[ozonemania]

There was a significant multicultural segment to the Opening Ceremonies, you just might have not noticed.

The sequence with the people dressed in white with the LED Spirit Bear and before the orcas (WOW!) was a multicultural statement. From afar, they were all equally dressed in white, but each of their costumes were different, stylized ethnic garb from around the world, representing the diverse peoples of the world -- coming together.

Juxtaposed was Sutherland's narration... "I came to Canada as a refugee... 45 years later, for me, Canada is a refuge still... --Joe Schlesinger"

I thought it was a rather elegant way to talk about diversity in Canada without banging the audience over the head with it. Or without being so very literal about it, by bringing in visible minorities. There are other types of minorities besides skin colour.

[Brokenhead]

Quebec complains that they want to seperate from Canada.

Quebec complains that they weren't represented enough at the opening ceremony.

I thought Quebec doesn't want to be part of Canada. Those are Vancouvers/Canadas games, not Quebecs.

When the "Nation" of Quebec ever hosts a olympic games again, they can do whatever they want.


---of course this doesn't apply to all Quebecers.

[AdrianT]

I'm as pro-multiculturalism as anyone (my kids are half-Chinese), but in terms of Canada as a whole, a large visible minority was represented - that being First Nations who are 4% of the country's population. All other visible minorities are less than 3% of the population each, so I'm not sure which ones merited special inclusion in the ceremonies in your view. As a resident of Richmond which is 60% Asian by population, I would have loved to see a reference to the Chinese New Year slipped into the ceremony somewhere, but it wouldn't have been very relevant to the rest of the country.

I'm just playing devil's advocate here, these were supposed to be Canada's games,but specifically they're Vancouver's games. Montreal had their turn, Calgary had theirs and now it was supposed to Vancouver's opportunity and I just don't think the ceremonies conveyed what was Vancouver at all. When 1/6th of the country is a visible minority (2006 figures, probably 20% now) (statscan doesn't count aboriginals as a visible minority, go figure) and the visible minority population in metro vancouver is nearing a majority, I think VANOC failed in deliverying what people were expecting of the opening ceremonies.

Here's a quote from their news release a year ago about the OC:
http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/n/news/vancouver-2010-opening-ceremony-%E2%80%9Cto-inspire-the-world%E2%80%9D-thanks-to-top-canadian-creative-talent-and-financial-support-from-the-government-of-canada_36724rA.html

“After widely canvassing the opinions of practitioners from across so many fields, we now have solid, pan-Canadian input on how to proceed with capturing the essence of Vancouver, Whistler, B.C., and Canada,” added Jacques Lemay, Vancouver 2010 Ceremonies Team member and Canadian College of the Performing Arts founder. “Representing every region of the country, the participants brought forward fantastic ideas that will help us develop Ceremonies that will best reflect Canadian values, diversity, and creativity.”

Watching back the OC I don't think it captured the essence of Vancouver at all, and where is the so-called diversity when you're neglecting 20%+ of the population?

There was a significant multicultural segment to the Opening Ceremonies, you just might have not noticed.


I think that might have been the problem. I didn't notice, and a lot of people watching didn't either. I don't know if it was CTVs coverage but the commentating was not good, and there were no close ups of these multicultural costumes-- it did not help that they were all dressed in white, it might have looked nice artistically, but I think it was just way too subtle for the general public to have caught on to what exactly they were trying to convey.

[officedweller]

You can't please all of the people all of the time.

I think if small snipets of other themes were added to the ceremony it would have been too jumbled and lacked focus.
I suppose they could have had the snowman guy from Quebec City but I suspect that he's trademarked.

WRT the lack of French - the complaints are probably because they want 50/50 representation - the way bilingualism is represented (half English, half French) and, well, I guess that they don't think that proportional representation (by geography - by each region) isn't good enough politically. It's a bit like a petulent child crying for attention.

Hmmm. Well, that doesn't play well on the coast.

[Stingray2004]

According to the Quebec subset of today's Angus Reid Strategies poll, only 52% of Quebecers felt that the amount of French language and culture at the opening ceremonies was "too little".

Nevertheless, in that same ARS opinion poll, 49% of Quebecers rated the opening ceremonies on the highest scale of 8 -10 and another 36% of Quebecers rated the opening ceremonies on a scale of 4 - 7, which is not too far off the Canadian average. Not too shabby.:tup:

[SpongeG]

how could you miss the immigrant section and the symbolism of it all - the ice breaking dispersing all the many nations of people all over the country

[big T]

Quebec complains that they want to seperate from Canada.

