of those are very lucrative.
For example - perhaps you would like an 'official' Olympic 'signed' and framed photo of Tom.
Well you can get one from icons.com. - and it will only cost you £79.99 !
But it's not actually an Olympic photo (despite the Olympic team GB logo) because Tom is wearing Speedo® trunks, and the Olympic trunks are Adidas® !
And we wonder what percentage of the £79.99 Tom will get ?
According to the website Tom was paid for his signature - which they claim is genuine ?
If you can't quite afford eighty quid, then you can have something more modest like a Tom Daley key-ring for just £2-00 from EAS Merchandise.
If you want to dive like Tom without getting wet and struggling into tiny speedos you can dive on your ipad or iphone - and give Tom even more cash.
The app is called 'Tom Daley Dive 2012', and is available for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch game.
The app, which is free to download, allows you to use gesture movements in order to perform Olympic-standard dives from a variety of locations.
Several of the dives are available in the free version of the application, while others can be unlocked through a one-off in-app purchase of 69p.
Tom was involved in the game's approval process throughout its development.
The London software company Chelsea Apps Factory worked closely with the teenager, and have highlighted the fact that he has a staggering one million Twitter followers in China alone as good cause to get a dedicated title out there.
Tom is quoted as saying "Apps are one of the best things about having a phone, and I jumped at the chance to create my own. There are no good diving games out there and I love how this game has turned out: it looks great and feels very realistic – although I’m a bit nervous my own score won’t make the on-line leader-board ! If the game helps raise awareness of diving and gets people excited about the Olympics this year, I’ll be really pleased."
Of course Tom's made most money in his eighteenth year from Penguin books.
Tom Daley's ‘life story’ was released to coincide with his 18th birthday, is said to have netted him a £300,000 advance - and of course he will continue to receive royalties for as long as the book is in print.
The gushing blurb reads as follows:
'Enter the enthralling world of Olympian Tom Daley.
Tom had hearts in mouths when he dived at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, where he won two gold medals.
He is one of Britain's gleaming hopes for gold at the London 2012 Olympics, but there is also a heartbreaking and inspiring story of a young athlete coping with the death of his father whilst under the glare of the world's media spotlight.
In this, Tom's first official memoir, he offers unprecedented access to the pressures, challenges and fascinating experiences of a world-class Olympian.
From his day-to-day schedule, to his hobbies and family life, to sharing his hopes and dreams in the build up to the London Olympics, this book offers a unique chance to get close to Tom.
Featuring exclusive photography and published simultaneously as a hardback and enhanced e-book, this will be the ultimate book for the 2012 Olympics.'
Interestingly, this first book by the young British diver Tom Daley, started out priced at £16:99, and within a week or so had plummeted to £7:46 (a drop of 54%).
Although the photos are good - the text could be a little more interesting - and a little more revealing.
Apparently Georgina Rodgers, Jonnathan Harris and Dan Bunyard (editor) all had a hand in producing the final text.
Tom is also made available for photo-shoots and 'personal appearances'.
When asked how many personal appearances they have arranged for for him the chilly response was -
‘We do not discuss them. They are closed corporate events and not advertised.’
With that the phone was slammed down.
However, like all media personalities, Tom will receive a substantial sum for each appearance.
Photo-shoots are more public - what's the use of taking pics of Tom if you don't publish them. However, a numbers of fashion photo-shoot pics have disappeared from the web - for reasons best know to those responsible.
Obviously once the images become outdated - unfashionable - they become a liability, and are, wherever possible, consigned to oblivion.
The most recent was the 'Fabulous Magazine' photo-shoot, which took advantage of the fact that Tom was over eighteen, and presented him in a more sexually explicit manner.
The photos, to say the least, were somewhat tacky, showing him in a wet T-shirt and jeans.
And that’s not the only magazine cover he’s graced recently, having appeared on the front of 'Style' a fortnight ago in a white shirt pulled open to the waist, and in Vogue with Kate Moss.
And then there's the gifts.
Keith White (see right), managing director of 'Michael Spiers', a local jewellery outlet in Plymouth, chose to give (?) Tom Daley the 'Omega Seamaster Diver 300' watch, worth £2500.00, as worn by James Bond.
Kieth White also gave Tom a hand made, solid gold ring, designed in the shape of the five interlocking Olympic circles.
Very nice, but isn't a little suspect for an adult man to give a teenage boy a gold ring, with all the possible implications that such a gift involves.
And you would have thought that Robert Daley (Tom's father - who was still alive at the time) would have vetoed such a gift, particularly as Tom was under eighteen - after all, there are those rumours about Tom being 'gay'.
The ring itself looks like an elegant and very expensive knuckle-duster, and would have been a useful weapon against the kids who bullied him at school.
