GamesBids' Vancouver 2010 Opening Ceremony Live Chat

[Lord David]

I thought the Opening Ceremony was good, as for being called the best Winter Opening Ceremony ever? I think not There was no big finale a la Nagano's 5 continent "Ode to Joy", Salt Lake City's Olympic rings and "Ode to Joy" or Torino's Pavarotti and "Nessun Dorma".

Granted there are some high points and low points, some of which have been mentioned already.

The Cauldron lighting was a little lackluster, and the cauldron failure didn't help. Sure there wasn't any internal fireworks, but a mix of external, internal ground based fireworks, water fountains and perhaps even laser light show (well maybe not) could have been part of the finale. Perhaps they should have had a backup cauldron on standby to act as soon as they knew one of the poles wouldn't raise up?

Now one has to think if this would be the setup for the Closing Ceremony? the central cauldron and the 3 towers in it's lit form, to be lit for much of the Closing Ceremony and to die out at the end? How warm would it be?

We now look forward to the games and what the Closing Ceremony has to bring!

And seriously did the world have to be put through the pain of watching k.d. lang sing. I can't stand to look at this thing.

The rendition of Hallelujah by K.D Lang wasn't too bad, it could have been worse, it could have been K.D Lang a la cowgirl Calgary 1988 Closing Ceremony!

[olympian]

Everyone think of it this way: The missing Cauldron leg was representative of the fallen Olympic Georgian athlete. I think I'll just always think of it that way, and then it's not a screw up but a poignant memorial to Norad Kumaritashvili.

i agree.

[nykfan845]

Torino's lighting was awful in how fake it was. They didn't attempt to make it look real.

[Sir Rols]

Random thoughts.

Wasn't expecting "God save The Queen" to be played for a Vice-Regal entrance. Sydney didn't do it. Guess we're always a bit more Republican.

As far as Winter ceremonies go, I'd rate it right up there as equal best with Lillehammer - with the march of ceremony technology certainly now setting Vancouver as the standard.

How much further can we go with projections now? This ceremony has really marked the full shift now from the 90s-era OCs to the triumph of projections in the noughties. I was impressed with Beijing, but this was even more impressive - yet achieved with such simple devices as the plain floor and the hanging three ring drapes. It was a great example of achieving more with less.

It had so much more coherence than Torinos. I was disappointed with Torino's - I expected Italian passion and flair, and I found it just too frenetic. This one was gentler, but seemed oh so much more passionate!

The use of poetry was marvellous. From the wonderful voice and story-telling of Donald Sutherland to that great poem (could some Canuck tell me who the poet was, and post the actual text of the poem), it was a most literary of ceremonies. Even loved the sly references to the southern naeighbours. Thanks Faster for clueing me into the significance of the prairie scenes - I'll follow that up.

Well, what can you do about tech stuff-ups. It's funny for a ceremony that was far less techie than Beijing's or Torino's, it was the tech (the flags, the cauldron) that glitched up. But don't worry Canadians, neither were disasterous.

That said, the cauldron is about the only visual element of the games, from the Look to the Opening Ceremony, that I haven't liked so far. It tries too hard and looks too gimmicky.

Memo to some of our ceremony newbies - the speeches and the march or nations are regrettable drag points of any ceremony. But there's no getting past them. And for the Summer games, the march is about twice as excruciating.

Generally liked the music, but where were Avril and Celine?

Edited February 13, 2010 by Sir Roltel

[olympian]

vancouver went a different route and clearly emphasize that less is really more.

[Alan in Montréal]

Do we know when they will release the CD of the ceremony ?

I truly loved the songs...

I am re-watching the National Anthem ! Great & cute singer !!