Quebec complains that they weren't represented enough at the opening ceremony.

I thought Quebec doesn't want to be part of Canada. Those are Vancouvers/Canadas games, not Quebecs.

When the "Nation" of Quebec ever hosts a olympic games again, they can do whatever they want.


---of course this doesn't apply to all Quebecers.
Had you been looking more closely, you may have noted that those Quebeckers who are "complaining" are mostly the (majority of) Quebeckers who do not have a strong desire to separate from Canada. Hard core separatists are rather "we told you so" about the whole thing.
As a somewhat outside observer, I find it interesting that they were sort of proved right.

[SpongeG]

oops wrong thread

[mr.x]

I thought it was pretty asinine of Betty Fox to say that her son, Terry, didn't receive enough representation at the Opening Ceremony and because of that he might be a forgotten memory. o_O

It's an opening ceremony, not a cancer rally. I believe she was the first Olympic flag carrier to be announced during the opening and they mentioned Terry when her name was announced...I thought that was quite appropriate.

I mean, I do have great respect for Terry but I think it's wrong to elevate him to a godly figure. And how the hell would he be forgotten? Perhaps she's the one that has forgotten about all the things we've named after her son.

[ozonemania]

I thought it was pretty asinine of Betty Fox to say that her son, Terry, didn't receive enough representation at the Opening Ceremony and because of that he might be a forgotten memory. o_O

It's an opening ceremony, not a cancer rally. I believe she was the first Olympic flag carrier to be announced during the opening and they mentioned Terry when her name was announced...I thought that was quite appropriate.

I mean, I do have great respect for Terry but I think it's wrong to elevate him to a godly figure. And how the hell would he be forgotten? Perhaps she's the one that has forgotten about all the things we've named after her son.In my mind, Terry Fox is firmly entrenched in the Canadian identity, with no real fear of being lost to our collective memory. His life, his achievments and his legacy to not only cancer research but as an inspiration to the World is larger than any Olympic cauldron that could ever be constructed.

Have no fear Betty Fox, we all love your son, he is alive and well in all our hearts.

[SpongeG]

no one can forget alex p keaton ;)

[jsbertram]

no one can forget alex p keaton ;)

Have you been watching too much NBC?
They too mixed up Mike Fox (actor - alex keaton - quite alive & battling parkinsons) with Terry Fox (marathon of hope - died when cancer recurred during the marathon)

[SpongeG]

it was a joke hence the winky smiley ;)

[whatnext]

I can't believe there haven't been any bets here on what performers will be at the closing ceremonies? Michael Buble? Diana Krall? Is Celine Dion just faking everyone out by claiming she won't be able to be here?

[mr.x]

I've heard that there will be a comedy bit with three comedians...not too excited about that, I'd rather have the entire show be an artistic act.


As for artists:
- Celine Dion
- Michael Buble
- Avril Lavigne
- Anne Murray
- no Nickleback please

[Locked In]

I've heard rumours that Neil Young will be involved ("Heart of Gold"...)

------

Closing ceremonies spoiler alert (for the Russian portion anyways):



Olympics: Russia reveals portions of the Games' closing ceremonies

By Vancouver Sun, Canwest News ServiceFebruary 27, 2010 11:25 AM


The Vancouver 2010 Winter Games' closing ceremonies will feature giant "Zorbs" -- huge snowcone-like spheres, and Olympic champions and icons from sport and culture.

The Russian Olympic delegation revealed Saturday that the Olympic flag handover portion of the ceremonies will feature an eight-minute segment about Sochi, Russia, the site of the next Winter Games.

"For the first ever in an Olympic handover ceremony, simultaneous celebrations from two cities – Sochi and Russia’s capital, Moscow – will appear virtually onto a central feature in the stadium, allowing Russia to meet Vancouver through innovation," the Sochi delegation said in a news release.

The audience inside BC Place will be asked to hold up their own small "zorbs".

"Around the world, the crowd will appear as twinkling red, white and blue spheres, representing the Russian colours, and demonstrating Sochi 2014’s commitment to the involvement of people from all cultures and backgrounds," the news release said.

