Opening Ceremony

[LexieLily]

Please tell me that poor old man in the wheelchair didn't have to sit out in the rain all that time waiting for his turn in the torch hand-off!

[Constant Viewer]

1 minute ago, LexieLily said:

Please tell me that poor old man in the wheelchair didn't have to sit out in the rain all that time waiting for his turn in the torch hand-off!

I know! 

[proserpina65]

I don't really care about Celine Dion but at least that means this is almost over.

[Constant Viewer]

Was glad to see and hear Celine. Her singing Edith Piaf was a bonus.

Edited July 27 by Constant Viewer

[yowsah1]

Celine Dion looks like she is channeling Evita.

 

Up side, she got Kelly Clarkson to shut up.

Edited July 27 by yowsah1

[EverCat]

As a gamer, loved all the Assassin's Creed references (torch bearer, synchronized, etc)

[NUguy514]

2 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

The athletes (bless their hearts) are making the most of being on those boats, but I'll bet there are a lot of them wishing they could have been in a stadium instead.

I would not assume that.

1 hour ago, proserpina65 said:

Okay, the horse is cool.  It makes no sense, but it's cool.

It makes perfect sense: the performer riding it was playing Joan of Arc.

And why is it stupid for the athletes for the next host country to appear at the end?  They've been doing this for as long as I can remember (although I, of course, forgot today).

As for traditional vs. different, I'll happily watch something different.  Paris gave me something new and messy and crazy and provocative and gorgeous.  I will take this over the same old, same old every time.  Give me this over the sterile, calculated "perfection" of Beijing '08 anytime; god, I hated that production.

[Notabug]

1 hour ago, tvrox said:

Yikes, this isn't a nice romantic French rain. It's a pounding storm. 

Cool outfits on Papua New Guinea. 

This is definitely better in the dark. They should have done the whole thing after twilight. 

The sun didn't set until after 9:30 PM in Paris on Friday.  The ceremony lasted over 4 hours.  It wouldn't have been over until almost 2 AM had they waited.  Of course, they could've easily chopped a couple hours off that mess and we'd have all been better off for it.

[Daisy]

1 minute ago, NUguy514 said:

Give me this over the sterile, calculated "perfection" of Beijing '08 anytime; god, I hated that production.

 

that's fair. I'm really glad you liked this one. 

For me. Beijing was one of my favourites. It just felt like a great production. Athens and  London as well.  for me this was very disjointed, and ill practiced. (probably because they had said they didn't?)

I do blame a lot of this on the CBC Coverage. (I don't like Andi Petrillio as an Opening Ceremony host, and the people who were with her just... didn't have that gravitas. (for me). I'm old fashioned and I don't like change but give me Bob Costas and Katie Couric [NBC} & Brian Williams and Scott Russell [CBC] every day and it just feels a lot more crisper. like i said early this afternoon. these ceremonies I don't think i'd actually like go on youtube and try to watch it again (like i do with really old ones when i feel EXTRA Olympic Nostaglia-y). but the Cauldron. that is new and cool

[Souris]

While I applaud them for thinking outside the box, having the Opening Ceremony dispersed around Paris didn't work for me, because I feel like it lessened the impact and effect. One of those things that is better in theory than practice. ITA with the "disjointed" adjective. I hope Milano Cortina and LA were taking notes on what NOT to do.

Same with the team boats on the Seine. Cool idea, but it deprived us of the joyous introductory mass of athletes that is the Parade of Nations. I felt like the athletes got lost in this presentation. Plus it made it harder to see the outfits, which is always one of my favorite parts. (At least the ones not covered by ponchos.)

Decapitated singing Marie Antoinettes and a library throuple were not things I had on my Olympics Bingo card.

The Eiffel Tower light show and balloon cauldron were very nice, though. I appreciate the historical balloon nod. (Requisite shout-out to the still unrivaled Barcelona flaming arrow cauldron lighting!)

Such a shame about the rain.

Edited July 27 by Souris

[Misslindsey]

17 minutes ago, NUguy514 said:

Give me this over the sterile, calculated "perfection" of Beijing '08 anytime; god, I hated that production.

