OPENING CEREMONIES!!!!<br><br>Off the Hook? .........Blows the hook off the planet!!!!!!!!!<br><br>Easily the TV moment of the Year!!!!!!!<br><br><br>
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OPENING CEREMONIES!!!!<br><br>Off the Hook? .........Blows the hook off the planet!!!!!!!!!<br><br>Easily the TV moment of the Year!!!!!!!<br><br><br>
I wouldn't expect any less from China. Awesome, but I must admit I'm switching back and forth between that and the "Puppy Games '08"<br><br>Pete
I was just checking out all the hot chicks from around the world wow there's hot girls everywhere. almost.........<img src="http://static.yuku.com//domainskins/bypass/img/smileys/tongue.gif" alt="image">
Best. Opening. Ceremonies. EVAR!
China spent $40 Billion on these Olympics for the venues, ceremonies, and so on. I expected it to be special, as it was!
Yes, WOW! <br> If it was here in the US, you know it would be computer controlled, some engineers in a booth somewhere, lotsa hydraulics, monitoring systems, etc...... Butthere, 'they have the people' I saw 2008 drummers playing as one, by heart, with little or no errors in a long complicated set of numbers. Then anequal number of people with electric suits, again, no computer, just PEOPLE with many, many months of training. An incredible display.<br> Reminds me of the 'clone army' in the last Star Wars.....<br> How about the fireworks?!?!
I'm not unfamiliar with Chinese culture and how structured they can do some things and even I was completely amazed at how quickly they could get a fewthousand people onto the stadium floor in mere seconds. The square drum ceremony was beyond awesome and they got those guys off the floor in less than aminute, and a few thousand others in place all in the same time period. I just hope that at least one friend in Beijing was able to film some of the ceremonyfrom inside the stadium so I can see what it looked like from the stands.<br><br>One guy commenting on it for NBC said something along the lines of they may as well retire the torch because that one will be hard to outdo. I completely agreeand I was in awe of the previous one where a flaming arrow was shot to ignite the big torch.<br><br>I was already suffering from lack of sleep and now with 24-hour Olympic Games coverage on various NBC and affiliated channels, as well as stuff live on theinternet, I'm not getting much sleep at all.
Agreed. The most impressive display in Olympic history. London is going to have to go minimalist just to be different because nothing else will be able to liveup to the Chinese this year.<br><br>Steve
I don't even think words can describe how intense that was. I was really shocked, amazed, speechless...
They took the Olympic Opening Ceremony to a WHO.... NUVVA..... LEVEL....<br><br>Seriously, though, I was moved to tears... there really are no words to describe it...<br><br>Greg
<blockquote> <strong class="quote-title">Jaybird wrote:</strong> <hr> Yes, WOW! <br> If it was here in the US, you know it would be computer controlled, some engineers in a booth somewhere, lotsa hydraulics, monitoring systems, etc...... But there, 'they have the people' I saw 2008 drummers playing as one, by heart, with little or no errors in a long complicated set of numbers. Then an equal number of people with electric suits, again, no computer, just PEOPLE with many, many months of training. An incredible display. <br> Reminds me of the 'clone army' in the last Star Wars..... <br> How about the fireworks?!?!</blockquote><p> </p>LOL~ <img src="http://static.yuku.com//domainskins/bypass/img/smileys/roll.gif" alt="image"><br><br>Nice call. The fireworks <em>were</em> computer generated...at least some of them. The little singer girl lip synced. China didn't want to put the actualsinger on TV because she had crooked teeth. And here I thought China didn't go for all that Western capitalist pig obsession with looks. <br><br>I hear the British have detailed the "Chinese Dentistry Proposal" in their house of commons. Instead of getting their teeth worked on (as if), theyjust hire someone to act as their stand-in.<br><br>I wouldn't be surprised if all those drummers were actually the same guy overdubbed like they did that Oompa Loompa dude in the Willy Wonka remake....<br><br>Makes me even more glad I didn't waste my time watching it.<br><br>Joel.<br>
Yeah, what a let down. I still liked it, but my favorite part, the all human element, was taken away with their lip syncing, computer animation, and trickphotography.
