Special Event: LIMPICS!
July 26, 2024 6:31 AM - Subscribe

DUMMM DUMMM DEE DUMPTY DOODLE, DUM DUM DUM DEEDLE DUMPLING DUMPITTY DUMPTY DOOOOOOO (Paris 2024)

This is a simple little post to chat about the various more entertainment-ey aspects of the olympics. Artsy-fartsy French stuff! Catty comments about national costumes! An award for the best oiled-up shirtless dude in the parade! Complaining about the awful American presentation! Laughing bitterly at all the corruption! Weird announcing screwups!

Actual knowledgeable comments about sports welcome too, I guess.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace (173 comments total) 9 users marked this as a favorite
 
The ceremonies at Albertville had some really high quality artsy-fartsy French stuff with like Moebius people on stilts or something so I have high hopes for these ceremonies.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 6:34 AM on July 26, 2024


I didn't know the song had lyrics! They're perfect!
posted by phooky at 6:45 AM on July 26, 2024 [2 favorites]


Quick question - how can a USian who does not have Peacock watch the opening ceremonies?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:17 AM on July 26, 2024 [1 favorite]


Empress, I just now saw an article in my feed that says it will also be on NBC live at 10:30 PDT and then re-aired at 7:30 PDT.
posted by QuakerMel at 7:37 AM on July 26, 2024


Live on NBC broadcast/cable starting at 1:30 p.m. ET.
posted by thecaddy at 7:37 AM on July 26, 2024


NBC broadcast has their full taped coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET. Apparently, the first hour will be shown commercial-free.
posted by briank at 8:00 AM on July 26, 2024


Also, if folks in the U.S. don't have cable, you can pay $7.99 for a month of Peacock TV, which is making available every single sport, then set a reminder on your calendar to cancel after the closing ceremony. That's a good price for full Olympics access.
posted by mediareport at 8:35 AM on July 26, 2024 [2 favorites]


WSJ gift link:

The Secret Russians at the Paris Olympics
Officially there are just 15 Russian athletes at the Games, all competing as neutral competitors thanks to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Unofficially, there are dozens more.
posted by mediareport at 8:39 AM on July 26, 2024 [1 favorite]


Can I just say that Rugby Sevens is off-the-wall bonkers? Intense action and short games! It's like a live action version of Clash Royale. My 15-yr-old and were going to watch one game the other night, and ended up watching seven. Yeah, yeah...
posted by m@f at 9:15 AM on July 26, 2024 [1 favorite]


dumplings?
posted by supermedusa at 9:30 AM on July 26, 2024


And doodles!
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 9:32 AM on July 26, 2024


Also: supposedly, USA will be carrying a few hundred hours in 4k hdr --IF-- your cable system and cable box support those. Last I looked, no plans for 4k or hdr streaming in the US.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 9:39 AM on July 26, 2024


LFG! Supposed to get 15 days worth of rain just after the opening ceremony 😬
posted by ellieBOA at 10:29 AM on July 26, 2024


That's an interesting article, mediareport! I wonder how the athletes in the countries the Russians switch to feel about it. I've known a few people who've tried for the Olympics here in the US and I don't think they'd be thrilled about late-breaking competition.
posted by The corpse in the library at 10:29 AM on July 26, 2024


I had to move from Paris in May so sold my Olympics tickets 🫠
posted by ellieBOA at 10:30 AM on July 26, 2024 [2 favorites]


I... am of two minds about the boats. I did like the spectator with the birdie hat a while back!
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 10:46 AM on July 26, 2024


Gaga en français 😍
posted by ellieBOA at 10:48 AM on July 26, 2024 [2 favorites]


Gotta say that these opening ceremonies are pretty underwhelming on TV, and I’ll bet really lifeless in person where you don’t get any close ups.
posted by spudsilo at 11:14 AM on July 26, 2024 [1 favorite]


The NBC commentators are appalling in their ignorance.
posted by needled at 11:23 AM on July 26, 2024 [7 favorites]


I had to switch to BBC via VPN.

I wonder if the U.S. commentators even recognized the Jules et Jim reference.

