Olympics!

[oyceter]

I swear, I will get around to answering comments. I feel awful, because I adore getting them, but am horrid at answering =(. And I do want to answer.

Warning: the next two weeks may have a surfeit of posts on the Olympics and absolutely no content whatsoever, as I will have fried my brain watching TV every night. Any posts on the Olympics will almost surely contain annoyance on the emphasis on certain athletes (I'm already sick of hearing about Bode Miller and Shaun White, and I only heard of them for the first time yesterday and have no clue as to who they are). I'm not annoyed at the athletes, who I'm sure are cool and look incredibly talented, but at the announcers who feel the need to hype everything up. There will also be much mockery of the commentary, because I hate it. But oh, I love the sports! Free-style ski jumping! Snowboarding! FIGURE SKATING! Everything else! Drama! Upsets! Underdogs coming out of nowhere to win!

And yesterday, I watched the Olympics opening ceremonies! Ergo, another numbered list!

1. Whoever did that intro to Torino and Italy seriously needs an editor. Such awfully overflown prose!

2. Whoever did the intros to the US athletes of note should also be shot.

3. I hate interviews with athletes. I can hardly bear to listen to the ones with Michelle Kwan, and I like her. I think it's because the interviewers sound so fawning.

4. The disco-red dancer people were sort of weird. But I liked the heart! And things on fire are always fun ^_^.

5. I feel extremely sorry for whoever had to dress up as a pine tree. Ditto for the dancers who had cow-spotted dresses and suit jackets. *snork*

6. I want a giant Alps horn thing that's 8 feet long!!!! And I loved the people in lederhosen.

7. When someone says that the signbearers' dresses are supposed to represent the Alps, I don't actually expect to see craggy folds of snow at the bottom of the white dresses, complete with teeny-weeny trees and skiiers. I think that may cross the line from representation to direct portrayal.

8. The giant ski guy composed of tons of people was cool! I kept wondering how fast the people had to run to show him moving!

9. Parade of countries! I love watching them! I love seeing all the people with their cameras taking pictures of the crowds while we watch them on TV, I love how amazed they all look to be standing there. And I love that there are countries from Africa and the Caribbean (single representative from the Bermudas, I am totally cheering for you)! And there was one guy from TAIWAN!!!!! w00t! I also cheer for the forty- and fifty-year-old people doing the luge! And the Mongolians in their giant furry hats! And all the lone representatives of their respective countries! I totally cheer for them.

10. But the best part is always the relay of the torch bearers and the lighting of the Olympic torch. I know now it's all ceremonial and there's programming and whatnot that goes into one person touching the torch to an altar to fireworks running up and lighting the giant torch tower, but I love it anyway. It's always a thrill to see the far away shots of the stadium and the torch blazing there during the two weeks the Olympics are running.

Comments

[literaticat.livejournal.com]

can I just ask... what was up with the music during the parade of nations thing?

[oyceter]

Oh yeah, I forgot about that! The entire thing seemed pretty enamoured of techno/disco-y music, from the parade of nations music to the heart stuff.

[yhlee.livejournal.com]

I've had an opportunity to try to play an Alps horn approximately that length. You need lungs for those babies.

*beta beta nudge nudge*

(Truth to tell, I am desperate to reclaim HD space. *wry g* If you won't have a chance, let me know so I can go ahead and make final edits, and release the thing.)

[oyceter]

I have looked at the vids! Sorry, I tried calling you over the weekend to give FB in person but either you were asleep or out or something. Anyhow, will be sending email soon!

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to say this made me grin -- and I'm looking forward to your Olympic commentary (and more numbered lists!).

[oyceter]

Yay, I'm glad!

[mamculuna.livejournal.com]

What, no mention of the evil 80's pop music? Funky Town? YMCA? I Will Survive? Too weird.

[oyceter]

I totally forgot about that! Also, the commentators snarked at it already, so either my job was done, or I have such antipathy toward them that I immediately wanted to defend the music. (*snork* Village People!)

[mamculuna.livejournal.com]

I love "YMCA" at minor league baseball games--was hoping the Finns or whoever would start acting out the letters.

[avrelia.livejournal.com]

It is not all commentary - it is US commentary that's that annoying. I watched Olympics with Russian commentaries, Canadian and US ones. US commentaries are several times more sugary and annoying and interested only in US athletes to the exclusion of everything else.

and I love the parade of countires so much! this year it looked like a parade of funny hats. ;)

[oyceter]

Gah, that's so irritating! Le sigh. I keep just wanting to see the sports instead of going into the Sad and Tragic background stories of all the athletes.

[avrelia.livejournal.com]

Exactly. I am so much more interested in (surprise!)actual competitions with the athletes from different countries. Seriously, it was a shock for me after Russian commentaries. I wonder if you've seeen non-US commentaries to compare?

I do like the tiny bits of random info about athletes - but tiny, you know.