Tom's remark about the ring (in reference to the boys at school who bullied him) was - “Yeah, smack ’em with that, and they’d remember it for the rest of their life.”
Now that definitely slipped out - and is not at all in keeping with the sweet 'boy next door' image that Jamie Cunningham and Tom's 'minders' at Professional Sports Group are so desperate to project.
Unfortunately the Adidas® diving trunks that Tom is wearing for the Games (he still manages to wear them at least two sizes too small) are no where as 'sexy' as those made by Speedo® - but then Speedo® are specialists in swimwear.
Tom is also sponsored (given money) by British Swimming(British Swimming is the National Governing Body for Diving in the UK and supports Tom on the World Class funded programme.)
Tom is also given money by the UK Sport Lottery Fund,
(UK Sport, the nation’s elite sports agency, provides support to talented athletes to realise their potential).
So just remember that when you go to buy your lottery ticket your'e giving money to one of the most 'well-heeled' teenagers in the country !
For example - perhaps you would like an 'official' Olympic 'signed' and framed photo of Tom.
Well you can get one from icons.com. - and it will only cost you £79.99 !But it's not actually an Olympic photo (despite the Olympic team GB logo) because Tom is wearing Speedo® trunks, and the Olympic trunks are Adidas® !
And we wonder what percentage of the £79.99 Tom will get ?
According to the website Tom was paid for his signature - which they claim is genuine ?
If you can't quite afford eighty quid, then you can have something more modest like a Tom Daley key-ring for just £2-00 from EAS Merchandise.
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| note the tan which Debbie Daley denies |
The app is called 'Tom Daley Dive 2012', and is available for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch game.
The app, which is free to download, allows you to use gesture movements in order to perform Olympic-standard dives from a variety of locations.
Several of the dives are available in the free version of the application, while others can be unlocked through a one-off in-app purchase of 69p.
Tom was involved in the game's approval process throughout its development.
The London software company Chelsea Apps Factory worked closely with the teenager, and have highlighted the fact that he has a staggering one million Twitter followers in China alone as good cause to get a dedicated title out there.Tom is quoted as saying "Apps are one of the best things about having a phone, and I jumped at the chance to create my own. There are no good diving games out there and I love how this game has turned out: it looks great and feels very realistic – although I’m a bit nervous my own score won’t make the on-line leader-board ! If the game helps raise awareness of diving and gets people excited about the Olympics this year, I’ll be really pleased."
Of course Tom's made most money in his eighteenth year from Penguin books.Tom Daley's ‘life story’ was released to coincide with his 18th birthday, is said to have netted him a £300,000 advance - and of course he will continue to receive royalties for as long as the book is in print.
The gushing blurb reads as follows:
'Enter the enthralling world of Olympian Tom Daley.
Tom had hearts in mouths when he dived at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, where he won two gold medals.
He is one of Britain's gleaming hopes for gold at the London 2012 Olympics, but there is also a heartbreaking and inspiring story of a young athlete coping with the death of his father whilst under the glare of the world's media spotlight.
In this, Tom's first official memoir, he offers unprecedented access to the pressures, challenges and fascinating experiences of a world-class Olympian.From his day-to-day schedule, to his hobbies and family life, to sharing his hopes and dreams in the build up to the London Olympics, this book offers a unique chance to get close to Tom.
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| the author's signed copy |
Interestingly, this first book by the young British diver Tom Daley, started out priced at £16:99, and within a week or so had plummeted to £7:46 (a drop of 54%).
Although the photos are good - the text could be a little more interesting - and a little more revealing.
Apparently Georgina Rodgers, Jonnathan Harris and Dan Bunyard (editor) all had a hand in producing the final text.
Tom is also made available for photo-shoots and 'personal appearances'.
When asked how many personal appearances they have arranged for for him the chilly response was -
‘We do not discuss them. They are closed corporate events and not advertised.’
With that the phone was slammed down.
However, like all media personalities, Tom will receive a substantial sum for each appearance.
Photo-shoots are more public - what's the use of taking pics of Tom if you don't publish them. However, a numbers of fashion photo-shoot pics have disappeared from the web - for reasons best know to those responsible.
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The most recent was the 'Fabulous Magazine' photo-shoot, which took advantage of the fact that Tom was over eighteen, and presented him in a more sexually explicit manner.
The photos, to say the least, were somewhat tacky, showing him in a wet T-shirt and jeans.
The accompanying headline said: ‘Sexy and we know it ! Woah ! We blinked when Tom Daley just totally grew up. So how’s the Olympian enjoying his new heart-throb status ? He’s lapping it up ?.?.?.’
And that’s not the only magazine cover he’s graced recently, having appeared on the front of 'Style' a fortnight ago in a white shirt pulled open to the waist, and in Vogue with Kate Moss.
