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Original Poster
#1 Old 12th Aug 2008 at 6:43 PM
Default Olympics Opening Ceremony Fakes
After the news regarding the Olympic fireworks, as well as the new revelation about the child singer, do you think the decisions of the Olympic Committees were justified? Since it's their Olympics, was it alright to fake things for the sake of safety and public image, or is the whole thing turning the originally moral and high-standing Games into a politics and propaganda show?
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#2 Old 12th Aug 2008 at 6:48 PM
I was in a state of disbelief regarding how good that singer was... And when things seem to good to be true, it's usually because they are.

If I was directing the show I would have let the real singer sing. That poor girl... She's adorable, and if that was her voice I doubt it would have mattered that much that she had buckteeth.

But do they have the right? Well, people do stuff like this all the time... I don't know if that makes it right, but it sure doesn't surprise me.
Forum Resident
#3 Old 13th Aug 2008 at 2:24 AM
I just went googling for the picture of the real little girl singer.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/2008/08/12/...15875-20694797/

What a rotten shame they would do that to the poor kid. And what a complex she's going to have. She's perfectly cute. The Chinese Olympics organizers should be ashamed.
Lab Assistant
#4 Old 13th Aug 2008 at 2:29 AM
This happens all the time, but this one situation really saddened me because this little singer is only 7 years old. Of course she's not going to look perfect or have perfectly aligned teeth, she's still only a child. I believe that they should have just let her go on no matter what. I think she's really adorable, though. It's a shame how superficial they can be.

Mad Poster
#5 Old 13th Aug 2008 at 2:32 AM
Well, I suppose that China was within its rights. However, that was a horrible thing to do. That girl isn't ugly at all. Now she's not going to get any of the credit that she deserves for her exceptional voice.

Do I dare disturb the universe?
.
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#6 Old 13th Aug 2008 at 2:58 AM
I think it was a rude thing to do. As Rabid just said, she isn't bad looking at all! Her voice is so great, and everyone now thinks that the cute girl dod it. Also, I can't help but think of the real singer's parents. Imagine being told that we can't show your daughter on TV because she is ugly, but we want her voice. I would have just refused to let my daughter sing if that's how they were going to do! :mad:
Lab Assistant
#7 Old 13th Aug 2008 at 3:17 AM
This sort of thing really ticks me off. We're all beautiful in our own way, why would they do such a thing?

The fireworks thing also makes me mad. It's such a special celebration, they should've done the real thing.
Theorist
#8 Old 13th Aug 2008 at 6:28 AM
Umm, how is China trying to cheat to gain an edge in the Olympics even news? Its really such a common occurrence that we really have no right being surprised by any of this. All this means is that not only does China cheat with its athletes, but it cheats everywhere else too. yawn. Wake me when something surprising happens.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Obama on ABC's This Week, discussing Obamacare
What it's saying is, is that we're not going to have other people carrying your burdens for you anymore
umm...Isn't having other people carry your medical burden exactly what national health care is?
#9 Old 13th Aug 2008 at 6:34 AM
Quote: Originally posted by moldova49
I think it was a rude thing to do. As Rabid just said, she isn't bad looking at all! Her voice is so great, and everyone now thinks that the cute girl dod it. Also, I can't help but think of the real singer's parents. Imagine being told that we can't show your daughter on TV because she is ugly, but we want her voice. I would have just refused to let my daughter sing if that's how they were going to do! :mad:



Oh yeah right.. They were probably too scared to tell them to take their daughter out. That poor girl. What an awful thing to do to such a fragile little mind! I didn't hear her voice, but..
Moderator of Extreme Limericks
#10 Old 13th Aug 2008 at 6:35 AM
This whole thing is embarrassing, and speaks a great deal about China's current situation. From what I can see, the Olympics thus far have been all about showing the world it wants to see--or, rather, attempting to show the world what it wants to see. China is trying to demonstrate for the world how "perfect" things are. The environmentally friendly Olympic venues, the attempts to reduce air pollution, the perfect performers and fireworks displays... instead of actually trying to fix things, China is simply disguising itself until the rest of the world stops watching.

What they did to those two little girls is horrible, really, but I don't suppose there's anything that can be done about it. They didn't do anything illegal, and both girls claim to be honored for being selected to be a part of this at all, so...

There's always money in the banana stand.
Mad Poster
#11 Old 13th Aug 2008 at 9:38 PM
Has anyone seen the controversy about China's gymnasts having forged birth certificates and being under the minimum age of sixteen? I was watching some of the gymnastics last night and couldn't help but notice how young and underdeveloped they looked, myself. Granted, gymnasts are typically small individuals, but there's no way in hell that those girls were older than thirteen. I'm not trying to make accusations, because I suppose I have no proof other than what I saw with my own eyes, but I just wonder how the lengths that China has gone to win.

