# Who's watching the Olympics opening ceremony? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 13, 2010, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-watching-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/528814 "2010-02-13T03:59:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-watching-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/528814/41 "2010-02-13T05:13:01Z")
> [@Surly\_Chick](#): > > Yikes! What’s up with the opera singer’s hair?? just wash and go styling. i agree on the diction. a bit scary. ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-watching-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/528814/42 "2010-02-13T05:16:34Z")
Haven’t watched anything but the torch lighting and the parade of nations (skipped the middle since my wife will watch it tomorrow on the DVR, so I’ll watch it with her then rather than watch the whole thing twice. The cauldron snafu will probably cause the creator of that effect to have a very, very, very bad evening. Can you imagine having that idea for the torch…and the night it all comes to fruition, a wonderful story to tell your kids and grandkids forever…it gets botched. Ouch. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-watching-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/528814/43 "2010-02-13T05:16:43Z")
We just watched the last hour or so, whiling away some time on a wet Saturday afternoon. My mother wanted to know who the man in the white suit singing Hallelujah was. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-watching-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/528814/44 "2010-02-13T05:19:13Z")
And you said? ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-watching-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/528814/45 "2010-02-13T05:23:08Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Aboriginals treated like pets? Check. I have to say that this has become de rigueur for any event of a similar nature. It is pretty hard to take seriously, but the PC crowd seems to eat it up… ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-watching-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/528814/46 "2010-02-13T05:23:16Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > And you said? That it was, in fact, a woman - something which she refused to believe. “That’s a woman. No, it can’t be.” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-watching-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/528814/47 "2010-02-13T05:23:26Z")
Switched over to NBC. I missed the first half because I was commuting to almost-the-border from Seattle. Got the Parade of Athletes on now. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-watching-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/528814/48 "2010-02-13T05:24:29Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > That it was, in fact, a woman - something which she refused to believe. “That’s a woman. No, it can’t be.” [Show her the picture](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K.d._lang_and_the_Reclines). ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-watching-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/528814/49 "2010-02-13T05:26:13Z")
I love the parade of nations. That must be so cool for them. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-watching-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/528814/50 "2010-02-13T05:44:05Z")
> [@Mehitabel](#): > > …and they apparently had no cowboys, railroad men, refugee Tories, or slaves in their history. Yes, I was wondering where some of those were too. As an Albertan, I have to say that the lack of cowboys was glaring. As a former Ontarian, the lack of railroad men was disturbing, especially since most of my ancestors were railroaders who were based in Ontario. They helped build this country. Would have been nice if Gordon Lightfoot’s “Canadian Railroad Trilogy” had been included somewhere in the program. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-watching-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/528814/51 "2010-02-13T06:12:37Z")
And who thought it was a good idea to put Gretzky on the back of a pick-up truck and drive him to a local bank parking lot to light the “real” cauldron? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-watching-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/528814/52 "2010-02-13T06:15:00Z")
A bit too much Gretzky, I thought. If I were planning it, I’d pull out a surprise athlete to whom Gretzky passes the torch. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-watching-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/528814/53 "2010-02-13T06:16:23Z")