On the inside pages, he took his latest step in emulating David Beckham’s crossover from sport to fashion, modelling among other outfits a £1,200 Prada blazer and £210 Gucci sunglasses in a glossy magazine photo-shoot - items he gets to keep after the 'shoot' of course.
He has also appears in the celebrity magazine 'Heat', in which the ‘dishy Olympic diver’ is pictured reclining on a red sofa by the sea wearing only swimming trunks (yet again).
Tom has also modeled Calvin Klein and Harriet Jones.And then there's the gifts.
Keith White (see right), managing director of 'Michael Spiers', a local jewellery outlet in Plymouth, chose to give (?) Tom Daley the 'Omega Seamaster Diver 300' watch, worth £2500.00, as worn by James Bond.Kieth White also gave Tom a hand made, solid gold ring, designed in the shape of the five interlocking Olympic circles.
Very nice, but isn't a little suspect for an adult man to give a teenage boy a gold ring, with all the possible implications that such a gift involves.
And you would have thought that Robert Daley (Tom's father - who was still alive at the time) would have vetoed such a gift, particularly as Tom was under eighteen - after all, there are those rumours about Tom being 'gay'.The ring itself looks like an elegant and very expensive knuckle-duster, and would have been a useful weapon against the kids who bullied him at school.
Tom's remark about the ring (in reference to the boys at school who bullied him) was - “Yeah, smack ’em with that, and they’d remember it for the rest of their life.”
Now that definitely slipped out - and is not at all in keeping with the sweet 'boy next door' image that Jamie Cunningham and Tom's 'minders' at Professional Sports Group are so desperate to project.
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Tom Daley and Pete Waterfield missed out on an Olympic medal in the synchronised 10m platform event after coming fourth at the Aquatics Centre.
The Chinese had a 19-point advantage over the home favourites and increased the gap between them and the pursuing pack with a 92.66 off a back three-and-a-half somersault in the penultimate round.
When their final dive - a back two-and-a half somersault with two-and-a half twists - scored them no more than 91.80 for a total of 454.65, their fourth place was confirmed.
Tom Daley, one of the best-known British athletes competing in London, will now pin his medal hopes on the solo 10m platform competition on Friday, 10 August.
Pete Waterfield was competing at his fourth Games, and had previously won a synchro diving silver medal with his former partner Leon Taylor (see right) in Athens in 2004.
Perhaps on this occasion Waterfield was paired with the wrong partner.
30th July 2012 - Olympic Aquatic Centre
Daley, 18, and his 31-year-old team-mate had led the competition after three of their six dives but a poor next effort saw them drop to fourth.
The all-important fourth-round dive was, ironically, their best dive, but Tom came out too early.
Daley and Waterfield still had realistic hopes of a medal, but Daley was fractionally off on their extremely testing forward four-and-a-half somersault.
China's Yuan Cao and Yanquan Zhang took gold with a total score of 486.78.
Mexico clinched silver on 468.90 ahead of the United States duo on 463.47 with the British pair on 454.65.
Pete Waterfield was competing at his fourth Games, and had previously won a synchro diving silver medal with his former partner Leon Taylor (see right) in Athens in 2004.
Perhaps on this occasion Waterfield was paired with the wrong partner.
Tom Daley - Olympic Aquatic Centre - London 2012
Maybe a little too 'cute' for his own good ?
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31 July 2012
BEWARE ! - if you use the internet - the 'Thought Police' are on alert.It may be 2012 - but really it's 1984 !
If you are a follower of Tom Daley on Twitter be very, very careful what you tweet !
While Tom loves to use Twitter to tell us, almost minute by minute, what he is doing, and uses it to make money by 'casually' dropping into his tweets references to his many sponsors' products, you are not permitted to make perfectly reasonable comments if they in any way 'upset' or 'disturb' 'our Tom'.
Adulation with regard to Tom is fine, but anything that is a little bit negative is seen as malicious 'abuse' in this politically correct madhouse we call GB.
(Political correctness is, in fact, a definition of a totalitarian society)
The Tweet in question was, 'You let your dad down, I hope you know that.' - sent by a 17 year old boy - who subsequently apologised to Tom for the original Tweet.
Now how could that be construed as malicious ? - it just a matter of opinion - verging on fact.
But instead of ignoring the insensitive Tweet (how many harassing and irritating trolls must Daley have ?), Tom decided to RT it (re-tweet), with the message: ‘After giving it my all...you get idiot's sending me this...’.
Tom must have known that one or two of his 792,000 fans would leap to his defence.
Perhaps at this point we should remember what George Orwell had to say about freedom of speech and expression -
'If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they don't want to hear.'
Subsequent to the initial tweets by Reece Messer, (who lives in a Weymouth bedsit and suffers from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - ADHD), supporters of Tom Daley sent the 17 year old numerous vicious, obscene homophobic tweets (and none of daley's supporters were arrested) - implying that Messer was 'gay' on the basis of his profile photo, (see left) - If Messer's profile photo is proof of homosexuality, then what can we say about Daley's own photos (Fabulous Magazine ?), and his fluffy toy strewn bedroom).