I thought I was the only one that disliked Bejing '08 Opening Ceremony. Honestly London 2012 is probably my favorite. I too, liked that Paris tried to do something different. There were parts I enjoyed and parts that were underwhelming, but that is pretty much what I think of most of the opening ceremonies. I tend to prefer the closing ceremonies over the opening ones.

[Is Everyone Gone]

One of the things I loved about the march into the stadium was watching the athletes gather before going in. You saw slowly the divisions between the countries disappearing as athletes from different countries mingled. I remember last Olympics there was a Belgian basketball player who FREAKED OUT when she saw Kevin Durant and begged for a picture. There was something so pure about that moment.

It did look like the boats sort of isolated each delegation. There was less of a sense of comradery between athletes of different nations.

[Minneapple]

3 minutes ago, Is Everyone Gone said:

 I remember last Olympics there was a Belgian basketball player who FREAKED OUT when she saw Kevin Durant and begged for a picture. There was something so pure about that moment.

In 1992, Michael Jordan was criticized because he didn’t go to the Opening Ceremony. Magic went — and he was reportedly mobbed by athletes from other nations. They were all fighting and pushing to get their photo taken with him. 

Another thing I love about the regular Parade of Nations in a stadium is the roar that goes up from the crowd when certain countries are announced. The US athletes are usually well-received, and it’s always fun to see the pride on the faces of the home crowd when they see their athletes. This year, obviously, France, but I imagine countries like Spain, Britain and Germany would also have received nice ovations. We were really deprived of that this time.

Regardless it’s always fun to see the athletes so excited and thrilled to be representing their countries. It makes me emotional, especially to see athletes from developing nations that don’t have the resources that US or Australian athletes have.

[Is Everyone Gone]

19 minutes ago, Minneapple said:

In 1992, Michael Jordan was criticized because he didn’t go to the Opening Ceremony. Magic went — and he was reportedly mobbed by athletes from other nations. They were all fighting and pushing to get their photo taken with him. 

Another thing I love about the regular Parade of Nations in a stadium is the roar that goes up from the crowd when certain countries are announced. The US athletes are usually well-received, and it’s always fun to see the pride on the faces of the home crowd when they see their athletes. This year, obviously, France, but I imagine countries like Spain, Britain and Germany would also have received nice ovations. We were really deprived of that this time.

Regardless it’s always fun to see the athletes so excited and thrilled to be representing their countries. It makes me emotional, especially to see athletes from developing nations that don’t have the resources that US or Australian athletes have.

That's very on brand for both Magic and MJ. Magic is an openhearted, gregarious person. MJ is ... not. 

Another thing I like the most about the stadium format for the Olympics is the lighting of the cauldron in the stadium. The crowd is always so silent before the final torch carrier. 

But I agree, it's always great to see athletes so pumped about being in the opening ceremonies. Like I saw a lot of athletes with their own camcorders, recording the whole thing. Makes them human.

Also, watching the older athletes just makes me think how well athletes age in general. Most of them look fit and elegant years or decades after competing.

Edited July 27 by Is Everyone Gone

[roamyn]

48 minutes ago, Souris said:

While I applaud them for thinking outside the box, having the Opening Ceremony dispersed around Paris didn't work for me, because I feel like it lessened the impact and effect. One of those things that is better in theory than practice. ITA with the "disjointed" adjective. I hope Milano Cortina and LA were taking notes on what NOT to do.

Same with the team boats on the Seine. Cool idea, but it deprived us of the joyous introductory mass of athletes that is the Parade of Nations. I felt like the athletes got lost in this presentation. Plus it made it harder to see the outfits, which is always one of my favorite parts. (At least the ones not covered by ponchos.)

The Eiffel Tower light show and balloon cauldron were very nice, though. I appreciate the historical balloon nod. (Requisite shout-out to the still unrivaled Barcelona flaming arrow cauldron lighting!)

Such a shame about the rain.

I echo everything here.

The boats sounded like a cool idea, but in reality the athletes were almost an after thought.  
 