Not to mention not recognizing that pink section was about "La Vie en Rose" and just referring to it as the pink section, and telling the audience that "Enchanté" meant "enchanted."
posted by needled at 11:30 AM on July 26, 2024 [3 favorites]


I think there are some Parisiens who will be having just the best time hating this. All the masculine countries should go one side of the Île de la cité, féminine the other.
posted by rongorongo at 11:31 AM on July 26, 2024


I'm kinda digging it. Some slow transitions between the set pieces, maybe, and it's a shame about the weather. But some fun visuals and ideas.
posted by dnash at 11:33 AM on July 26, 2024 [4 favorites]


Best party boat: maybe not Iraq and Ireland?
posted by rongorongo at 11:48 AM on July 26, 2024 [1 favorite]


Italy and Jamaica!
posted by ellieBOA at 12:10 PM on July 26, 2024 [3 favorites]


I love the breakdancer in the 16th century-inspired outfit. And the BMX bikers in similar clothing.
posted by needled at 12:10 PM on July 26, 2024 [1 favorite]


I'm wondering how much of the opening performances NBC will have to edit out for the U.S. prime time broadcast.
posted by needled at 1:06 PM on July 26, 2024 [1 favorite]


If you are going to have a robotic horse boat - you need one like that.
posted by rongorongo at 1:17 PM on July 26, 2024 [6 favorites]


But how is that robotic horse boat being propelled and steered?
posted by needled at 1:22 PM on July 26, 2024


That mechanical-horse-running-down-the-Seine bit went on so long that it reminded me of nothing so much as Sir Lancelot charging towards Swamp Castle in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 1:29 PM on July 26, 2024 [2 favorites]


I think some of the length has to do with the mere logistics of the thing - how many groups of athletes have to be coordinated into place in the stadium area, etc. It's probably always been that way but only in recent years has streaming technology made it possible for more of the world to watch the whole thing live. I think we're just used to the edited versions?

(that said, I'me getting concerned they may not finish and get the torch lit before I have to leave for an appointment!)
posted by dnash at 1:41 PM on July 26, 2024


Commentators mentioned the horse ride was to give them time to leave the boats and get ready for the stage. (Makes sense)
I loved the scene in the Library of course! Took photos off my TV.

I’d love to read a guide for this whole ceremony.
One with info on the buildings and cultural references. You know, info the NBC commentators didn’t give us…
posted by calgirl at 1:46 PM on July 26, 2024 [4 favorites]


I was promised sharks.
posted by SPrintF at 1:46 PM on July 26, 2024 [2 favorites]


"The NBC commentators are appalling in their ignorance."

The bit I've watched has been the Spanish language feed, which means I'm currently hearing francais being translated into Español, neither of which I speak much of. But anything to avoid Peyton Manning.
posted by NorthernLite at 1:46 PM on July 26, 2024


One with info on the buildings and cultural references.

I know one of them! The building that had "Marie Antoinette" in the window, before the hard rock music section, is the building that she was imprisoned in before being executed.
posted by dnash at 1:48 PM on July 26, 2024 [7 favorites]


Thanks dnash! Interesting.
Marie Antoinette was certainly a surprise!!
posted by calgirl at 1:51 PM on July 26, 2024


BBC commentators were providing cultural references, identifying music, etc. Night and day compared to NBC.
posted by needled at 1:53 PM on July 26, 2024 [3 favorites]


I really wonder if an NBC intern got too drunk in Paris and didn't do the job of compiling information or something. The lack of knowledge has been really surprising (I mean, they even said "we usually tell you facts about the countries but we're not doing that this year" early on). I'm not looking for depth. I'm just looking for some kind of basic knowledge or at least slightly not-stupid comments.

I think the ceremony has been interesting, though, and very French, which I appreciated (I didn't love the Minions, although I get they're something people recognize, I just wish there had been something else to represent French animation).
posted by edencosmic at 2:02 PM on July 26, 2024 [1 favorite]


Missed opportunity to put the cauldron on top of the Eiffel Tower.

