2012 Olympics (spoilers for tape-delayed events)

Post by **ToshoftheWuffingas** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 5:01 pm

Thanks for the heads up hal. I will keep an eye out for her. Fencing is too fast for the average viewer. Crikey, even the referee has to see it in slow motion before he awards points! I have been watching some online on the BBC site to get in the mood. I just love the sound of a fencing salle, the click of blades and the stamps of feet. It gets my juices working straight away. That said, I am much less of a spectator. I don't follow competitive fencing and couldn't tell you any current champion. It was getting on piste and doing it myself that I loved.
Nin, I will look out for your rower. I can boast and say I know his teacher.

Post by **halplm** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 5:36 pm

Ugh, Pommel horse is just a killer for the US... probably out of the medals because of that one event.

Post by **Elentári** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 7:01 pm

OMG!!! Incredible scenes in the gymnasium this evening! GB Men first beating the Ukrainians into Bronze position, then stealing Silver from the Japanese in the Men's team event

Post by **halplm** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 7:07 pm

Yeah, go Britain gymnastics!

The US came back strong in the end, which they can hopefully build on for the other events.

Three falls, though, they could have certainly been on the podium without even one of those...

Post by **Elentári** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 7:13 pm

Err....actually Japan have appealed over a disputed score, there's now been an enquiry, and Britain have been put down to Bronze again, reinstating Japan in Silver. Sensational!!

Post by **halplm** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 7:24 pm

Craziness!

Post by **halplm** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 7:59 pm

Go Missy Franklin! 2/2

Post by **Nin** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 11:01 pm

Lucas will row tomorrow...

Go Federer!

And I really, really disliked the return of situations in the men's gymnastics...

Post by **Griffon64** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 11:33 pm

We watched some of the women's fencing on tape delay and I agree, I cannot really tell what happened, it is too fast! It was interesting to watch, even though I understand nothing of fencing. To me that is part of the fun of the Olympics: getting to turn it on and watch a sport that you know nothing about, learning as you go.

Post by **yovargas** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 1:32 am

A couple articles I suspect hal will appreciate:

Technology Is Making the Olympics Worse

Every Single Person in America is Pissed at NBC’s Olympic Coverage

(a few obscenities in that second article)

Post by **River** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 1:41 am

Hating on the Olympic coverage is practically an American tradition. Unfortunately, not only do the networks not pay attention, they don't have to. :/

Post by **Teremia** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 3:06 am

I spent the weekend with people who are just as enthusiastic about swimming as nel!!

Their son swam competitively through college and was on teams with people swimming in the Olympics. Then when gymnastics came on, we muted the commentary and made up narratives of our own. That was fun.

I complain every Olympics about the US coverage, but I really think this is the worst I've EVER seen. Someone from France wins a race, and we hardly even mention the fact, we're so busy rushing over to the American for an interview on the theme of "how does it feel to [almost] win!!" Plus the tape delay is galling and rude. Didn't they use to run some things live at weird hours? That's what I remember. Then if you wanted just to have the rehash with the up-close-and-personals, well, that was your choice. But maybe I'm misremembering.....

Post by **nerdanel** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 4:45 am

Teremia wrote:I complain every Olympics about the US coverage, but I really think this is the worst I've EVER seen. Someone from France wins a race, and we hardly even mention the fact, we're so busy rushing over to the American for an interview on the theme of "how does it feel to [almost] win!!"

Catching up on swimming coverage now, and I will say this. Everyone in the field has worked so incredibly hard, and I'm always thrilled for everyone who wins (even though, in principle, I am rooting for Americans and the rare short(ish) swimmers of any nationality. Very possibly the latter more than the former.) I smiled hardcore for the South African, Cameron Van Der Burgh, who took home his country's first individual swimming gold medal in world record time in the 100 breaststroke (beating US bronze medalist Brendan Hansen). I was thrilled for the amazing newcomer Ruta Meilutyte of Lithuania, who smoked the field in the women's 100 meter breaststroke as a teenager (beating US silver medalist Rebecca Soni). And, in an act of national heresy that might get my passport revoked, I had to smile for the French men who beat the US in the 4x100 freestyle relay (the event we won by 0.08 in 2008 in Beijing.) The French have never had the gold before, and they earned it here. (Ryan Lochte, whom I'm liking still less and less by the day - dropped the ball badly, losing the lead his three teammates had built him. Perhaps he shouldn't have been out until 2 AM after the 400 IM celebrating his victory. And perhaps he should, as Phelps has always put it, let his swimming do the talking for him, rather than prancing around telling the media how it's "his time," then missing the podium in the 200 free altogether.)

