Oly Fan Survey: Opening Ceremonies

[baron-pierreIV]

You guys are jokes, Baron the bigger. Why can't you (Baron) appreciate the beauty of each and every ceremony. A nation does not need some Beijing spectacle to have a good ceremony. As long as there is heart and passion in the event then what does it matter on how much it costs or how grand the segments are...it's view like this that have put the IOC in a tough position, back to basics.

Excuse me, Bernham, how old are you? 15, right?? Should I put you in the same class as Tony E?

Why do people pick a Honda over a Kia; or a BMW over a VW...or vice-versa? Do you not prefer a certain movie or video game over a similar one? Why then do we have rankings? I am entitled to have my qualified views on things as much as you. Last I checked, I still live in the US and NOT China, Iran or Russia and the internet is an open forum. Going by your reasoning here and your name calling which I resent, then please ask Sir Rols to retract his polls...because we then aren't allowed to like some mascots, logos, ceremonies more over others?? Really.

[Athensfan]

Well, there ya go. And who are you? Some nameless coward who puts on this act as a design professional. At least I've never knowingly misrepresented myself. Sorry if it doesn't meet your standards--but I don't need the fatuous likes of you either. Excuse me for living.

I do just fine. I choose anonymity on these boards. I have no need to parade credentials so I don't.

[Athensfan]

And btw, some things are so obvious it doesn't take a therapist to point them out.

[baron-pierreIV]

Oh yeah, like you've never told or laughed at an askew joke before in your WHOLE LIFE.

I sure hope that's not how your RFP submissions are judged.

And this is of course an informal chat forum...or at least that's what I think it is.

[Athensfan]

Oh yeah, like you've never told or laughed at an askew joke before in your WHOLE LIFE. But I guess that's the way of the internet these days.

Whatever you have to tell yourself.

[baron-pierreIV]

Yeah...whatever that means...

[Ikarus360]

It seems every time someone here talks about the Athens 2004 opening ceremony, Baron always pops up and rubs in our faces why he thinks it's the worst ceremony ever. Seriously. It's annoying as ****.

[baron-pierreIV]

It seems every time someone here talks about the Athens 2004 opening ceremony, Baron always pops up and rubs in our faces why he thinks it's the worst ceremony ever. Seriously. It's annoying as ****.

Oh, I'm sorry I didn't know that this website is called "www.GreatAthens2004ceremony.com" and that among its Terms of Agreement are that "All must agree to bow down and praise that show; NO deviance." I surely thought it's called: www.GamesBid.com.

[Athensfan]

Oh, I'm sorry I didn't know that this website is called "www.GreatAthens2004ceremony.com" and that among its Terms of Agreement are that "All must agree to bow down and praise that show; NO deviance." I surely thought it's called: www.GamesBid.com.

I guess when all else fails, play the victim, huh?

[baron-pierreIV]

Whatever works....

[JMarkSnow2012]

I wonder if London's parades of Suffragettes, Jarrow Marchers, Chelsea Pensioners, Sergeant Peppers etc. were partly intended as a satire on the Klepsydra?

[Sir Rols]

I wonder if London's parades of Suffragettes, Jarrow Marchers, Chelsea Pensioners, Sergeant Peppers etc. were partly intended as a satire on the Klepsydra?

I would highly doubt that.

But If they did, I'd think less of Boyle and Co for it, having their eye on mocking or satirising a particular past segment and showing insecurities more than trying to do their own unique story or vision. And they would have been spectacularly unsuccessful. No comparison! What's there to mock? Klepsydra, for all the fact that it compromised the stadium spectators' experience in favour of the (millions of times greater) world TV audience, for all us couch spectators who watched it on TV, was a highlight. In the years I've followed discussion here on the ceremony since 2004, klepsydra regularly gets mentioned as a favourite part of that it, if not one of the most popular segments of all time.

[olympian]

I voted for Athens.

For me my summer ceremonies ranking will be Athens, Sydney (very close 2nd), Barcelona

Winter: Vancouver, Salt Lake City, Sochi (very nice but felt cold). Vancouver and SLC had warmth emanating while Sochi though very nice was missing that warmth.

[olympian]

rols: will you be doing the handover segment? i already know who i'll be voting for.

[Rob2012]

I think torches and/or medals ought to be the next polls if Rols wants to do more. Handover segments are rarely polished enough or representative enoguh to be worth much analysis.

[baron-pierreIV]

I think torches and/or medals ought to be the next polls if Rols wants to do more. Handover segments are rarely polished enough or representative enoguh to be worth much analysis.

I think torches and/or medals ought to be the next polls if Rols wants to do more. Handover segments are rarely polished enough or representative enoguh to be worth much analysis.

