Author Topic: The English Canadian Olympics  (Read 34288 times)

Offline Sheriff Roland

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Re: The English Canadian Olympics
« Reply #10 on: February 14, 2010, 10:24:59 pm »
After hosting 3 Olympics (one summer, in Montréal and 2 winter, in Calgary and Vancouver), Canada FINALLY wins it's first gold medal at home during an Olympic competition.

It was achieved moments ago by a Québecois in men's mogels.

And by the way, two of the 3 other French Canadians to compete tonight finished just out of the medals - in 4th & 5th spot.

This is not just an English Canadian Olympics, in spite of the organizers!
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Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: The English Canadian Olympics
« Reply #11 on: February 14, 2010, 10:40:10 pm »
After hosting 3 Olympics (one summer, in Montréal and 2 winter, in Calgary and Vancouver), Canada FINALLY wins it's first gold medal at home during an Olympic competition.

It was achieved moments ago by a Québecois in men's mogels.

And by the way, two of the 3 other French Canadians to compete tonight finished just out of the medals - in 4th & 5th spot.

This is not just an English Canadian Olympics, in spite of the organizers!

Yay!! or ... formidable!!

Quote
Loved the acrobatic From Both Sides Now sequence! 

Moi, aussi!!

"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline Penthesilea

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Re: The English Canadian Olympics
« Reply #12 on: February 15, 2010, 04:46:45 am »
Congratulations to Canada!



Yesterday, I caught two different events on TV. Both times, the cheering crowd was so loud that you could barely hear the reporters from the sidelines, making interviews and such. I loved their enthusiasm :D. Go Canadians!

Offline Monika

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Re: The English Canadian Olympics
« Reply #13 on: February 15, 2010, 06:11:19 am »
Yes go Canada! I love your country!

Offline Sheriff Roland

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Re: The English Canadian Olympics
« Reply #14 on: February 15, 2010, 09:05:43 am »
Finally 3 days later ... (and I had to dig it up ... it wasn't among the headline google news)

Political bigwigs and languages commissioner decry lack of French at Games

http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=n122017321

"They were not what I had been led to understand would be the case. I don't think they represented an appropriate reflection of Canada's linguistic duality or the fact that English and French are the official languages of the Olympic movement and the Olympic Games," said the (Official Languages) Commissioner Graham Fraser.

Fraser said even anglophones have been complaining to his office about the lack of French on Friday night.

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Offline Aloysius J. Gleek

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Re: The English Canadian Olympics
« Reply #15 on: February 15, 2010, 10:55:47 am »

Bad-boy fiddler Ashley McIsaac


Dang! How did I miss him!?!?!  >:(  He's hot!

And, oh, yeah, he's a great fiddle player, too. ...  ::)



August 1997
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tIT8VuZ92c[/youtube]

 ;D



February 18, 2007

Ashley MacIsaac (right) kisses partner
Andrew Stokes in Halifax on Saturday.
They were married on stage just after
midnight Sunday.

 ;D



April 09, 2008
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7vDu47u_gg&feature[/youtube]

 :)



http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=326838&sc=145

Last updated at 11:49 PM on 14/02/10   

Ashley MacIsaac surprised mom
with performance at Olympic opening ceremonies


ERIN POTTIE

The Cape Breton Post

PORT HAWKESBURY— Ashley MacIsaac
’s kilt-clad, foot-stomping performance during the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games was so top secret that even his mother didn’t know about it.

Carmelita MacIsaac, who lives in Port Hawkesbury, said her son couldn’t tell anyone about his historic gig seen by billions of people worldwide on Friday.

As someone who regularly watches Olympic opening ceremonies, MacIsaac said her son knew she’d be glued to the television set and offered no hint of his involvement.

“I had a funny feeling because he was going out there a couple times,” she said Sunday of her son’s recent trips to Vancouver. “What I know now is it was for dress rehearsal.”

The 34-year-old Creignish fiddler delivered a high-energy performance during the lavish show, which included Canadian aboriginal dancers, acrobats and performances by pop superstar Nelly Furtado and singer k.d. Lang.

“His father and I were pretty excited. We must of got 300 phone calls, people were so proud of him representing Cape Breton,” said MacIsaac. “It was just unbelievable.”

The fiddler was suspended about 45 feet in the air before being brought down to the stage where he performed his tune Devil in the Kitchen as part of a tribute to the Canadian fall. As soon as the performance had ended, MacIsaac called his mom to ask what she thought of the show.