“We have the opportunity to showcase Sochi, modern Russia and our passion for the Olympic Movement to the world,” said Dmitry Chernyshenko, president and CEO of Sochi 2014. “We want to be truly innovative and inspire the world.”
© copyright (c) CNS Olympics

Source: Vancouver Sun (http://www.vancouversun.com/Olympics+Russia+reveals+portions+Games+closing+ceremonies/2622294/story.html)

[mr.x]

^ sounds like Russia spent tons of money on their 8-minute handover segment....and it sounds like they might also be the best part of the entire evening. o_O

[SpongeG]

they've spend tons of money here with its dome and delegation and set up in the bay etc

[whatnext]

VANOC was talking about "humour". That's not going to work well in a venue the size of BC Place. Whaddya bet its Mike Myers?

[Yume-sama]

Canadian humor is usually lost upon the majority of Canadians, let alone everyone else in the World.

PLEASE don't try to be funny. You can't be. Considering how PC, and clean, and sterile the IOC requires everything to be.

[GeeCee]

rofl, a mime fixed the last pillar of the cauldron in BC Place.

[vitc]

lol that was clever and genius!

[mersar]

Yep, that was a good way to kick things off and poke fun at what happened. Good job

[SpongeG]

<3 that was so good

[hammergirl]

Loved the opening of the closing

[whatnext]

Did Furlong just say "you were the wind beneath our wings"? I just threw up in my mouth.

And be a little more gracious to our visitors, rather than making it almost all about Canada.

[whatnext]

Rogge's teeth must be on edge when Furlong speaks French.

[SpongeG]

haha its painful

his speech was good but his delivery was horrible he doesn't know when to pause or give it life

[twoNeurons]

Excellent and friendly? What a hoser.

[whatnext]

they should have prompted the audience to laugh at the appropriate spots. :(

[SpongeG]

like when nickelback came out?

[vancityrox]

will they be doing fireworks outside BC Place at the end of the ceremony???

[Canadian Mind]

like when nickelback came out?

trying to understand why the censored the song... so much sexual innendo at teh show that there is no way they can make it less than pg-13 now. :koko:

[SpongeG]

will they be doing fireworks outside BC Place at the end of the ceremony???

they did some at the beginning

[whatnext]

Why did they kill the energy with Alanis MorrisetteÉ

[quobobo]

word on the street: Neil & Shatner duet to end the show

[SpongeG]

that ending was anti-climactic

[whatnext]

That`s all folks!

[SpongeG]

they should have closed it with a big singer instead it felt like it just ended on the cusp of something more

[Yume-sama]

Martin Short was in the program giude. WHERE WAS MARTIN SHORT? :P

Other than that, I thought it was a clever Closing Ceremony. I loved the beginning.

[SpongeG]

facebook people i know are divided

most hated it - and someone actually loved that nickleback and hedley were in it and were the best thing about it - i need the unlike button!

[Yume-sama]

I wasn't a fan of the closing act. I don't even know who they are :P

There was no formal "end" to the ceremony, which was... weird.

[lightrail]

Martin Short was in the program giude. WHERE WAS MARTIN SHORT? :P

Other than that, I thought it was a clever Closing Ceremony. I loved the beginning.

Was it just me, or did Avril get away with the line "motherf**ing princess" in Girlfriend?

[Yume-sama]

I wasn't really paying attention to her lol

Though I think she may have said motherloving

[Phil McAvity]

it needed more maple syrup.

[whatnext]

The Buble-led over the top Canadiana segment was the best part. The closing acts were just random and scattered with low star power. And then it just petered out.

Something tells me the Sochi games are going to be short on the fun factor. Russians just seem gloomy. :haha:

[Canadian Mind]

Was it just me, or did Avril get away with the line "motherf**ing princess" in Girlfriend?

she did, the bitch. :P

[big T]

The Buble-led over the top Canadiana segment was the best part.

Seconded. That and the very beginning with the mime trying to fix the cauldron were really neat, laugh-out-loud moments. As tiresome as the "rah rah we're so polite and humble" segments in the opening ceremony were, this light-hearted goodbye more than made up for it in my mind. Great stuff!

[SpongeG]

NBC's closing broadcast showed some of the street scenes on Robson!

but they cut away after the Canadiana part to show Marriage ref

seems they will show "the party" segment at 11:30 after the ref and the news

[red-paladin]

I love William Shatner and that was the most badass thing ever!

[SpongeG]

i think after rewatching it - they should have put the hip hop and k-os to open the "party" section and ended it with nickelback

love em or hate em they rocked their performance and it would have been the best energy to end the show on - it seemed to end with a dud like thats it?

