TV Guidance

Jaime Weinman writes about all kinds of television and other kinds of popular culture. He does not write Gossip Girl episode reviews. Follow Jaime on Twitter: @weinmanj

Categories: TV Guidance

My Insta-Reaction To the Olympic Closing Ceremonies

by Jaime Weinman on Sunday, February 28, 2010 11:21pm - 116 Comments

You know how, in The Producers, the audience for “Springtime For Hitler” is left slack-jawed and horrified at what they’ve just seen? And then, just as they’re about to walk out, they start to realize that the whole thing is so over-the-top that it’s funny? And finally they’re loving it and saying it deserves to run ten years?

That’s me with the closing ceremonies. The mountie costumes. The two guys in a pair of canoe-shaped pants. The slide-whistle sound effects to take away the guest star’s dignity. The beavers. It all felt so ridiculous and so sincere in its cheesy showbiz phoniness that I couldn’t help but be won over; it was like The Simpsons Family Smile-Time Variety Hour came to life and had a Canadian theme.

So, to the producers of this show, and the little old ladies who presumably invested in it: I don’t know what you were thinking, but I’ll take it.

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Ryan

Just want to say sorry about the part of the comment that was directed at you, Gordon. I still keep the other comment to the rest of the world though in an effort to reduce the affect of your "apology".

Just annoyed to see so many negative comments. I can't help but think nothing would have pleased the commenters here. Just hate to see negative comment after negative comment which breeds more negative comments since it seems the "cool" thing about Macleans commenters is to just be negative.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Jack_Mitchell Jack Mitchell

So . . . you thought you'd leave a really negative comment.

Ryan

Just to re-affirm my un-sorryness for our closing ceremony, yes. If someone feels the need to apologize as a Canadian because they disagreed with the ceremony, then I feel it is my duty to show just how unapologetic I am.

Maybe I'm just feeling overly patriotic today though, and am willing to get into a shouting match.

James Connors

. . . I feel it is my duty to show just how unapologetic I am. . . . and am willing to get into a shouting match.

You are Helena Guergis. I claim my five pounds.
http://intensedebate.com/people/Jack_Mitchell Jack Mitchell

@ James Connors LOL

@ Ryan — I get your point, but just to be clear: you're taking a stand, one which doesn't in itself relate to the goodness or badness of the closing ceremony, right? I mean, you're not weighing in to say that you thought it was good, just that we might as well turn a blind eye — if necessary, a very blind eye — to the badness of said ceremony in the event of its having been apocalyptically bad. I could get behind that.

Dot

Nah, I took from his other comments elsewhere that he was 20 something, he had chosen to be born in Canada, and he was proudly going to yell to the whole world how smart he was for doing so, something along those lines.
Ryan

Moreso it was just the "piling on" in saying that it wasn't liked going on in this comment section, when it seems that elsewhere the opinion was more a positive one. I suppose it can be just an anomaly, but I generally disagree with much of what's said in these comment sections anyway; so it just came to a head here. I can understand general disagree with political issues, since there is always grey areas… but it seems that here, joining the chorus of negativity against the closing ceremonies is the order of the day.

For once, it would have been great if all of Canada could just have been positive about a collective experience, but there still has to always be a few who dislike this or dislike that.

I suppose I feel their points are invalidated by the need to be appeased personally.

Anon Liberal

"Just to re-affirm my un-sorryness.."
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Stirring.

Oh Canada !!

The closing ceremonies were painful !!!! What's with Harper's wife NOT singing Oh Canada ? Someone should teach her the words !!! Her lack of participation was disgraceful. As for the atheltes they spent more time taking each others pictures which speaks volumes of what was going on!!!!! The highlight I enjoyed was Micheal J. Fox I think he did an awesome job. I am so glad I DID NOT have tickets to that mess !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh Canada !!