The cute singer is Montreal's Nikki Yanofsky - a brilliant jazz singer who just turned 16. She performs all over the world already and performed for over 100,000 at the Montreal International Jazz Festival last summer. (Now if you really want my opinion, the cutest one in the show was the shirtless aboriginal stud who welcomed us to the Games - the 4th one -- but I digress)

Here's her website" http://www.nikkionline.ca/

This promo roll is from 2007 when she was 13. This girl is going to be very,very big soon. A total ball of talent. I have her "Ella - Of The I Sing" CD. One of my favourites.

[cormiermax]

I thought it was really anti-climactic and mostly boring.

[olympian]

Random thoughts.

Wasn't expecting "God save The Queen" to be played for a Vice-Regal entrance. Sydney didn't do it. Guess we're always a bit more Republican.

As far as Winter ceremonies go, I'd rate it right up there as equal best with Lillehammer - with the march of ceremony technology certainly now setting Vancouver as the standard.

How much further can we go with projections now? This ceremony has really marked the full shift now from the 90s-era OCs to the triumph of projections in the noughties. I was impressed with Beijing, but this was even more impressive - yet achieved with such simple devices as the plain floor and the hanging three ring drapes. It was a great example of achieving more with less.

It had so much more coherence than Torinos. I was disappointed with Torino's - I expected Italian passion and flair, and I found it just too frenetic. This one was gentler, but seemed oh so much more passionate!

The use of poetry was marvellous. From the wonderful voice and story-telling of Donald Sutherland to that great poem (could some Canuck tell me who the poet was, and post the actual text of the poem), it was a most literary of ceremonies. Even loved the sly references to the southern naeighbours. Thanks Faster for clueing me into the significance of the prairie scenes - I'll follow that up.

Well, what can you do about tech stuff-ups. It's funny for a ceremony that was far less techie than Beijing's or Torino's, it was the tech (the flags, the cauldron) that glitched up. But don't worry Canadians, neither were disasterous.

That said, the cauldron is about the only visual element of the games, from the Look to the Opening Ceremony, that I haven't liked so far. It tries too hard and looks too gimmicky.

Memo to some of our ceremony newbies - the speeches and the march or nations are regrettable drag points of any ceremony. But there's no getting past them. And for the Summer games, the march is about twice as excruciating.

Generally liked the music, but where were Avril and Celine?

as you requested. the poem.

"We Are More" by Shane Koyczan

When defining Canada

you might list some statistics

you might mention our tallest building

or biggest lake

you might shake a tree in the fall

and call a red leaf Canada

you might rattle off some celebrities

might mention Buffy Sainte-Marie

might even mention the fact that we've got a few

Barenaked Ladies

or that we made these crazy things

like zippers

electric cars

and washing machines

when defining Canada

it seems the world's anthem has been

" been there done that"

and maybe that's where we used to be at

it's true

we've done and we've been

we've seen

all the great themes get swallowed up by the machine

and turned into theme parks

but when defining Canada

don't forget to mention that we have set sparks

we are not just fishing stories

about the one that got away

we do more than sit around and say "eh?"

and yes

we are the home of the Rocket and the Great One

who inspired little number nines

and little number ninety-nines

but we're more than just hockey and fishing lines

off of the rocky coast of the Maritimes

and some say what defines us

is something as simple as please and thank you

and as for you're welcome

well we say that too

but we are more

than genteel or civilized

we are an idea in the process

of being realized

we are young

we are cultures strung together

then woven into a tapestry

and the design

is what makes us more

than the sum total of our history

we are an experiment going right for a change

with influences that range from a to zed

and yes we say zed instead of zee

we are the colours of Chinatown and the coffee of Little Italy

we dream so big that there are those

who would call our ambition an industry

because we are more than sticky maple syrup and clean snow

we do more than grow wheat and brew beer

we are vineyards of good year after good year

we reforest what we clear

because we believe in generations beyond our own

knowing now that so many of us

have grown past what used to be

we can stand here today

filled with all the hope people have

when they say things like "someday"