<strong>Nothing but a straight Chinese con job, duping the people has been their specialty, since 1948........<img src="http://static.yuku.com//domainskins/bypass/img/smileys/eyes.gif" alt="image"><br><br>News flash, most, if not all, of the Chinese Womens Gymnastics team is under 16, illegal anywhere else, but not in Beijing i guess, and they won thegold.......<br><br>I will admit that our of legal competing age American girls with shape had the gold for the taking, but they blew it on the beam and floor, settling forsilver.........<br><br>Yay for Phelps and his world record breaking Speedo swimsuit, but I'll be glad when it's over, nothing but a con job all. Beijing 2008 sucks, one ofthe worst Olympic games ever.......<img src="http://static.yuku.com//domainskins/bypass/img/smileys/mad.gif" alt="image"></strong>
"Yay for Phelps and his world record breaking Speedo swimsuit, but I'll be glad when it's over, nothing but a con job all. Beijing 2008 sucks, oneof the worst Olympic games ever......."<br><br>So, some lame fireworks, a bad grill on a singer, and some (alleged) unfounded data on the age of a gym rat, who hails from a country of short, skinny people,and this makes for a bad O? I couldn't care less about the gymnastics, because our girls couldn't beat 35 year old fat guys, let alone some breed to beminature girl from China-sorry not their year.<br>The "O" is about putting aside differences and coming together. I like what it stands for, even if I don't care for some of the countries thatplay.<br>-The bike race through the streets, made the Tour De France, look like a trip through the ghetto. We will never see that again.<br>-The opening ceremony will never be matched, ever again. Even with the PC aided fireworks and the poor girl with the bad dental work. The USofA invented thelip synch, and we shall be the ONLY ones to do it.<br>-Americans lost family there, and the Chinese really showed some heart in the matter. Honestly, I didn't think they had one.<br>-Phelps is the man, and we're watching history. If that alone, would make this O worthy. The suit drama is just plain dumb. As if a fullbody speedo isnoteworthy? It's all about the pool design anyway.....<br>-The relay, where the US came from 1/2 body length behind for the win! How'd that taste France?<br>-The Redeem Team, has been fun to watch, which wasn't the case last time around.<br>-Fencing DOMINATION owned by our girls. 1st....2nd....and 3rd thankyou very much.<br>-Baseball coming up for our kids.<br>-Tennis still up.<br>-And on and on and on.......<br><br>This is the Worlds' stage and watching our players-play, watching the performance that was 4 years in the making, the training involved, the sacrificesmade. I enjoy it for what it is, a rare glimpse that comes around once every so often to see sports that otherwise would hold no interest to me what's soever. I wish I could watch it 24/7.
<strong>"Americans lost family there, and the Chinese really showed some heart in the matter. Honestly, I didn't think they had one"<br><br>"The "O" is about putting aside differences and coming together. I like what it stands for, even if I don't care for some of the countriesthat play"</strong><br><br><strong>That's about all i'll agree with ya on C, when it comes to this Chinese con game that is the 2008 Olympics......<br><br>I ain't convinced, and i know you weren't tryin' to.......<img src="http://static.yuku.com//domainskins/bypass/img/smileys/wink.gif" alt="image"><br><br>Go Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, woo hoo!<img height="16" src="http://redlinesonlinemessageboard.yuku.com/domain/bypass/images/rockon.gif" width="47" alt="image"><img height="18" src="http://redlinesonlinemessageboard.yuku.com/domain/bypass/images/thumbsup.gif" width="25" alt="image"><img height="27" src="http://mmb.maverick.to/images/smilies/yahoo.gif" width="42" alt="image"><img height="16" src="http://redlinesonlinemessageboard.yuku.com/domain/bypass/images/rockon.gif" width="47" alt="image"><br></strong><br><strong>I'd play in the sand with either one.......<img height="80" src="http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/party/party-smiley-020.gif" width="112" alt="image"><br><br>Or both.......<img height="15" src="http://redlinesonlinemessageboard.yuku.com/domain/bypass/images/clap.gif" width="30" alt="image"><img height="18" src="http://redlinesonlinemessageboard.yuku.com/domain/bypass/images/thumbsup.gif" width="25" alt="image"><img height="15" src="http://redlinesonlinemessageboard.yuku.com/domain/bypass/images/clap.gif" width="30" alt="image"></strong><br><br>
"I'd play in the sand with either one....."<br><br>I almost forgot about them! Go girls, go.....
