"open" n. = "opening moments of a TV program" (or film, etc.?)

[Joel S. Berson]

I think Hank Williams' "open" is not a "cold open", since it does not
"jump[] directly into a story", "involv[e] the audience in the
plot".  (In writing, it's called a "deferred introduction"?)  Unless
"Are you ready for some football?" can be considered part of the
plot.  But professional football is not fiction -- I hope! -- unlike
professional wrestling.

In any case, is not this sense of "open", n. (as well as "cold open")
absent from the OED?

Joel

At 10/10/2011 02:42 PM, Arnold Zwicky wrote:
>On Oct 10, 2011, at 11:33 AM, Joel S. Berson wrote:
>
>some commentary:
>
>http://arnoldzwicky.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/on-the-noun-watch/
>
> > ESPN's comments on their cancellation of Hank Williams Jr.'s musical
> > introduction to "Monday Night Football", as quoted in the NYTimes,
> > Oct. 4, 2011:
> >
> > " In its statement, ESPN said: 'While Hank Willams, Jr. is not an
> > ESPN employee, we recognize that he is closely linked to our company
> > through the open to "Monday Night Football." We are extremely
> > disappointed with his comments, and as a result, we have decided to
> > pull the open from tonight's telecast.' "
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org