Do I dare disturb the universe?
.
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Lab Assistant
#12 Old 14th Aug 2008 at 2:32 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Rabid
Has anyone seen the controversy about China's gymnasts having forged birth certificates and being under the minimum age of sixteen? I was watching some of the gymnastics last night and couldn't help but notice how young and underdeveloped they looked, myself. Granted, gymnasts are typically small individuals, but there's no way in hell that those girls were older than thirteen. I'm not trying to make accusations, because I suppose I have no proof other than what I saw with my own eyes, but I just wonder how the lengths that China has gone to win.

I noticed that as well. I didn't think they were older than 14 maybe.

Life isn't measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
#13 Old 14th Aug 2008 at 3:50 AM
"The face of a seven-year-old Chinese girl singer at the Olympic opening ceremony was replaced with another because she was not good-looking enough."

The quote is dissapointing. I do not think it is right for a "cute" girl to mime and receive false attention for vocals. It feels to me that the real singer is not appreciated. I can not believe that Chinese government told Yang Peiyi that although she got singing part, but can not sing in public eye because she was not "cute enough". (Which, by the way, Yang Peiyi IS cute). Way to destroy the image (confidene) of a little girl. (?)

Some girls definately are under 16. Okay, you can fake the passport, but you can not fake your looks. Many of them only 70 lbs (says it on Yahoo) and not even look mature... I mean is 16 not the hormone stage? o__o I guess China will do anything it takes to win. The Olymics is on their home grounds, so to not win Olympics will be humiliating. I am not very surprise because China has continue to "cheat" or "trick", for example they selling expired foods/medicine to Chinese supermarket in America now. Just two months ago I visit China and was in rush to buy contacts, and only when I get home I realize that the contacts expired last year. x[

Did any one hear about that China did the ban on bald (and smelly) taxi drivers in Beijing?? (I hear it when watching BB10) Kind of funny/weird, but sad to say that bald driver need to driving elsewhere.

Hearing the stuff makes me feel less __(supportive???)___ for China. (I can not think of the right word gahh my small vocabulary).
#14 Old 14th Aug 2008 at 6:21 AM
criticism criticism, hardly any debate going on, so here goes.

1) its not FAKE lol, if it were, people would not have told the press about it. especially the computer generated sequence, they've give details to the press that it is for "theatrical effects" but no one seems to care, everyone wants to see China in shame now, don't they? and the motive are also the same as the below, they wanted the "show" to be flawless. and a computer generated sequence does the work so how is that FAKE, I wasn't there, unless some promises were made that all fireworks are real, then its their own death lol, but to me its still the best Olympic opening ceremony ever"

2) lip sync is not uncommon in outdoor large scale performance "At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, for example, the famed tenor Luciano Pavarotti, then 70, lip-synched an aria because of his age and the cold weather. But the recording was still his voice." although it is still his voice, the motive are the same they wanted the event to look good, and who doesn't? [excerpt from: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/s...tml?ref=sports]

3) No one knows if the Chinese Government is the one that actually says don't use the 7 year old girl, use the 9 year old girl instead. And the people who made the 7 year old girls look bad are actually not the person who choose to use her recording in the opening ceremony, it is the Media and the people who cannot stop talking about it that has now probably make her self-conscious, media is an ugly word.

4) You guys probably do not realise how generous and mature the little 7 years old is and this is what she say: "On Monday, Peiyi appeared on China Central Television, the state network. “I’m O.K. with it,” she told her interviewer, even performing a song. “My voice was used in the performance. I think that’s enough.” State television network does seem a little suspicious, however, may it or may it not be true, people have to stop saying that she is not chosen because she's not as pretty as the other girl.
Field Researcher
#15 Old 14th Aug 2008 at 10:48 AM
Everything about china is fake, the ceremony, the athletes, the "sold out" tickets, the media. Hell, they even showed in Australian news chinese people selling fake name brand handbags and clothes
#16 Old 14th Aug 2008 at 6:59 PM
I think the opening ceremony gave us a glimpse into the machine of a culture we cannot begin to understand.

Milli Vanilli anyone? When I saw that little girl sing, it was obvious she was lip-syncing, but I didn't mind at all. It happens all the time here in the US. Even our biggest screen stars get body-doubles and voice doubles.

To concentrate on one little girl lip-syncing the vocals of another is to miss the point. The show was a techological masterpiece, directed by none other than Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern, House of Flying Daggers) whose early work was banned by the communist government, but who is a national hero in today's China.

I'm sure that living in a communist country with 1/5th of the world's population could make daily life extremely difficult for some Chinese, but no one can deny the pride in themselves and in their culture that the performers displayed in the opening ceremony.