It all sounds like a very stupid, and nasty, kiddy's argument.
What Reece did and said was foolish, insensitive and immature.
Quite possibly, it was even a transgression of Malicious Communications Act 1988, but this would never have escalated into a criminal investigation and arrest if Tom Daley had simply decided to turn the other cheek.
But then it is possible that he was 'instructed' not to turn the other cheek, and this is interesting, because what is strange about this 'Tweet mania' is the fact that after the Beijing debacle there was an equally frantic media scrum - on that occasion about the row between Blake Aldridge and Robert Daley - which later involved the police (as in the present case), as Blake appeared to be 'fitted up' on more than one occasion - (by whom one might wonder).
It seems that when Tom 'falls short', and doesn't come up with the goods, then 'his people' immediately set in motion a diversion - to take attention away from Tom's poor performance.
This, of course, conveniently ignores Tom's own 'abuse' of 邱波 (Qiu Bo), whom Tom described as a 'robot' - which is about as 'abusive' and demeaning as you can get, (it also could be interpreted as racist - but then 邱波 is Chinese so political correctness doesn't matter ?).And Qiu Bo now has a problem.
If he beats Tom in the 10 meter solo, then he may be accused of upsetting Tom, - risking possible arrest ?
But to be serious, Tom, laid himself open to the sort of attack that occurred on Twitter by telling the media that, “I’ve got to try to win the medal first, but definitely I’d dedicate it to him." him here being the late Robert Daley.
Tom's 'mentors' at Professional Sports Group have been encouraging him to repeatedly refer to his father's death, in the autobiography, the BBC Documentary, and in various media interviews, even to the extent of revealing that Tom keeps his father's ashes in his bedroom - ('creepy' to say the least)
The reason - simple - to get sympathy for Tom, so that if his bid for medals comes to nothing, then he would have the excuse of his father's death - and the media would still love him, and 'Brand Daley' would continue from strength to strength, regardless of a diving shambles at the Game, and Professional Sports Group, and Jamie Cunningham would continue to make lots of money.
The Tweet in question, from Cunningham's point of view was 'heaven sent'.
A huge wave of sympathy could be created from the idea of poor little Tom being 'abused and bullied', and this would sweep away the fact that it was Professional Sports Group's determination to create a crescendo of advertising hype, using Tom, just before the Games that may well have contributed to the boy's poor performance (see coments by Alexei Evangulov).
MORE DETAILS OF THE 'STORY'
Police leaders have admitted publicly that they are being dragged into too many Twitter disputes as a row raged over the decision to arrest a youth who allegedly 'abused' Olympic diver Tom Daley.
We even had a government minister, Hugh Robertson, being interviewed about what amounts to playground taunts - after all, Tom Daley and Reece Messer (see right) are only teenage boys.
Significantly the minister, along with spokespersons for Team GB and the Games Organisers were careful to quickly change the subject, and refused to be 'drawn' on the matter.
Simon Reed (see left), vice-chairman of the Police Federation, said forces do not have the resources to monitor the internet.
He said: ‘There is legislation which concerns causing harassment, alarm or distress. But can we police the internet when someone upsets someone else?
I don’t think we have the resources to do that. We can’t have a free-for-all online but we cannot involve the police every time something unpleasant is said.’
So the police, after being dragged into a silly spat between two teenage boys, (by whom we wonder), quickly tried to extricate themselves from the ridiculous affair.
Meanwhile, a Welsh Premier League footballer midfielder Daniel Thomas was suspended after an 'abusive', allegedly 'homophobic' message was sent to Daley.
Port Talbot FC officials stressed their player had been the victim of a 'misguided prank' after leaving his phone unattended - but confirmed 28-year-old Thomas had been suspended while they looked into the matter - someone else being 'fitted up' perhaps ?
Tom, it is reported, was, by the 1st August, 'unfazed' by the whole matter - so why all the fuss in the first place ?
Well, as already explained, it did take the focus off the failure in the pool - and whip up a huge wave of sympathy for Tom ! - just as the 'spat' at Beijing did.
Meanwhile, we learn that right up to the moment that he was to climb the 10 meter board, 'our Tom' was 'plugging' brands - this time Dr Dre Beat Union Flag headphones (see right).
Now it's unlikely that he bought them, like normal people have to, despite the fact that he has more than enough money to pay for one, as these 'phones were 'delivered' to the British Olympic Team,
(he probably now has enough in the bank to buy one for all the Olympic contestants, in all sports, (and their 'mates'), and still have 'change').
Rule 40 in the Olympic charter, however, forbids athletes from promoting any personal sponsors on social media during the Games unless they are official Olympic sponsors.
