Re: Olympics (NPR)

[Helen Graves <javelina>]

What DID I think?  Was thinking involved?  The whole event was pretty 
wild.  Even though there wasn't even a beer in the house, several 
times I had that "Have I been smoking something?" feeling that 20th & 
21st century Euro Festivities impart.  The idea-free 
choreography!  The march-of-the-nations sign bearers wearing dresses 
with mountains and teeny trees at the hem!  The astounding, 
inexplicable Disco Dance Mix march-in music selection!  I recall 
hearing "I Will Survive" and "Sweet Dreams Are Made of This" among 
many other remarkable choices, and even the NBC commentators lost it 
at one point ("Yes, I'm sure the Slovenian team made a special 
request - we want 'YMCA' to be playing when we walk into the 
stadium").  Finally my husband and I decided the DJ had locked 
himself/herself into the sound booth and was going crazy, recalling 
the glory days of Studio 54 and the Ritz Ballroom, while the rest of 
the production team ran around looking for a fire axe to get in and 
put on something more dignified.

Sophia Loren and Susan Sarandon and Yoko Ono!  Peter Gabriel singing 
"Imagine" to a crowd that included Laura Bush!

As for the dancing ... well, my fave was the chick enacting 
Boticelli's Venus.  Though she didn't have a lot to do; I guess it's 
hard to choreograph a painting, but Uma Thurman did a much better job 
w/ the same role in Terry Gilliam's "Munchausen" movie.

And I agree about the torch-lighting - not sure Barcelona will ever 
be topped, but the pyro was just fantastic.

Now for a couple of weeks of campy fun ...

At 01:40 AM 2/11/2006, rslovacek wrote:
>     What'd ya'll think of the Opening Ceremonies?  OMG, if there's one thing
>it proved is that Italians have  even funnier fashion sense than French
>(Remember the weird shit at the opening of the '92 Games in Albertville?
>WHEEE!)
>
>     And WTF was up with all the 70's disco music during the march of the
>nations?  That was just weird.
>
>     Ok, the lighting of the Cauldron was downright AWESOME!  Still 
> photos will
>never do it justice, WOW!  Why can't the USA figure out nifty ways to do THAT
>like other countries do?  The Lillehammer games had the Flame enter the
>stadium...by a ski jumper!  Barcelona's was lit by the archer with a flaming
>arrow...which EVERY boy in history has wanted to shoot  :)   And the Sydney
>games, the Cauldron rising up AROUND Cathy Freeman.
>
>     Anyway, I'm a huge fan of the Games, especially the Winter Games.  Snow
>and ice are just so dang purty  :)
>
>
>--Bob