(I kid, I kid.)
posted by cooker girl at 2:03 PM on July 26, 2024


The laser light show and confusion about the torch on a speedboat is cracking me up.
posted by TwoStride at 2:04 PM on July 26, 2024


Supernature!
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 2:07 PM on July 26, 2024


Will they ever show us who was the masked parkouring torch bearer?
posted by needled at 2:08 PM on July 26, 2024 [3 favorites]


Did the person who planned the torch lighting bit get to expense the mileage, or what?
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 2:12 PM on July 26, 2024


I like "Supernature" and I'm glad French electronic music was represented but I wish it had been something a bit more recent.
posted by edencosmic at 2:18 PM on July 26, 2024


Celine Dion!
posted by needled at 2:24 PM on July 26, 2024 [3 favorites]


She made it!! And sounded amazing singing L'hymne à l'amour by Edith Piaf
posted by ellieBOA at 2:28 PM on July 26, 2024 [5 favorites]


Some pianos may have been harmed.
posted by rongorongo at 2:35 PM on July 26, 2024 [7 favorites]


Amazing, even if the cancan dancers looked like they knew they weren't showing their best moulin and couldn't do anything else.
posted by k3ninho at 2:36 PM on July 26, 2024 [3 favorites]


Felt bad for the pianist in that absolute tipping down rain.

We get up at 5am to find out whether our Eurostar is cancelled or not, so whether we get to go to anything at all. Currently looking like delays but not cancellation.
posted by biffa at 3:49 PM on July 26, 2024 [2 favorites]


Fingers crossed, biffa, hope you have a great time.
posted by k3ninho at 4:11 PM on July 26, 2024 [2 favorites]


I really wonder if an NBC intern got too drunk in Paris and didn't do the job of compiling information or something
To be fair, I think it was a super hard ceremony to comment on - partly because it didn’t seem to have been dressed rehearsed. The BBC commentator made a valiant effort to do a simultaneous translation of the officials’ speeches - which could have been saved if anyone had bothered to organise, you know , subtitles. Otherwise, you needed people who know not just the athletes but also the buildings, the history, the clothes and the music. It was a daring parade that got rained on hard, but I liked it.
posted by rongorongo at 4:56 PM on July 26, 2024 [1 favorite]


Tough crowd! I really enjoyed the opening ceremony: silly Assassins Creed torchbearer, Gojira rocking out, the boat parade of nations, the Notre Dame construction worker tribute, Celine Dion on the Eiffel Tower, the hot air balloon cauldron. Yeah, it dragged in parts, these things always do, but I was entertained. Bring on the sports!
posted by the primroses were over at 5:46 PM on July 26, 2024 [11 favorites]


Oh wow, that was an Assassin's Creed reference! A couple of French game studios did work on the game. France actually surprisingly has a good number of game studios) so I'm going to assume that was the reference to that.

I feel like I may have missed something referencing French comics, unless it was during the steampunk-y hot air balloon/A Trip the Moon sequence (maybe something Jacques Tardi? I'd need to watch again).

I do think once it all came together, I really liked it. It was so grand! I do think the athletes on the boats didn't quite work (they felt like an afterthought) but I admire the ambition and the story that this was telling. Like I said, very French, and I'm into it.

(I am not French nor that much of a francophile, at least not in a weird way. I just like a lot of French stuff and learning French has made me interested in French culture and consuming more of it.)
posted by edencosmic at 5:57 PM on July 26, 2024 [1 favorite]


Paris Opening Ceremony Features Tedious 45-Minute Discussion Of Godard’s Early Works
“We’re half an hour in, and they’ve still only made it to Masculin Féminin,” said three-time Olympic medalist Lebron James
posted by whir at 7:03 PM on July 26, 2024 [9 favorites]


Can somebody toss Kelly Clarkson in the Seine, please?
posted by briank at 7:38 PM on July 26, 2024 [3 favorites]


This was the best opening ceremony, it so exceeded my expectations. I am pretty skeptical and cynical about this kind of stuff and I cried twice (first during the dance honoring the Notre Dame repair workers, the second when the elderly centenarian athlete handed the torches to the two young athletes who lit the cauldron). Using Parisian infrastructure as the stage was brilliant and far more interesting than doing it in a stadium. I truly don't get the hate for this! The whole time I thought, how are the French so *good* at this?
posted by mostly vowels at 7:42 PM on July 26, 2024 [12 favorites]


Was there a way for the people sitting along the Seine to see what was happening in the other sections? If I had paid all that money and then only could see what was happening in front of me and not all the stuff happening elsewhere, I'd be disappointed. To me, that would be a big benefit of going back to the stadium, the ability to see all of the action.
posted by beaning at 7:59 PM on July 26, 2024 [1 favorite]


Seeing complaints about appropriation of The Last Supper on conservative media but must be missing any upset about the throuple or the bloody Marie Antoinette.. so glad the French did so many interesting takes!
posted by beaning at 8:11 PM on July 26, 2024 [4 favorites]


This is the first opening ceremony I've watched all of since Sydney (not live, replay.)