someday we'll be great

someday we'll be this

or that

someday we'll be at a point

when someday was yesterday

and all of our aspirations will pay the way

for those who on that day

look towards tomorrow

and still they say someday

we will reach the goals we set

and we will get interest on our inspiration

because we are more than a nation of whale watchers and lumberjacks

more than backpacks and hiking trails

we are hammers and nails building bridges

towards those who are willing to walk across

we are the lost-and-found for all those who might find themselves at a loss

we are not the see-through gloss or glamour

of those who clamour for the failings of others

we are fathers brothers sisters and mothers

uncles and nephews aunts and nieces

we are cousins

we are found missing puzzle pieces

we are families with room at the table for newcomers

we are more than summers and winters

more than on and off seasons

we are the reasons people have for wanting to stay

because we are more than what we say or do

we live to get past what we go through

and learn who we are

we are students

students who study the studiousness of studying

so we know what as well as why

we don't have all the answers

but we try

and the effort is what makes us more

we don't all know what it is in life we're looking for

so keep exploring

go far and wide

or go inside but go deep

go deep

as if James Cameron was filming a sequel to The Abyss

and suddenly there was this location scout

trying to figure some way out

to get inside you

because you've been through hell and high water

and you went deep

keep exploring

because we are more

than a laundry list of things to do and places to see

we are more than hills to ski

or countryside ponds to skate

we are the abandoned hesitation of all those who can't wait

we are first-rate greasy-spoon diners and healthy-living cafes

a country that is all the ways you choose to live

a land that can give you variety

because we are choices

we are millions upon millions of voices shouting

" keep exploring... we are more"

we are the surprise the world has in store for you

it's true

Canada is the "what" in "what's new?"

so don't say "been there done that"

unless you've sat on the sidewalk

while chalk artists draw still lifes

on the concrete of a kid in the street

beatboxing to Neil Young for fun

don't say you've been there done that

unless you've been here doing it

let this country be your first-aid kit

for all the times you get sick of the same old same old

let us be the story told to your friends

and when that story ends

leave chapters for the next time you'll come back

next time pack for all the things

you didn't pack for the first time

but don't let your luggage define your travels

each life unravels differently

and experiences are what make up

the colours of our tapestry

we are the true north

strong and free

and what's more

is that we didn't just say it

we made it be.

I thought it was really anti-climactic and mostly boring.

you' ve already said that for the nth time. unless you'll say something new don't post.

[temo]

great molson ad in the making...

[olympian]

i'm pretty glad that celine wasn't there. bryan, nelly, sarah are all BC based with nelly being born in victoria. k.d. lang is from alberta. truly great talents from canada and most especially from western canada.

[Sir Rols]

as you requested. the poem.

"We Are More" by Shane Koyczan

Thanks mate!

[Lord David]

Hmm perhaps, the poem should have been the climax, after the cauldron lighting, with a goodnight and good luck to the athletes at the end.

[LuigiVercotti]

They should have gone with the fake Torino/Barcelona style of lighting the torch. Who cares if it isn't the person really lighting the flame as long as it works and looks spectacular?

Oh oh...you're opening Pandora's can of worms with the 'fake Barcelona cauldron ignition' (up there with the second shooter theory for Kennedy freaks). Did Antonio Rebollas land the flaming arrow in the cauldron, did it fly through a gas stream that needed ignition, or was the cauldron lit by another person or persons unknown?

Methinks we need to get the RCMP onto this right away

[Sir Rols]

Oh oh...you're opening Pandora's can of worms with the 'fake Barcelona cauldron ignition' (up there with the second shooter theory for Kennedy freaks). Did Antonio Rebollas land the flaming arrow in the cauldron, did it fly through a gas stream that needed ignition, or was the cauldron lit by another person or persons unknown?

Methinks we need to get the RCMP onto this right away

The Baron's solved that. Just buy "Secrets of the Olympic ceremonies!"

[blueview]

forgettable, boring.

the only highlights for me started will nelly furtado and ended with sarah mclachlan.

take away the projections and its largely bland like fluff.

not David Atkins' finest.

