Winter Olympics Coverage Starts Tonight

[justaguy]

I love Cohen, but you're right in saying he's not upbeat and perky. I have no idea, but it could well be that they asked and he turned it down. He strikes me as the kind of artist who would do that.

[Guest TBinCHI]

OMG--I'm not the only gay guy who isn't a Celine Dion fan! LOL

 

Add me to the list of gay men who don't care for Celine Shriek A Little Louder Dion! However, I do fall into the stereotype of those who believe that Barbra in her prime was one of the world's greatest voices.

[Guest Tristan]

Thanks, Duchess, especially for Pic 2.

[Guest Tristan]

I thought the production was clever, entertaining and meaningful. Perhaps the references to Canadian culture were too nuanced for the American audience. KD Lang's rendition of Halleluljah was awesome. Not as many fireworks as Beijing, I know.

 

Mark, I totally agree. The opening ceremonies in Beijing were a phenomenal example of how to get a zillion people to do everything in perfect synch and precision. I don't think any other country could match this discipline, nor should they try. According to the NBC announcers, it cost $300 mllion. But it had no soul. It was a shining technical achievement, but did not affect me emotionally.

 

On the other hand, the Canadians spent $30 million to produce opening ceremonies that had both heart and soul, as well as being clever, entertaining, and meaningful. I knew nothing about the Native Canadians up to now. I also enjoyed KD Lang's Halleluljah. I might add that I've always been a fan of Leonard Cohen.

 

Generally, I thought the special effects were great. It was a shame that everything went so smoothly, only to have the forth torch fail at the end. But that's the way it goes. Technological problems happen no matter how carefully you prepare.

[+ nycman]

Who knew Canada had so many homeless people......

 

....what?

 

....those were PERFORMERS?

 

....really?

 

....oh

 

....nevermind.

[+ Charlie]

In spite of having lived most of my life in snow country, I have never been interested in playing or watching any winter sport. Therefore, Vancouver has wasted its money on me, even though I love the city. Instead, I watched HGTV's "House Hunters" episodes, which were set in Vancouver.

[Guest Tristan]

I just read that the men's lugers will start lower down on the track. Thank goodness.

[Mark Gordon]

When Doves Fry

 

It's a shame that they had some technical difficulties with the lighting of the Olympic Flame at the end, but I thought they covered well, and at least no doves got barbecued, like at the Seoul Olympics.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics2000/926190.stm

[foxy]

They just added some garlic sauce to the doves so there was nothing wasted. The tourists loved them. It's now the national dish. It's called Olympic Surprise.

[+ Chris]

Its good to know that it wasnt just me that found the opening ceremony a bit boring and lengthy. i am afraid to say that I passed out on my couch before I had the chance to hear K D lang. As one of the broadcasters mentioned there was a big difference in spending . The approximate cost of this years olympic ceremony was 40 million and thats canadian dollars, Where as Beijing spent an unprecedented 300 million. Needless to say the Beijing Olympics, I think did a much better job of sending a message. In contrast Vancouver lost me in the first few minutes and I had to shut it off by time the "Fiddler on the canoe" came on.

[CowboyUp]

Rest in Peace

 

I love Vancouver AND Canada... Good Lord, I just hope the 2010 Winter Olympics aren't cursed: No snow, dead athlete on Opening Day, glitch with torch-lighting! Feel badly for the creators of the performance to have it fail on the climactic moment of the torch lighting.

 

The whales were my favorite of the whole opening... and k.d.'s performance was brilliant.

 

Flags lowered for the Georgian Luger was really touching... It was nice to see all the athletes standing to honor him! What a terrible shame that his career and life ended so tragically. Rest in Peace.

[+ nycman]

I agree the whales rocked!

 

20 years later...Brian Adams has aged well!

 

kd lang...not so much...but nice to hear her.

 

Homeless fat poet man....sucked.

"And YES we say Zed instead of Z!"

That's what you get when, in desperation, you

Google "Canadian Poets" 3 weeks before the

Opening Ceremonies.

 

Fiddler on the Canoe?....I'm still confused.

 

Spinning faggot on a string?....just sad.

Hello...you're the country that brought us

Cirque de Soleil!!! What's the matter?...has

every French Canadian Acrobat on the planet

moved to Las Vegas?

 

Screwing up the cauldron lighting?

It's GAS and FIRE! My Weber Grill gets it right

all summer.....how freaking hard can it be?

 

And as one friend texted me at the beginning...