[mr.x]

The Closing Ceremony was alright...it had its sweet moments, but there were times I cringed (e.g. Nickelback?). I thought the ending was a bit anti-climatic...I didn't expect them to end it so soft.

[Yume-sama]

They didn't end it soft. They just didn't end it at all. :P

These guys I never heard of come up, they finish, they say "It's over, please leave quickly and safely" lol

[canucks23]

facebook people i know are divided

most hated it - and someone actually loved that nickleback and hedley were in it and were the best thing about it - i need the unlike button!

Its funny that you mention that because just as my friend and I were watching the part where Hedly came out to perform my friend was like " right now there is someone out there giddily clapping to see both Nickleback and Hedley tonight". :haha:

[SpongeG]

haha

someone asked about fireworks was it in here?

http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/2010wintergames/2625612.bin?size=620x400
Fireworks explode over BC Place Stadium at the end of the closing ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, February 28, 2010.
Photograph by: Todd Korol, Reuters

some other pics
http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/2010wintergames/2625450.bin?size=620x400
General view taken during the closing ceremony at the BC Place in Vancouver, on the last day of the 2010 Winter Olympics on February 28, 2010.
Photograph by: TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA, AFP/Getty Images

http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/2010wintergames/2625442.bin?size=620x400
Audience members hold up cards to form flowers during the Closing Ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics on Sunday, February 28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Photograph by: George Bridges , MCT

[Delirium]

i LOVED the very beginning! very clever. holy cleavage on Alanis! she busted out. they should have swapped Avril for Shania imo.

the russia presentation was all over the map imo. those 'zorbs' were really odd. i think they were trying to fit too much in 8 minutes...

[WarrenC12]

Some cool parts, some weird parts. I thought the humour could have been a lot funnier, but Shatner is funny just standing there.

I don't like Nickelback, but that performance did rock, it would have been a great ending.

[Delirium]

this made me laugh... especially the zorb part!

Rendezvous in Sochi?
The Globe and Mail
By Rod Mickleburgh, The Globe and Mail

Advice for the five of you out there thinking of going to Sochi for the 2014 Winter Olympics: don't. Not unless you're a fan of construction sites, concrete silos and Vladimir Putin. Those seemed to be the main features of the Black Sea resort, as highlighted in an unbelievably boring video played by Sochi Olympic organizers to entice assembled hacks covering Vancouver's version of the Winter Games. It was more like a company promotion for Metallurg, circa 1971, than anything remotely connected to the Olympics.

Sochi organizing committee CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko added to the mystery of Sochi's Winter Games allure by referring to his city as "the most popular summer tourist destination in Russia. People call it the Russian Riviera. We have a sub-tropical climate. Lots of palm trees."

Great. Just what the Winter Olympic needs. Palm trees.

As a piece de resistance, just in case there were still a few reporters in the room resistant to Sochi's Olympic charms, Mr. Chernyshenko unveiled the zorb.

What's a zorb, you ask? Mr. Chernyshenko seemed puzzled, too. Gamely, he offered that a zorb was a large, transparent sphere expected to bounce around during Sochi's portion of Sunday's closing ceremonies.

"They reflect the open, transparent society we are trying to create in Sochi," he quipped. "The zorbs reflect the Sochi universe."

Then someone went and spoiled it all by asking if ‘zorb' was a Russian word. "I have no idea," the 2014 Games czar replied. "If someone knows, please advise me."

Another cheeky reporter added to the merriment by asking Mr. Chernyshenko how to spell ‘zorb'.

"This wonderful word ‘zorb'," he sighed in response. "I'm not sure how to spell it."

A few minutes later, Mr. Chernyshenko turned the screen of his computer around to face the media. On it, in large bold capitals, was the word "ZORBS". He beamed with pride.

Cost of hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics? Billions and billions of rubles. Dmitry Chernyshenko, with a large name tag in front of him reading "ZORBS"? Priceless.

http://www.ctvolympics.ca/news-centre/newsid=54285.html#mickleburgh+blog+rendezvous+sochi

[WarrenC12]

In fairness, they still have 4 years to figure it out. Russian media aside, I wish them the best of luck.

[lightrail]

In fairness, they still have 4 years to figure it out. Russian media aside, I wish them the best of luck.