Taking the flame to various spots in Paris was disjointed, but it was also pretty cool to see more than just the stadium and approach.  I think not having any rehearsals made it more disjointed than it could’ve been.

Celine was magnificent, as was the Opera star sing La Marsailles.

I was surprised they allowed acrobats to perform on the scaffolding of Notre Dame.  Not for safety reasons, but because why risk more damage to a still unfinished icon by having all that rigging and non-professional restorers traipsing all over the place.

[Minneapple]

9 minutes ago, Is Everyone Gone said:

That's very on brand for both Magic and MJ. Magic is an openhearted, gregarious person. MJ is ... not. 

It’s probably better that Jordan didn’t go tbh. It was crazy enough with Magic reportedly, Jordan may have caused mass chaos. And Jordan wasn’t the only Dream Team player who didn’t go. I don’t think Barkley or Larry Bird went either.

[AuntTora]

Whut 

[CM-BlueButterfly]

12 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

Is the masked torch bearer some famous French character that I know nothing about?  (From a book/play/opera/painting/movie?)

From how it started, I think they could be representative of the Paris catacombes. The figure definitely reminds me of the scene in The Hunchback of Notre Dame when Quasimodo and Phoebus are looking for Clopin and end up in the catacombes. 

 

11 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

So no rehearsal for the ceremony performances?    I'm just glad none of the performers have slipped, at least the ones I saw.   

I think with some you could tell that they were very careful. But it's understandable, those cobblestones can get very slippery when wet! 

 

9 hours ago, surfgirl said:

* I don't understand why Celine Dion and Gaga are entertainment. As others have said, it seems to me that the French should put highlight their national entertainment treasures.

I don't know about Lady Gaga but while Celine Dion isn't French, she might as well be. 

I also think that with what she has gone and is going through, she embodies the spirit of sports/the Olympics and I think she serves as an inspiration to everyone but especially athletes who suffer severe setbacks and have to fight and overcome obstacles to return to competition. 

 

8 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Celine looked and sounded fucking phenomenal. I hope it didn’t take too much out of her; I saw on that documentary what happens when she gets overstimulated.

I wonder if it's possible for her to work with a mental coach who helps her deal with the overstimulation. 

Even if not, knowing what I know of her, I think she might have considered the risk worth it. I'm also assuming that her medical staff was on stand-by somewhere just out of sight. 

But I really hope for her that she didn't have a seizure afterwards. She would deserve that. 

I must admit that even though I had read that she had arrived in Paris, I wasn't sure I was actually expecting her to perform. One of the reasons was her illness but she'd already performed in Atlanta and I thought, singers didn't perform twice, at least, not the official/final song. 
Maybe they thought since it was in another country, on a different continent and in another language it didn't count. 😁 

 

6 hours ago, Fostersmom said:

Okay, was the Can-Can number supposed to be a hot mess??? 

I sincerely hope not. While not everyone is necessarily doing the same thing in a Can-Can, there were actually a couple of dancers who messed up at the beginning and looked what the others were doing a few notes later. This looked like they'd maybe rehearsed it a time or two and not more often than that. 

It was also a stark contrast to the dance number that came after. Given their perfect unison and that the soloist was dancing on top of the opera house, I'm assuming it was the Paris Opera ballet. What they showed looked spectacular on TV but I would have loved to see that live!

 

5 hours ago, Constant Viewer said:

The rain cannot be good for the piano!

That's what I thought, too. All of the instruments, actually. 

. 

As far as the opening ceremony as a whole is concerned, I agree with the posters who said that it highlighted Paris very well. I also think that it was an opening ceremony that wasn't designed for TV. There was just too much going on and they kept showing a bit here, a bit there, then back to here again, and I think that made it feel more disjointed than it probably was. 

Still, I kind of liked it. I like the originality of it. 

[Irlandesa]

11 hours ago, Rickster said:

I know TV hosts have been criticized in the past for talking too much, but I would appreciate a bit more info on who is performing, what they're singing and why.