Tom didn't Tweet about the 'phones, (as far as we know), but wearing them in such a public venue, in front of some 7 million viewers on the BBC, may be an even better 'plug'.
Other reports, however, suggest that the 'phones were Sennheiser HD 25 Adidas Original headphones, complete with Union Jack design (see left), so complying with Locog's branding rules, as Adidas are an official sponsor. Either way, Tom didn't have to buy them, and he was still relentlessly 'plugging' merchandise.
MORE DETAILS OF THE 'STORY'
Police leaders have admitted publicly that they are being dragged into too many Twitter disputes as a row raged over the decision to arrest a youth who allegedly 'abused' Olympic diver Tom Daley.We even had a government minister, Hugh Robertson, being interviewed about what amounts to playground taunts - after all, Tom Daley and Reece Messer (see right) are only teenage boys.
Significantly the minister, along with spokespersons for Team GB and the Games Organisers were careful to quickly change the subject, and refused to be 'drawn' on the matter.
He said: ‘There is legislation which concerns causing harassment, alarm or distress. But can we police the internet when someone upsets someone else?
I don’t think we have the resources to do that. We can’t have a free-for-all online but we cannot involve the police every time something unpleasant is said.’
So the police, after being dragged into a silly spat between two teenage boys, (by whom we wonder), quickly tried to extricate themselves from the ridiculous affair.
Meanwhile, a Welsh Premier League footballer midfielder Daniel Thomas was suspended after an 'abusive', allegedly 'homophobic' message was sent to Daley.
Port Talbot FC officials stressed their player had been the victim of a 'misguided prank' after leaving his phone unattended - but confirmed 28-year-old Thomas had been suspended while they looked into the matter - someone else being 'fitted up' perhaps ?
Tom, it is reported, was, by the 1st August, 'unfazed' by the whole matter - so why all the fuss in the first place ?
Well, as already explained, it did take the focus off the failure in the pool - and whip up a huge wave of sympathy for Tom ! - just as the 'spat' at Beijing did.
Meanwhile, we learn that right up to the moment that he was to climb the 10 meter board, 'our Tom' was 'plugging' brands - this time Dr Dre Beat Union Flag headphones (see right).Now it's unlikely that he bought them, like normal people have to, despite the fact that he has more than enough money to pay for one, as these 'phones were 'delivered' to the British Olympic Team,
(he probably now has enough in the bank to buy one for all the Olympic contestants, in all sports, (and their 'mates'), and still have 'change').
Rule 40 in the Olympic charter, however, forbids athletes from promoting any personal sponsors on social media during the Games unless they are official Olympic sponsors.Tom didn't Tweet about the 'phones, (as far as we know), but wearing them in such a public venue, in front of some 7 million viewers on the BBC, may be an even better 'plug'.
Other reports, however, suggest that the 'phones were Sennheiser HD 25 Adidas Original headphones, complete with Union Jack design (see left), so complying with Locog's branding rules, as Adidas are an official sponsor. Either way, Tom didn't have to buy them, and he was still relentlessly 'plugging' merchandise.
Perhaps if Tom just concentrated on his diving, rather than making money he might do a little better !
TOM DALEY - BRONZE MEDALIST
Tom Daley managed to win an Olympic Bronze Medal in the 10 Meter Platform Diving at the Aquatic Centre in London - 11th August 2012
'Splash !' sees Olympic diver Tom Daley 'train' 15 'celebrities' to dive in front of judges - but viewers said it has plunged television to “a new low”.
Tom Daley takes bronze - at the Olympics - Celebrating defeat ?
After the programme Tom said that he may be going to drop a university career for the bright lights of Luton swimming pool’s studios.
For 'Splash !', when Tom was wearing trunks, he wore his blue Addidas trunks, which actually seem to be the correct size - and not his Addidas Team GB trunks, (a couple of sizes too small) which barely cover him, or his equally revealing blue Speedos.
ITV's woeful new peaktime Saturday night reality show Splash! has re-ignited anxieties in British Swimming about Tom Daley's commercial commitments away from diving.
Olympic bronze medallist Daley was heavily criticised before London 2012 for not concentrating enough on his sport.
Now British Swimming chief executive David Sparkes has raised concerns over 18-year-old Daley's role as a mentor for the celebrity divers in Splash!
Sparkes said: 'Tom is an incredibly talented young man, but he's yet to achieve his full potential and it's only going to get harder to achieve that Olympic gold medal as he gets older.
'You can rest assured the next Chinese diving superstar will not have such distractions from training.
'He should look at the example of skaters Torvill and Dean who waited until the end of their competitive careers before doing such programmes. I'm concerned Tom is putting the cart before the horse and I've expressed those concerns to his agent.' (Tom's agent is Jamie Cunningham - see above)
Agent Jamie Cunningham said: 'Whatever people think about the show, Tom has come across incredibly well. We would only agree to such an undertaking at a quiet time of the year.
