It started off well, with a clever jibe about the failed fourth torch, and Catriona Le May Doan reappearing to finally light the torch. The medal ceremony for the 50k cross country event early in the day was also a nice touch, especially since it was overshadowed by the USA/Canada game.
Rough around the edges
Starting off with silly dancers holding snowboards looking like aimless children with little to do felt amateur. Or the three singers hydraulically lifted on three pillars facing only the athletes, leaving the rest of the audience out of the loop. Some ideas were clever, the idea of massive foosball hockey board was hilarious as the little boy dressed as a large black puck ran between the hockey player cutouts. Michael Buble had a nice rendition with the slutty Canadian mounties, and the crowd went wild with Michael J. Fox's appearance.
Unfortunately it went downhill from there. I absolutely detested all the "comedy". I love Catherine O'Hara and Michael J. Fox, even Shatner is fun, but give them something actually funny to say! The "I am Canadian" monologues were dull and lifeless. The imagery up above fell flat, which is surprising since... Canada "claims" quite a few talented comedians, filmmakers, and animators. Perhaps it would've been more fitting if they spoke of the events, hardships, endurance, nature, and the essence of why the human race pushes themselves to greater heights. Why can't we just make a great show without all the cliché Canadian symbols? Floating moose, ugly floating beavers, weird Maple leaf girls in a mermaid/worm body bag as they floated up high?
It looked like a bloody Molson Canadian beer commercial!! (not quite as slick)
Sadly most of the singers didn't come out until the very end, when NBC and many other networks cut the show off. Michael Buble at least appeared to be singing live (perhaps he was for part of the time). Tomorrow I imagine Canadian newspapers will be fuming over the IOC chief Rogge's comment that Vancouver hosted an "excellent and very friendly games", taken as a slight(you could hear booing). Of course, he's never proclaimed the Olympic games to be the "best ever" like his predecessor Juan Antonia Samaranch, but he had a far better description for previous hosts. Beijing was "exceptional" (it really was), Salt Lake City "Flawless", Torino was "Magnificient" and Athens was "unforgettable, dream Games". What can you do?
C'est la vie.
