Milano Cortina 2026™ Ceremonies™ - Verdict™

[baron-pierreIV]

Well, there were TWO items I'd consider "glitches." 

1.  Mariah Carey.  MiGod, couldn't she even deliver the Opening pop song, with a little more life-- and considering all she had to do was lipsynch.  If I were Ballich & the COJO, I would've not paid her!!  She ripped off the COJO.

2.  GREECE not marching in @ San Siro.  Apparently, the Greek delegation, who happened to be all skiers, hence already billeted in Cortina, requested that they march at the main parade in San Siro, in front of the VIPs.  Ballich and the COJO denied their request -- hence, Milano-Cortina '26 added another item to the many "first not-happening."  Stupid move on Malago's part.  

[Bear]

42 minutes ago, baron-pierreIV said:

1.  Mariah Carey.  MiGod, couldn't she even deliver the Opening pop song, with a little more life-- and considering all she had to do was lipsynch.  If I were Ballich & the COJO, I would've not paid her!!  She ripped off the COJO.

Unfortunately starting to agree here. With every rewatch, the ceremony gets better (noticing things that I didn't notice before, etc.) - except for Mariah's performance. Every rewatch is starting to make me question why she was there. Anybody else could have pulled it off, and the performance itself wasn't very necessary in the first place. She showed little to no emotion, limited movement, no effort. I don't know if that's how she normally performs, or if she was just like that for the ceremony.

49 minutes ago, baron-pierreIV said:

2.  GREECE not marching in @ San Siro.  Apparently, the Greek delegation, who happened to be all skiers, hence already billeted in Cortina, requested that they march at the main parade in San Siro, in front of the VIPs.  Ballich and the COJO denied their request -- hence, Milano-Cortina '26 added another item to the many "first not-happening."  Stupid move on Malago's part.  

OCOG probably didn't want to risk headlines like "Greek team does not return to venues in time for competition" had they allowed them to make the trip to Milan, so I can't blame them for denying

[Bear]

On 2/6/2026 at 2:47 PM, sebastien1214 said:

+ on the Olympic cauldron: I really get the impression that it's a fake cauldron, like Paris. I had my doubts about the lighting in Milan, but in Cortina, given the distance between the torch and the heart of the cauldron, it became obvious to me. I'm not going to get into the "real flame" vs. "fake flame" debate; I don't mind a fake flame, but in this case, I found it less convincing than in Paris (where we all genuinely believed it was a real flame, right up until the next day).

Milano Cortina 2026 confirms it is in fact a real flame 

[baron-pierreIV]

Yeah, Milano lit 2 little pizza ovens.  The thing with Paris is that, of course, it was summer -- so a real flame would've added a miniscule haze to the Parisian atmosphere.  It's winter in Italy, so two little "real" flames will really do no harm.  I am sure they are on "slow burn" during the day and overnight.  Probably on "full burn" when the sun goes down until maybe, 11:00pm.  

[Sir Rols]

4 hours ago, Bear said:

Unfortunately starting to agree here. With every rewatch, the ceremony gets better (noticing things that I didn't notice before, etc.) - except for Mariah's performance. Every rewatch is starting to make me question why she was there. Anybody else could have pulled it off, and the performance itself wasn't very necessary in the first place. She showed little to no emotion, limited movement, no effort. I don't know if that's how she normally performs, or if she was just like that for the ceremony

I’m disliking it more and more too.

Those who know these things, how would it have worked? Would it have been Mariah who came up with the arrangement? Or Balich or the music director or whoever who though “hey, let’s turn an upbeat joyful popular Italian singalong song into a dreary dirge slow, subdued ballad that morphs into one of her own lesser-known songs”?

Edited February 8 by Sir Rols

[Rob2012]

Hah! I just realised I left Mariah out of my review altogether. Just completely forgot her performance when I wrote it the morning after.

Wouldn't call that a glitch though. Or the decision about who entered where and when.

I don't think flat performances or decisions you might not agree with are "glitches". So I think @Sir Rols is right. nothing went wrong in this ceremony afaics, and that is pretty unique.

Edited February 8 by Rob2012

[Rob2012]

17 hours ago, sebastien1214 said:

because let's be honest: the concept of stadium ceremonies was starting to become quite repetitive after London

I simply don't agree!

I think that's a bit like saying the concept of plays inside a theatre is getting a bit repetitive. Paris tried to do something very different not because there was a great need to, but because it (or its ceremonies director) wanted to. In some ways it worked, in many others it didn't and it was overreach, but as I've said many times I respect them for going all in.

