China's Olympic Fake Out

[MA-Caver]

Like about 4 billion other people I was in awe of the lavish opening ceremony of China's Olympics. Turns out that we were all faked out in more ways than one.
One way was with this cute little girl who did a Milli Vanilli in front of the whole world all for the sake of making China look good for the rest of the world. Poor girl's face just wasn't pretty/cute enough to match her voice, so another girl was chosen and just synced the China National Anthem.
Not only are non-Chinese outraged but word around the China internet is that people are upset that this happened.
My thought was "typical Communist".
Pretty sad that these two little girls were used as pawns in China's grand scheme to fool the world.

Olympic opening uses girl’s voice, not face

By CARA ANNA, Associated Press Writer 4 hours, 27 minutes ago http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news?slug=ap-china-lip-synchedsong&prov=ap&type=lgns

Faking it at Olympics



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BEIJING (AP)—One little girl had the looks. The other had the voice.
So in a last-minute move demanded by one of China’s highest officials, the two were put together for the Olympic opening ceremony, with one lip-synching “Ode to the Motherland” over the other’s singing.
The real singer, 7-year-old Yang Peiyi, with her chubby face and crooked baby teeth, wasn’t good looking enough for the ceremony, its chief music director told state-owned Beijing Radio.
So the pigtailed Lin Miaoke, a veteran of television ads, mouthed the words with a pixie smile for a stadium of 91,000 and a worldwide TV audience. “I felt so beautiful in my red dress,” the tiny 9-year-old told the China Daily newspaper.
Peiyi later told China Central Television that just having her voice used was an honor.
It was the latest example of the lengths the image-obsessed China is taking to create a perfect Summer Games.

Another fake out turned out to be the grand fireworks display throughout the opening ceremony. Very well done indeed but not done all at once. Apparently most of them were shot off before the actual ceremony and the film superimposed upon the live event. The reason the Chinese say is because it would've been too dangerous for live helicopter crews to get that close to the stadium during the exhibition. Ok, I can buy that but news crew cameras are much better quality and could zoom-in in spite of being far enough away to be considered safe.

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news?slug=ap-fakefireworks&prov=ap&type=lgns

Olympics footprint TV segment computer-generated

14 hours, 7 minutes ago

BEIJING (AP)—Not all was what it seemed during the spectacular opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

Beijing organizers confirmed Tuesday that some of the fireworks display featured prerecorded footage.

Fireworks that burst into the shape of 29 gigantic footprints were shown trudging above the Beijing skyline to the National Stadium near the start of the ceremony.

Though the footprint-shaped fireworks were real, some of the footage shown to television viewers around the world and on giant screens inside the “Bird’s Nest” stadium featured a computer-generated three-dimensional image.

“It was confirmed that previously recorded footage was provided to the broadcasters for convenience and theatrical effects—as in many other big events,” Beijing organizing committee spokesman Wang Wei said. “On the day of the ceremony there were actual footprints of fireworks from the south to the north of the city.

“However, because of the poor visibility of the night, some previously recorded footage may have been used.”

The computerized images were produced by Crystal Digital Technology Co. of Beijing.

“We did our best to create a rendering that would look like the shot was taken live,” company spokesman Lei Ming told the Beijing Times. “Most people could not tell the difference.”

Kind of a let down to find these things out after such a thrilling experience (even after) watching it on television only to find out it wasn't everything that I (and 4 billion other people) thought (we) were seeing.

What does this say about the Chinese. Can they be trusted? Should they? If for the sake of grand entertainment they fool the world what about something serious? Got to wonder now if 70,000 people really die in the earthquake or was it maybe 700? or 70? How do we now know for certain. It's just their word for it.

Isn't it?

 

[FearlessFreep]

I'm rather more concerned about the accusations that the Chinese gymnasts are under-age and the boxing judges are biased

 

[mrhnau]

You know, I've been contemplating this... in a sense, they were "cheating" on their performance. However, if the IOC found an athlete "cheating", they would be banned and outrage would ensue. Especially if some big name was exposed. Wasn't this supposed to be some kind of "coming out" party for China? Show off for the rest of the world? Instead, they fake a singer because she is not very cosmetically appealing, they fake fireworks that they could not do in real time, they falsify passports for gymnasts... Where is the outrage?

 

[FearlessFreep]

Where is the outrage?

