Opening/Closing Ceremonies Discussion - Page 44

hammergirl · #**861** Posted **Mar 1, 2010, 8:49 PM**

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 · #**862** Posted **Mar 1, 2010, 9:12 PM**

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 · #**863** Posted **Mar 1, 2010, 9:24 PM**

where was Shania!

twoNeurons · #**864** Posted **Mar 1, 2010, 9:32 PM**

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 · #**865** Posted **Mar 1, 2010, 9:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by twoNeurons

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

Perhaps it was a nod to Toronto?

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 · #**866** Posted **Mar 1, 2010, 9:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yume-sama

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

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 · #**867** Posted **Mar 1, 2010, 9:48 PM**

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 · #**868** Posted **Mar 1, 2010, 9:56 PM**

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 · #**869** Posted **Mar 1, 2010, 10:25 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yume-sama

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.

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 · #**870** Posted **Mar 1, 2010, 11:15 PM**

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 · #**871** Posted **Mar 1, 2010, 11:25 PM**

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

Prometheus · #**872** Posted **Mar 1, 2010, 11:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpongeG

that ending was anti-climactic

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

mr.x · #**873** Posted **Mar 1, 2010, 11:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prometheus

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 · #**874** Posted **Mar 1, 2010, 11:53 PM**

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

Rusty Gull · #**875** Posted **Mar 2, 2010, 12:01 AM**

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 · #**876** Posted **Mar 2, 2010, 12:03 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

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 · #**877** Posted **Mar 2, 2010, 12:04 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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

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

Prometheus · #**878** Posted **Mar 2, 2010, 12:12 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rusty Gull

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 · #**879** Posted **Mar 2, 2010, 12:24 AM**

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 · #**880** Posted **Mar 2, 2010, 12:40 AM**

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.