Yeah.  It looked like only Hoda and Savannah got any kind of notes.  Mike did as well but there were so many performances that lacked any context.  Did Paris not hand out a program ahead of time so broadcasts could prepare?

7 hours ago, Daisy said:

there are some people who are saying this is the best opening ceremonies ever. and i am like. i respect people's things even though i don't get it but i don't even think....this is the best

My mom loved it and told me to watch it so there's one person.  There were some things I liked and I get why they did what they did.  But having the performances take place in random parts of the city without a live audience felt strange.  And so much of the parkour guy was obviously pre-taped. 

That said, there were some truly spectacular moments like the smoke and the Eiffel Tour light show. 

Each performance had a different feel of preparedness too.  The can-can?  Not so much.  The next dancers?  Good.  The famed French singer?  Obviously lip-syncing.  (And I'm not shading her for lip-syncing because I'm sure there's a logistical reason for it, but I do better at faking it.)

6 hours ago, Fostersmom said:

He makes only slightly more sense than Kelly Clarkson. At least he’s an athlete. 

I don't think either equipped themselves well but even though Peyton may be an athlete, everything came back to football somehow.  Or golf, which seems to be the other sport he knows.  Kelly at least had insight into the performance part of an opening ceremony. 

But again, something was amiss because it seemed like Kelly felt like she had to say something.  Peyton seemed lost.  I would love to know why that was.

[surfgirl]

I enjoyed the spectacle of the boat parade but wished that the athletes had more of an individual entry into the stadium once they arrived. Perhaps they did and we did not get to see it? I had tonrewind because I got to the end and wondered where the speeches were. Yes they can be hokey and cheesy but they make me verklempt with their idealism and altruism. I respond and realized they cut that short which is just weird, they never cut that bit. 

I enjoyed the more French bits like that Marie Antoinette thing, that was a trip. The red, white, and blue smoke bomb on the bridge was fuxking awesome IMO! Some stuff was...odd..but hey, that's France. I applaud France for trying something different and unique that speaks to the heart of Paris, the Seine. But yeah, traditional Opening Ceremonies feel more cohesive. 

The other issue is I don't need diverse representation from all over the world.TBH, I want to see the nest the host xpuntey has to offer during an Opening Ceremony. I did not need to see Gaga mugging her way through a French song, and I didn't even need to see Celine Dion. Surely France has someone they could have used? Then we could have all learned about someone wonderful that we didn't already know.

Lastly, the cauldron was, for me, cool but also disappointing. I thi k that could have been part of the Opening Ceremony but the actual cauldron I like to be more dramatic. Had the French Olympic Committee asked moi, I would have suggested they fir the top of the Eiffel Tower with a cauldron and made the flame come out of the top of the tower. That? Would have been awesome! 

[crystalball]

I went into it more excited to see Paris than the Olympic-ness of it all and it sure delivered on that front! I loved seeing the city and relished the memories of my time studying abroad there. The drama and spectacle and bizarre Frenchness on display was fun, but I do feel like there was not enough focus on the athletes. I hope they enjoyed getting to be tourists, though. 

It also had my inner worrywart all worked up, especially with the rain making it all more perilous. I was worried about the athletes getting sick from the rain and/or that rough water (only thing rougher was the can-can bit - oof) or somebody falling off a boat. Held my breath during some performances waiting for a bad slip and fall, too. Especially the Notre Dame portion. Eek. 
 

While it was somewhat disjointed and a few segments dragged on too long, I was impressed by what Paris pulled off and appreciated something a little different. Once the torch and all the carriers made it safely, I was able to relax and the finale did get me pumped for what’s to come. 
 

Now I just need to manage my disdain for the NBC coverage. So far, it feels like it’s going to be even worse than usual and that bar is LOW for me. 

[Rickster]

2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Yeah.  It looked like only Hoda and Savannah got any kind of notes.  Mike did as well but there were so many performances that lacked any context.  Did Paris not hand out a program ahead of time so broadcasts could prepare?

 

 

I don't think either equipped themselves well but even though Peyton may be an athlete, everything came back to football somehow.  Or golf, which seems to be the other sport he knows.  Kelly at least had insight into the performance part of an opening ceremony. 