Wait until Diana Lopez 'wins'

 

[MA-Caver]

You know, I've been contemplating this... in a sense, they were "cheating" on their performance. However, if the IOC found an athlete "cheating", they would be banned and outrage would ensue. Especially if some big name was exposed. Wasn't this supposed to be some kind of "coming out" party for China? Show off for the rest of the world? Instead, they fake a singer because she is not very cosmetically appealing, they fake fireworks that they could not do in real time, they falsify passports for gymnasts... Where is the outrage?

Dunno about the rest of the world and maybe I have a naive image of what the Olympics are supposed to be about but IMO that event is an opportunity for the world to basically forget their political differences and compete in a friendly fashion which should build better friendships and images all around. It should be an honest portrayal of the host country of what their people are about and an honest effort by the athletes as to what they can do. The competitiveness of human-kind is the reason for medals and to honor the best effort(s).
The outrage is falsifying that image and efforts. Right now it's China, 50 some years ago Nazi Germany tried to bolster their image of the "Master Race" and failed but it was an honest effort just an arrogant one.
The Soviets were long accused of using drug enhanced athletes during their participation and only in a few cases was it proven, the U.S. got busted a couple of times as well.

When else does the world come together peacefully besides in the sports arena? If this is the only time that we can do this without worry of politics rearing it's ugly head in one form or another then so be it.
Unfortunately as of lately doesn't seem to be the case.

Spain's athletes (Soccer??) aren't very popular right now with the Chinese because of a group photo they took for a shoe ad (ironically shoes made IN China) where all of the players are making slant eyes with their fingers.
Tasteless? Of course it is. What the hell were THEY thinking? Obviously that they had a sense of humor that the rest of the world would share.

Maybe the outrage is that the Olympics have outlived their usefulness in helping the world come together in peace and harmony ... even for 16 days every four years.

Like to see other view points on this... maybe if only to reassure myself that I'm not in the minority (or maybe I am) on these views... :idunno:

 

[Tez3]

I watched the opening ceremony at work and we were howling with laughter at the kid who was singing, ( yeah we are a bit manic lol) whoever was singing or not it just smacked so much of 'cute stage school kid'. Years ago there was an ad on British TV for childrens shoes, kids were discussing what they wanted to be when they grew up or something anyway the bit that stuck in everyones minds was one girl who said " my mummy says that when I grow up I'm going to be a proper little madam!" thats what came to mind when we saw that little girl singing, she is going to be hell to live with now lol. At least everyone can bring her down to size now!
I'm sure there's been loads of stuff done at all Olympics (probably even the first ones in ancient Greece too!) to impress and make sure everything looks right, it's human nature.

 

[Andy Moynihan]

Like about 4 billion other people I was in awe of the lavish opening ceremony of China's Olympics. Turns out that we were all faked out in more ways than one.
One way was with this cute little girl who did a Milli Vanilli in front of the whole world all for the sake of making China look good for the rest of the world. Poor girl's face just wasn't pretty/cute enough to match her voice, so another girl was chosen and just synced the China National Anthem.
Not only are non-Chinese outraged but word around the China internet is that people are upset that this happened.
My thought was "typical Communist".
Pretty sad that these two little girls were used as pawns in China's grand scheme to fool the world.


Another fake out turned out to be the grand fireworks display throughout the opening ceremony. Very well done indeed but not done all at once. Apparently most of them were shot off before the actual ceremony and the film superimposed upon the live event. The reason the Chinese say is because it would've been too dangerous for live helicopter crews to get that close to the stadium during the exhibition. Ok, I can buy that but news crew cameras are much better quality and could zoom-in in spite of being far enough away to be considered safe.


Kind of a let down to find these things out after such a thrilling experience (even after) watching it on television only to find out it wasn't everything that I (and 4 billion other people) thought (we) were seeing.

What does this say about the Chinese. Can they be trusted? Should they? If for the sake of grand entertainment they fool the world what about something serious? Got to wonder now if 70,000 people really die in the earthquake or was it maybe 700? or 70? How do we now know for certain. It's just their word for it.

Isn't it?

You gonna honestly tell me you're surprised?



Seriously?