BUT, win or lose, the athletes I want to hear from in US media interviews are the Americans. I want their perspectives on their races - what went wrong or what went right. However, I can't defend NBC's coverage because I haven't seen it. For some reason, the swimming replays they've put up on their website (NBC) appear to be the British rather than American coverage.

Plus the tape delay is galling and rude. Didn't they use to run some things live at weird hours? That's what I remember. Then if you wanted just to have the rehash with the up-close-and-personals, well, that was your choice. But maybe I'm misremembering.....

The live feed is available online to cable subscribers, which may or may not be relevant to you. But - to draw on my traditional gift for understatement - that is no defense of NBC's many galling, atrocious failures and active attempts to keep the footage of the games away from people.

At the end of the day, the Olympics are an international event, live feed coverage (unenriched - or should I say, untarnished, by any nation's commentary) of which should be made freely available to all. This isn't like a book or movie or music to which a creator has some legitimate moral claim. I have a serious quarrel with the "purchase" of the "rights" to what I feel should be copylefted footage of the world's best athletes, to which the world should jointly have the rights. But since those rights are available for purchase, I feel that NBC essentially has a duty to make the coverage available to us as soon as possible. Not necessarily for free - I wouldn't object to paying a fair amount for immediate replay access. But to keep the footage from those of us watching online altogether - in some cases for 48+ hours - while joining with the IOC to remove YouTube and other uploads, is nonsensical and unacceptable.

Post by **halplm** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 4:52 am

The feed on NBC's website is always a british feed. I don't really understand this, but none of it makes any sense.

As I was reading your post, NBC had John McEnroe (why?) interviewing Misty May and Keri Walsh, of which they were about to show one game of their match today... which didn't really matter. What did they talk about? You might guess Volleyball... maybe even Beach Volleyball... nope... they talked about bikinis.

ETA: After the lovely interview with the athletes defending their bikinis as their "uniform" etc... in the game they're showing, they're not wearing them... excellent journalism there, NBC.

Post by **Hachimitsu** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 5:03 am

OK, after taking a long break, I am just going to suck it up for arm pain since I want to talk about the Olympics (and I am still working on that report.)

I am slowly catching up on the thread here. I missed the opening ceremonies at first since I was out, but my sister recorded it, but then it cut out just before the lighting of the cauldron and the last 20 minutes was from NBC.

I plan to watch it again.

It was very very UKish and I loved that!!.
Anyway, I loved the beginning. Seeing Kenneth Branaugh quoting Shakespeare as this civil engineer? Awesome. It then lead into this really awesome historical music video, with this giant cast. Live. That I think was one of my favourite parts of the opening. Just the music, the choreography of the work in that section was so cool. Telling the story through dance. <3 There was very little commentary by CTV so it allowed people to enjoy that segment as a music video.

How did they convince the Queen to participate in that introduction? That was amazingly hilarious. They even had her corgis’!! She must have been really into it. *Queen gets coolness points from the world*They like totally inverted the expectations for the Queen’s introduction there.

About her not smiling much, considering the ceremonies she has had to sit through in her life, the fact she hasn’t really slept through them, that’s a skill. Also, I sort of think maybe smiling too much might appear snooty by some people, as if she was lording over the people. Anyway her non smiling face is perfect internet meme fodder . She participated in a comedy segment, that ‘s all that matters. I heard she hadn’t had a chance to see it and hoped it made people laugh. Aww!! *more points for the Queen*

I liked how they blended the ode to children’s literature with the NHS thing. I am sure they considered having more obvious Tolkien references, but considering The Hobbit movie is coming out later in the year, they may have been afraid of it appearing as commercialism. Nice seeing hospital staff and patients getting to participate. Knowing that it’s a famous hospital gets it’s royalities from Peter Pan, the connection makes sense. Loved seeing the kids jumping on the beds!

I was so happy to see Mr. Bean!

I didn't really feel I missed any cultural references. I do wish there a little thing on the ode to British TV with Doctor who though. I have to listen for the Tardis. I heard it ended up getting cut. I was so excited seeing Sally on Coronation street and one or 2 of the other tv shows referenced I understood.
I got much of the music references. I was little sad they couldn't fit in Common People by Pulp for the 90's section. Aww well, I am sure they tried. Nice seeing the actual inventor of the internet. Another UK innovation that changed the world. Why aren’t more of these people well known?

CTV cut out some of the smaller countries in the Parade of Nations. CBC always showed when ST.Kitts and Nevis came in *grumble* I notified them on their facebook page. I noticed crowds really cheering loudly for some countries like Jamaica and India. It’s quite interesting seeing how some of the former colonies have an effect on the UK.