The Zorb is actually a Kiwi invention and it was featured on "The Amazing Race" - season 5. They put water in them and then you roll them down a hill with somebody in - kind of like an out of control waterslide to the person inside.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jgnDgighHs
Source: YouTube

[hammergirl]

I agree with the people that said the show just fizzled out at the end.

It was like there was no climax to the show. They needed someone/something big to close it out. Some of the artists could have chosen better songs. Avril could have done SkaterBoi for example.

The concert part just seemed to be a string of opening acts with no headliner.

With three of the top music managers in Canada as talent co-ordinators, I have to wonder if this was a case of too many cooks.

[Yume-sama]

Hahaha, I laughed at this:

"Today, my country thought it was a good idea to represent itself with Avril Lavigne, Hedley, and Nickelback. FML"
http://www.fmylife.com/miscellaneous/8738171

WHERE WAS CELINE???

[SpongeG]

where was Shania!

[twoNeurons]

K-OS is a pretty big act, but I would've rather seen someone more timeless.

Perhaps it was a nod to Toronto?

[Yume-sama]

K-OS is a pretty big act, but I would've rather seen someone more timeless.

Perhaps it was a nod to Toronto?

:P Had no idea who they were, nor did people sitting near me. People actually started leaving when they came on for their overly long performance.

[Hed Kandi]

Martin Short was in the program giude. WHERE WAS MARTIN SHORT? :P

Other than that, I thought it was a clever Closing Ceremony. I loved the beginning.


So was Pauly Shore. WHERE WAS PAULY SHORE?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB3ysHT601M

[WarrenC12]

Neil Young killed that performance. That should have ended the show. Is it typical for the flame to go out part way through, rather than at the end?

[SpongeG]

yes they do it in the middle and than "the party" begins

from what i remember of Calgary's ending they had a big party that was much more exciting and ending much better kd lang was a closer there and she had the crowd going mad - at the time she was doing her country punk dance thing... all the athletes were dancing and i didn't see much dancing going on here in vancouver among the atheletes they seemed to mill about other than the japanese girls who looked happy

[Zassk]

WHERE WAS CELINE???

Celine already did an opening ceremony for the USA... She's had her turn! Besides, we don't want our games to be associated with the Atlanta games. :haha:

There was lots of dancing for Nickelback and Avril, but the later groups didn't inspire much.

The ceremony should have used Alanis's song to end on a poignant note. But who cares, really? I can only name two acts from Salt Lake from memory, and neither put in memorable performances. My biggest memory from Salt Lake was the bouncy balls in the audience, which we also had (except ours changed colors!).

I barely remember the big ticket performance from Atlanta, and I can remember cringing through Lionel Ritchie in 1984, as a kid.

[twoNeurons]

Avril Lavigne is fairly popular in Japan... which I find amusing, because her name is chock full of sounds which don't exist in Japanese... v r and l

It ends up being Aboriru Rabeen.

[Yume-sama]

Hah. I was there when she was putting on a free concert at a mall in Omiya, to promote some clothing line.

I thought it was really weird how much Japanese people LOVE her.

I think she kind of goes with the "cute punk" style that a lot of Japanese girls find cute / popular. Not a Shibuya girl, not a Harajuku girl... I don't know what you'd call it :P

[Prometheus]

that ending was anti-climactic

Yes, the very ending was strangely, incomprehensibly anti-climatic. Bizarre.

[mr.x]

Yes, the very ending was strangely, incomprehensibly anti-climatic. Bizarre.

loll...if any of you watch NBC's 30 ROCK, it was almost as if Liz Lemon walked in and told everyone to "this is scaring everyone, shut it down" and that's what they did.

[Zassk]

I guess they pulled the budget for a big fireworks finish. :P

[Rusty Gull]

The closing ceremony was awful - mostly because of the lame musical acts they trotted out, especially Avril Lavigne.

Neil Young was amazing, even though he just delivered the same performance two weeks earlier on the Conan OBrian final.

I have no problem with Buble, K-OS, Alanis. But Avril??? Come on, that was so lame.

And like others have asked, where were the icons, love them or hate them. Celine? Shania? Rush? Anne Murray? They could have had some ironic fun with them - as opposed to the crass and superficial Lavigne.

Also, that opening song by the trio of singers ("let's get this party going" or whatever) was just absolute pablum. Possibly the worst song I have ever heard.

[Prometheus]

I don't like Nickelback, but that performance did rock, it would have been a great ending.