But again, something was amiss because it seemed like Kelly felt like she had to say something.  Peyton seemed lost.  I would love to know why that was.

I may be misremembering, but it seems to me that in the past NBC would sometimes have a co-host who knew the local culture. I think that would have helped yesterday. with all the French cultural nuances designed into a more complex opening ceremony, we really needed someone to explain them and tie everything together. I noticed this morning that the Washington Post published an article yesterday evening that tried to do that. I thought Tirico was poorly briefed and Manning useless. The structure of the ceremony did not lend itself to discussions of athletes and upcoming events, which is what usually happens.

It also occurred to me that maybe there was some sort of technical issue on NBC's part that failed to get info to the commentators and forced them to wing it.

[Browncoat]

Upon further reflection, and I didn't watch the whole thing last night (I turned off the TV when I caught up on what I missed earlier), there were parts that were really good, and parts that were dismal.  I feel like they rounded up a couple dozen people, sent them all into separate rooms, and told them to come up with ideas.  Then they brought them all back together, and used all the ideas in random order.  No collaboration, no organization, no rehearsal -- just go for it.  And it didn't quite work as a whole.

[SunnyBeBe]

I liked the opening.  It was different and brought enough to entertain me. But, I watch reality tv, so am easily amused. Lol.  Seriously, I liked that it was different.  It got me into the mood for the competition.  And, Celine was spectacular!  Omg, that performance epitomizes triumph.  I’ll watch that part many times this weekend.  👏🏻🫶🏻😍🏅

Edited July 27 by SunnyBeBe

[blueray]

so I lasted about 10 seconds on the US coverage. Did anyone else find the US commentators very annoying? I happened to turn it on right in the middle of the La miz (sp) thing. Which seemed so bizarre and awesome at the same time. Then she just started going "Whaattt! and I was like "shut up" but it was clear that she wasn't going too and changed it to the Canadian coverage (so thank you Canada) as you were much better. Showed almost every boat pull up and talked about each countries team equally. Which is always my favorite part to watch. I've loved the parade in since I was a kid.

[Daisy]

48 minutes ago, blueray said:

I happened to turn it on right in the middle of the La miz (sp) thing.

Les Mis :)
For Les Miserables 

 

[Crashcourse]

11 hours ago, NUguy514 said:

14 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

The athletes (bless their hearts) are making the most of being on those boats, but I'll bet there are a lot of them wishing they could have been in a stadium instead.

I would not assume that.

Well, I would.

[zoomama]

9 hours ago, surfgirl said:

Had the French Olympic Committee asked moi, I would have suggested they fir the top of the Eiffel Tower with a cauldron and made the flame come out of the top of the tower. That? Would have been awesome! 

agree!!!!

[zoomama]

in hindsight, i find there is much that is offensive about what i watched as to the opening ceremony. i missed the beginning  part with the Last Supper montage etc - that is a big no-go to joke about for me. also, all the sexual innuendos were not necessary.  although there was  lot i enjoyed, i am rethinking my first opinion and recommendation to others to watch. i guess i was watching without really thinking about symbolism and meaning; rather just enjoying the beauty of the scenes.  i did think it was impressive that they even tried to have so many different locations around the city included in the opening event -- that was cool for those of us that are not world travelers.

[roamyn]

9 hours ago, surfgirl said:

Had the French Olympic Committee asked moi, I would have suggested they fir the top of the Eiffel Tower with a cauldron and made the flame come out of the top of the tower

Unless you want to damage all the steel in the ET, this idea is totally unrealistic.  I was worried the cauldron would be under it.

[surfgirl]

19 minutes ago, roamyn said:

Unless you want to damage all the steel in the ET, this idea is totally unrealistic.  I was worried the cauldron would be under it.

I'm sure with today's technology there would have been some way to fit something over thr top, but perhaps not. We will never know though as I doubt any of us here has thr knowledge to knownif such a thing would be possible.

