Olympic Opening Ceremony

LadyShea · #1 08-14-2004, 05:11 AM

I am putting it in this forum because it was ART. I had chills! What a beautiful and impressive job the Greeks did. I especially loved the costumes and makeup for the floats showing Greek history.

Just visually stunning, what did you all think?

viscousmemories · #2 08-14-2004, 05:30 AM

I agree. It was a bit cheesy in parts but overall very beautiful and interesting. There were some countries I've never even heard of who sent delegates. I just saw a thing on PBS a few nights ago about the origins of the olympics, so I understood some of the references much better as a result.

There were some pretty obnoxious things, too. Like 75% of the S. African delegates being white when only 16% of the population is and the announcers talking non-stop over Bjork's performance and making inane comments like, "You have to strut with confidence if you're wearing a get-up like that" about people in their native costumes.

Overall though I liked it a lot. The stadium was cool and the fireworks were awesome.

LadyShea · #3 08-14-2004, 05:44 AM

The parade of nations etc wasn't impressive...the US announcers sounded like they were announcing the Rose Parade with all their useless little factoids. I mean the part before that like the huge scultpure breaking apart, and the centaur, and the floats and the lazer double helix.

viscousmemories · #4 08-14-2004, 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LadyShea

The parade of nations etc wasn't impressive...the US announcers sounded like they were announcing the Rose Parade with all their useless little factoids. I mean the part before that like the huge scultpure breaking apart, and the centaur, and the floats and the lazer double helix.

Oh, I came in late so I missed all that. Oops. Well anyway I thought the parade, Bjork's performance, the fireworks and other parts of the event each had a measure of aesthetic appeal. I liked the broad spectrum of colors and textures in all the outfits and such and Bjork's superdress slowly unfolding over the athletes.

SharonDee · #5 08-14-2004, 12:46 PM

Hubster and I happened upon the show at the part where a couple were kissing and hugging in the water. We were like, WTF? until we realized what we were watching. Then we could only watch with mouths agape as the parade started up. It was so beautiful and spectacular. (And it would have to be in order to arrest the Hubster's channel surfing thumb.)

I want to see it again! :yup:

Dingfod · #6 08-14-2004, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by viscousmemories

There were some countries I've never even heard of who sent delegates.

Like Dominica? Well, slap my grandma and call me ignernt, but I ain't never heard of no Dominica until last night. So, I looks the thing up in the CIA factbook site, population about 69K, the nature island, only 4% of the island is arable land, pretty poor but sounds like a nice place to visit if a person wanted to get away from it all.

Because of attending my daughter's band performance and ice cream social and having to go to bed early because I'm on day shifts today, I only saw about 30 minutes of the parade of delegates and none of the rest of the ceremony. What I did see was impressive though.

Warren, an olympic-sized fan

viscousmemories · #7 08-14-2004, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by warrenly

Like Dominica? Well, slap my grandma and call me ignernt, but I ain't never heard of no Dominica until last night. So, I looks the thing up in the CIA factbook site, population about 69K, the nature island, only 4% of the island is arable land, pretty poor but sounds like a nice place to visit if a person wanted to get away from it all.

That's funny. I looked up Palau at the CIA factbook site. A little island in the N. Pacific, just SE of the Phillipines. Population 20k and the AIDS rate is N/A. I wondered if they make all visitors present a recent AIDS test to keep it that way. I wonder if any countries do that.

livius drusus · #8 08-14-2004, 03:51 PM

I thought the lovers and the flying Eros bit was pretty tacky and the boy in the boat part had a certain pointlessness to it. I liked the history parade, but that flying Eros and an occasional weird period kept cheesing things up. I really liked the eerie, stylized statue people effect.

Okay, so, am I the only one who thought the whole torchlighting/raising thing verged on the obscene?

LadyShea · #9 08-14-2004, 04:31 PM

I think the torch itself is sooooo ugly. No style at all.

viscousmemories · #10 08-14-2004, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LadyShea

I think the torch itself is sooooo ugly. No style at all.

It really is. In fact now that I think about it, it looks like a giant joint. Not a very good symbol for a drug-free olympics, imo.

Gawen · #11 08-14-2004, 06:37 PM

Since the Olympic Comittee took out Tug-of-war....I don't care to watch it.

Dingfod · #12 08-14-2004, 11:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gawen

Since the Olympic Comittee took out Tug-of-war....I don't care to watch it.

Golf, dude. How much more athletic can you get than golf? Yes. Olympic croquet.

Actually, how about those lumberjack games? Now those are athletes. That shit should be in the Olympics.

How about something I can relate to? Olympic hedge trimming or precision lawnmowing? Yeah!

