Paris 2024 Olympics thread (the opening ceremony is Friday) on NBC/USA network/Peacock and other NBC Universal stations.

[Oldie13]

If you like drag queens and drag queens reenacting the last supper than I guess it was a great show. Loved the pic with the guys junk hanging out of his tight shorts. I'm not disappointed in myself for not liking it.

I would just expect someone planning something attended and watched by so many different nations, religions, etc wouldnt have gone so “in your face” with some of the things portrayed.

Also, I really thought Lady Gaga was going to end up naked and covered with one of those pink feather puffs.

 

[georgina]

We turned. It on and watched a fair amount of the opening ceremony at work. The boat parade was different. It just took so long. I get they traveled 4 miles, but ugh.

Anyone else get Assassins Creed vibes????

Yep. AC was my first thought. Arno inspired?

Not a gamer so have never seen Assassins's Creed. Apparently it was a character based on the French show Lupin?

the fictional Arsène Lupin, a “gentleman thief.” The scene of the hooded figure running across Paris rooftops is probably a familiar one for watchers of the Netflix series “Lupin,” starring French actor Omar Sy and based on the literary figure.

 

[DCLMP]

I would just expect someone planning something attended and watched by so many different nations, religions, etc wouldnt have gone so “in your face” with some of the things portrayed.

Also, I really thought Lady Gaga was going to end up naked and covered with one of those pink feather puffs.

I think it did exactly what they wanted. It was divisive and controversial. You don’t have drag queens dancing around little kids without a purpose in mind.

 

[Disneylover99]

Having the contestants arrive in boats was clever, but most of the rest I thought was awful. I never knew Lady Gaga had some association with France (or maybe she doesn't). At least those can-can dancers seemed like local talent, but their dance routine wasn't very good. Turned it off before C. Dionne apparently performed (I thought she is from Canada?). Seems it would be a bit like featuring Elton John at an Olympics hosted in the USA. I thought most host countries feature local talent.

There were lots of French performers last night, but many are not well known. I was excited to see the French metal band, Gojira perform yesterday.

I don’t think there are any hard or fast rules that 100% of your performers must be from the host country. I mean, Celine Dion even performed at the Atlanta opening ceremonies back in the 90’s.

 

[Buzz Rules]

Not a gamer so have never seen Assassins's Creed. Apparently it was a character based on the French show Lupin?

the fictional Arsène Lupin, a “gentleman thief.” The scene of the hooded figure running across Paris rooftops is probably a familiar one for watchers of the Netflix series “Lupin,” starring French actor Omar Sy and based on the literary figure.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arno_Dorian

 

[lisaviolet]

I was excited to see the French metal band, Gojira perform yesterday.

Of course you were.

 

[jeneric997]

Wow France in Rugby 7's. What a match in front of the home crowd!

 

[declansdad]

I’m not sure about “most.” I have definitely seen a lot of … mixed … reviews, and not just from US audiences.

Mostly US from certain US media.

 

[declansdad]

If you like drag queens and drag queens reenacting the last supper than I guess it was a great show. Loved the pic with the guys junk hanging out of his tight shorts. I'm not disappointed in myself for not liking it.

Give it up with the Last Supper, that's not what it was. That has only come up because some clergy and other right-wingers think that's what it represented.

 

[declansdad]

I think it did exactly what they wanted. It was divisive and controversial. You don’t have drag queens dancing around little kids without a purpose in mind.

Men dressed as women have been around for centuries, it has nothing to do with kids and certainly doesn't harm them.

 

[Disneylover99]

Of course you were.

I was hoping Daft Punk might reunite and perform last night.
That would have been amazing!

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

Mostly US from certain US media.

Gosh, I didn’t realize that England and Australia were part of the US. I also talked to Spanish-speaking, German-speaking, and Japanese-speaking friends who also questioned a lot of the choices made.

But sure, we can pretend that only “certain” US media had anything negative to say about the opening ceremony.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

I’d also add that there is not one universal standard of art, so what one person thought was amazing someone else could have thought was boring, or tasteless, or whatever. If you go back to the comments I said that whoever the opening ceremony was intended for was not me WAY before the performance in drag (which frankly I didn’t even see “live” because I had already given up).

Eg. my taste runs more towards the French opera singer (though I got very frustrated when NBC zoomed out and you couldn’t even see her), the ballet dancer on the roof (even though they kept cutting away from him, and Celine Dion. I also liked some of the bigger moments (red/white/blue fog, some of the pyrotechnics, and the lighting of the balloon), and the French singer who wore gold. I.e. classical and traditional.

So the headless Marie Antoinette/death metal, whatever was going on during the “love and literacy section," and a lot of the other artistic “choices” is about as far from that as you can get. Add in NBC’s terrible broadcast/commentators, the fact that some things that might have been good (eg. Imagine) were ruined by water on the lenses and unbalanced acoustics, and the fact that it was 5 hours long (!) and it’s pretty easy for me to believe that it was not universally adored for reasons that have nothing to do with what the poster above was alluding to.

 

[DCLMP]

Give it up with the Last Supper, that's not what it was. That has only come up because some clergy and other right-wingers think that's what it represented.

What was it then?

 

[longboard55]

I thought it was classic French, they did a good job. No one will every match it

 

[georgina]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arno_Dorian

Yeah, don't care. if I did I would have googled it!

Opening ceremony definitely made me want to go back to Paris...

I am thrilled to see women's beach volleyball players wearing pants. Not sure if it is a weather issue or what, but I hated seeing them in those bikini bottoms. Seemed so exploitative.

 

[DCLMP]

Gosh, I didn’t realize that England and Australia were part of the US. I also talked to Spanish-speaking, German-speaking, and Japanese-speaking friends who also questioned a lot of the choices made.

But sure, we can pretend that only “certain” US media had anything negative to say about the opening ceremony.

I think the US and western culture would be the most open to this stuff or at least half the country would be. There's a bunch of other cultures out there. I don't want go to much further with it than that.

 

[Disneylover99]

I am thrilled to see women's beach volleyball players wearing pants. Not sure if it is a weather issue or what, but I hated seeing them in those bikini bottoms. Seemed so exploitative.

I’m watching the U.S./Canada game now.
Those Canadian tops with one strap would drive me nuts. lol.
U.S. tops seem much better.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I enjoyed parts of the Opening Ceremony but I did feel the pacing was off with some things taking way way too long, some skits being too long as well. What some people have an issue with I have no issues with and I thought it was nice they included it in there.

For those more confused about what the stuff is about well it's like the other Olympics where it's representative of the culture of the host country. I've heard it likened to Cirque shows and would agree on that. Some O in there some Mystere (especially that) vibes.

The heavy metal part was very different and not expected at all.

Logistically while it seems unique to have things taken from place to place there was just too great of a distance, the horse on the water at the end was very cool effect but it then became stale. It might have been better to scale that down and other things as far as distance.

On the one side though I did miss having more of the athletes and would say that the flag bearers barely stood out due to the format.

Celine killed it!

 

[GAN]

First of all, what happened to Beach Volleyball???