Olympic closing ceremony....

Johnny_Peebucks · Post by **Johnny_Peebucks** » Sun Aug 24, 2008 5:26 pm

Opinions please...

**Sponsor:**

Johnny_Peebucks · Post by **Johnny_Peebucks** » Mon Aug 25, 2008 1:48 am

A lot of people have said the same.

The mayor of London rules...cos he looks like some drunk MP found in a stripclub after 1 whiskey too many....

He reminds me of Matt Lucas from Little britain when he's dressed up as an old business man.

MagicJ · Post by **MagicJ** » Mon Aug 25, 2008 10:51 am

He's played football rugby for England!

Johnny_Peebucks · Post by **Johnny_Peebucks** » Mon Aug 25, 2008 2:13 pm

That's just not cricket!

otyikondo · Post by **otyikondo** » Mon Aug 25, 2008 5:19 pm

Far, far be it from me to leap to the defence of London, but before we slam their rather amateurish production there are a few things to consider:

1. They were on a hiding to nothing. 1.3 billion Chinese who are rather good at the North Korean style of mass human choreography, able and willing to throw thousands into the ring to make pretty patterns, followed by 40 or 50 not-very-well-directed dancers and a bus, is always going to be a bit lop-sided.

2. They did at least play it by the book - Beckham (Leytonstone), Lewis (Stoke Newington), and Page (Hounslow) are all kosher Londoners in their way, and at least they didn't call up Macca or even Madonna for the gig. And mercifully they didn't resurrect Freddie Mercury wrapped in a flag. I did have a few worries they might. Correction: I still have a few worries they STILL might.

3. It's bound to get better.

On the other hand, if it's going to be an X-Factor Olympics, I'm not sure it will "travel" very well. And using "stars" (sic) is a dodgy game, since there are plenty out there who loathe the very sight of Beckham, and wonder who the grey-haired geezer was anyway.

Boris Johnson needs a new suit and some posture lessons, but he's quite an amusing sort of eedjit. The only problem is he's amusing to the Brits first and foremost. Again, he will have trouble winning over the furriners.

The whole thing smacked to me a bit of one of those awful Finnish comedy shows where the cast have been in hysterics while making it, but it doesn't come across to the audience quite like that. The Olympics is THE international spectacular, and being incestuously British may not play too well. They'll need to make some concessions to the rest of the world.

You could argue the Chinese should have done likewise, but they had the advantage of having had their "culture" exposed rather less before now. Everybody's seen Brit sit-coms and heard the naff music, but they hadn't seen 2,008 drummers drumming until a couple of weeks ago.

Johnny_Peebucks · Post by **Johnny_Peebucks** » Mon Aug 25, 2008 5:49 pm

True - But at the same time I don;t see why the Olympic opener should always be about 'how big?'...Seems it got worse with the Australian do...Like my GF said "It's just a 'who has the biggest c@ck competition...'"

I don't think the Chinese closer really reflected a lot about China - Opera singers? People zipping around in American football get up with some light bulbs attached? Children freely walking around and not in a sweat shop? Oh - it did show how China likes to display it's might and mass...and there was a lot of red, around..too much for me at any rate.

At least Paige is a genuine part of British culture that has travelled around the word - Not that I am defending the British effort cos it was a bit pants.

I'd rather see a much more subtle London opening ceremony with a lot less flash than Chinas thing...Less style, more substance.

otyikondo · Post by **otyikondo** » Tue Aug 26, 2008 12:18 am

Johnny_Peebucks wrote:True - But at the same time I don;t see why the Olympic opener should always be about 'how big?'...Seems it got worse with the Australian do...Like my GF said "It's just a 'who has the biggest c@ck competition...'"

I don't think the Chinese closer really reflected a lot about China - Opera singers? People zipping around in American football get up with some light bulbs attached? Children freely walking around and not in a sweat shop? Oh - it did show how China likes to display it's might and mass...and there was a lot of red, around..too much for me at any rate.

At least Paige is a genuine part of British culture that has travelled around the word - Not that I am defending the British effort cos it was a bit pants.

I'd rather see a much more subtle London opening ceremony with a lot less flash than Chinas thing...Less style, more substance.

"How big" is something you can blame TV for. Television loves big. The way in which the opening ceremony drummers could be switched from medium close-up of blazing hands to an op-art poster in one barked instruction from the studio director and then flicked to negative with one push of the lighting slider... Try doing that with a lone matchstick figure holding a Strat on a stage, HOWEVER legendary he is supposed to be (and let's face it, anyone who actually saw Zeppelin in their pomp is no longer really the desired audience segment).