17 hours ago, sebastien1214 said:

(And I think that a ceremony is indeed an art form, a kind of immense theatrical performance, with a bit of musical or opera... but in any case, a major cultural work. It's hard to argue that Pandemonium isn't a work of art, for example.)

Maybe it's fairer to say individual set pieces can be artistic and be like works of art within themselves. But I'm still not sure I'd say a whole ceremony can be a work of art. Maye this is just semantics. 

[JMarkSnow2012]

13 hours ago, baron-pierreIV said:

Mariah Carey.  MiGod, couldn't she even deliver the Opening pop song, with a little more life-- and considering all she had to do was lipsynch.  If I were Ballich & the COJO, I would've not paid her!!

Director Maria Laura Iascone claims "She was not paid for participation as this was the condition for the opening ceremony."

[baron-pierreIV]

4 hours ago, JMarkSnow2012 said:

Director Maria Laura Iascone claims "She was not paid for participation as this was the condition for the opening ceremony."

Whose condition?  I guess the COJO got what they didn't pay for?  A sub-par performance!  So I guess why Gaga didn't perform.  Lady Gaga, like Melania, always has to get paid-- I think!  🙃

OK, I got it figured out now.  Mariah has not performed in an Oly ceremony whereas all her rivals, Celine, Gloria, Gaga, Gladys Knight, Emilie Sande, Monserrat Caballe, Agnes Baltsa, etc., -- even the lesser known Aya Nakamura-- have.  Better get myself in there before Shakira does!  So she offered her services for free and Ballich accepted.  Poor choice.  

Edited February 8 by baron-pierreIV

[cfm Jeremie]

Indeed, it is a tradition that none of the headliners of an Olympic Ceremony is paid (although of course all their expenses are covered).

None of the top talents of Paris 2024 ceremonies were paid.

Edited February 8 by cfm Jeremie

[JMarkSnow2012]

1 hour ago, baron-pierreIV said:

Lady Gaga, like Melania, always has to get paid-- I think!

Fake News, apparently:

https://www.sportbible.com/other/celine-dion-lady-gaga-olympic-ceremony-salary-paid-242752-20240726

"Contrary to some media reports, the music artists who will be appearing at the Paris 2024 Games Ceremonies will not be paid a fee for their services," read a statement.

"Their decision to perform under these conditions reflects their desire to be part of a historic event for France, and for the world of sports.

"In addition, Paris 2024 will cover all technical production and performance organisation costs, as is customary."

[baron-pierreIV]

8 hours ago, JMarkSnow2012 said:

Fake News, apparently:

https://www.sportbible.com/other/celine-dion-lady-gaga-olympic-ceremony-salary-paid-242752-20240726

"Contrary to some media reports, the music artists who will be appearing at the Paris 2024 Games Ceremonies will not be paid a fee for their services," read a statement.

"Their decision to perform under these conditions reflects their desire to be part of a historic event for France, and for the world of sports.

"In addition, Paris 2024 will cover all technical production and performance organisation costs, as is customary."

But see, for her appearance @ Baku 2015 Opening playing/singing IMAGINE (and Baku 2015 was a Dmitris Papaioannou production), Lady Gaga was reportedly paid $2 million flat.  And that seemed in line with the production values and extravagance of that show.  It was also the highest fee ever paid for one number and public appearance for a non-Sultan of Brunei or Dubai - connected private concert.  

Edited February 9 by baron-pierreIV

[JMarkSnow2012]

8 hours ago, baron-pierreIV said:

But see, for her appearance @ Baku 2015 Opening playing/singing IMAGINE (and Baku 2015 was a Dmitris Papaioannou production), Lady Gaga was reportedly paid $2 million flat.  And that seemed in line with the production values and extravagance of that show.  It was also the highest fee ever paid for one number and public appearance for a non-Sultan of Brunei or Dubai - connected private concert.  

True- but how much did she get paid for her guest slot in the Super Bowl half-time show, which very much showed Mariah how it's done?

[JMarkSnow2012]

Just now, JMarkSnow2012 said:

Super Bowl half-time show

PS: Hamish Hamilton's energetic team outdid themselves with the camerawork; I wonder how long the rehearsals took?

[Sir Rols]

@cfm Jeremie, I was just pondering this when looking over the discussions on the length of the presidents’ speeches. Do you have any inside insight on who writes them? The communications team or the prez themselves?

[baron-pierreIV]

On 2/9/2026 at 2:48 AM, JMarkSnow2012 said:

True- but how much did she get paid for her guest slot in the Super Bowl half-time show, which very much showed Mariah how it's done?