Nickelback does not interest me at all. But their performance was the best and most rocking of the night. I agree with the choice to start with them to crank up the energy. However, they needed to end with an equally rocking act instead of with that strangely low-key, anti-climatic hip-hop segment. Was there not anyone to say, "How can we end the show on such a note?"

[Rusty Gull]

Hah. I was there when she was putting on a free concert at a mall in Omiya, to promote some clothing line.

I thought it was really weird how much Japanese people LOVE her.

I think she kind of goes with the "cute punk" style that a lot of Japanese girls find cute / popular. Not a Shibuya girl, not a Harajuku girl... I don't know what you'd call it :P

She is packaged, formulaic and corporate - always a sure winner for Nippon.

[Prometheus]

The closing ceremony was awful - mostly because of the lame musical acts they trotted out, especially Avril Lavigne.

The closing cermony was not awful at all dude. It was a good ceremony (with some strokes of genius) that could have been made into a great ceremony if a few changes had been made here and there and it had ended with a clear, climatic big-bang. The only way anyone knew it was over was because the lady on the P.A. system said it was over.

[Rusty Gull]

OK, maybe awful is too strong a word.

But it was a buzz-kill after the hockey game, and it featured some quite cringe-worthy musical performances. I also shuddered when Rogge announced our Games to be "terrific and very friendly". That's like winning the Miss Congeniality award.

With that being said, the ceremony was peppered with some wonderful moments (the ovation for Michael J Fox, Neil Young, Catriona finally lighting the torch).

[Zassk]

Some of you guys might hate Avril and Nickelback, but those two are hugely popular outside of Canada, which makes them key candidates for performing at the ceremonies. I'm not big on them either, but they were good choices for an international audience.

Enough talk of Celine! She has done an Olympics already, and it was already announced last month that she was invited but was unable to get out of her current contract.

I have no idea why Shania might not have been chosen, except that... well, country music has no place in Vancouver. :)

Anne Murray was a flagbearer, and thank god, because she would have put 3 billion people to sleep had she sung. As a performer she doesn't have much traction with anyone outside Canada or under age 50. Personally, I'm pleased that the focus was (mostly) on younger artists.

It is a shame that the rumor about Rush didn't come true.

[mr.x]

OK, maybe awful is too strong a word.

But it was a buzz-kill after the hockey game, and it featured some quite cringe-worthy musical performances. I also shuddered when Rogge announced our Games to be "terrific and very friendly". That's like winning the Miss Congeniality award.

With that being said, the ceremony was peppered with some wonderful moments (the ovation for Michael J Fox, Neil Young, Catriona finally lighting the torch).

"Excellent and friendly Games" is the closest Rogge will ever get to saying "Best Games Ever".

FYI, he called Athens 2004 "dream Games".

[CBeats]

Nickelback and Avril were suitable performers for the closing ceremonies due to their widespread popularity. The moment I really cringed was when Simple Plan was announced! Ugh, they are the worst, with nothing more than a string of minor, emo, formulaic hits a couple years ago to qualify them for a spot in the ceremonies. And in contrast to most of the other performers, they aren't popular at all outside Canada!
Hedley was at least exciting, even though it was Hedley...

[Rusty Gull]

^ Well, a lot of what you witnessed last night - from Simple Plan to Furlong's butchering of French - was to placate Jean Charest and some of the French special interest groups that were pissed there wasn't more Quebec content in the opening ceremony.

I don't have a problem with there being franco-canadian content or Quebec content, but it should have been of a higher calibre if they were going to go down that road.

[tovan]

An interesting article from 2006 that I came across about the Canadian portion of the 2006 closing ceremonies...

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=87d727f2-bbe2-4e03-8bdf-a14c60d85df1&p=2

Vanoc blew it: Premier

Canada's athletes may have shone at the Turin Olympics. But Premier Gordon Campbell doesn't think its Olympic organizers did so with their spectacle welcoming the world to Vancouver for the 2010 Games.

By The Vancouver Sun
April 1, 2006

VICTORIA -- Canada's athletes may have shone at the Turin Olympics. But Premier Gordon Campbell doesn't think its Olympic organizers did so with their spectacle welcoming the world to Vancouver for the 2010 Games.

In a rare criticism from one of the Olympics' biggest boosters, Campbell said the eight-minute closing ceremony had too many hackneyed stereotypes about Canada.