The " flying moose " as dorky as they were beat Catherine O'Hara's insulting attempt at humour, anyday. The closing ceremonies did not pay due honour to all the atheltes and fell way short of humour…it ended with hardly any cheering and CTV couldn't wait to pull the plug on that mess !!!! I like many Canadians hung in there to the bitter end thinking 'this has to get better '… and it didn't….

http://twitter.com/ishmaeldaro @ishmaeldaro

I hung in there too, hoping for something that tied it all together and made me think, "Ah ha! I get it." Instead, the whole affair ended with a whimper after K-Os's performance. I wonder if that was the real end or if CTV just said enough.

http://www.westsideliving.ca Judith Adamick

I enjoyed the fun making of the fourth arm in the final closing ceremonies, what I didn't like was that O'Hara woman thinking she was funny. Absolutely not and she was paid for that. Ouch!
Ryan

Can't believe I just said things like "collective" is good and "personal" is bad, considering my right-leaning views..

*typo above "general disagreement"

Jan

This is the danger of working off the talking points. Beware of the Freudian slip.

Professor Pat

The bloated beavers and meandering moose were so bad they were actually funny. And then throw a perambulating canoe and a posse of drag queen mounties into the mix, and voila, the kitschiness reached new heights of madness! Loved it!
Raven

I think the closing ceremonies were AMAZING. And to everyo ne who doesn't like the perfomances, the people they had were purely canadian and they did play amazingly. And all the humour was pure Canadian
Shocked

Those closing ceremonies were mortifying. No class, not actually funny and not representative of the Canada I actually felt proud of during the games. Pathetic and embarrassing. It shows that we are still just a nation of hick hosers.
Leftie

that should be "if moving to the RIGHT means being tacky…"
A lost opportunity

I was swept away by the opening ceremonies and equally saddened by the wasted opportunity represented by the closing ceremonies. The weak and juvenile humour, the mountie chorus girls, the giant beavers, the constant references to our inferiority complex as seen through the American lens – it was all so unnecessary. Why not do as we did in the opening ceremonies – present ourselves as capable of a truly world-class artistic and technical statement summing up the experience for all concerned. I was anticipating a closing ceremony that recognized the remarkable achievements of both organizers and athletes and left the world feeling they had just seen something they would remember for a good part of their lives. The sooner this is forgotten, the better…..
Helen

I thought it was good that we can laugh at ourselves but the abysmal lack of multi cultural entertainment talent was embarrassing. Why were virtually all the acts WHITE – where was some adequate representation of the true melting pot that is Canada. There are some incredible first nations, asian, afro-canadian, cuban/latino canadian and much more talent in this country and they went with some hasbeens and some sell outs (I mean really what has Avril really done in years)
surfer

I'm Canadian, and I loved the closing ceremony. I found it visual, funny, entertaining, and uplifting. I guess you could say " I got the joke "…..and I thought the send off was brilliant. I'll take the word of the previous poster who attended the ceremony, and said that it was a huge party for everyone in the stadium ( including foreign athletes ). I believe that.

For those who didn't enjoy it, I understand that it wasn't everyone's cup of tea. But then again…..there is no such thing as 'everyone's cup of tea' is there. So, a hit with some and a miss for others. Oh well, that's how it goes. For the record, I hated the opening ceremony which I found dull and boring. So, I was happy with the uplifting, humourous and energetic tone of the closing ceremonies.
scaftisson

Absolutely brutal! I knew the opening ceremony is going to be embarrassing, I just hoped I wouldn't be cringing with embarrassment." It was a channel changing cringe-fest! And, if it was even possible, the closing ceremonies were even more pathetic.
Pete

As proud as I was with the performance of our athletes, I was vastly more embarrased and shocked at the closing ceremonies. Classless, crude, second rate. What a sad way to end an otherwise successful olympics.
Rob

I am an American. I want to say 'congratulations' to Vancouver and the rest of Canada for hosting what looked like (despite NBC's typically uneven Olympic coverage) a wonderful Winter Olympics.

As for the closing ceremony, I got (and appreciated) the joke… but aside from the curling bit I was NOT amused by what Catherine O'Hara had to say. The should have brought out the 'Canadian Please' people instead!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWQf13B8epw
Mark

The Catherine O Hara "joke" were very poorly thought out. The part where she is jokingly saying what a mess the olympic athletes have made ,while staying here….was bizarre and didn't come across the least bit funny..in fact …it felt AWKWARD.
http://freesociety-elroy.blogspot.com/ Elroy

I'm from the US, I thought the closing ceremonies were a bit too self deprecating. Canada is a great country and I don't think that was the appropriate time for being modest. Also, I find it unlikely that anyone outside of the US and Canada really got the jokes.
sherri