Channel 9 regrettably got the Aussie coverage so we got cringey Karl, but they stopped talking thankfully towards the end.

The pianist beside Celine was fantastic. So encouraging!
posted by freethefeet at 9:13 PM on July 26, 2024 [1 favorite]


They really needed to turn up Aya Nakamura's mic.
posted by Carillon at 9:16 PM on July 26, 2024 [1 favorite]


Ya tough crowd. I thought it was the most gorgeous opening ceremonies I’ve ever seen. Creative, organic, using the city as a backdrop for various tableaus, with the continuing narrative of the parkour torch bearer throughout. Athletes arriving by boat!? Absolutely phenomenal.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 9:18 PM on July 26, 2024 [6 favorites]


There were really great moments, a fair number of lame moments, rather slow in places while they added filler for the boats to move along. The screaming pink CanCan dancers were poorly rehearsed, the row of contemporary(ish) dancers in basically a long thin wading pool were having a lot of fun. I guess the mechanical horse (boat) galloping slowly up the river was based on an old french story. Lady Gaga, hmm cough, did not appear spry or svelte.

Tout le monde avait passé un bon moment.
posted by sammyo at 9:35 PM on July 26, 2024


I think I may officially be too old for modern TV.

I like the concept, boats instead of a parade, individual set pieces instead of the standard "Floats in a stadium with dancers" but the presentation is all over the place.

2 dozen cuts a minute, funky camera angles, switching between the act and a pre-recorded set piece and the back again, I can't follow any of it.

There's probably a great show happening but we only see a third of it.

Maybe it was conceptually too ambitious? At one point, I'm pretty sure the dancers were dancing to completely different music than we heard.

But you know, the athletes all seem to be having a ball on those boats, haven't seen anyone look seasick.
posted by madajb at 10:13 PM on July 26, 2024 [3 favorites]


Shout-out to the kids wearing PFDs in the row-boat!
posted by madajb at 10:14 PM on July 26, 2024 [4 favorites]


My favorite part was the decapitated aristocrat at the Conciergerie, more of that please!
posted by Madame Defarge at 11:18 PM on July 26, 2024 [8 favorites]


Well it's looking good for me to get on the 8.01 to Paris! Not sure what time we get in due to the sabotage yesterday.

We're off to Israel - Paraguay this evening, which would not have been my first choice (or my second etc, we got the tickets about six months before the teams qualified). Hoping to see a bit of the time trial cycling this afternoon if possible.
posted by biffa at 11:22 PM on July 26, 2024 [4 favorites]


Gojira’s performance (via reddit). Look, I’m approx 0% metalhead but by the time the BLOOD STREAMERS erupted from the windows I was totally onboard. In fact I think all opening ceremonies from now on should include BLOOD STREAMERS in some fashion 🤘🤘
posted by btfreek at 11:44 PM on July 26, 2024 [14 favorites]


I guess the mechanical horse (boat) galloping slowly up the river was based on an old french story
She was Sequana. I rather like that the event creators appear to have just assumed a global audience would either immediately get references like this, or spend the night educating themselves before the swimming this morning . Here is one review of the opening ceremony’s best bits.
posted by rongorongo at 12:25 AM on July 27, 2024 [3 favorites]


Watching the replay now at a sensible hour. Aside from all else, I’m pretty sure this would have been the most complex live broadcast ever executed. The sheer number of cameras involved is astounding.
posted by the duck by the oboe at 12:41 AM on July 27, 2024 [1 favorite]


The fashion runway with the drag queens was just so perfect, especially the one in a leather jacket walking using the Pointe technique*.

I read some comments on reddit that suggested that one of the drag queens** lost on the third episode of Rupaul's and used the outfit she*** lost in! Recycle, reduce, reuse!