 

[Tez3]

The Spanish seem to be making a habit of being racially abusive , the British racing driver Lewis Hamilton was targeted recently.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/formula_1/article3301086.ece

 

[tshadowchaser]

Ok so they let one sing and showed another. Not the best idea to say the least.
Some of the fireworks where done earlier big deal they where still impressive.
I kind of enjoyed what I got to see of the opening ceremonies. I saw some damn good precision movements done by a couple of thousand people. Hell i can't even get a small group of students to be that precise .

 

[Gordon Nore]

As far as the fireworks and cute kid singer are concerned, I'd say China is guilty of committing an act of international show biz.

 

[Kacey]

This is show biz run rampant - both the girl and the fireworks - but prevarication is insanely common in show business. I find it disappointing, but not surprising.

 

[Jade Tigress]

I just skimmed replies here, but want to say when I read about this yesterday I was saddened. Both these girls are very cute and it's disheartening that one was deemed "less so" and therefore *hidden*.
The true singer (and her parents) have shown amazing graciousness in their responses to the whole thing. Unfortunately, the other may not ever learn the trait growing up as "the cute one".

 

[terryl965]

Wait until Diana Lopez 'wins'

She won't though

 

[terryl965]

As far as the girls well that is showbiz, come on over the last twenty five years have we really seen any ugly people in the Olympics. Please we are so commercialized it is prothectic.

 

[Tames D]

I wonder if China only has it's most attractive athletes representing them regardless of talent?

 

[tshadowchaser]

Nope I just saw some of the swimmers

I will agree that many of them are lovely and so are the young ladies that carry the signs in front of the athletes

 

[Andrew Green]

There goal was to put on a show, they did exactly that.

Lip synced performance... I find it hard to get worked up about such a thing when I'd be surprised to find out that any North American Pop star has never lip synced a show.

Same with the fireworks, its just special effects, something North American productions are full of as well. I suppose the North American approach would have been to CG the extras in rather then do it live and superimpose it in.

Honesty I sometimes get the impression that it doesn't matter what China does someone is going to think they are being evil.

If there is cheating going on in official capacity (underage, bias, drug, etc) that is bad, but would hardly be unique to China. As for anything to do with the performances, thats what they where, and they used all sorts of tricks to pull off a good show, and succeeded.

 

[girlbug2]

Lip synced performance... I find it hard to get worked up about such a thing when I'd be surprised to find out that any North American Pop star has never lip synced a show.

.

I'm not worked up, but disappointed. I feel really bad for the real singer. She should get her due credit. China should allow her another opportunity to sing in person at the Olympics before they're over.

However I do get outraged when I find out a pop star used somebody else's voice while lip syncing. Milli Vanilli, anybody?

 

[Phoenix44]

Regarding the fireworks: The announcer on NBC clearly said that a lot of the fireworks were CG, and that it was substantially "animated." So "real" or not, there was no deception. It was just a beautiful show.

As far as the lip-synching, so what? Like nobody ever lip-synchs on sports events?

I agree, I'm much more disturbed about the underage gymnasts. I'm a pediatrician, and it's obvious to me that those little girls are not 16 years old. Not only is it cheating, in my opinion it's child labor.

 

[MA-Caver]

Regarding the fireworks: The announcer on NBC clearly said that a lot of the fireworks were CG, and that it was substantially "animated." So "real" or not, there was no deception. It was just a beautiful show.

Agreed, very beautiful and well done. I missed the first 1/3 of it so missed the announcer saying part of the fireworks display were pre-done.

As far as the lip-synching, so what? Like nobody ever lip-synchs on sports events?

Rosanne didn't... much to our pain.

I agree, I'm much more disturbed about the underage gymnasts. I'm a pediatrician, and it's obvious to me that those little girls are not 16 years old. Not only is it cheating, in my opinion it's child labor.

Well it's been said here before that China really doesn't care too much about world opinion as far as how they treat their own people. They take care of them and thus feel they (the present government) have a right to do what they want to them (the people under that government).
If a 13 or 14 yr. old girl can do just as well (and BETTER) as another that's only a couple of years older... hey! Why make her wait another 4 years when she might have an accident between now and then and can't do it anymore?
Still you'd think with 1.4 billion people in resident population that there'd be more than a few (attractive, remember they're going for looks as well) 16 yr. olds capable of doing gymnastics as well as a 14 yr. old could.
(being sarcastic by the way... but not to you Phoenix )