I don't hold with much about the Chinese regime, and I have grave reservations about their use of mass forces, but their show DID have style, AND substance, and consummate timing. And even if it seemed alien to Westerners at some points, it had that horrid "wow factor" that is extremely hard to get with some ageing rocker and a contentious footballer past his sell-by date.

Television also doesn't love subtlety. Many television viewers don't even understand it. It's a huge risk. Frankly, I thought the French show in Albertville was sensational - all funky Cirque du Soleil stuff (or am I getting muddled up with Barcelona - that was OK, too, in my book), but I seem to recall everyone else thought it was artsy-fartsy crapola. Maybe because it was French and that was the thing to say.

antarctica_moon · Post by **antarctica_moon** » Tue Aug 26, 2008 1:50 am

Face it - the Chinese did a great job.

The UK effort was a bit strange and amateurish. Why did they have that really old guy with a guitar up there?

otyikondo · Post by **otyikondo** » Tue Aug 26, 2008 3:08 am

antarctica_moon wrote:Face it - the Chinese did a great job.

The UK effort was a bit strange and amateurish. Why did they have that really old guy with a guitar up there?

Nicely provocative, A-M. Read the rubric.

One MIGHT ask politely why Atlanta 1996 had Celine Dion (a.k.a. Sealion Dying) singing at the opening ceremony,
seeing as she is ummmm... a French Canadian.

Interestingly... Samaranch called the Atlanta games "most exceptional" - much the same terminology used by Rogge on Sunday.

However, Samaranch's turn of phrase was given a different interpretation at the time...

antarctica_moon · Post by **antarctica_moon** » Tue Aug 26, 2008 3:47 am

otyikondo wrote:
antarctica_moon wrote:Face it - the Chinese did a great job.

The UK effort was a bit strange and amateurish. Why did they have that really old guy with a guitar up there?
Nicely provocative, A-M. Read the rubric.

One MIGHT ask politely why Atlanta 1996 had Celine Dion (a.k.a. Sealion Dying) singing at the opening ceremony,
seeing as she is ummmm... a French Canadian.

Interestingly... Samaranch called the Atlanta games "most exceptional" - much the same terminology used by Rogge on Sunday.

However, Samaranch's turn of phrase was given a different interpretation at the time...

I'd like to read a transcript of the meeting on how they decided to choose that old guy:

UK MARKETINGPERSON1: "We need someone who really represents sports today in England. Someone who embodies the youth and hope of 2012 London"

UK MARKETPERSON2: "Well, I think the choice is obvious - Jimmy Paige"

UK MARKETPERSON1: "That's it!"

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Tue Aug 26, 2008 9:28 am

Johnny_Peebucks wrote: He reminds me of Matt Lucas from Little britain when he's dressed up as an old business man.

or the formerly famous actor eating sister's food

Johnny_Peebucks · Post by **Johnny_Peebucks** » Tue Aug 26, 2008 11:04 am

Pursuivant wrote:
Johnny_Peebucks wrote: He reminds me of Matt Lucas from Little britain when he's dressed up as an old business man.

or the formerly famous actor eating sister's food

I was thinking of him also

Oombongo · Post by **Oombongo** » Tue Aug 26, 2008 11:04 am

They should invite Heather Mill$ to talk about her abusive ex hubby

Johnny_Peebucks · Post by **Johnny_Peebucks** » Tue Aug 26, 2008 11:08 am

"We need someone who really represents sports today in England. Someone who embodies the youth and hope of 2012 London"

THEY CHOOSE BECKHAM FOR THAT!!! - you might have missed him - shaved head, gormless guy, bad ear rings...chavvy-looking

And what the hell do chinese drummers and opera singers represent regarding sports and Chinese youth?

Paige might not represnt sports but neither did any of the other bits of the GB thingy - (Beckham is the exception) But it wasn't really a representation of sports but of culture. And the influence of Paige and Zep is HUGE...No Zep, Sabbath, Purple and probably no rock in the form that we know it today. The influence of British music is HUGE and music is an important part of culture and a British export. Yes, I think there should have been something sport related but who do we have from the past Olympics that is internationally known?

Ok, we could have gone with a hipper choice, y'know...that monkey...sorry, Robbie Wiliams singing "Angels"...

Paige probably was the wrong choice but then again I don't see how an Opera singer or C. Dion or fireworks would attract the 'yoof' and inspire them..

"Hey, an Opera singer! I feel like going out and running a marathon in my hoodie will listening to Opera on my mp3 player"

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Tue Aug 26, 2008 11:35 am

Johnny_Peebucks wrote:"We need someone who really represents sports today in England. Someone who embodies the youth and hope of 2012 London"

Finland Forum

Find information about moving to, living in and life in Finland