The show, the first test of the 2010 Olympics marketing campaign that will present Vancouver to the world, also did too little to highlight B.C. and the social and economic diversity of the "new Canada," the premier said in an interview with The Vancouver Sun.

"To be candid, I've heard a lot of people who don't think it was an okay start," said Campbell.

Olympic organizers always face a delicate balancing act over how much of their advertising campaigns should be national or local in focus. That's fuelled the recent debate over the decision by Vancouver's organizers to choose an inukshuk as 2010's symbol rather than a more local icon, such as an orca or stylized aboriginal design that goes to the roots of the Pacific Northwest.

Campbell has had little to say about that controversy.

But seeing ice fishing depicted at the performance in Turin, where the pastime was made a central focus of Canada's segment of the Olympic closing ceremony, seems to have rankled the premier.

"I thought there were lots of stereotypes that are not what the new Canada is," said Campbell. "Like ice fishing. Ice fishing is one of the parts of Canada. But it's not the only part. When you're inviting people, you don't have to tell them this is a cold place. I think there's lots we can do and we'll improve."

Campbell, whose government has budgeted $600 million for the Olympics, said he plans to discuss the matter with John Furlong, chief executive officer of the Vancouver Organizing Committee, who he says is doing a good job. But he wonders why Vancouver organizers chose to focus so little on the 2010 Games' host, Vancouver, Whistler, and British Columbia.

"I think that's a crucial part of the message," he said. "British Columbia is Canada. And Canada is B.C. And we shouldn't stray away from that."

That seems to be a challenge to Furlong's vision, which entails using the Olympics to create "a stronger Canada whose spirit is raised by its passion for sport, culture and sustainability."

While the 2010 Olympics will be held in B.C., Furlong largely casts them as "Canada's Games" and sees the event as a chance to unify Canadians through sport. At Vanoc's Vancouver headquarters, Furlong leaves no doubt about his national priority, often asking employees: "What have you done for Canada today?"

This week he began a national tour to push that very message across the country.

At the heart of the premier's critique, however, is a view that Vancouver and B.C. can be a modern metaphor for Canada, with national and global resonance.

"Vanoc's job is to do a great job for Canada," said Campbell. "Deciding that a great job for B.C is not a great job for Canada is simply wrong. B.C. has tonnes to offer Canada. We are Canada. That's all you have to understand."

After its opening show in Turin, which starred rocker Avril Lavigne and opera star Ben Heppner -- born in Murrayville, near Langley -- Vancouver Olympic organizers put out a release trumpeting it as "an unqualified success."

"I am enormously proud of the cultural performance our team produced for the closing ceremony," said Furlong. "Through a dynamic display of artistry and imagination, the world saw the diversity and wonder of Canada and our love of winter sport. I could not be happier with the performance."

When made aware of Premier Gordon Campbell less generous critique, however, Vanoc's organizers were less self-congratulatory.

"We've heard from a lot of people who were not that pleased," said Terry Wright, senior vice-president responsible for ceremonies.

Although many viewers liked the show, Wright said he and the rest of the team at Vanoc have "learned some valuable lessons" about what happened in Turin.

"One of them is that we're going to need to be a little more explicit about what we're trying to achieve," Wright said.

He cited the reaction to the ice fisher, which has been criticized as perpetuating a cliche and archaic image of the country. The intention, he explained, was to use the character of the ice fisher as a parody on how Canada has been transformed over the years from a frontier land to a modern, urban country.

"We wanted to poke fun at our past and how we've transformed into the future," Wright said. "We didn't get that result. And clearly we won't want to take that chance again in the future."

"Maybe if there's one regret, we tried to do too much in the eight minutes. We didn't get our story told as well from a television perspective as we'd hoped."

[Prometheus]

Reading that article reminded me about my disappointment with the official logo of the Vancouver Games.

For one, as the article pointed out, the official logo is not particularly relevant to Vancouver or the Pacific Northwest. But the other things that bug me about it is that it is not a particularly beautiful or cool image, which is a shame because everything about Vancouver and the west coast is so beautiful and cool. Also, the choice to colour the logo with the olympic colours is aesthetically unpleasing, especially because those colours clash with the amazing "look of the games" colours. Seeing those primary red and yellow colours at centre ice was so incongruous with the beauty of the "look of the games" theme along the boards.