"what is this?...the 'Labor Day Pow Wow on Ice'?"...lol

[+ ArVaGuy]

Please, please bring back naked Olympics! Oh to be an ancient Greek. Well, at least I have the ancient part down and, um, I do like Greek. Hey, I'm there. Yay!

 

 

Foxy,

 

I’m with you on that bring back naked Greco-Roman wrestling.

 

If you'd like to bone up on the history of the ancient Greek Olympics, I suggest a book by Tony Perrottet, The Naked Olympics. It’s a quick humorous read and gives excellent detail of just exactly how the ancients pulled off the events.

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Naked-Olympics-Story-Ancient-Games/dp/081296991X#noop

[foxy]

Pulled off the events? Pulled off... why does that sound dirty to me? and fun...

 

laudator temporis acti

[Guest greatness]

I stopped watching TV because of it

 

For me I can keep up with a show when there is a commercial interception every 10-15 minutes. I either record it or watch it online.

 

I have watched the Winter and Summer Olympics since the time I was a boy (quite a while ago), and so I was set to be mesmerized for this, but damn NBC and US corporate sponsors who have to interrupt everything every few minutes for a commercial (and provincially they cut when it is smaller - in US opinion "less significant??) countries parading. How I wish I was in Europe where they would have wall-to-wall coverage of such action without a single commercial break!

 

I always enjoy the Parade of Nations, and enjoyed the beginning of the Vancouver program with the excellent and moving representatives of the First Nations peoples. Having visited the Canadian Northwest Territories in the past, this part alone brought back great memories of this spectacularly beautiful country and its wonderfully open and friendly people - and the two weeks I spent visiting especially various sectors of the First Nations territories.

 

That said, once the Olympians took their seats... the program fell flat in my opinion. Parts reminded me of the Canadian exhibit at the World Trade Centre (the REAL one in Queens circa 60's) where you were placed in seats and had a soaring 360 degree view of the vastness of Canada. BUT... sometimes the designs fell flat (square snow???, that floating young kid who really was not graceful, acrobatic or anything.... why not get someone of the Cirque du Soleil school???, etc... I always enjoy the Newfoundland fiddling and dancing, but here found it here too stilted and too hyped.

 

And -- oh my God prepare to be slaughtered on this Board -- I do NOT like KD Lang and so sitting through her rendition of HALLELULIA was painful for me (why could they NOT have had the Canadian Tenors - hyped here already - on that show??) Oh well, it is a taste thing, and thank God it was KD Lang and not Celine Dion.

 

Hopefully the Games will excite me more than this show, but from seeing the opening, I am not really making plans to sit glued to the TV for the Closing Program -- unless I find on some cable network the sports channel that has coverage sans NBC banal reporters.

[foxy]

Bone up on ancient history sounds pretty dirty to me too. I think I need a cold shower. Why did I do so lousy in latin class?

 

I'll go buy the book. Thanks, I love improving my mind.... or what's left of it.

[+ glutes]

Apolo Anton Ohno legs. OMG.

 

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/03/08/sports/08ohno.600.jpg

[foxy]

...and he can dance!

[+ purplekow]

.

 

"The whales were my favorite of the whole opening... and k.d.'s performance was brilliant."

 

I liked the whale's performance, but she should try Jennie Craig.

[JackTwist]

.

 

"The whales were my favorite of the whole opening... and k.d.'s performance was brilliant."

 

I liked the whale's performance, but she should try Jennie Craig.

 

Now that's funny PK!

[Bart]

Vancouver is my list of top 5 favorite cities to visit and had the pleasure of staying there for three nights in summer of 2008 and viewing the construction of the facilities for the Olympics. I was there in 1986 too.

 

Unfortunately I walked away thinking this just does not fit the venue of where I picture winter Olympics, summer Olympics yes. I picture winter Olympics in venues that actually get down to 0 degrees and not Celcius either. You want to see people ice skating outside normally not for production value or skiing to events like in Calgary or Lillehammer. Anyway it is a beautiful city and wonderful people and I wish them the best.

 

I mentioned the zero because a couple of years ago I had the pleasure of having Vancouver's best known exports, Kevin and Juan, visit me a 10 days before Christmas. It does get quite cold at times and we happen to have a below zero start to the day and walking down the street, it was Kevin's first experience in zero degree F. He has been in zero C but this was a first for him. Juan having spent time in Chicago had already a mix of winter temps.

 

Love the city and maybe they could import some snow from Florida to help get things going.