British Diving performance director Alexei Evangulov had warned last February that Daley faced missing out on an Olympic gold medal unless he reduced his media and sponsorship work.
He said: 'If I had power over this, I would restrict it. If you look at the Chinese, they work three times harder. That's the only secret. Just work hard.'
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for more information about
TOM DALEY - BRONZE MEDALIST
Tom Daley managed to win an Olympic Bronze Medal in the 10 Meter Platform Diving at the Aquatic Centre in London - 11th August 2012
Before the contest Tom said he would probably only win Bronze - and he was right !
Now is that really the attitude to go for when competing in an Olympic event - but then I suppose he wanted to let his fans down gently.
So why didn't Tom win Gold ?
To answer that, of course, if you want to be honest, you have to risk the police breaking down your front door - but we'll take the risk.
There are undoubtedly at least 5 reasons for Tom's failure to win the Gold medal that he should have won.
1 - He has experienced a growth spurt recently. This affects the brain's ability to judge accurately where it is in space, because the body's centre of gravity has altered. This may have been exacerbated by his recent weight loss.
2 - Poor coaching. The poor showing in both synchro and solo events point to the fact that there is a deficiency in the coaching regime.
3 - Tom's underestimation of the Chinese divers - suggesting that they were 'robots' and would 'break under pressure' - resulting in him not training sufficiently rigorously.
4 - The failure of David Sparkes and Alexei Evangulov to bring Tom into line early enough when he was obviously spending too much time on non-diving commitments, which were being organised by Jamie Cunningham of Professional Sports Group.
5 - The initial contractual commitment to Professional Sports Group made by Tom's parents.
Jamie Cunningham has a lot to answer for in taking Tom's eye 'off the ball' in the run up to the Olympic Games.
Tom may have ended up with plenty of gold in the bank - thanks to Jamie - but he failed to get gold round his neck.
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SPLASH
‘It’s loud. We’re live. We’re ready to dive’.
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| Tom knows it's 'going down the tubes' |
That was the opening salvo from Gabby Logan (cocktail dress) and Vernon Kaye ('long' shorts) to ITV’s new Saturday night stab at riding the wave of the Olympic feel good factor – Splash!
In the run up to last year’s Olympics, Tom Daley was the toast of the nation.
The cute, media-friendly diver was going to be our big medal hope: young, tanned and toned, he was bound to win gold.
Except that actually he’s not all that great a diver.
Now he is one of the best in the world, but he’s not the best.
Which is a shame, because his attempts for the gold medal got hyped out of all proportion.
Poor coaching by Andy Banks, and Tom's management (particularly the money grabbing, Dubai based, Jamie Cunningham) who insisted on him making endless advertising commercials (Addidas) and photo-shoots, as well as Tom's book launch, meant that he only achieved a bronze medal.
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| Tom Daley Addidas Advertising |
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| Jamie Cunningham |
But back to 'Splash !' - The crowd was insipid for everything other than the first three minutes of the show when Tom Daley appeared in his Addidas trunks (at which point they screamed so much that you couldn't hear the actual presenters trying to read their auto-cue).
The TV audience, however, seemed unimpressed.
Twitter was aghast, with people literally not being sure whether they were part of a massive inside joke or not.
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| 'Air-head' ? - Tom Daley Reading the Reviews Does he ever get dressed ? |
Without overstatement, it was the worst thing on television, and the crassest and most feeble attempt to capitalise on the jingoistic spirit of the Olympics.
And Tom Daley was apparently oblivious to the terribleness of it all.
Which leaves us with a question..... Is Tom Daley an 'air-head' ?
Now he has A levels, so presumably he can't be that stupid, but whenever he gives an interview his comments and answers are so vacuous that one if forced to wonder if he has any opinions about anything (apart from 'mentally ill' individuals who dare to criticise him).
And then, of course, there is his mindless biography ('My Story')!
'Splash !' sees Olympic diver Tom Daley 'train' 15 'celebrities' to dive in front of judges - but viewers said it has plunged television to “a new low”.
No bombing allowed... but that is exactly what is happening to Tom Daley’s television show.
What this is, in fact, is an attempt to exploit the public’s love affair with the shiny-toothed young twinky hero in tiny Speedos, Tom Daley, who is both 'coach' and cheer leader for the series.
It’s one of those simple formulas really... People love Tom (well, teenage girls and gay guys), and Tom dives.
Plus people love celebrities, especially when they’re being put through the wringer.
Plus people love celebrities, especially when they’re being put through the wringer.
Which equals, famous people ‘going on a journey’ (of between three and 10 metres) while Tom smiles a lot and says 'well done'.