To concentrate on one singer, when 18,000 other citizens performed with impeccable precision and skill, seems kinda silly to me. The human element of that ceremony was extremely moving to me.
Theorist
#17 Old 14th Aug 2008 at 6:59 PM
Well, now it appears that China may have falsified the passports that got submitted to the IOC for two, if not three or four of the female gymnasts. The Olympics has a mandatory age requirement for gymnasts, they must be at least 16 during the Olympic year. According to the paperwork sent to the IOC, all of China's gymnasts meet this age requirement. However, research done has pointed to multiple sources (that have since been blocked by the free speech friendly Chinese government *ahem*) that point to their ages as two years younger than China claims. Most notably is the ages of He Kexin and Jiang Yuyuan. He Kexin, according to the passport provided to the IOC, was born Jan 1, 1992, which would make her 16. Problem is, other sources list her birthday as Jan 1, 1994, according to an MSNBC article. (the story originally broke by the New York Times, other news agencies are picking up on it, I just happened to see it on MSNBC first)

http://www.nbcolympics.com/gymnasti...sid=156549.html

If the allegations are true, China needs to be stripped of any medals in events that these gymnasts were involved in. This is not like individual adult athletes trying to cheat by taking steroids or something, to gain an individual advantage. If these allegations are true, it means that the Chinese government has actively engaged in an active campaign to cheat at the Olympics. It isn't just individuals, its an entire national government trying to commit fraud. Now, I do not know if these allegations are true, and, I am not one to believe everything I hear from the New York Times anyway...however, the potential implications of this story, if accurate, should demand China being stripped of medals, and banned from Olympic competition for at least the next one or two Olympics.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Obama on ABC's This Week, discussing Obamacare
What it's saying is, is that we're not going to have other people carrying your burdens for you anymore
umm...Isn't having other people carry your medical burden exactly what national health care is?
Top Secret Researcher
#18 Old 14th Aug 2008 at 7:06 PM
Not really, it's relevant to the general topic of Chinese falisfying and fakery that we're talking about here.

I would like to clear up the little matter of my sanity as it has come into question. I am not in any way, shape, or form, sane. Insane? Hell yes!

People keep calling me 'evil.' I must be doing something right.

SilentPsycho - The Official MTS2 Psycho
Theorist
#19 Old 14th Aug 2008 at 7:28 PM
Quote: Originally posted by SimsArtThat
"Chinese falsifying and fakery"...hmm. Wow, sounds like you're judge and jury on this one.


SilentPsycho is being no more a "judge and jury" than you are, in proclaiming my post off-topic.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Obama on ABC's This Week, discussing Obamacare
What it's saying is, is that we're not going to have other people carrying your burdens for you anymore
umm...Isn't having other people carry your medical burden exactly what national health care is?
Banned
#20 Old 14th Aug 2008 at 7:47 PM
I haven't seen the opening ceremony, but to be honest I say who cares if the footprint fireworks were CG, honestly I think it's safer that they were, but then I'm also one for not using fireworks around large groups of people when they're going off right over top of their heads. As for lip-syncing, it seriously happens more often than one would think(britney anyone?).

As for other trickery and cheating, I wouldn't be surprised if the Chinese Government was cheating, from what I've seen and read through my life about their goverment they like to be in control, and to have control in any given situation one needs to cheat, but when all the world's eyes are on you(meaning the one cheating) it makes it harder for said cheating as it will be exposed sooner or later.
Top Secret Researcher
#21 Old 14th Aug 2008 at 7:47 PM
I wasn't actually stereotyping, just pointing out that the Chinese have done some of what I call 'falsifying and fakery' during the current Olympics. Anything else you read into that is your fault.

I would like to clear up the little matter of my sanity as it has come into question. I am not in any way, shape, or form, sane. Insane? Hell yes!

People keep calling me 'evil.' I must be doing something right.

SilentPsycho - The Official MTS2 Psycho
#22 Old 14th Aug 2008 at 7:49 PM
Thanks for the clarification Silent..I actually thought it was out of character for you.

If I used your phrase to illustrate a point about this entire thread, I apologize, but I do think the point needs to be made.
#23 Old 14th Aug 2008 at 7:51 PM
Silent I think the issue is by saying 'the Chinese' that actually refers to every chinese person.

SOME chinese participants may have, however I am rather certain individuals from all nations have done some of what you call 'falsifying and fakery'.
Top Secret Researcher
#24 Old 14th Aug 2008 at 7:54 PM
Thanks for the compliment SimsArtThat.

Anyway, to me events such as firework displays and concerts should be as real as they can, soley because pretending to be something you're not is both rude and offending to those who do their best and manage it using their own skills. By faking part of their display, it puts the message out that they don't care about the achievements of the individual, but what they're viewed as by other people. I hate that, in both celebrities and non-celebrities, just as I wouldn't like getting praise for something I didn't do.

By the way, before anyone brings up celebrity lip-synchers, I despise that too.

I would like to clear up the little matter of my sanity as it has come into question. I am not in any way, shape, or form, sane. Insane? Hell yes!

People keep calling me 'evil.' I must be doing something right.

SilentPsycho - The Official MTS2 Psycho
#25 Old 14th Aug 2008 at 7:57 PM
Well I'm all for the fake fireworks. How many heads of state were there?? A LOT! I swear I was cringing at times, cause I imagined the hell that would break loose if there were a misfire.

Michael Jackson's Pepsi commercial anyone??

Swift, yes that was totally my point

Silent
 
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