baron-pierreIV Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Like I wrote in another topic this wasn't everybody's CC, it was reserved only for Canadians. All these speeches about how great Canada is and how proud they are to be Canadians. Why on earth Canadians want to make their Olympic CC such an pathetic Hollywood show? In the end what was this CC all about? A bad rock concert saved (partly) with the help of Sochi2014 handover. Well, that's what they generally are. Remember the Vetti in Lillehammer? I mean what were those? Very Scandinavian, same with Nagano -- very Japanese; Torino...well, you were there. Missed a homage tribute to famous Canadians would could no longer be there: Robert Goulet, Peter Jennings, Christopher Plummer, Alex Trebek, etc... One final thought...the Russians in those Zorbs ..I thought they were my dear Oum-Pah-Lompahs!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueview Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Overall, I felt like the closing was more satisfying than the opening. Thumbs up moments: -the kids and their snowboards, a more "humane" version of the printing block segments of Beijing. -the relighting of the cauldron and the spiel leading up to it is great. It made the malfunction am asset to open the ceremonies. -Michael Bubble and the tableau of Canadiana. -Furlow and Rogge's speeches So-so moments: -Sochi's presentation. -the post-ceremonies' concert Nevermind moments: -the comedians were a bit painful to watch. It's easier to defend allegory/spectacle than comedy in an international audience. I got the jokes but completely unnecessary. My verdict - better than the opening, slightly convoluted in the flow, but spectacular nonetheless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rei Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Well, that's what they generally are. Remember the Vetti in Lillehammer? I mean what were those? Very Scandinavian, same with Nagano -- very Japanese; Torino...well, you were there. Well, Torino was pretty less patriotic than Vancouver. Also, there weren't all this overdose of national proud or "own the podium". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lehari Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Well, that's what they generally are. Remember the Vetti in Lillehammer? I mean what were those? Very Scandinavian, same with Nagano -- very Japanese; Torino...well, you were there. Missed a homage tribute to famous Canadians would could no longer be there: Robert Goulet, Peter Jennings, Christopher Plummer, Alex Trebek, etc... One final thought...the Russians in those Zorbs ..I thought they were my dear Oum-Pah-Lompahs!! Yep OK Baron, but all these pathetic speeches/shows about the greatness of Canada( maybe you're get used about this crap in USA)... and after that nothing but concert. That's all folks... At Torino CC everything was about the Italian Carnival and history, it was much different and better since they used much more performers unlike Vancouver never did, not even in the OC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4gamesandcounting Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Closing ceremonies are the excuse for a party and a celebration for the host nation - so I didn't have a problem with that. Best ever Closing Ceremony moment - that amazing relighting of the cauldron was brilliant and I was so happy for the speed skater that she had her moment! When I rewatch the Opening I won't now think "oh no" when I watch the cauldron lighting, instead I will remember the brilliant bit in the closing ceremony! Sochi - again we have a "Sochi moment" which takes place in Moscow not Sochi - have we seen Sochi yet?! Guess they are keeping it all under wraps till they have something show! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.x Posted March 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Yep OK Baron, but all these pathetic speeches/shows about the greatness of Canada( maybe you're get used about this crap in USA)... and after that nothing but concert. That's all folks... At Torino CC everything was about the Italian Carnival and history, it was much different and better since they used much more performers unlike Vancouver never did, not even in the OC. I agree with you partially...the speeches/shows weren't "pathetic" nor "crap", but they mainly served the home nation audience and English-speaking nations. I would imagine they would probably be lost in translation with non-English speaking nations, that was its main weakness. Canada doesn't have a long history like Italy, the city of Vancouver itself only came about in the last 100 years. In 1886, everything in Vancouver was still a rainforest. And surely, you can't blame a city or country for lacking history. If it did go with the historical route, it would have been far too similar with the colonization and aboriginal ceremonies of Sydney and Salt Lake. That's why David Atkins went with another route. Torino's closing ceremony didn't seem very festive, fun, or celebratory as what Closing Ceremonies usually are. I thought Torino's closing was far too formal and suited better for an Opening Ceremony segment. Even then, while it may have showed the world the history of Italy it was far too chopped up. The transition between segments lacked flow and cohesion that Sydney, Salt Lake, Athens, Beijing, and even Vancouver had. I think one segment in the Vancouver Opening could have used more performers, which was the Ordinary Miracle ballet segment, but otherwise the whole concept of the Opening was to place a focus on the individual and make it personal. Instead of gunning for a mass-person spectacle, Vancouver aimed at putting on a very theatrical ceremonies which was also what Athens did. And the number of performers in the theatrical Opening also gives some perspective of what Canada really is: 34-million people living in the world's second largest geographical land mass. And Vancouver proved that you don't need a gazillion performers to put on a Ceremonies. Closing ceremonies are the excuse for a party and a celebration for the host nation - so I didn't have a problem with that. Best ever Closing Ceremony moment - that amazing relighting of the cauldron was brilliant and I was so happy for the speed skater that she had her moment! When I rewatch the Opening I won't now think "oh no" when I watch the cauldron lighting, instead I will remember the brilliant bit in the closing ceremony! Sochi - again we have a "Sochi moment" which takes place in Moscow not Sochi - have we seen Sochi yet?! Guess they are keeping it all under wraps till they have something show! One thing for sure...the Russians will spare no expense on their Sochi Opening and Closing Ceremonies. While it probably won't be anything like Beijing, it'll certainly go down the same path as the Chinese shows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotguy Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 The Closing Ceremony was definately better than Beijings, and i like that Sochi had alot of space for their segment, although thought it was a bit dull and serious. The beginning with the flame and the countdown with the kids was good and the Canada segment was very lively and entertaining. The music was ok, did anyone else think that Avril Lavinge didnt want to be there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruling Czar Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Surprise, surprise, I actually gave the these ceremonies a high rating. The Maple Leaf Forever segment was just stunning and I think the setting was absolutely magical. I also loved the the song that was sung during the extinguishing of the flame. I also loved how canada poked fun at itself. Trust me, teh world was impressed and do I LOVE the entrance of O'hara with the hint to curling. Very, very well done Vancouver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 (edited) 34-million people living in the world's second largest geographical land mass. And Vancouver proved that you don't need a gazillion performers to put on a Ceremonies. God, I hope Russia doesn't get such similar ideas. 8 performers on the vast floor for her 8 million sq. miles. Don't let Papaionnou or Atkins anywhere near Sochi. (Altho seriously, I think Russia will go with their homegrown producers and maybe take on Birch or Atkins or...me ...as a consultant!!) Edited March 1, 2010 by baron-pierreIV 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.x Posted March 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 God, I hope Russia doesn't get such similar ideas. 8 performers on the vast floor for her 8 million sq. miles. Don't let Papaionnou or Atkins anywhere near Sochi. (Altho seriously, I think Russia will go with their homegrown producers and maybe take on Birch or Atkins or...me ...as a consultant!!) loll...Russia will surely do something else and I'm looking forward to it, this was Vancouver's attempt to be different and make it a truly Canadian show. FOR THE RECORD, we had one (hot and sexy) 19-year old flying over wheat fields in the stadium. This is what that segment portrayed: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympian2004 Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 My thoughts about the closing ceremony: Cauldron segment: I absolutely LOVED it and I was extremely glad for Catriona LeMay Doan. I always thought that it would only be appropriate to let her light the cauldron for the closing ceremony. And the way they poked fun at themselves and how they staged the deployment of the fourth cauldron leg was just hilarious. It almost looked as if they had the cauldron malfunction in the opening ceremony just to have this segment in the closing ceremony. This is how you can make wonderful things even out of disasters. An A++ for this! The Canadian national anthem: At least a singable version but those youngsters looked as if they were from some casting show. Once more, it had a strong "Canadian Idol" or even "High School Musical" feel about it. Parade of flags and athletes: Funny that they used the LA 1984 theme for the parade of flags. But oh well -- it's an Olympic evergreen, so why not use it from time to time? The last time it was used in an Olympic ceremony was in 2002 in Salt Lake. So I think it was just fair enough. The parade of athletes was nothing special. I only asked myself why so many athletes still stick together in their respective teams instead of really mixing it all up. "Let's Have A Party" song: Sounded like a tune for a children's birthday party. Very underwhelming. And Nikki Yanofsky should better stick to jazz (and maybe also to great anthems like "I Believe"). Olympic Anthem: At first, I thought, "Oh-oh -- there's Ben Heppner again. He already butchered the Canadian national anthem in Torino's closing ceremony". But then, I thought that he delivered a very decent performance. His voice suits the more operatic Olympic Anthem better. Oslo Flag handover: It looked a bit incidental and it wasn't as emotional as I originally expected it to be. Remember how Sydney's mayor Frank Sartor fought back his tears when he had to pass the flag on to Athens? Or how Torino's mayor Sergio Chiamparino waved the flag like crazy before he had to pass it? I thought that after the great fun the Canadians had in these Games, Mayor Robertson would look pretty much the same. Russian Anthem: A decent and elegant performance -- but: It was much, much too long. The Sochi organisers really wanted to seize the opportunity as long as they could, didn't they? To me, it seemed quite presumptuous to have only one stanza of the outgoing host's and the Greek anthems performed, but three stanzas of the next host's anthem. Sochi's presentation: The actual idea of incorporating Moscow and Sochi into the presentation was very nice -- but the segments appeared mostly pre-recorded and artificial to me. I also missed a central theme connecting the different parts of the presentation. It looked too segmented and fractional. And the Zorbs they handed out to the audience were practically unvisible. For me, it was a B- at best. I still have to see an Olympic host matching the grandezza of Sydney's presentation in Atlanta. Furlong's speech: Despite it was a very humane and emotional speech, I thought that it was too long. Rogge's speech: Nothing special -- besides the very nice touch that he