[roamyn]

14 minutes ago, surfgirl said:

I'm sure with today's technology there would have been some way to fit something over thr top, but perhaps not. We will never know though as I doubt any of us here has thr knowledge to knownif such a thing would be possible.

Why risk it?

The Tower is basically scaffolding on a grand scale, do you'd have to wrap or protect each individual beam, rivet, wire, etc.  It's easier yo protect a wall of steel than bits and pieces.

And can you imagine the expense?  Or the worldwide backlash if something went wrong and an accident occurred, esp if people were involved?

[Shrek]

54 minutes ago, zoomama said:

in hindsight, i find there is much that is offensive about what i watched as to the opening ceremony. i missed the beginning  part with the Last Supper montage etc - that is a big no-go to joke about for me. also, all the sexual innuendos were not necessary.  although there was  lot i enjoyed, i am rethinking my first opinion and recommendation to others to watch. i guess i was watching without really thinking about symbolism and meaning; rather just enjoying the beauty of the scenes.  i did think it was impressive that they even tried to have so many different locations around the city included in the opening event -- that was cool for those of us that are not world travelers.

Offensive? What was offensive exactly as I'm confused?

There was a last supper montage? I guess I missed that & I watched from the start to the very end.  If there was a last supper joke in there so what, or are you saying the alleged 2024 years since then is too soon?

If I'm remembering correctly (which I doubt) then there was one sexual innuendo and if you blinked you missed it. 

Are you French or American or something else?

[zoomama]

frankly, i dont think it matters what country i am from. i dont know where the Last Supper part was -- i saw about it after the fact and was offended. i did miss the beginning of the ceremony and just assumed (i shouldn't) it was at the beginning - but it was definitely shown. i saw the pictures of it.

as to the sexual innuendos, i saw no need for the scenes about the threesome, no need for the gay/trans can-can dance and the very weird fashion show antics on the bridge. i realize there is a place for everyone in this world, but this is the Olympics and should have been about the athletes and not a statement about wokeness or political correctness.

just my opinion, folks. don't let it ruin your day.

btw, mens gymnastics was awesome this morning!

[Salacious Kitty]

It's their art, and I feel it deserves respect. 

[Anela]

34 minutes ago, zoomama said:

frankly, i dont think it matters what country i am from. i dont know where the Last Supper part was -- i saw about it after the fact and was offended. i did miss the beginning of the ceremony and just assumed (i shouldn't) it was at the beginning - but it was definitely shown. i saw the pictures of it.

as to the sexual innuendos, i saw no need for the scenes about the threesome, no need for the gay/trans can-can dance and the very weird fashion show antics on the bridge. i realize there is a place for everyone in this world, but this is the Olympics and should have been about the athletes and not a statement about wokeness or political correctness.

just my opinion, folks. don't let it ruin your day.

btw, mens gymnastics was awesome this morning!

It wasn’t the last supper.  I only saw parts of it, and I’ve just seen this on twitter:

”it was a bacchanalia + a tribute to Dionysius, the Olympian god of wine.”

[Chaser]

I’m sorry. I refuse to respect the minions. 

[Makai]

1 hour ago, surfgirl said:

I'm sure with today's technology there would have been some way to fit something over thr top, but perhaps not. We will never know though as I doubt any of us here has thr knowledge to knownif such a thing would be possible.

Even if it was structurally feasible, it’s not possible because there a multiple antennas on the top of the tower. Putting a structure up there would be too disruptive. 

Edited July 27 by Makai

[kittykat]

Finally caught up on highlights.  I love the Balloon Cauldron.  Are we ever getting an archer level wow moment?  Probably not but I'll take something different and the flames going up was just gorgeous.

I know the torch ceremony is usually reserved for host athletes but I don't mind Rafa's inclusion.  With all his French Open titles he's Honorary status. 

I give NBC props for not making a Phelps reference when Alain Bernard took the torch.  Poor guy is a gold medalist but probably more known for THAT loss.

That Gojira performance was 🔥🔥🔥

[ProudMary]

I'm sure the many LGBTQ+ Olympic athletes enjoyed seeing representation of all people in the artistic presentations of the Opening Ceremony. Representation matters.