According to Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium, the live coverage of Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony was the most-watched television event ever in Canadian history. On average, 13.3 million Canadians watched the 3 1/2-hour ceremony.

“I’ll take that to the grave with me because that was an amazing, amazing thing for us to see, our son on the Olympics,” MacIsaac said.
The Cape Breton Post was unable to reach Ashley MacIsaac on Sunday. His mother said he while he normally lives in Windsor, Ont., the fiddler was still in Vancouver as part of his Olympic appearance.
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Offline Aloysius J. Gleek

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Re: The English Canadian Olympics
« Reply #16 on: February 15, 2010, 11:51:43 am »


Yes go Canada! I love your country!


Yay!! or ... formidable!!
Moi, aussi!!


Photographed in the windows of:


              Argosy Bookstore

         115 East 59th Street, New York, NY 10022 ("Since 1925") on Friday, February 12, 2010



"Tu doives entendre je t'aime."
(and you know who I am...)


Cowboy Curtis (Laurence Fishburne)
and Pee-wee in the 1990 episode
"Camping Out"

Offline Sheriff Roland

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Re: The English Canadian Olympics
« Reply #17 on: February 15, 2010, 12:02:09 pm »
I've just seen the entire opening ceremonies @ http://www.ctvolympics.ca/video/collections/collectionid=40427/index.html
(live feed on Saturday night sucked big time - only got to watch about half the show)

And I have these additional comments about the English Canadian Olympics.

In spite of the inclusiveness of intent, the truth is in the tasting. There was even less french 'speach' than I had imagined.

First, the Aboriginal introduction: did they have to tag along a simple 'bienvenue' after having spoken in their native language and in english? Couldn't at least one of the four nations have made their welcome in their native tongue and french with a simple 'welcome' instead? (BTW, looking at the faces, I fully believe that those were original Natives, Métis and Inuits - in their most attractive and representative garbs and dance mouvements)

The president of the Vancouver Games used three occasions to speak in French, never using more than 3 words each time and never adding anything new in terms of ideas, unlike Rogue, who actually added some additional 'message' when speaking en français.

As for Garou, (whom the english announcer couldn't even pronouce correctly), he's many rungs bellow Céline Dion's celebrity status (though he was a good fit for the show). One does not adequately compensate for the other. They needed to at least have a cast of francophone celebrities if they were to limit french to a single song - which I still can't accept as being adequate. I liked Garou's interpretation, but did they have to have the text of his song translated in both languages on all screens? Did they do that for any of the English songs? - Tokenism at it's worse.

I'm not done, but I'll continue in another post.
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Offline delalluvia

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Re: The English Canadian Olympics
« Reply #18 on: February 15, 2010, 12:10:39 pm »
I think you're point is well taken, Del, but I also think you're being a little hard. I think I'd like to have more information. And who are you blaming, the tribes, or the producers, or both? I think it's sad if a group of native peoples have lost their heritage--very sad--but I also think it's a little harsh to blame them for losing it.

As for the paucity of French, I'd also be interested to know if it was a mere oversight--which would be pretty appalling--or if it was deliberate, and if so, why, and if the international TV audience had anything to do with it.

I don't mean to defend or to excuse anybody here, I just have questions.

I don't blame them for losing their traditions, but I do wonder at their lack of pride for adopting dress of the local people's and trying to pass that off as 'their traditional' dress.

You don't see that happening south of the border. 

Offline Sheriff Roland

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Re: The English Canadian Olympics
« Reply #19 on: February 15, 2010, 12:18:28 pm »
I saw the Both Sides Now segment & though it a bit long but I love the song (if not THAT particular interpretation).

k d lang definitively took the show with what I've often said has been the best english 'new song' of the past quater century.

The Vancouver location is the reason Furtado and Nash and Adams were there. A little too much of a local look-a-us in my opinion. The Canadian anthem was masacred by an anglo-québecois (and I'll never accept that version - it includes a mere one quarter french lyrics - even though it's origins are french-canadian).

The poet was great, but again - just an english poet? Where's the french content?

They really NEED to improve their outlook for the concluding ceremonies.

Four anglos to light the flame? (Gaëtan Bouchard could have easily been invited to replace Nancy Green or Steve Nash.) When Canada was made a bi-lingual country, the francophones were in the majority. Now that we are 1/4 of the population, we still expect to be represented abroad as a bilingual country. The organizers of the Vancouver games failed miserably in that department
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