I think I've only watched one or 2 of the Half-time shows.  I don't even watch the game.  I missed this last one; caught it on YouTube -- and, just entertainment/showbiz-wise, it's a HORRIBLE mess!!  It's like Lin-Manuel Miranda's IN THE HEIGHTS brought down to even lower production values.  A real bait to ICE.  After the first minute-&-half, I turned away.  Wasn't worth my time. Bunny was not bad; his show was! 

Back to Gaga, I have a feeling, she was paid at the SuperBowl. It's such an American institution where they just throw $$ around to whatever sticks.  The SB is just the pinnacle of excesses--and that's whether the Orange Taco shows his mug or not.  I'm surprised Costco doesn't sponsor the SB; it's just another crass institution of Yankee consumerism--even though I find some nice bargains at Xmas-time--and my petrol is cheaper there.  

Edited February 11 by baron-pierreIV

[JMarkSnow2012]

7 hours ago, baron-pierreIV said:

I think I've only watched one or 2 of the Half-time shows.  I don't even watch the game.  I missed this last one; caught it on YouTube -- and, just entertainment/showbiz-wise, it's a HORRIBLE mess!!  It's like Lin-Manuel Miranda's IN THE HEIGHTS brought down to even lower production values.  A real bait to ICE.  After the first minute-&-half, I turned away.  Wasn't worth my time. Bunny was not bad; his show was! 

Back to Gaga, I have a feeling, she was paid at the SuperBowl. It's such an American institution where they just throw $$ around to whatever sticks.  The SB is just the pinnacle of excesses--and that's whether the Orange Taco shows his mug or not.  I'm surprised Costco doesn't sponsor the SB; it's just another crass institution of Yankee consumerism--even though I find some nice bargains at Xmas-time--and my petrol is cheaper there.  

Normal policy for the halftime shows is that big-name performers only get basic union rates, though I suppose some may cash in on expenses claims. As for being a HORRIBLE mess- I get the impression that you generally aren't keen on performances expressing vibrant community life 😁

[cfm Jeremie]

23 hours ago, Sir Rols said:

@cfm Jeremie, I was just pondering this when looking over the discussions on the length of the presidents’ speeches. Do you have any inside insight on who writes them? The communications team or the prez themselves?

There is a speech writer who I think seats within Communication but working very closely with the President's Cabinet. Obviously the President most likely gives the key points she wants to address and the general tone and then puts her final touch.

[baron-pierreIV]

3 hours ago, JMarkSnow2012 said:

 I get the impression that you generally aren't keen on performances expressing vibrant community life 😁

Not really.  I liked the Wedding event at the Athens Closing.  There was also a wedding celebration at I think the Sochi 2014 Closing.  There was something in Paris --some football champs I think, where they recreated a typical French village (OK, stereotypes) but it was done cleanly -- with some restraint, discipline and artistry.  Not just ". . . let's throw everything at the wall and see what sticks!" And I got offended by those overtly sexual moves by the young Latinas in the opening part of this year's halftime show.  I thought those moves were generally reserved for . . .  (you fill in the blank here).  They were like a bunch of gyrating primal whores!! 

[Sir Rols]

6 hours ago, cfm Jeremie said:

There is a speech writer who I think seats within Communication but working very closely with the President's Cabinet. Obviously the President most likely gives the key points she wants to address and the general tone and then puts her final touch.

Thanks. I thought as much, but they’re usually so long and self-indulgent, I wondered if it was a “president’s prerogative”. In my experience in speechwriting, I would have been told to go back and redraft if I’d presented anything so long-winded.

[JMarkSnow2012]

8 hours ago, baron-pierreIV said:

Not really.  I liked the Wedding event at the Athens Closing.  There was also a wedding celebration at I think the Sochi 2014 Closing.  There was something in Paris --some football champs I think, where they recreated a typical French village (OK, stereotypes) but it was done cleanly -- with some restraint, discipline and artistry.  Not just ". . . let's throw everything at the wall and see what sticks!" And I got offended by those overtly sexual moves by the young Latinas in the opening part of this year's halftime show.  I thought those moves were generally reserved for . . .  (you fill in the blank here).  They were like a bunch of gyrating primal whores!! 

By "vibrant community life" I meant the whole, undeniably messy, functioning of a community where large numbers of individuals live their own lives but also interact with those around them in all sorts of ways. And remember the days when Elvis could only be shown on TV in close-up because of what the lower parts of his body were doing ....