*Sorry of Pointe technique is the wrong term

** PLEASE correct any insensitive/incorrect terms.

*** Wikipedia suggests that Nicky doll non-binary and uses both she/her and he/him. I do not know if this has changed, but please correct me if it has.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 1:08 AM on July 27, 2024 [2 favorites]


Hey beaning, I think there were screens set up along the river, you could see them in some of the athletes on boats shots.
posted by freethefeet at 4:26 AM on July 27, 2024 [1 favorite]


The BBC commentator made a valiant effort to do a simultaneous translation of the officials’ speeches

Andrew Cotter did so well! Simultaneous interpreting is really difficult.

I really enjoyed this, was very emotional when Celine started singing as it has been a long road back for her.
posted by ellieBOA at 4:47 AM on July 27, 2024


My favorite part was the decapitated aristocrat at the Conciergerie, more of that please!

I enjoyed that! "Yeah, we chopped her head off. You wanna make something of it? Soon we'll sing our national anthem, which is about killing you. You got a problem with that?"
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 4:47 AM on July 27, 2024 [6 favorites]


Lady Gaga, hmm cough, did not appear spry or svelte.

Her performance had a few issues but it was fun and visually interesting, and it's gross to complain about how "svelte" a performer is, can we not with this in the Olympics thread?
posted by the primroses were over at 5:48 AM on July 27, 2024 [21 favorites]


The US (NBC) commentators (commenters?) were horrendous. No mention of what the famous buildings were, barely mentioning anything interesting beyond basic facts about number of athletes (which was supered on screen anyway), and shallow, dumb, "It's soooo cool!" insights.

I've been to Paris a few times, and I would have loved hearing exactly which landmarks were which (I recognize some of them), a little more history, etc.

A really great opening ceremony. The Eiffel and the balloon were spectacular. The boat parade was cool, too.
posted by SoberHighland at 6:33 AM on July 27, 2024 [1 favorite]


The Canadian announcers were almost as bad as the American ones. No contextual/historical/explanatory information offered, too much personal information sharing, zero value added: "Ooh, that's a lot of pink. I like pink," type of insights. Every year it gets worse and worse.

Overall, I felt that except for the the majority of the women singers (Celine, the opera singer who performed the piece from Carmen, the one who sang the Marseillaise), most of the rest of the performers looked like they were putting in a half-hearted effort, even Gaga. She just didn't seem to have any energy or spark. Even the white horse that took over for the mechanical one walked like an old plow horse after a long day in the field. It's France, you can't tell me they don't have any retired dressage horses that could show a bit of forwardness in a collected walk or collected trot--or alternatively a high stepping carriage horse with a bit of flash and implosion to its gait.
posted by sardonyx at 8:11 AM on July 27, 2024 [3 favorites]


Thank you, freefeet.

I found the parade fascinating and challenging, and love that artistic directors did it their way and generally in the French language based on French history, and expected everyone to follow along and sort it out for themselves. And that the IOC let them. If I recall other ceremonies properly, the awkward parts of history are usually elided over or "these 5 children in a chorus of a thousand represent THIS."

Does anyone have a link to share for the logistics? Googling for "logistics Olympics parade 2024" was not useful to me. From what I've gathered so far, the big set pieces were only done live once. Were they shown simultaneously on all screens? Did the drag/ballroom stage and bikers and dancers perform for the entire parade?
posted by beaning at 8:13 AM on July 27, 2024 [2 favorites]


We made it to Paris! Just watched the back end of the women's cycling time trial and front end of the men's. Excellent silver for Henderson over the world champ, but stunning winning margin for the Australian. On the RER down the Seine to the football.

Everyone we have met so far has been lovely, chatty and friendly.
posted by biffa at 8:48 AM on July 27, 2024 [10 favorites]


Have the best time biffa!
posted by ellieBOA at 9:09 AM on July 27, 2024 [3 favorites]


NBC network tv in the US is showing women's water polo, which I like despite knowing nothing about, but the US is dominating Greece. So I have switched to rugby 7s coverage, which I also like despite knowing nothing about. Some great hats in the stands! NZ and Ireland are about to play for 5th place in the men's competition.
posted by the primroses were over at 9:29 AM on July 27, 2024


I love that Flavor Flav is sponsoring and supporting the women’s US water polo team!
posted by ellieBOA at 9:49 AM on July 27, 2024 [6 favorites]


All the things I loved
- metal horse racing across water like the coming of the apocalypse
- arial dancing on the notre damme rebuilding scaffolding
- the sexy library sequence… stay sexy France!
- the last supper tableau turned into a runway !!?!! Across a bridge no less
- parkour torch bearer across the city
- pink dancers one in a rat costume
- metal band performance with headless Marie Antoinette and “blood” streamers
- athletes arriving by boat!! Serena Williams !
- Celine Dion 💗

They just involved the entire city it was amazing, to be able to see the city and remember all the times I’ve had there and to be so organic and free and cheesy and sexy it was great.