My distain for the Olympics has more to do with the way NBC covers the games these days. It fucking sucks. It's fucking sucked ever since their "coverage" of the 1992 Barcelona games. They hopscotch all over the place because of (*whine*) all the simultaneous games (*whine*). For Bob's sake, those games over there are all over and done for the day by the time we even get to see them on the TV here in the USA anyway, so just show the best of the best regardless of national origin of the winners and shut the fuck up with all the stories of personal triumphs over tragedy bullshit, NBC. I don't give a fuck if Joe Blow from Potato Falls, Idaho lifting the tractor off Uncle Ned made him decide to be a fucking Olympic gymnast. I hope Bob Costas gets eaten alive by Jar-Jar Binks, and Jar-Jar chokes to death on the chunks. I don't know, is Costas still an Olympic commentator? I hope the hell not.

Warren

P.S. Dodgeball. Olympic dodgeball. Dammit.

Gawen · #13 08-14-2004, 11:38 PM

Tug-of-war was an actual Olympic sport.

Adora · #14 08-15-2004, 12:38 AM

We did it better.

And the torch looked like a giant dick. The girl-vase-thingys were hilarious. Apart from that, I enjoyed perving at the Brazillians and the Cubans. They sure know how to make em over there.

Dingfod · #15 08-15-2004, 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gawen

Tug-of-war was an actual Olympic sport.

I know that, so was golf... and rugby... and polo and lacrosse. And, don't forget powerboating or water skiing either.

Chariot racing has been noticeably absent from modern olympic games. It's also been a while since pankration was in the games too. Don't they think some people might be interested in a sport that is a combination of wrestling and boxing? Perhaps if performed by naked contestants like the ancient games?

Warren

Dingfod · #16 08-15-2004, 01:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by warrenly

...is Costas still an Olympic commentator? I hope the hell not.

He is, dog dammit.

Warren

Gawen · #17 08-15-2004, 03:48 PM

oooooo......Chariot racing. Now THAT I could go for. Not this namby-pamby harness racing. Gotta have all the 007 devices to cheat and win. And really, I think all Olympic sports should be done by naked contestants....even dart throwing.

Dingfod · #18 08-15-2004, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gawen

oooooo......Chariot racing. Now THAT I could go for. Not this namby-pamby harness racing. Gotta have all the 007 devices to cheat and win.

Like spikes that come out of the axle and destroy the wheel spokes of their competitors?

Quote:

And really, I think all Olympic sports should be done by naked contestants....even dart throwing.

I'm thinking there should also be more competitive events, like team lawn darts, or by combining two sports...

... like skeet-shooting and discus...
("Pull!" "Ungh, hngh, huhh!" *Bang* "Nice one. A little close though, huh, Bob? Bob? ..... Bob? ...............Uh, Bob? [technical difficulties screen comes on])

...or weight-lifting and canoeing
("Looks like he's going to get wet on that one Bob.")

...or soccer (football) and archery.
("He shoots, he scores..." *Phfffftssssss* [the ball goes flat] "Nice shooting there, huh, Bob? Bob?.... Bob? Oh, great, not again.")

BTW, I only watch the women's beach volleyball to look at their amazing abs. I never even noticed their firm buttocks at all. Really.

Warren

Gawen · #19 08-15-2004, 08:54 PM

*perplexed look*...Women volleyball players have firm buttocks? Why...*dead-pan look*...I never woulda thunk it.

Dingfod · #20 08-15-2004, 09:07 PM

I found myself rooting for Norway over the US in that sport. Am I a traitor and a terrist? Or, am I just a sucker for pretty blondes?

Warren

Gawen · #21 08-15-2004, 09:19 PM

Sacrilege!! I think you need to spend less time in the "What are humans worth" and "Fuck America" threads...lol

shhhhh...*whisperin*...I'm holdin out for the Swedes and Danes...

Dingfod · #22 08-15-2004, 10:47 PM

Fuck America, them Norwegian blondes are worth quite a bit on my human scale.

Warren

Gawen · #23 08-16-2004, 02:28 AM

*laffin*...warrenly...you are baaaaad

Dingfod · #24 08-16-2004, 08:44 PM

I just watched the fine-assed Norwegians beat the skinny-assed Swiss beach volleyball pair. Cool. But, I'm afraid that they'll eventually get their fine asses served to them when they get to playing the vicious wicked-bad Merkins.

Warren

JoeP · #25 08-16-2004, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by viscousmemories

There were some pretty obnoxious things, too. Like 75% of the S. African delegates being white when only 16% of the population is

Integration is not very far advanced in sport. You could not expect much more yet: you don't create a full crop of international athletes in 10 years (that only works for redistributing the stock market to already-wealthy fat-cat blacks :fuming:

). But the fact is the infrastructure's not there either. There's little in the way of sports facilities and coaching in the poorer communities. Even running, which blacks have been very successful at in East Africa, seems to have little penetration. Rugby and cricket are the national "white" sports and highly televised, but the same is true there.

Football (soccer) is what most blacks follow, and play. Some players are exported, like Lucas Radebe and Benni McCarthy. Amazingly, English football is followed extensively - you can find Manchester United supporters in Soweto (and in Isiolo in the north of Kenya). Other sports get little promotion and little interest. So far.