So I often wondered what stylized image should we have had instead. Reading that article made it clear. It should have been the Haida orca (OR raven OR thunderbird, etc.). It is everything that the official logo is not. It is a beautiful, timeless, work of art, and it reduces the essence of the unique beauty and myth of the Pacific Northwest into one stylized icon. Moreover, it ties perfectly into the design of the medals.

I now cannot believe that this approach was not taken. It would have killed two birds with one stone: it would have placated the PC police and been a beautiful image which captures the unique essence of the Pacific Northwest.

[whatnext]

:previous: Ha ha I guess Gordo forgot all that in his excitement. What a maroon.

[mr.x]

I absolutely hated the logo, but i've warmed up to it...mostly because its application has been changed with the amazing look of the Games. Solid colours of the logo are now usually used, rather than multiple colours....that was just way too much.

[Urban_Genius]

The music in my opinion was indifferent. The skit were great. Same as some of the speeches I thought.

That 15 minute long stereotype of Canada thing was great.

[Delirium]

i'm mixed about that portion. i get what they were trying to do but they didn't take it far enough visually to show how we are not those stereotypes. Simply breaking away to Nickleback didn't make the point (if that was indeed the intent).

i did however really like that Alanis song. never heard it before but it was moving for some reason..

[ozonemania]

Would have loved to have the Wainwrights perform... :(

[Canadian Mind]

Nickelback does not interest me at all. But their performance was the best and most rocking of the night. I agree with the choice to start with them to crank up the energy. However, they needed to end with an equally rocking act instead of with that strangely low-key, anti-climatic hip-hop segment. Was there not anyone to say, "How can we end the show on such a note?"

"Lonely End of the Rink" by the "Tragically Hip" would have been fitting and loud.

[mrjauk]

I liked the logo from the beginning. I think it was great across all elements--design, symbolism, Canadian culture, etc. As for the colour, aren't those the colours of the Olympic rings? Regardless, I think the Inukshuk has now become an iconic symbol worldwide.

[mr.x]

^ for me, before I warmed up to it, i had these issues with the logo:

- the blocks looked like toy blocks...everything to do with the colours (i think it would have been better if the blocks were one solid colour instead of the Olympic ring colours)

- the stupid mouth on the ROCK head

- giving the logo a name...."Ilanaaq"...but we haven't heard it referred as that for a long time now

[whatnext]

Anyone notice that Stephen Harper looked as awkward and unengaged as he did at the Opening Ceremonies? Why don't his handlers tell him to at least reach over pat his wife on the arm and smile a little? At least the Tories could have given us Peter Mackay as PM, he would have fit in and looked like he was having fun.

[mr.x]

Anyone notice that Stephen Harper looked as awkward and unengaged as he did at the Opening Ceremonies? Why don't his handlers tell him to at least reach over pat his wife on the arm and smile a little? At least the Tories could have given us Peter Mackay as PM, he would have fit in and looked like he was having fun.

He was at the oval when the men won the relay...CTV's cameras were on him seconds after we won the race, and he was clapping slowly at like a rate of 1 clap per second while everyone else around him was jumping and cheering. :haha: At that moment when the camera was on Harper, the CTV commentator said something along the lines of "our Prime Minister is celebrating ecstatically".

[touraccuracy]

my opinion also is that the logo should only be solid colours and it should never have been given that mouth.

[Yume-sama]

Stephen Harper is a robot. It's not his fault his makers didn't make him the most animated person ever.

[SpongeG]

i think Knaan - singing waving flag would have been a great ending

that noise makers groupd was just bad

too bad his hit is only recent and the performers were probably chosen earlier

you could see all the athletes out ther hugging each other and waving along to the song...

[SpongeG]

I absolutely hated the logo, but i've warmed up to it...mostly because its application has been changed with the amazing look of the Games. Solid colours of the logo are now usually used, rather than multiple colours....that was just way too much.

i like it too it showed up really well on TV at events etc

thats what logos have to do be visible and recognizable and in a simple form and this one really accomplished that

it had 5 pieces to it sort of like the 5 olympic rings the 5 flame cauldron etc

[SpongeG]

Anyone notice that Stephen Harper looked as awkward and unengaged as he did at the Opening Ceremonies? Why don't his handlers tell him to at least reach over pat his wife on the arm and smile a little? At least the Tories could have given us Peter Mackay as PM, he would have fit in and looked like he was having fun.

my mom and dad have his calender - its like seriously i don't know how to explain it - i am embarrassed by it