[temo]

The Baron's solved that. Just buy "Secrets of the Olympic ceremonies!"

Yeah, it's been well known for a long time. Nothing like that would ever be left up to chance...

Billions of people around the globe gasped in admiration as the archer bravely found his target with unerring accuracy.

Spot-kick misery for Diana Ross

Or so it seemed.

In reality, he had not actually landed the arrow in the middle of the cauldron - he had fired it way outside the stadium as instructed.

Organisers dared not risk his aim failling short and landing into the grandstand and instead told him to fire it directly over the target area... some pyrotechnics-helpful camera angles would take care of the visual effect.

[LuigiVercotti]

The Baron's solved that. Just buy "Secrets of the Olympic ceremonies!"

What, and continue his gravy train? Nah...he can stay sitting in that sweatshop of his making Izzy mascots for sale to amateur Olympic memorabilia collectors. Now if it was revealed in 'Secrets of the Wily Old Falangist' by J.A.Samaranch I might invest a few shekels...

[OneTimeOnly]

oo gimmicky.

Memo to some of our ceremony newbies - the speeches and the march or nations are regrettable drag points of any ceremony. But there's no getting past them. And for the Summer games, the march is about twice as excruciating.

Love the parade of nations and speeches. It's not an Olympic Ceremony without them, otherwise, it's just some stupid Broadway show for nothing. Plus, without the athletes, there are no games.

[Lord David]

Love the parade of nations and speeches. It's not an Olympic Ceremony without them, otherwise, it's just some stupid Broadway show for nothing. Plus, without the athletes, there are no games.

The idea is to make it jazzy, interesting and distracting.

Albertville 1992 had the stadium announcers read out poems in English and French as the nations walked through.

Torino 2006 distracted the crowd (and people at home) with American pop music from the 70's and 80's

Vancouver offered something new what with their geography deal (it had been done before in the Doha 2006 Asian Games) and by projecting the nation's flags on the crowd.

It was interesting, but could have been more, perhaps projecting more nation info on the floor?

[temo]

i thoroughly enjoyed the parade of nations. the different colours and styles...great fun...speeches are inevitable and instantly forgettable. i have mixed feelings over the event. some of my worst fears were confirmed, but the technical wizardly of the light show was truly amazing. i'll never rewatch them, but i'm glad i caught them live anyways.

[Sir Rols]

Love the parade of nations and speeches. It's not an Olympic Ceremony without them, otherwise, it's just some stupid Broadway show for nothing. Plus, without the athletes, there are no games.

I'm glad Furlong enthralled you and the artistic segments left you cold. Nice everyone gets something out of them.

Don't get me wrong, Parades of Nations are pretty magical the first few times you've watched them. Probably what got kost of us hooked onn the Games at an early age. But by the time you need every digit on every limb to count all the parades you see, the tedium sets in. Only the background music, the uniforms and the growing excruciating length change. Great for toilet breaks when you're waiting for Tajikistan to march out and wondering if you've got time to dash to the shops before the host marches in.

[olympian]

here in the philippines in a local forum i frquent, those who commented were satisfied by the opening ceremony.

[Soaring]

I would rate the ceremony a 7.5 out of 10.

[NY20??]

I've been sticking around to see if those that were there would show up on here quickly and post reactions, thoughts, and insights.

But it's getting quite late here, so I'll gather my all thoughts tommorrow.

[walei]

OK I think after the shock of the malfunction has wore off and put into perspective, I want to say again I absolutely loved the ceremony (while listening to Both Sides Now). It showcased Canada beautifully, and friends are telling me they never knew Canada is so diverse (after I explained the Aboriginal and fiddling tapdancers to them). And I remember in the spoiler thread people are mocking the toilet wrapping at the top, but man that was a beautiful centerpiece! Northern lights to trees to mountains to city skylines, the projections really shined.

Upon thinking about the OC, it really did inspire me and is making me miss Canada so much more