Olympics opening ceremonies

[Beebs52]

We're partial to Albertville, since we were there. First "weird" cirque du soleish one. Was awesome.

This one is so scattered, and some of it was creepy, bloody strings etc.

Plus rain. But athletes are having one of a kind memories. Observers in stands, erm...

[Beebs52]

Jeez. Finally

[a1mamacat]

I am in tears for Celine.

Bless her!

[Beebs52]

I am in tears for Celine.

Bless her!

She was fucking.awesome.

[ghostjmf]

Celine. Awesome.

[Beebs52]

Yep. I wish I had her gumption.

[mellytu74]

I liked it - all the goofy Parisian stuff was there.

Marie Antoinette, the absurd Fashion Week fashions, the Minions (who are animated in Paris).

Moving figures in Louvre pictures.

The statues of the women - which should be permanent, as was suggested.

Only thing missing was Quasimodo and salami pizza.

And Celine Dion made me cry.

[Bob Juch]

[Beebs52]

Lovely

[tlynn78]

Watching now. Haven't seen Celine yet. Some of the "oddities" clearly pre-recorded, take one out of the "watching it unfold live" mindset that's such a part of opening ceremonies for me.

[Spock]

My favorite Olympic memories are basically of the ones through the 90's when we got CBC which had awesome and wide=reaching coverage of events as compared to the main US network.

It was awesome.

Presumably, now with streaming and such I am sure we could find almost anything but it won't be the same for me as "CBC in the 90's."

[a1mamacat]

CBC did indeed provide awesome coverage. Very little talking, only identifying torch bearers and tableau’s.

[silverscreenselect]

Moving on to actual competition, I just watched the end of the US/Canada women's beach volleyball match (won by the US). My observations:

1) The women don't wear bikinis anymore. Instead they wear leggings with a sports bra-type top.

2) The US team reminded me of the lesbian couple of agents on NCIS: Hawaii. One was 5'6 and brunette, while the other was 6'4" and blonde. You would think they would try to arrange things so that the taller woman would be in a position to spike the ball more often, especially since she was considerably taller than either Canadian player. However, for some reason, she wound up doing most of the setting and the shorter woman did most of the spiking. It still worked out. They won the match fairly comfortably.

[Bob Juch]

Leave it to a bunch of right-wing nuts to claim the drag fashion show was a parody of The Last Supper.

[Beebs52]

Leave it to a bunch of right-wing nuts to claim the drag fashion show was a parody of The Last Supper.

I actually dint even recognize that as that. Maybe, maybe not. Hey, it's France.

[a1mamacat]

Leave it to a bunch of right-wing nuts to claim the drag fashion show was a parody of The Last Supper.

Wrong place for this Bob!

[jarnon]

I was out of the country last week so I’m watching it now. I like how the NBC announcer pronounced the first flag bearer’s name as Adetokunbo, which is how modern Greeks say Αντετοκούνμπο.

[Appa23]

Moving on to actual competition, I just watched the end of the US/Canada women's beach volleyball match (won by the US). My observations:

1) The women don't wear bikinis anymore. Instead they wear leggings with a sports bra-type top.

2) The US team reminded me of the lesbian couple of agents on NCIS: Hawaii. One was 5'6 and brunette, while the other was 6'4" and blonde. You would think they would try to arrange things so that the taller woman would be in a position to spike the ball more often, especially since she was considerably taller than either Canadian player. However, for some reason, she wound up doing most of the setting and the shorter woman did most of the spiking. It still worked out. They won the match fairly comfortably.

The tall blonde (Kloth) played indoor volleyball at Creighton and is from the beach mecca of South Dakota.

It is fairly hard to arrange it so that the tall person always is the hitter, unless you go on two. Generally, whoever is served the ball will be the hitter due to the 3 hits rule (receive, set, spike/hit). If you watched, you will note that the US team only served the smaller Canadian player, while there was more of a split between the Americans on serve receive. Height is more of an advantage regarding blocking than hitting. The ability to hit sharp cut shots and placement to open corners is more important than just powerful spikes due to only having two players and trying to jump out of deep sand.

[silverscreenselect]

Today is National Chicken Wing Day so I went to the local Taco Mac (a sports bar) and had an order at lunch time for half price. They had Olympic archery on without the sound. It was the men's team medal matches, so they presumably had the best teams competing. A bullseye counts ten points and the next circle is nine and so forth. Almost every shot was a 9 or 10.

Olympic archery has to be the most boring sport to watch. You get to see a guy facing the camera and concentrating on his shot. Then once he shoots, they cut to the target as the arrow hits it. Then over and over and over for an entire order of ten wings. William Tell-style archery would be more entertaining.