The torch lighting, I loved. I sort of got a little weepy, but NBC commentary kept killing the mood. I love that the little leaves from each country was a part of the cauldron/flower. Also just like the opening demonstrating everyone is a part of making the whole, it was echoed with the cauldron flower lighting.
I loved how the builders of the venues were included. Woot! (That got me started with the weepies), then the young kids, the music, the sports sponsors, sharing. Weepies.

Over all I think they executed their theme very well. Their motto is “Inspire a generation” and the opening ceremonies really demonstrated inspiration, innovation and the next generation. The medal design seems ok, and the mascots while controversial seems to tie in with innovation ( industrial revolution ). Lots of themes echoed. Danny Boyle did an awesome job, and I love direction he took.

It could have been really stuffy and boring.

On rewatch:
Did not know who Isambard Kingdom Brunel was. Looked him up on wiki. (In the wiki picture of him is exactly like Kenneth Branaugh posture. I guess he really studied.)Why didn’t they cover this guy in school? We had so many British history lessons.

Found out the section I like is called Pandemonium. Have to get this music. I wonder if a recording of this exists with no commentary at all. That whole industrial revolution thing was awesome.

I heard the Tardis during the Queen music segment (when the lyrics were "just gotta get right of here”). Thanks Hal

I liked the “doves”. It’s a nice change from the inflatable ones. They turned it into this sort of psycadelic acid trip.

Seeing the torch lighting with minimal commentary I got even more weepies. I could actually understand what was going on, and there were some shots that were not included in the US feed. Like the musicians /singers and more of the older athletes. Also it was nice to just to hear the stadium announcers say the kids names, That is all you really need. If people can watch this with minimal or no commentary please seek it out. It will be worth the effort

How did Danny Boyle convince everyone to keep this a secret? Awesome job!!

I read an article on NPR and it seems they didn’t get it. Really? The industrial revolution started by the UK changed the way most of the world runs! *Anthropology student mode*

At least I found a mostly good article in VanityFair.
I wonder if anyone other commentary mention that the Flanders Fields poem was written by a Canadian

Some lady was telling my sister there was a Hobbit thing. While you can look at it that way, umm.. I am pretty sure that was an idealized view of England before the industrial revolution. I guess people don’t know what inspired Tolkien. *sigh*

A+ for Danny Boyle, the volunteers and everyone else who put on this huge show.

*goes back to catching up*

Post by **halplm** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 5:14 am

I wondered about how people would take the industrial revolution imagery. It seems counter intuitive given modern environmentalism to celebrate industrialization. I'm not surprised NPR wouldn't get it

.

Post by **Hachimitsu** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 5:19 am

Well even with it's drawbacks, it did change the world. and they did hint at the environmental impact. I like how he showed the bright side and dark side of it. They showed the all the social change that was occurring around it, with all the drummers, interspersed with other people (like suffragettes), with workers and industrialists at the centre. Awesome choreography.
Really well done. I think that is in part why I have not heard anyone complain about that segment. Except NPR.

Post by **halplm** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 5:23 am

Oh I thought it was brilliant. In fact, I knew it was showing how Britain was instrumental in the worldwide changes the industrial revolution provided even BEFORE the NBC announcers explained it to us.

Post by **Frelga** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 6:06 am

hal wrote:In fact, I knew it was showing how Britain was instrumental in the worldwide changes the industrial revolution provided even BEFORE the NBC announcers explained it to us.

But... how?

It's a shame that NBC cut out a tribute to the victims of terrorism. Although I can't help thinking - didn't the IOC say that this sort of thing was not in the spirit of the opening ceremony and it would be absolutely impossible to acknowledge the Munich massacre? I don't blame the British for being outraged that the tribute to "their" victims was cut out, but there is a bit of bitter irony there.

Post by **nerdanel** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 6:26 am

Frelga wrote:
hal wrote:In fact, I knew it was showing how Britain was instrumental in the worldwide changes the industrial revolution provided even BEFORE the NBC announcers explained it to us.

But... how?

It's a shame that NBC cut out a tribute to the victims of terrorism. Although I can't help thinking - didn't the IOC say that this sort of thing was not in the spirit of the opening ceremony and it would be absolutely impossible to acknowledge the Munich massacre? I don't blame the British for being outraged that the tribute to "their" victims was cut out, but there is a bit of bitter irony there.

Oh, interesting. I didn't know that. I was open to accepting the IOC's "neutral" explanation that honoring victims of a long-ago act of terrorism would be incompatible with the celebratory spirit of the opening ceremonies - but if such honoring was going on anyway, then the exclusion of the murdered Israeli athletes seems a lot more political and less acceptable.