The other night I watched (most of) the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. I was expecting a lot of stupid explosions and glitz and flash, but instead got something much more interesting: a unique and subdued look at Greek and Olympic history with some strange, but interesting touches. And almost no explosions.
The parade of floats that represented the history of Greece were was entrancing, thanks to some really amazing makeup and minimalist choreography. The history of the Olympics was likewise simple, but effective: a runner breaking through finish tape representing each year of the modern Olympics, pausing for years were there were no games because of war. Perhaps the most impressive part of the opening ceremonies, though, was Bjork and her 30,000 square foot dress that stretched out over all of the Olympic participants to form a giant, parachute-like map of the world. And I know their selection of Bjork made Pinger Robert happy.
The clear worst part of the opening ceremonies: the announce team of Katie Couric and Bob Costas. Costas’ annoying asides and jokes at inappropriate moments were very distracting and Couric felt the need to explain every bit of symbolism before it came onto the screen (hence ruining the surprise of Bjork’s dress being stretched out).
Let the games begin. Begun. Began.
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