I'm not sure why the fashion show on the bridge seems so polarizing. I loved it. Paris is the Fashion Capital of the World. It's among the first things I would associate with Paris, along with top tier art museums and great wines and cheeses. If fashion had not been featured so prominently, I would have called it out as a major omission! If people didn't care for the individual ensembles, that's to be expected, as fashion choices are subjective; but to say that a runway had no place in a celebration of all things Parisian? That's absurd.

[Makai]

3 hours ago, zoomama said:

frankly, i dont think it matters what country i am from. i dont know where the Last Supper part was -- i saw about it after the fact and was offended. i did miss the beginning of the ceremony and just assumed (i shouldn't) it was at the beginning - but it was definitely shown. i saw the pictures of it.

I am guessing that you didn’t see the comparison for the same reason I didn’t when I watched live. The pictures are a cropped stills that frame it like the DaVinci painting. In the live shot, it’s much clearer that it is a DJ and a bunch of people standing on the side of a table/catwalk. You can see that there are actually people of both sides of the “table”. On tv it was a dynamic scene that was much bigger than the pictures show. 

3 hours ago, zoomama said:

as to the sexual innuendos, i saw no need for the scenes about the threesome, no need for the gay/trans can-can dance and the very weird fashion show antics on the bridge. i realize there is a place for everyone in this world, but this is the Olympics and should have been about the athletes and not a statement about wokeness or political correctness.

This kind of assumes that there aren’t athletes that are represented by what are deemed to be “woke” elements. 

Edited July 27 by Makai

[annzeepark914]

18 hours ago, NUguy514 said:

I would not assume that.

It makes perfect sense: the performer riding it was playing Joan of Arc.

And why is it stupid for the athletes for the next host country to appear at the end?  They've been doing this for as long as I can remember (although I, of course, forgot today).

As for traditional vs. different, I'll happily watch something different.  Paris gave me something new and messy and crazy and provocative and gorgeous.  I will take this over the same old, same old every time.  Give me this over the sterile, calculated "perfection" of Beijing '08 anytime; god, I hated that production.

I still remember those poor "dancers" (lining the path of the parade of athletes), having to hop from one foot to the other, over & over, all night long. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 7/26/2024 at 11:54 AM, CrazyInAlabama said:

What the hell is the torch bearer in black, jumping over roof tops, and wearing some kind of mask supposed to be?  

That actually seemed like pretty weak parkour to my ignorant eye, but I will never get tired of looking at the rooftops of Paris.

On 7/26/2024 at 2:56 PM, chitowngirl said:

[Snoop Dogg] funds the Fencing team.

Do you have a source for that?  I can't find anything about that, and he's not among the sponsors listed on the USA Fencing website.

https://www.usafencing.org/sponsors

On 7/26/2024 at 2:53 PM, surfgirl said:

* I also DGAF about Snoop being at the Games. Why the hell is he even there let alone being given the task of a torch bearer?

He pitched his role as that of a superfan.

Quote

He arrived in Paris ten days before the start of Friday’s glitzy Opening Ceremonies and has maintained a full schedule of interacting with Olympians. “I’ve been sliding into the practice facilities with different teams, whether it was judo, weightlifting, three-on-three basketball, fencing. I’m one of those individuals that likes to get involved. Not only do I communicate and talk with them, I may try the event,” he said, adding that he was focused on “learning the backstory of these athletes and their families, and then learning the backstory of some of these events — these sporting events I have no clue about — but [I’m] learning and loving them at the same time.”

https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/snoop-dogg-paris-olympics-nbc-tv-sports-1236086314/

That said, there are lots of superfans who don't get to carry the torch. 

20 hours ago, tvrox said:

How many of the athletes are going to get sick in this rain? 

Being in rain doesn't make you sick.