[Ritterskoop]

I loved how Celine Dion said to somebody, "Yes, give me all the drugs and I will sing hard for four minutes in my native language. Even though everyone thought I would never sing again. They can bite my ass, because I am still Celine Dion."

And then it was NOT La Vie en Rose, but something else written by Edith Piaf FOR HER DEAD LOVER.

The lyrics have a thing near the end about asking God to reunite people who love each other.

Damn. It was all so very Olympian.

[Game Girl]

I decided to comment and basically ignore anything I made during my first watch and just put the portions in which I did for the areas I did not notice the first time. (I do this for every recording) I watched it after since it's better time management for something that's detailed to do it not during the sports when there are 10 different recordings a day. The parkour thing was something, some areas were nice others were not. (The 49 minute one was the top one) The way the did the boats was really strange. I understand if for some of the really smaller countries if they decided those countries go into the bigger countries boats no matter what alphabet (and I mean 1-18 athletes, likely even smaller) to save space for the later cabins but I feel like they were really playing fast and loose and it was not like that at all. I feel like they were really playing fast and loose to when it's not even close to alphabetic any more. with multiple big nations in each boat and some of the smaller nations getting mini rafters which should have been in the smaller cabins I would not be surprised capsised.

I found the train thing cool but portions were lengthy before the entry train station scene. (I remember it being lengthy even the first time) for goodness sakes at the 33 minute mark Just admit that you did not write anything and that is why you do not have a list of facts. because I am not buying that it is so we can see the athletes and the scenery. it is obvious that you just did not make anything or ignoring what is there, either one or the other. The fact that Peyton has something later on shows it is probably the first. The feather fan dance with Lady Gaga,it was decently done granted it is just not something you are looking for an opening ceremony. I feel like everything was way to spread out. I get the idea but how did they sell tickets to this thing.

I have to just add that the Cayman Islands were in a tiny boat but you can tell they had pep in their step. China they mentioned them being a contestant and they wiped many medals. at least South Korea kept them from getting too many but ya. (keep in mind the sports I like are archery gymnastics (and similar to rhythmic or trampoline),fencing , shooting, badminton, and a few I am probably missing) which they seem to dominate at. I definitely wish they did not. (though the fact that the US broadcast altered (or at least edited it's to the point it might as well been) one of the performances of their team is still something I am ashamed of is that something you would expect them to do,not the good old United States) The cancan dance was pretty but it seems to go weird at some point. they should have cut it off at the 45-60 second mark because after that they seem to slow down as they were possibly worn out. (I am kind of shocked that it took that little time for a professional but I only write what I see and this is the most likely scenario for information I have) after this we see a zip line. The building scene is ridonculous I do not like this. I mean good for builders to exist I am not against builders but it's just definitely the brick scenes which are not cut pretty to fit the angles. I would have done all the trans-phases differently but we are not here for a editing corner. this was terrible and not stylish at all. should have stuck to the parkour for this section or make it 15 seconds if you need it to acknowledge them. obvious sponsorship from Louis Vuitton but they could have skipped the building interpretive dance and just stuck with that or like I said make it 15 seconds for recognization. I do like the running and the blacksmith the second time I watched it but it was done in a very blunt manner. another segment that would've been best done slightly shorter. (at this point I am not complaining because I know they had to have something for the opening ceremony)

I am going to tell you from personal experience. this will be different because Notre Dame is was just rebuilt but church bells ringing after a long time of not ringing is messy. my school only rang them from what I remember one day. (I forgot how many times they rang them but it was all in the same event within the same hour) I remember two rooms were near where the ringing strings were at course it has to be my classroom but I remember there was difficult tea in a certain strangeness with the noise according to them due to this. of course I cannot remember everything that well because I was a child. granted it was a fond memory. the war scene was messy and possibly dangerous. The girl did do a good job with the flag and outfit I have to give a credit it looks exactly like that painting. granted even fake pistols like the one he was using could be dangerous. The Marie-Antoinette one was not done well,I just think the wig was not good. good fire stuff but drumming was done, well not sure if the best guitar. (I do not even think the guitar was plugged in)

this is already getting ready long, The ship was tacky. they literally used the party streamers from party city that would like 20 max and only half of the package. I have seen the school plays with better props. and I'm not joking with that when I have and I did not go to school with unlimited budget. I hate to say but there was another half to this that is just slightly shorter. I am just going to say this here instead of waiting to the end. it is obvious that the ending ceremony was originally the original opening ceremony. with it all being in a stadium and the theme that seems to use some of the UK thing with all those dancing there was obviously the original idea that got expanded upon too many times. I know how it is easy to go to one idea but you like the other idea and let's just show them both because we have time but sometimes you actually have to decide and no one did that and that is the issue.