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| Andy Banks |
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| Jo Brand - Diving Expert ? |
Oh, and two of the judges are nasty.
Playing the baddies are Tom’s trainer Andy Banks (why no gold for Tom ?) and fellow diver Leon Taylor.
(Now if I was Andy Banks, I would keep a very low profile, and not appear on TV, considering the appalling showing made by British Diving in the recent Olympics)
And to balance out their no doubt impending maliciousness and vitriol, Jo Brand was on hand to offer her own expertise (?).
In saying that, to be fair, they weren't actually that harsh.
But secondly, because as they continually pointed out, as one celebrity after another toppled into the drink, it really is a very difficult thing to do.
It is also, sadly, dull. It just that it totally lacks any drama.
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| Leon Taylor and baby Tom |
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| Leon Taylor |
Now it is a fact that diving is not an exciting sport - even when people of Olympic standard dive.
A lot of waiting around, climbing steps, and then (and don't blink, or you'll miss it) a couple of seconds for the dive.
So, not surprisingly, nobody was really interested in diving until cute, little 'twinky' Tom, in his minuscule Speedos, started diving.
Now to make 'Splash !' more 'interesting' the journey that each 'celebrity' makes from poolside to board is presented as a protracted parade of loud music, posing and high fives.
They’re padding it out.
In reality it is a diving competition featuring individuals who can't dive - which is a bit like having swimming races for people who can't swim.
They’re padding it out.
In reality it is a diving competition featuring individuals who can't dive - which is a bit like having swimming races for people who can't swim.
Attempts to heighten the tension involved showing us some training injuries.
As sad music played, we witnessed in pre-recorded films presenter Jenni Falconer in tears with a nasty shoulder and Benidorm’s Jake Caruso outside A&E with a plaster on his nose, having banged his hooter on the bottom of the pool.
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| Jade Ewen |
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| Jake Caruso |
Doing his best worried face, Jake told us 'I don’t know if I’m going to do it'.
However, seeing as he was already sitting by the pool in a dressing gown (that hid a pair of red trunks nearly as small as Tom Daley's GB trunks !) as we watched the film, the odds were everything was going to be all right.
Elsewhere, Sugarbabe Jade Ewen managed to avoid being splashed all over the morning showbiz columns by dragging her skimpy, golden bikini top back into position just before she emerged from the pool after her dive.
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| Helen Lederer |
Comedy actress Helen Lederer (hasn't she got fat !) braved it out, but was clearly having the worst time of her life - like most of the TV audience.
Not to mention having to suffer the ignominy of being captured on film during practice being slid into the water on a mat by Tom - rather like a Mafia hit man getting rid of a body in a river.
It was only comedian Omid Djalili who briefly gave the whole thing a bit of a fillip.
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| Omid Djalili |
Dressed like a Victorian strong man, his sheer exuberance coupled with his gutsy approach to the task in hand managed to brighten things up.
However, even a man of Omid’s generous proportions could make barely a ripple on the surface of this damp squib of a show.
Another point that none of the ITV producers seem to have considered is the fact that a swimming pool is a very dull place - (the author of this blog knows, as he spends a couple of hours in a [very upmarket] pool, training, every day).
Even tarted up, for the competition, a pool is not a romantic or tantalising place, and as has been suggested before, diving is not the most compelling of sports.
In addition, swimming pools have a habit of bringing back childhood memories of unpleasant school swimming lessons, or junior swimming club sessions.
Unlike Tom, many people have an aversion to swimming pools, unless it's part of a five star hotel - preferably somewhere very hot.
In addition, swimming pools have a habit of bringing back childhood memories of unpleasant school swimming lessons, or junior swimming club sessions.
Unlike Tom, many people have an aversion to swimming pools, unless it's part of a five star hotel - preferably somewhere very hot.
A show which is supposed to be a 'diving contest', that consists of people who, either can't swim, are frightened of water, or are frightened of heights, are too fat or too old, and who (and this is important) can't dive, is unlikely to be worth watching.
Of course, like so many TV programs, 'Splash !' required sponsorship - in this case Domino’s Pizza
The fully integrated sponsorship package was negotiated by ITV Commercial and Arena Media on behalf of Domino’s Pizza.
The package has included broadcast, on-line and mobile, and commences 5 January 2013.
An ITV Commercial spokesperson said: "We are very excited for our new entertainment show Splash! to hit screens and entertain families all over Britain. (entertain ?)
We are delighted to welcome Domino’s Pizza on board as the sponsor of the programme, as we believe it will be an ideal platform for the brand to engage with their target audience.”
Simon Wallis, sales and marketing director at Domino’s also added: “Our decision to sponsor this brand new show fits perfectly in line with our target audience, promoting Domino’s at the ideal time and in the right place.”
The 'target audience' is obviously big fat slobs, glued to their L Z Boys (that's a chair for those not in the know) in front to the TV.
