638 replies to this topic

[millertime1851]

So I just watched the replay of the Sochi handover segment.

That part had the effect of a cold bucket of water. I felt like I was watching the anthem scene from "The Hunt for Red October." Did they REALLY need to sing three verses of the Soviet national anthem? I'm not old enough to remember the Soviet Union as the big bad Reds, but that anthem spooked me to the bone.

(Yes, I am aware that the song was rewritten for the Russian Federation but for those of us who don't know a lick of Russian, it sounds and feels exactly like the start of the fight in Rocky IV.)

[Kenadian]

OK, I took time to re-view the closing and after watching it with my snooty urban culturist friends last night, I have reassessed some of my original thoughts on it.

- the cauldron joke was great! Yeah, we get it world, the cauldron screwed up...but we can laugh at it too.
- the Canadian anthem was meh...pretty standard Canada Day stuff there
- the Greek anthem seemed a little over the top, but was OK
- the Olympic anthem...Measha did it better, in my view. I'm not a Ben Hepner fan.
- the Russian anthem was tooooooooooooooo long
- the Sochi handover felt like an opening ceremony rather than a handover and I saw many elements from Moscow 1980...including some of those men in short shorts
- the speeches are always boring, but Furlong was at his best, especially in his attempts to slaughter the French language
- Neil Young was great and the song chosen was right, but the moment the flame died went to fast...it should have lingered and faded out with the music or with more mood
- Shatner's appearance was brilliant, but poorly written
- while the curling part was great, Catherine O'Hara came off as more of a C*ntnadian than as a Canadian - poorly written and executed and I would have chosen Kim Cattrall doing something with much more sass and sex appeal and much more relevance
- Michael J Fox was another great appearance, but again, poorly written and clumsy...and why a flushing toilet sound effect at the end?
- Michael Buble was the best part of the night. His style is campy but classic at once and bringing back "The Maple Leaf Forever" in its revised format was a spectacular choice. It is a song that Canadians have kind of forgotten about because the old lyrics were more about the British Isles than they were about Canada, but it was great to see it, the old Hockey Night in Canada theme and 'O Canada' melded together in a bash of Canadian anthems poking a bit of fun at all those Canadian stereotypes. On a second viewing, I got the joke I missed on the first view. It was the most fun part of the show.
- The concert section was mostly stinky cheese, but that's a Closing Ceremony for you. I would have ditched Nickleback and Avril for acts that are either more upbeat and fun or at least more current to 2010 (not 2002). Both acts are depressing to watch - Avril has no stage presence and although it was nice of Chad to try and copy Catriona's hairstyle and take some moves from Luongo's goal tending, his act is hardly "Olympic".
- Well there was one part of the concert that was the "k.d" moment of the night: Alanis and her lovely boobies. She never looked better, sounded just great and was a perfect breath of fresh air amongst all that stinky cheese.

So overall, there were some poorly executed and written parts, but some that on second viewing were more entertaining than I originally thought.

OK, it is over...on to London we go!

[Citius Altius Fortius]

some pics from the closing ceremony:

[Rei]

Olympian2004, on 01 March 2010 - 03:50 PM, said:

Somehow I smell once moe sour grapes from a former host country in the Mediterranean... What is wrong with you Italians and Greeks? Aren't other countries allowed to stage successful Games after you?

once more, not "once moe"

Do you realize that lehari is finnish? What is wrong with you, Olympian2004? You totally missed the point here..

[Citius Altius Fortius]

somebody asked me where I found the pics of the closing ceremony:

Hamburger Abendblatt - Vancouver verabschiedet sich (Vancouver says good bye) (Fototstrecke "Die Olympische Abschlussfeier")
just click on the pic with with fireworks

In the box on the same page (link above): "Mehr zum Thema" - you find the link: "Fotostrecke" - Die Olympische Eröffnungsfeier (that is the gallery for the OC)


Die Welt - Schlussfeier (gallery)

Der Spiegel - Abschlussfeier (Gallery CC)

Frankfurter Rundschau - Gallery Closing Ceremony

Edited by Citius Altius Fortius, 02 March 2010 - 02:07 PM.

[Lirodon]

eusebius65, on 01 March 2010 - 11:03 PM, said:

Come on...what was the story about 'Canada's real total medals' followed by the Fox lever tug. There was a stuff up wasn't there? Maybe they needed a clown to walk around with the new medal tally (unless it was only shown to those in the audience).

Best moment was seeing Neil Young do 'Long May You Run'...fitted 100% perfect with the mood and the moment as the fortress of solitude minorah was put out. Canada, please make sure your music legends like Neil and Joanie keep around for a Toronto games...and don't ever let back in some 'Canada Idol' wannabes

Technically, one of them WAS from Canadian Idol, Jacob Hoggard, lead singer of Hedley, finished 3rd.

[LuigiVercotti]

Lirodon, on 02 March 2010 - 08:50 PM, said:

Technically, one of them WAS from Canadian Idol, Jacob Hoggard, lead singer of Hedley, finished 3rd.

These Idol-style singers are a blight on the Olympics and the IOC should ban any city that plans to use them in their ceremonies

[walei]

eusebius65, on 02 March 2010 - 08:52 PM, said:

These Idol-style singers are a blight on the Olympics and the IOC should ban any city that plans to use them in their ceremonies

Leona Lewis was terrific for the London Handover! I thought London Handover was one of the best I've seen~

[LuigiVercotti]

walei, on 02 March 2010 - 09:14 PM, said:

Leona Lewis was terrific for the London Handover! I thought London Handover was one of the best I've seen~

Saved by Jimmy Page...and imagine if instead of her it had been Robert Plant. Now that would have been far more impressive.