I'm afraid it's a typically arrogant American attitude to be so cynical when someone else does something so magnificent. As if Americans have neverlip-sync'd, or used computer control, or conned, or taken an unfair advantage.<br><br>There will always be unfair advantages on either side; it's the nature of sport. For every Chinese gymnast of questionable age there's a Michael Phelpswith a questionable bodysuit.<br><br>But so what?? Can't we just sit back and relax and enjoy the wonderment and beauty of it all? Look in the faces of each and every one of the competitors;it's all there.<br><br>All things in the universe work out in the end; perfect balance. Enjoy.<br><br>Greg
How is it arrogant? Yes, we lip sync and use computer animation, but we know that up front. What made the opening ceremony special to me was the fact that itwas all done by people with no help from the usual suspects. Now I find out those aids were used, and it is no longer special. It is just another averageceremony just like the rest. I like the quote I read, "it is like going out and eating a nice meal at a fine restaurant and then to be told later thatthere was a fly in it".<br><br>Opening ceremony aside, I love the Olympics! I am no fan of China, but they have done a great job, from the venues to the people. I love watching history beingmade.<br><br>No matter what the age of the Chinese girls, our girls, when performing their best, are hands down the better team, but they didn't perform that way atcrunch time and the Chinese deserved the win.
Arrogance?<br><br>Okay....<br><br>I forgot with whom I was speaking.<br><br>So, let me retract that.<br><br>Of course, lip synching and computer animation tricks (in the name of "national honor") should be ignored.<br><br>After all, it's all about the show. Integrity be damned. It's a historical moment; let not me devalue it with talk of honesty (for that might implyfair play). We want to feel good. Who cares if those feelings are based on a misrepresentation? It's the story, not the facts, that interest us. (If youhaven't caught on that this is the beginning of a thinly-veiled extended metaphor, let me clue you in: it is.)<br><br>We're Americans (many of us here, certainly those who see calling the Chinese spade a spade in spite of being arrogant for doing so). We're so used tocomputer generated graphics and lip synching and foley artists and post production mixing in our movies, why should we care if the Chinese do it and call itreal? Why, our esteemed American thespians are so convinced that the characters they play are real, they even have the audacity (can I use that word anymorewithout being political or seeming arrogant?) to meet with foreign dictators and advise our presidential candidate (yes, singular) on foreign affairs. (1)<br><br>Me thinks it isn't me who is caught up in himself.<br><br>Milli Vanilli and that chick on SNL were only guilty of not claiming their deceit as being in the best interest of the nation.<br><br>Oh, and as for the "human" element?<br><br>Those people who moved into the arena so seamlessly as mentioned in a previous post (again, I didn't see it, glad I didn't see it, and am so arrogantas to not even be interested in calling up a YouBoob video to see it)...were members of the military or paramilitary organizations. (2)<br><br>In fact, to prove I'm <strong>not</strong> arrogant, nor do I want any other Americans to be considered elitist or arrogant, I am calling for Phelps togive away his gold medals to competitors who didn't get one. That's right. Why should his effort be rewarded any more than those others? Didn'tthey also practice? Didn't they also compete? Didn't they also pay an extra $100 per checked bag on the airplane?<br><br>And while we're on the non-arrogance kick (gosh, I never knew how good this felt to give away other people's stuff for my own selfish [yetnon-arrogant] interest!): there should be a limit to how many gold medals a single person can win. If they win one, they should be penalized in the nextevent...maybe move their starting line or something...so the underpriveleged have a better chance. Better yet, after they win, we can just take all the medalsand redistribute them in a more equitable fashion among the contestants. I'm sure many contestants didn't have the practice facilities or trainingstaff which the winning athletes had, so they should be compensated accordingly in the name of fair play and equality.<br><br>From each according to his ability to each according to his needs, right? (3)<br><br>Once we have decided that everyone gets the same reward whether they competed on the same level; once we've decided that those who personally achieve arearrogant and we want a good show and aren't interested in the nit-picky details, we can just forget about keeping score all together.<br><br>This *is* a communist country after all. (I mean China. America soon forthwith.)<br><br>-----------<br>Notes and citations:<br><br>(1) The statement is made regarding the arrogance of Hollywood actors and not upon the political values they espouse. Kind of.<br><br>(2) Associated Press, Aug. 13, 2008.<br><br>(3) Karl Marx, <em>The Communist Manifesto</em>