So once again Tom gets associated to purveyors of fattening, unhealthy food - Tom Daley is already associated with Nestle.
So much for the Olympic legacy !
And in case anyone's missed the point - you don't get a 'six-pack' (abdominals) like Tom Daley by eating Pizzas and chocolates.
Of course, like so many TV programs, 'Splash !' required sponsorship - in this case Domino’s Pizza
The fully integrated sponsorship package was negotiated by ITV Commercial and Arena Media on behalf of Domino’s Pizza.
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| Tom Daley and Domino’s Pizza |
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| Tom Daley and Nestle |
An ITV Commercial spokesperson said: "We are very excited for our new entertainment show Splash! to hit screens and entertain families all over Britain. (entertain ?)
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| Tom Daley - Posing |
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| Tom Daley - 'Six-pack' |
Simon Wallis, sales and marketing director at Domino’s also added: “Our decision to sponsor this brand new show fits perfectly in line with our target audience, promoting Domino’s at the ideal time and in the right place.”
The 'target audience' is obviously big fat slobs, glued to their L Z Boys (that's a chair for those not in the know) in front to the TV.
So once again Tom gets associated to purveyors of fattening, unhealthy food - Tom Daley is already associated with Nestle.
So much for the Olympic legacy !
And in case anyone's missed the point - you don't get a 'six-pack' (abdominals) like Tom Daley by eating Pizzas and chocolates.
China takes silver - at the Olympics
Tom Daley takes bronze - at the Olympics - Celebrating defeat ?
Ignoring the massively negative public reaction, and living in cloud-cuckoo-land, Daley said :
'Hopefully it will run for ten years like 'Dancing on Ice' and I can take Vernon’s spot. (I wonder how Vernon feels about that).
But I’d love to do anything like Dermot O’Leary or Ant & Dec, (as far as Ant and Dec are concerned this would involved Tom being cloned - and do we really want two Tom Daleys).
I’d like to present Saturday night TV, that is what I’d ultimately like to do once I’ve finished diving.
I’d like to host 'Splash !'.
That would be my dream job because it is a diving show, a reality show and on Saturday night prime-time'.
Unfortunately for Tom, however, he will have to do much better.
A poor effort at the Olympics (only third), has now been followed by a poor effort on TV.
The only thing that Tom really seems to work at, and succeed at, is presenting himself as a 'soft porn' twink.
Even his advertising forays have proved less than successful, with his Addidas range now available in 'budget stores' at half the original price, and his biography selling at an equally low price.
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| Waterstone Book Launch |
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| 'Jonathan Ross Show' |
On the 'Jonathan Ross Show' Tom made a huge faux-pas when he appeared in a collar and tie and tiny Speedos.
Supposedly intended as a 'joke', I think if most guys appeared in public dressed so totally inappropriately, (not in a swimming pool, at the beach, or at a body-building competition), they would be summarily ejected, or a police constable would be called.
And this is not the first time that Tom has pranced around in just his minuscule Speedos for no good reason.
He performed the same trick at his 'book launch', and for a number of previous TV interviews.
However, it seems likely that someone has had a quiet word in Tom's ear.
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| Tom in shorts |
What was really strange, though, was Tom, 'preppy' style, appearing in 'long' grey shorts and a white and green training top, at a swimming pool, when he would actually be justified in wearing trunks.
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| Tom practices for his male strip show |
This was doubtless a huge disappointment to his teen female fans, and his gay male fans, but then possibly someone has decided that Tom is not going to be taken seriously if he continues to present himself and be seen as a 'soft porn' exhibitionist.
Perhaps if 'Splash !' folds, as it probably will, Tom might take up a career as a male stripper, after all he already seems to be practising - (see the pathetic video clip - left)
And as an aside, what has Tom done to his hair ?
He's beginning to look like an un-dyed Jedward !
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| David Sparkes |
Olympic bronze medallist Daley was heavily criticised before London 2012 for not concentrating enough on his sport.
Now British Swimming chief executive David Sparkes has raised concerns over 18-year-old Daley's role as a mentor for the celebrity divers in Splash!
Sparkes said: 'Tom is an incredibly talented young man, but he's yet to achieve his full potential and it's only going to get harder to achieve that Olympic gold medal as he gets older.
'You can rest assured the next Chinese diving superstar will not have such distractions from training.
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| Jamie Cunningham |
Agent Jamie Cunningham said: 'Whatever people think about the show, Tom has come across incredibly well. We would only agree to such an undertaking at a quiet time of the year.
British Diving performance director Alexei Evangulov had warned last February that Daley faced missing out on an Olympic gold medal unless he reduced his media and sponsorship work.
He said: 'If I had power over this, I would restrict it. If you look at the Chinese, they work three times harder. That's the only secret. Just work hard.'
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