I very much agree with " liberal anon" here and a lot of others who have commented here…. it was so embarrassing and painful to watch that I had to change the channel… I have always disappointed with the quality of entertainment production in Canada( look at CBC programs and shows and compare it with BBC and other European Channels) and I felt it may not matter much because who watches TV anyways but now I know it does matter when it somehow represent our culture like last night….
http://intensedebate.com/people/KenMacLeod KenMacLeod

I think that with the exception of the initial comedy, the Russian contribution, and some of the speeches, the closing ceremonies were a major embarrassment. Very lame and poor taste. Remember Norway's finale or the Calgary Winter Olympics. Does anybody think that Shatner or O'Hara were actually funny? We went to friends for dinner and to watch the ceremonies and ended up putting them on mute until it looked like something worthwhile was on. And those dumb hats! I guess they should have brought back Bob and Doug McKenzie, who could have done a much better job of "making fun of Canadians" or the Royal Canadian Air Farce, Dave Broadfoot, or Rick Mercer. How about having Stompin' Tom singing "The Hockey Song." It would have brought the house down. Perhaps they should have featured some real stirring local entertainment like the six-time World Champion Simon Fraser University Pipe Band. That would really have stirred the soul and added to the patriotic fervour. After such a build up of hype and hysteria over the Olympics and Canada's overtime victory in hockey, the Closing Ceremonies were a big bust. The only thing I'm sorry for is that they hired Atkins to produce them. Who else would try to change a country's National Anthem, something that was sung thousands of times during the games from official ceremonies to bars to streets to public transport.
sherri

is there anyways to really say we expect quality? I'm really interested to know. This is not what people of Canada deserve….
I'm really disappointed(and embarrassed)… loving this country doesn't mean to only talk about it, it means to represent it the best way possible and that wasn't the best of Canada…. a wasted opportunity….
Chris

Il liked the kitschy aspect of the closing ceremonies. It was our chance, as a nation, to say "Yup, this is us!" and not be apologetic for it. We weren't catering to anyone, we were just being us!
Yes, we could have went with something more artistic but we didn't and why because what we saw was a reflection of ourselves and you know what, we should be proud of that.
I thought Neil Young was a perfect send-off to officially close off the games, the "Michael Buble Extravaganza" was funny and I couldn't wait to see what they were going to do next (the flying beaver/mooses reminded me of a Pink Floyd concert, only funnier), but the musicians that came after felt more like a variety show than an appreciation of the talent we have. The choice could have been better as well – there were absolutely no country music performers (Shania Twain, Terri Clark, Paul Brandt, Stompin' Tom), and Rush, BTO/Guess Who, Anne Murray or Gordon Lightfoot would have been welcome additions.
Overall thought, I think it was fun and funny, and it captured the Canadian spirit! Ain't nothing wrong with that!

Anon Liberal

"We weren't catering to anyone, we were just being us! "
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Yeah well there's the us that's dressed in a tuxedo and then there's the us that's dressed in dirty boxer shorts picking our butts. We went with door number #2.

Robert Storring

Can none of you see that the closing ceremonies were a tongue in cheek roast of ourselves and our funky ways? Nothing wrong with poking fun at ourselves, we are a little hokey by times but the Olympics did us proud!

Anon Liberal

You know Robert. It's not so much what they were (although they WERE unfunny and self indulgent), it's more about what they could have been.

To give just one more example: we could have had Leonard Cohen sing (or Buffy St-Marie…or Neko Case…or Feist…) instead of the winner of &%^ing Canadian Idol.

moi

No one who wasn't Canadian was in danger of getting the joke. The rah rah rah Canada thing makes us look just like Americans to the rest of the world. Even for Canadians, the joke was poorly delivered. I was in pain over that VANOC CEO's horrible French. It wasn't even written correctly, let alone spoken coherently. Yikes! We should have skipped closing ceremonies and ended with that wonderful hockey game.
Tdot

Should have had Drake and George Reefah perform. Two of Toronto's best.
Val Gillespie

This was a total cringe producer!! Tacky and awful, not funny…surely we can do better than these raunchy rock bands. The whole world watching…couldn't we do something beautiful?????