[NUguy514]

3 hours ago, zoomama said:

frankly, i dont think it matters what country i am from. i dont know where the Last Supper part was -- i saw about it after the fact and was offended. i did miss the beginning of the ceremony and just assumed (i shouldn't) it was at the beginning - but it was definitely shown. i saw the pictures of it.

as to the sexual innuendos, i saw no need for the scenes about the threesome, no need for the gay/trans can-can dance and the very weird fashion show antics on the bridge. i realize there is a place for everyone in this world, but this is the Olympics and should have been about the athletes and not a statement about wokeness or political correctness.

The Last Supper thing has already been addressed, but I'll just say that there was nothing "woke" or politically correct about anything that occurred in the Opening Ceremonies.  This is unfairly and wrongly projecting something uniquely American onto another, wholly separate culture.  These kinds of moral judgments say a lot more about the people who have these reactions than they could ever say about the French, for whom these are just not issues worth fretting over or even thinking much about at all.

[Dimity]

15 hours ago, CM-BlueButterfly said:

Still, I kind of liked it. I like the originality of it. 

Same.  I think if I had to vote I'd still put the 2012 London opening ceremony in first place but this one was très cool.

15 hours ago, CM-BlueButterfly said:

I also think that with what she has gone and is going through, she embodies the spirit of sports/the Olympics and I think she serves as an inspiration to everyone but especially athletes who suffer severe setbacks and have to fight and overcome obstacles to return to competition. 

Excellent point.  And I will add that while Celine may not be French from France she is French Canadian and that counts IMO!

[emma675]

1 hour ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

He pitched his role as that of a superfan.

Quote

He arrived in Paris ten days before the start of Friday’s glitzy Opening Ceremonies and has maintained a full schedule of interacting with Olympians. “I’ve been sliding into the practice facilities with different teams, whether it was judo, weightlifting, three-on-three basketball, fencing. I’m one of those individuals that likes to get involved. Not only do I communicate and talk with them, I may try the event,” he said, adding that he was focused on “learning the backstory of these athletes and their families, and then learning the backstory of some of these events — these sporting events I have no clue about — but [I’m] learning and loving them at the same time.”

I'm actually fine with Snoop and all of the publicity he's getting (although I may change my tune by the end of the Olympics if NBC focuses on him too much). He's been a huge Olympic fan for decades now and it seems genuine to me. Plus, the athletes seem to get a kick out of him being there.

Flavor Flav sponsoring the US women's water polo squad also tickles me. He was really into their match today and seems like he is doing more than just giving them money. He's like a weird combination of team grandpa, assistant coach, and mascot.

[annzeepark914]

Flavor Flav...team grandpa. Love this!

[mojoween]

My newspaper today had three articles about the opening ceremony (my newspaper is from Advanced Media and is cheap as hell, so it was basically the same article subtly changed three different ways), but the subhead each time said that the ceremony was “rule-breaking” but none of the articles ever explained that, and I cannot figure out what rules were broken.  Unless they mean the parkour?

[Demian]

Quote

The weather was just bad luck in that regard, no matter where the Ceremonies were held. 

The one thing I learned from the NBC broadcast of the opening ceremonies -- the only thing I learned from the NBC broadcast -- is that it last rained on an opening back in 1952, in Helsinki.  Keep that fact in your back pockets if you ever do bar trivia.

[Is Everyone Gone]

8 hours ago, zoomama said:

frankly, i dont think it matters what country i am from. i dont know where the Last Supper part was -- i saw about it after the fact and was offended. i did miss the beginning of the ceremony and just assumed (i shouldn't) it was at the beginning - but it was definitely shown. i saw the pictures of it.

as to the sexual innuendos, i saw no need for the scenes about the threesome, no need for the gay/trans can-can dance and the very weird fashion show antics on the bridge. i realize there is a place for everyone in this world, but this is the Olympics and should have been about the athletes and not a statement about wokeness or political correctness.

just my opinion, folks. don't let it ruin your day.

btw, mens gymnastics was awesome this morning!

I'm a little confused. Other than it being on the river Seine and not a stadium, the Opening Ceremony seemed like the same combo of singers, dancers, entertainers, officials, and politicians as every other opening ceremony. With older athletes carrying the torch and the parade of nations (except this time on the boat). They didn't really reinvent the wheel.