Migosh…NBC really is tape-delaying the broadcast! I’ve seen the whole thing from start to finish on CTV in Canada, and flipping over to our NBC feed from Spokane, Washington, I can see that now, our American friends are only just seeing the parade of nations. I don’t want to spoil anything for our American friends, but still to come: Canadian fiddlers, a Joni Mitchell song, an actor (who is well-known to Americans) among others as Olympic flag-bearers, and a torchbearing trip through the streets of downtown Vancouver. Have fun, folks! ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-watching-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/528814/54 "2010-02-13T06:33:26Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Migosh…NBC really is tape-delaying the broadcast! I’ve seen the whole thing from start to finish on CTV in Canada, and flipping over to our NBC feed from Spokane, Washington, I can see that now, our American friends are only just seeing the parade of nations. > > I don’t want to spoil anything for our American friends, but still to come: Canadian fiddlers, a Joni Mitchell song, an actor (who is well-known to Americans) among others as Olympic flag-bearers, and a torchbearing trip through the streets of downtown Vancouver. > > Have fun, folks! It was live (right?) on the East Coast as the ceremony finished up over an hour ago. I guess it’s being delayed for the West Coast? Which is strange because you guys are in the same time zone. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-watching-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/528814/55 "2010-02-13T06:48:34Z")
Did Rush play? I heard Rush was gonna play. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-watching-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/528814/56 "2010-02-13T06:58:44Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > It was live (right?) on the East Coast as the ceremony finished up over an hour ago. I guess it’s being delayed for the West Coast? Which is strange because you guys are in the same time zone. I know. I can drive to BC place in 3 hours (well, disregarding traffic and borders - but theoretically, I could be there in 3 hours). And apparently that’s how long it’s taking the signal to get here. And, of couse, this year CBC doesn’t have the broadcast rights, so I can’t watch it on Canadian TV. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-watching-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/528814/57 "2010-02-13T08:08:28Z")
Yep the ceremony coverage didn’t start on the Seattle affiliate until 9pm. Worse since the local cable companies don’t carry CTV (which took over from the CBC this year) checking out the live Canadian feed wasn’t an option. Good stuff: –the bear rising from the Olympic floor during the Inuit salute –having Donald Sutherland narrate the ceremony –the mountains rising (after the salute to the Praries) –that skintight dress Nelly Furtado wore. Her music is awful but wow Bad stuff: –you have k.d. lang and Anne Murray in the stadium and you choose a teenager who’s never even released an album to sing “O Canada”? –I know Gretzky’s a Canadian icon, but how can you justify a guy who never competed in the Olympics as a player lighting the flame? No wonder they had problems lighting it Best moment: the guy with a beard saying “A to Zed…And I do mean Zed instead of Z” and getting tons of applause Overall the ceremony was overlong but still fun. And the slow parts were much better if you listened to [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peTnXclTFrQ&feature=related) instead of the official music. ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-watching-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/528814/58 "2010-02-13T08:22:17Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > –I know Gretzky’s a Canadian icon, but how can you justify a guy who never competed in the Olympics as a player lighting the flame? No wonder they had problems lighting it Laced up in Nagano. Has Nash ever played the Olympics? ---
**Author:** ![Foldup\_Rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Foldup\_Rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foldup_Rabbit)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-watching-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/528814/59 "2010-02-13T08:56:00Z")
Just got home. All the spectators got drums & drumsticks, candles, flashlights, white ponchos and programs. Very audience-participationy. Loved the flags of the nations projected onto the ponchoed audience during the parade of nations. The whales were breathtaking. I love that the snowboarder nailed his jump (I was kinda misty before he was even lit up). Not sure about the light-up speed skaters. Kinda wary on slam poetry. Cheered loudly for “Calgary, 1988”, Team Georgia, Team Canada, the giant polar bear made of stars and anyone that fell from or flew into the ceiling. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-watching-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/528814/60 "2010-02-13T09:18:48Z")
That ceremony was pretty much exactly what I suspected it would be - Canadian cliche after Canadian cliche. Yes, some people do some fiddling, and we have native people here. But would it have killed them to celebrate our contributions to science or engineering? How about our oil history or cowboys or the railroad? Would it have been so bad if we had skipped one of the boring songs and maybe put Rush, the Guess Who, or Colin James on the stage? And nothing about our soldiers? The ones punching way above their weight in Afghanistan right now? How about our contributions to WWI and WWII? Canada has a strong military tradition, but it never seems to get mentioned in events like this. Oh well, I guess it’s a small price to pay for a completely Celine Dione-free event. I actually liked the slam poet. It could have been so, so much worse. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-watching-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/528814.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-watching-the-olympics-opening-ceremony/528814.md?page=4)