What is real? Apparently-not much

[LatinAmericanview]

Sunday, Aug 10, 2008 9:29 pm EDT
Some Opening Ceremony fireworks were faked

By Chris Chase

If you watched the Opening Ceremony on Friday night, chances are you said something like, "no way that's possible" at least once. It turns out you were right.

London's Telegraph newspaper reports that some of the fireworks which appeared over Beijing during the television broadcast of the Olympic Opening Ceremony were actually computer generated. But -- hold on -- it's not necessarily as bad  as you think.

The faked fireworks were actually set-off at the stadium, but because of potential dangers in filming the display live from a helicopter, viewers at home were shown a pre-recorded, computer-generated shot. It sounds dishonest, but I'm not sure it's such a terrible thing.

The Opening Ceremony is, at its core, just one big performance. And isn't it accepted that some things might not be legit at a performance?  The final torch bearer wasn't actually running around the top of the stadium, does the fact that everyone could figure that out make it any less impressive? It might have been unnecessarily deceptive, but the firework-faking isn't really that big of a deal. But, if I found out that the lighted-drum thing wasn't on the up and up, then we'll have problems, China.

[K-Sensor]

Typical.  The Olympics are so stupid anyway.  People bagging for pro sports personalities to get themselves on Cornflakes packets.

[querzl]

And not only that we had a nine-year-old miming a ballad during the opening ceremony. The organisers defended this as follows:

Organisers defend 'fake' singer
13/08/2008 09:10

Beijing - Olympic organisers on Wednesday defended the switching of a seven-year-old singer with a more photogenic double during the opening ceremony, comparing it with an athlete getting dropped for a big game.

Nine-year-old Lin Miaoke became a celebrity in China after she "sang" a patriotic ballad in front of 91 000 people and a television audience of millions during Friday's opening spectacular.

But organisers later admitted the real voice was that of chubby Yang Peiyi, who was deemed not attractive enough to go on stage, a decision that the International Olympic Committee's executive director Gilbert Felli defended.

"You have to be sure that the performers and the song, it is at the highest level," he told reporters.

"It is casting.... it is a technical decision by the producers. (You have to) put that in the context of the opening ceremony and the complexity of the 15 000 performers."

Felli added that the decision was like a player being part of a team during the qualification for the Olympics, but being replaced for the main event.

"That is what it is in sport, in life," he said, after he was asked how Yang's parents would explain the decision to her.

Wang Wei, vice president of the Beijing Olympic organising committee also said he saw no problem with the secret move.

"I think it is a decision of the group of the directors, together... they are to achieve the most theatrical effect for the benefit of the whole performance, the whole opening ceremony," Wang told reporters.

"I do not see there is anything wrong with it," he said.

[LatinAmericanview]

Felli added that the decision was like a player being part of a team during the qualification for the Olympics, but being replaced for the main event.

"That is what it is in sport, in life," he said, after he was asked how Yang's parents would explain the decision to her.

This is so ++Orwellian

[mobes]

Not surprising at all....Lets not forget, the next Olympics is in 2012 in London......I wonder why......
 :?:
What kind of black magic do you think they'll pull off then???