Was that the lamest Opening Ceremony EVER?

[crazy canuck]

Lets not go over board on this one, it's one athlete and iirc she was born in the USA and has duel citizenship, so I'm guessing she possibly speaks with a preppy accent and possibly attends beach parties, so not your typical Saudi. 

So all told the 'concession' these corrupt princes acceded to was barely a nod to the 20th century.

If you're trying to rebut the point that Saudi Arabia has now started to produce female athletes capable of competing at the world level, this works very well.  Not so well if you're trying to rebut the point that Saudi acceptance of female athletic representation at the Olympics marks a possibly important turning point in terms of cultural and official acceptance of female athletic activity.

No my point is it's a one off, the minimum jesture, I'd wager there are no female Saudi athletes at the next games.

The argument made by the Saudis in the face of pressure from the IOC was that they have no women in sport and so it is not possible to include any in the Olympics.  You seem to be supporting their position.

[dps]

Actually, maybe not.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/five_ring_circus/2012/07/28/lesbian_kiss_opening_ceremony_why_danny_boyle_featured_a_scene_from_the_british_soap_brookside_.html

God that's so typical.

Even if NBC actually had censored it, there'd still be a point to make that it wouldn't have been the government doing the censoring.

[Neil]

Even if NBC actually had censored it, there'd still be a point to make that it wouldn't have been the government doing the censoring.

NBC got burned by Janet Jackson, and the chilling effect of the FCC listening to Christians is not overt government censorship, but neither is it the sort of thing that a proper government should do.

[katmai]

That was CBS you ethnic dumbass

[sbr]

[Ed Anger]

They all look alike.

[Neil]

That was CBS you ethnic dumbass

So it was.  Either way, my point stands:  America is silly.

[Sheilbh]

It's all a question of em PHA sis.

I don't think your shift changes the emphasis that much

[Eddie Teach]

Why Danny Boyle? The Chinese bring out Zhang Yimou and Spielberg, and the Brits bring ojt the guy who did The Beach.

He directed a Best Picture winner (Slumdog Millionaire), a cult classic (Trainspotting), and possibly the greatest zombie film ever (28 Days Later). That's versatility.

[Sheilbh]

Why Danny Boyle? The Chinese bring out Zhang Yimou and Spielberg, and the Brits bring ojt the guy who did The Beach.

He directed a Best Picture winner (Slumdog Millionaire), a cult classic (Trainspotting), and possibly the greatest zombie film ever (28 Days Later). That's versatility.

And I think he had a vision that convinced the organisers and seemed appropriate for a stadium.  I love Malick's work, I can't imagine that it would translate well into a stadium floor show performed by spirited, but not necessarily talented, volunteers.

Edit:  Incidentally on the arty side I think it's very interesting that he took as his text the Caliban speech, rather than the more obvious John of Gaunt speech.

[CountDeMoney]

I love Malick's work, I can't imagine that it would translate well into a stadium floor show performed by spirited, but not necessarily talented, volunteers.

Not unless you want a stadium full of suddenly sullen volunteers, depressingly contemplating their place in this world.  Talk about a downer.

[Monoriu]

That was a pretty good opening ceremony, I think.  The James Bond/Queen, Mr Bean, and torch bits were brilliant.  We all know and understand that they can't match the scale of the Beijing Olympic opening, and that's fine.  They took a different approach and did well with the resources at their disposal. 

[Admiral Yi]

Mono finally gets revenge for the Opium War!

[CountDeMoney]

We all know and understand that they can't match the scale of the Beijing Olympic opening, and that's fine. 

Who'd want to?  Talk about a demonstration in hive mind mentality, devoid of humanity and anima.  Nobody wants to be reminded of a Nuremburg rally during the Olympics.

[Queequeg]

I love Malick's work, I can't imagine that it would translate well into a stadium floor show performed by spirited, but not necessarily talented, volunteers.

I wasn't suggesting Malick was a plausible, let alone an ideal, pick to direct an opening ceremony for the Olympics, just that Yimou's skill was comparable to some of the greatest in cinematic history, while I'm very sure that Boyle isn't.  I caught just enough of the opening ceremony to find it incredibly annoying, but given that I have not seen the entire ceremony it would not be fair for me to cast aspersions.

He directed a Best Picture winner (Slumdog Millionaire), a cult classic (Trainspotting), and possibly the greatest zombie film ever (28 Days Later). That's versatility.

The first was for a largely mediocre crowd pleaser, the second has a few moments of inspiration, and the third is tainted by the incredibly terrible quality of the digital film and a second act that falls apart completely.