mentioned the Paralympics (something he has never done before, if I recall correctly). Exstinguishing the flame: After Beijing, another Olympic host city managed to do this segment in a rather unemotional way. You have to choose sentimental music and let the flame die gradually at the last notes of the song -- and then the tears flow, for heaven's sake! This time, no tears flowed for me. The timing for the outdoor cauldron was once more terrible (first they switch to the outdoor cauldron with its normal big flames, and the next time they switch to it, the flames are suddenly out) and the timing for the indoor cauldron wasn't much better (it was exstinguished when there were quite a few bars of the song still left to be played -- also it looked rather incidental). But: They realised my idea of retracting the indoor cauldron back into the ground. And that finally gave it a very nice touch. Shatner, O'Hara and Fox: When hearing William Shatner's speech, I thought, "Why do they have to do another 'Come on Canadians, be proud of yourself, for heaven's sake!' poem/sppech? Didn't the Games already show that the Canadians have a very positive patriotism?" When hearing Catherine O'Hara's speech I thought, "Well, this is getting better" (and I found the "Sorry" segment hilarious!). When seeing Michael J. Fox, I was moved. And surprised, because he didn't seem to tremble so much anymore. Has he got some new medication? I only didn't understand that medal table thing. It almost looked like another glitch to me. Bublé and the Mounties/hockey players/beavers and so on: Another highlight of that closing ceremony. Michael Bublé is just great and the music was very much my taste. The ballet of the different Canadian clichés was hilarious. The women in the maple leaf costumes even reminded me of " ". Wonderfully self-deprecating and down-to-earth!The concert: Well, nothing special. You've seen one closing ceremony concert, you've seen them all. If Diana Krall had performed, it would have been another highlight for me. But I couldn't get overly warm with any of the performers. The fireworks: Once more, quite underwhelming. But on the other hand, maybe just honest. In times of financial crisis, it's maybe better not to let lots of money explode in the air. OVERALL SCORE: In parts, it was (just as most other Olympic closing ceremonies) a little bit stale. But maybe this is only natural. You watch the opening ceremony with much more anticipation, with 16 days of competion ahead, than the closing ceremony when you're already sad that everything will be over afterwards. But it had great fun moments and was one of the better closing ceremonies in Olympic history. I'd give it a B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 /\ Good critique, F. Very well thought-out. Parade of flags and athletes: Funny that they used the LA 1984 theme for the parade of flags. But oh well -- it's an Olympic evergreen, so why not use it from time to time? The last time it was used in an Olympic ceremony was in 2002 in Salt Lake. So I think it was just fair enough. The parade of athletes was nothing special. I only asked myself why so many athletes still stick together in their respective teams instead of really mixing it all up. Plus, they also used the flags' stunt-card trick used in LA...altho this time, they only had to do 82 nations. About the mixing of the athletes, I thought so, too. But the fault would lay with the Atkins crew. They should've had handlers..or Linda Richards (Mike Myers...where was he?) at the entrances strongly insisting that the athletes should combine ranks...or at least give a stroner impression. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citius Altius Fortius Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Parade of flags and athletes: I only asked myself why so many athletes still stick together in their respective teams instead of really mixing it all up. I am wondering about this too - since I am watching Olympic Games, but I suppose that there is an invisible border due the different languages. I think it is a pitty that there are no more "fraternisation" scenes... About the mixing of the athletes, I thought so, too. But the fault would lay with the Atkins crew. mhh - I just wonder if you can do an athlete entrance with some jugglers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneTimeOnly Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 They used the LA 84 music twice actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4gamesandcounting Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 The parade of athletes was nothing special. I only asked myself why so many athletes still stick together in their respective teams instead of really mixing it all up. Here's my take on this - in the summer games everybody floods the arena floor (and usually much quicker and from many entrances) and then a general mixing happens as people crowd around the flame/stage/focal point. In Vancouver everybody flooded in but then had to take a seat to watch the show - so I think that maybe they stayed together because they wanted to sit down next to somebody they knew rather than someone random! Just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olympian2004 Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Here's my take on this - in the summer games everybody floods the arena floor (and usually much quicker and from many entrances) and then a general mixing happens as people crowd around the flame/stage/focal point. In Vancouver everybody flooded in but then had to take a seat to watch the show - so I think that maybe they stayed together because they wanted to sit down next to somebody they knew rather than someone random! Just a thought. Well, I noticed also in the more recent Summer Olympic closing ceremonies that the athletes don't quite mix there either. Even not after their entrance, on the stadium floor. They mostly stand and party together with fellow team members. Maybe it's just shyness or convenience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walei Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 There were some mingling between athletes from different countries when they marched in, like Joannie Rochette getting a lot of attentions and pictures taken with random people. I was bored with the after concert however I know it's not for the TV audience but mainly for the athletes to have a good time. From the looks of it they sure did! Lots of mingling there and I even caught a conga line it was so awesome. Anything is better than the Beijing Beijing I Love Beijing crap though . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ike74ph Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 I liked the lighting of the 4th cauldron. It really made up for a very embarassing moment 2 weeks ago. Sochi's presentation wasn't about Sochi, IMO. There wasn't a single scene/shot where the host city was featured. Very strange for a next host city. I was surprised they actually featured Moscow. Is Moscow bidding again? Just a thought. They should have featured some historical landmark at Sochi. I feel it's not a good omen. The show featured Canadians poking fun at themselves. I didn't understand some of it. Seemed like private jokes to me. South Park does a better job. Crappy cable went kaput after Michae Buble's number so I wasn't able to watch the concert. I believe this was better than the Opening. Btw, a very unemotional extinguising of the flame like Beijing. Am I getting jaded or it was done badly? See you in London. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenadian Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 I don't really recall many Winter handover cities that focused a lot on the local host city. Vancouver's was about ice fishing and Avril. Torino's was about Italian art. Salt Lake had the Old West theme, but that covers more the American West than just the Utah area. Maybe it is because winter host cities are rarely the defining city or culture of the next host country. Sydney, Athens, Beijing, London and Rio are all icons of their culture. Sochi doesn't equal Russia to the masses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 (edited) I don't really recall many Winter handover cities that focused a lot on the local host city. Vancouver's was about ice fishing and Avril. Torino's was about Italian art. Salt Lake had the Old West theme, but that covers more the American West than just the Utah area. Maybe it is because winter host cities are rarely the defining city or culture of the next host country. Sydney, Athens, Beijing, London and Rio are all icons of their culture. Sochi doesn't equal Russia to the masses. I guess the expectation was ...we are ready to know more about Sochi since very little is known in how it will become a Winter Sports City. This was the Russian gov't's chance to unveil it to the world and make that fact known. It was a prime window for salesmanship. Instead, the Kremlin seems to have hijacked that opportunity and imparted to the world that it is the central Russian gov't that is in control, and Sochi will just happen to be a sideshow in a bigger scheme that Moscow will run. Edited March 2, 2010 by baron-pierreIV 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walei Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 I don't really recall many Winter handover cities that focused a lot on the local host city. Vancouver's was about ice fishing and Avril. Torino's was about Italian art. Salt Lake had the Old West theme, but that covers more the American West than just the Utah area. Maybe it is because winter host cities are rarely the defining city or culture of the next host country. Sydney, Athens, Beijing, London and Rio are all icons of their culture. Sochi doesn't equal Russia to the masses. Yeah but those handovers didn't show case Toronto instead of Vancouver, Rome instead of Torino, NYC instead of SLC...etc etc etc. A shot of Sochi would be nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4seasonscentre Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 I didn't realize that almost all of Sochi's venues had to be constructed. We are talking 3 arenas, an oval, curling centre, and ceremony stadium, plus the village and media facilities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.x Posted March 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 ^ i haven't followed Sochi's progress...have they even started construction? or is this another Athens? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenadian Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 The skating by the ocean happened in Sochi...didn't it? Way I see it, if you want to see Sochi, go Google it. And most likely, you probably wouldn't see anything in a 10 minute production on Sochi that you even recognized. I dunno, I didn't mind the Russian theme. The Sochi story will unfold over the next 4 years. Sochi doesn't have the skylines and unique backdrops that cities like Calgary, Vancouver, Salt Lake or Torino have. It is similar to a Lillehammer or a Albertville, in ways. Mostly unrecognized and likely to remain that way even after the Games. It is a resort area and one that really is stronger on summer sports than winter sports, although that is becoming more balanced. And really, these are the Moscow Winter Olympics. Most of the money backing these Games comes from the capital. And the IOC chose the Russians as be their partner, not just the local residents. From most of my research, Sochi sounds like nothing more than a long road of hotels, houses and resorts strung along the coast of the Black Sea. They boast of being 300,000+ people along 145km of roadway. And that is roughly the distance between Vancouver and Whistler. Anyway, I hold to my point that the Sochi Games will be more like the Beijing Games than another Vancouver experience. All shiny and new facilities, with very little left unplanned or uncoordinated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob2012 Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 ^ i haven't followed Sochi's progress...have they even started construction? or is this another Athens? Construction is certainly underway. I don't get the feeling of Athens from this, more Beijing. Russia will make sure this happens properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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