[baron-pierreIV]

4 hours ago, JMarkSnow2012 said:

By "vibrant community life" I meant the whole, undeniably messy, functioning of a community where large numbers of individuals live their own lives but also interact with those around them in all sorts of ways. And remember the days when Elvis could only be shown on TV in close-up because of what the lower parts of his body were doing ....

All I remember about Elvis was that . . . he did nothing for me.  As a matter of fact, I enjoyed the parody of his persona in BYE BYE BIRDIE more than the real thing.  Yeah, give me the Onna White-choreography of the crowd scenes in the OLIVER! movie any time over what appeared on Sunday, Feb 8, 2026 in nearby Santa Clara to me, or any Lin-Manuel Miranda show.  BTW, I preferred the Spielberg remake of WEST SIDE STORY more than the hokey original.  Better story line, more believable placement of choreography happening in Manhattan (or New Jersey -- the recreated portions of torn-down Manhattan) streets. 

What I liked best about the 2022 remake is the placement of the "San Juan Hill" neighborhood that was about to be lost on the very site where the new Lincoln Center would rise -- and which in fact, was the actual location of the 1961 filming, altho it was only in "behind-the-scene" press reports that the reader finds that fact out.  I very much liked that the remake clarified this and that it lamented the loss of a vibrant center of "immigrant culture" being torn down to make way for the new granite temples of "high art" for the latest layer of the dominant Anglo-Saxon culture.   

(See, you got me going on this.  But--and yeah, I have strayed off-course already--when the renovated (for the nth time) home of the NY Philharmonic (now renamed the David Geffen Hall) was inaugurated in, I think, 2024, the repertoire that evening was a program that was a tribute to the "lost community of San Juan Hill" that was in that very spot -- although the event never made any allusions to the Spielberg film which, I thought, shone a light on the fact.)  

[Sir Rols]

6 hours ago, baron-pierreIV said:

All I remember about Elvis was that . . . he did nothing for me.  As a matter of fact, I enjoyed the parody of his persona in BYE BYE BIRDIE more than the real thing.  Yeah, give me the Onna White-choreography of the crowd scenes in the OLIVER! movie any time over what appeared on Sunday, Feb 8, 2026 in nearby Santa Clara to me, or any Lin-Manuel Miranda show.  BTW, I preferred the Spielberg remake of WEST SIDE STORY more than the hokey original.  Better story line, more believable placement of choreography happening in Manhattan (or New Jersey -- the recreated portions of torn-down Manhattan) streets. 

What I liked best about the 2022 remake is the placement of the "San Juan Hill" neighborhood that was about to be lost on the very site where the new Lincoln Center would rise -- and which in fact, was the actual location of the 1961 filming, altho it was only in "behind-the-scene" press reports that the reader finds that fact out.  I very much liked that the remake clarified this and that it lamented the loss of a vibrant center of "immigrant culture" being torn down to make way for the new granite temples of "high art" for the latest layer of the dominant Anglo-Saxon culture.   

(See, you got me going on this.  But--and yeah, I have strayed off-course already--when the renovated (for the nth time) home of the NY Philharmonic (now renamed the David Geffen Hall) was inaugurated in, I think, 2024, the repertoire that evening was a program that was a tribute to the "lost community of San Juan Hill" that was in that very spot -- although the event never made any allusions to the Spielberg film which, I thought, shone a light on the fact.)  

Ah Myles, trust you to pique my interest with West Side Story, only one of my favourite musicals of all time. And that’s both versions, I can’t split between them. The original was the classic, but Spielberg did it soooo well too. Loved ‘em.

And speaking of Elvis, he was initially cast to play Tony in the original. But Colonel Tom Parker made him back out at the last moment for fear that playing a gang member would ruin his image.

[baron-pierreIV]

Just now, Sir Rols said:

And speaking of Elvis, he was initially cast to play Tony in the original. But Colonel Tom Parker made him back out at the last moment for fear that playing a gang member would ruin his image.

Right.  That was the Elvis-WSS connection.  Maybe he could've pulled it off--but EP didn't have that Manhattan vibe.  Elgort (BTW, where is he now?) was a few shades better than Beymer.  But Elvis was also just too big a name to play in WSS.  The main character really is Maria; and Elvis being shot?) simply would've thrown the whole story off.  (I don't know that Elvis "died in any of his films"?  Only saw his early films and VIVA LAS VEGAS was the last one I think I saw him in.)  

[Sir Rols]

1 minute ago, baron-pierreIV said:

Elgort (BTW, where is he now?)

He got caught up in a @metoo harassment scandal, so career cancelled