Did the Chinese "call it real"? I'm asking sincerely... I didn't hear it if they did.<br><br>Joel, I'll never be the debater you are; and you are quite incredible indeed! That's a sincere compliment by the way; I really do appreciate yourintelligence, and how you think things all the way through. I am not a "thinker" like that.<br><br>Not only that, you made some great points that - are you ready for this - have caused me to rethink what I said before!!! To wit, here's what I should havesaid in the first place. This is from my heart, and not some fabrication of my mind:<br><br><br>Wow... I'm reading all the doubts being expressed here about the Olympics, and it really strikes a chord with me.<br><br>In the past, I have been EXTREMELY cynical and judgemental and arrogant about just about anything in the universe, and CERTAINLY so regarding the Olympics.<br><br>Well, I have, in the last ten years of my life, been undergoing a "softening up" process where I'm learning to live, and love, and enjoy, and letgo of all that cynicism and judgement and arrogance, and finding the ability to just relax, and not hate myself and the world. What a relief!!<br><br>Our office manager is from China, and she practically begged me to watch the opening ceremony. I was disinclined to do so, given my past feelings about theOlympics; but her enthusiasm for it compelled me to watch.<br><br>So the fact that I could sit there and watch it, and in spite of noticing that there was lip sync, and overdubbing, and all that going on, and feel thecynicism rise, to just be able to let go and let myself be touched so deeply by the hope that is represented by the Olympic spirit, was just overwhelming forme.... Geez, that was a long sentence and I hope it makes sense... Suffice to say that watching the opening ceremony, and allowing myself to be touched by it,was emblematic of the "letting go" that I've been experiencing. It was kind of a revelation for me!<br><br>So yeah, I understand and can appreciate all of what y'all have said here. But it was something very different for me, personally. And I hope that, in thatOlympic spirit and ideal that I mentioned, y'all are able to find some enjoyment in it, despite all the hypocrisy and craziness!<br><br><br>Joel, you helped me see the truth of what was going on in my addled mind, and I thank you. And I apologize to all of you for calling you arrogant as Americans.I was wrong. And Joel is right; it came from MY OWN feelings of arrogance.<br><br>And I have to get back to acting on the lesson I learned from Chris's "public announcement" and think things through before I hit"post". Then again, I know sometimes I'll fall back, and then there are guys like Joel who can kick me in the arse and call me down!Unfortunately sometimes that's what it takes...<br><br>Once again, ALWAYS searching for truth, and peace,<br><br>Greg
Another revelation for the day, by the way. I stand before y'all with open heart.<br><br>Greg
*Faints*<br><br>In all honesty, I understand why they faked the fireworks...filming all of the footprints moving across the sky toward the stadium was a logistical nightmare.(This is what I read in the Omaha World Herald as my truck was being unloaded. Again, it sounds cool, but I was going about 70 mph feeding carbon to the treeswhen this was going on, so I don't know.)<br><br>I don't have a problem with that because it gave the home viewing audience the same experience as those in the stadium.<br><br>However, the fact they used a lip syncher for the sole reason the original singer had crooked teeth is quite disingenuous. And their excuse was they wanted tobe honorable. You know, my teeth aren't white as the driven snow. I had an infection when I was very young and I learned from my dentist that even though Ibrush and floss and all, the enamel was somehow altered for the rest of my life. So I brush my teeth and in an hour, there's a brown line across them. Ithas nothing to do with oral hygiene, it has to do with a childhood disease.<br><br>The only reason I say this is because America, and apparently now the world, has an obsession with white teeth. I would rather see someone with natural teeththan photo-paper white teeth that are due to cosmetic processes. Same goes for other cosmetic augmentations.<br><br>Maybe that's just me.<br><br>But I would rather deal with people for who they are instead of for whom they want me to think they are.<br><br>I don't require anyone's approval to measure my own self worth. I don't enjoy being around other people who cow to other's opinions of them inorder to gain "self" worth. [It's not "self" worth if you require someone else to give it to you anyway. You are denying your ownautonomy and giving power over yourself to others.]<br><br>So, in the end, that was the basis of my objection. Things (mainly the singer and the "volunteers" on the field) were being advanced as somethingthey were not.<br><br>Joel.