Well for Olympic medals, it would have to be the Winters since the Summers are locked into one particular design. The Salt Lake or Albertville medals are the best ones for me.

[mr.bernham]

Excuse me, Bernham, how old are you? 15, right?? Should I put you in the same class as Tony E?

Why do people pick a Honda over a Kia; or a BMW over a VW...or vice-versa? Do you not prefer a certain movie or video game over a similar one? Why then do we have rankings? I am entitled to have my qualified views on things as much as you. Last I checked, I still live in the US and NOT China, Iran or Russia and the internet is an open forum. Going by your reasoning here and your name calling which I resent, then please ask Sir Rols to retract his polls...because we then aren't allowed to like some mascots, logos, ceremonies more over others?? Really.

Baron a few things:

1. You give yourself the title of being an 'expert'

2. I'm not saying we can not have our favorites, I'm saying that you should stop bashing other peoples choices and try to show why they are wrong

3. Yeah I'm 15, do you have a problem with associating with younger folk?

4. It's getting really annoying all of this Athens bashing...we get it you don't like Athens, no problem with it we just do not want to be reminded of it every time 2004 is brought up

5. I don't like Tony anymore than some people here do, but all this consistent teasing is getting old, I would be able to look past it if you did not make fun of women publicly too.

6. I understand that your an 'oldie' as i have come to call it, and you probably hate all of us 'newbies'. Well your always going to have them because as you said, "...the internet is an open forum..."

I rest my case.

[JMarkSnow2012]

I would highly doubt that.

But If they did, I'd think less of Boyle and Co for it, having their eye on mocking or satirising a particular past segment and showing insecurities more than trying to do their own unique story or vision. And they would have been spectacularly unsuccessful. No comparison! What's there to mock? Klepsydra, for all the fact that it compromised the stadium spectators' experience in favour of the (millions of times greater) world TV audience, for all us couch spectators who watched it on TV, was a highlight. In the years I've followed discussion here on the ceremony since 2004, klepsydra regularly gets mentioned as a favourite part of that it, if not one of the most popular segments of all time.

On reflection, "satire" was the wrong word. However, part of Boyle's artistic vision was specifically, in his words:

"I’m not going to try and build on Beijing, because how could you? We can’t, and you wouldn’t want to, so we’re going back to the beginning. We’re going to try and give the impression that we’re rethinking and restarting"

- and I think this meant finding different ways to present common cultural tropes like changes in society, which of course was also the function of Klepsydra.

[paul]

I wonder if London's parades of Suffragettes, Jarrow Marchers, Chelsea Pensioners, Sergeant Peppers etc. were partly intended as a satire on the Klepsydra?

if mocking class and elegance with disorder and chaos was attempted it backfired spectacularly.

[baron-pierreIV]

xxx

[baron-pierreIV]

Baron a few things:

1. You give yourself the title of being an 'expert'

2. I'm not saying we can not have our favorites, I'm saying that you should stop bashing other peoples choices and try to show why they are wrong

3. Yeah I'm 15, do you have a problem with associating with younger folk?

4. It's getting really annoying all of this Athens bashing...we get it you don't like Athens, no problem with it we just do not want to be reminded of it every time 2004 is brought up

5. I don't like Tony anymore than some people here do, but all this consistent teasing is getting old, I would be able to look past it if you did not make fun of women publicly too.

6. I understand that your an 'oldie' as i have come to call it, and you probably hate all of us 'newbies'. Well your always going to have them because as you said, "...the internet is an open forum..."

I rest my case.

Bernham, if I want your advice, I'll ask for it. OK? Right now, off you go to my IGNORE corner. Face the wall.

[mr.bernham]

Bernham, if I want your advice, I'll ask for it. OK? Right now, off you go to my IGNORE corner. Face the wall.

Ignore me I don't give a sh!t, I was not giving you advice I was replying to your comment...but whatever.

[olympiaki-agones]

Why don't you make love instead of arguing about these matters? After all, The Olympic Games are the Humanity's party

[Athensfan]

Why don't you make love instead of arguing about these matters? After all, The Olympic Games are the Humanity's party

I think this is a really good point. Humanity definitely has a dark side that the Olympics and especially the OCs (for the most part) pretend doesn't exist. Humanity is typically romanticized and idealized to what I usually feel is a very unrealistic extreme.

I'm not saying the OC's should be dark and depressing (they shouldn't), but at times they can start veering into almost cultish humanism that makes me uncomfortable. This even happened for me in Athens' OC, which is my favorite one.

I'm not expecting this post to resonate with many on these boards, but I still wanted to make the point.

[eternalcobi]

barcelona's a show-stoppper! Especially for the cauldron lit by an arrow, which found the opposition sabotaging his property