[Game Girl]

we now have a random library book thing that should have been removed. there is another thing with vaulting polls and ladies which I am just gonna skip just in case there is something cultural that I would misinterpret. so we basically have athletes ripping books. is this supposed to be some nerd versus jock thing because your guess is as good as mine. then we have techno music, which would have been popular in the early 2010. (my father loves techno music) after another segment we have aya who is amazing instead of going a lot more credit in the music line up since I searched her and I do not even think I found her the day of. (as in my first watch through during the beginning of the Olympics, granted I do not have her name that time because that's what I was actually searching for) her dress is amazing like a pixie. then we have the possessed painting storyline that I do not even think is worth my time.

I write half of the stuff at three in the morning making it not that comprehensible after this point. I did some cutting but there might be a little left over in this portion. The segment where they go on a black and white balloon after breaking through a paper screen was strange but decently produced, at least she knew what was going on. (even though I do not know how that went for the live crowd given the nature) the minions were cute and a interesting touch. (though they will definitely be complaints on that from other people) The first time I watched it I did not like that Peyton was talking about how he enjoyed going to the Super Bowl but when I was double checking to what I missed the second watch through (I wanted to see Japan again, I screwed up because I was going through it thinking it begins a half hour later) it actually was not overstated.

you got to and give him credit he actually bothered to have something on the athletes and was prepare to host even though I really do not understand how in the world he would get to the position in the wristband fast enough for it to do its job. (for those that missed it it looks like a check-book that he put on his wrist.) that party house-to-house thing on the other hand felt clunky and the Louisiana joke just did not belong. I love this, they had to go to the Olympic committee because the billion dollar broadcaster apparently cannot broadcast in the rain. (when I was looking for something that I can not remember what I ran into some thing talking about licensing of pictures and recommending 15K minimum talking about the budget)

I mean I understand it is hard but for the budget they have I would assume they would at least be able to be equal to the Olympic committee. (maybe I am misunderstanding this) I mentioned on the main Olympic thing that for some reason it seems for this particular Olympics there are some real real weird technical flaws most of them not rain related. (My two favorite is the fact that the shooting event announcer thinks there is something else on the screen then is. (not sure of the cause but it happened enough times that I think it was not just plain absent mindedness) and names given specifically during the medal giving/winning portion) I just gotta say since this ad mostly was in the beginning I going to put it with the opening ceremony. ai and a personal metal do not mix. I feel like this ad is more likely to increase paranoia within letter givers then make people want to use this software. And I do not even mean this as a anti-new technology I just mean (something about missing a reason) everything wrong with the randomly positioned American music video. first the first thing I thought was where is the boat,why is there a lady walking straight, it took me a bit to realise it was Beyoncé (Who I am a fan of) because I was in shock that we were not seeing a boat in the river. Second the bathing suit, it was not the fact that she was wearing a bathing suit. it the fact that it looks like she wore a bathing suit four times under her size. (which happened to me when I thought I was ordering woman's instead of kids, oh and it was an olympic themed one (from the Tokyo Olympics meaning that this is pretty current) so yeah I know what to look for,I wore it three times before we realized that it was kids,we have since got the correct size) she can wear a bathing suit (though I would think a gymnastics leotard would be more proper) just one that fits. they also should have skipped the flirting stuff at the beginning with so much autotune you could barely recognize her. you can also see that this thing was done with a 20 dollar budget. (with me with maybe a extra 30 for clothing and props since bathing suits of the calliper do cost a certain amount even if we take out the branding price)

then there was one scene in which they zoomed into a sports bra,just a sports bra. I think they were inspired by this. (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8PTptGKeXTI) granted if you can get to that one segment rest of the hype video was better when the clip show began. Great clips show should have just stuck with that. though what was going on doing that segment in which they basically stop covering the parade completely for a pre-recorded thing. we literally got all the coverage dropped during that period which would in theory include the US ship. I hear some of your from Canada from some of the comments so I would love to hear what you saw,2 hours 56 minutes. everything else the US did amazing and I enjoyed listening to the flag bearer Coco. in terms of the opening ceremony torch portion they made the like shall probably about well anything over 2 minutes was too long.

I really do not wanna see the Los Angeles people. (since based on the handoff peoples Atlanta is now not part of the US) This is going to be a mess I am assuming with people wore your skidding around the muscle beach but Los Angeles sorry for people from there but it was not made in the way that you can do this with. this does not work in a driving city because of Basic distance. Hopefully they just do the show and arena like everyone else does.