Now I’m taking my bets for the closing ceremony… does the torch bearer find the Mona Lisa? And I know he’s Belgium but is Stromae too much to ask for ??
posted by St. Peepsburg at 10:03 AM on July 27, 2024 [4 favorites]


Agreed cbc commentators were terrible… felt more like an episode of the view… save your alanis morissette used to be my jazzercize instructor chit chat for another show please
posted by St. Peepsburg at 10:06 AM on July 27, 2024 [2 favorites]


Omg, this bronze medal match between South Africa and Australia is so good! Congrats South Africa!
posted by the primroses were over at 10:20 AM on July 27, 2024


About The Last Supper: it's a pun. They did this for a pun. The name of the painting in French is La Cène, which is a homophone for La Seine, the river. They put La Cène on La Seine.

About the Minions: their (co-)father is Pierre Coffin, a French animator and director who also voices them in all languages. Illumination is an American company but its animation studios are in Paris.
posted by elgilito at 10:38 AM on July 27, 2024 [12 favorites]


Gojira was amazing, most metal thing in the history of things. Also, the fact that their performance is about killing aristocrats and ends with a storm of bloody ribbons certainly feels appropriate for our current end times. Extremely fucking nigh, and al that.
posted by signal at 10:52 AM on July 27, 2024 [7 favorites]


Agreed cbc commentators were terrible… felt more like an episode of the view… save your alanis morissette used to be my jazzercize instructor chit chat for another show please
posted by St. Peepsburg at 10:06 AM on July 27


Exactly! That exchange was one of the worst. I DON'T CARE about your teenage jazzercise class. I want information about what's going on.

I hate to say it but when I saw that Perdita Felicien was named as one of the main hosts for the broadcast, I knew we were in for a long, content-lite few weeks.
posted by sardonyx at 1:28 PM on July 27, 2024 [1 favorite]


Decapitated head blood streamers!!!

I really loved it. It felt like a fresh take and a sincere, unapologetic love letter honoring Paris. How could a stadium homogenized performance capture a city like that? It couldn't. Bravo to them for thinking outside the box.

If something felt underwhelming, it was not on screen long enough for me to mind.

This is my #2 fav opening ceremonies ever.
posted by haplesschild at 1:39 PM on July 27, 2024 [6 favorites]


The badminton announcer is so good
posted by Carillon at 3:30 PM on July 27, 2024


In defense of the cancan dancers, apparently they had limited space and it was slippery due to the rain so they may have been worried about falling into the Seine which, according to someone on NBC, had a high E.coli count that day. The cancan dancers probably didn't know about the E.coli but not falling into a river on international TV is understandable.

I dislike the song "Imagine" and wish it wasn't required to be in the ceremony. There are many songs out there about peace and love and brotherhood of man so why can't the hosts choose their preferred song or commission a new one.
posted by Constance Mirabella at 4:55 PM on July 27, 2024 [4 favorites]


About The Last Supper: it's a pun. They did this for a pun. The name of the painting in French is La Cène, which is a homophone for La Seine, the river. They put La Cène on La Seine.

The French word for stage is"la scène" which is why they picked the river, I was told.

La Seine etait la scène pour La Cène.
posted by rpophessagr at 5:30 PM on July 27, 2024 [9 favorites]


oh elgilito, and rpophessagr!
thank you so much for explaining the pun!
such an amazing, over-the-top, campy, kitschy and WONDERFUL moment! a fine honoring of the Greek origins of the games.
of course NBC didn't show it, and of course it's fodder for right-wing xtians and nutcases to whinge about. so fuckin' rude! fundamentalists really need to learn how to STAY IN THEIR LANE, dammit.
Philippe Katerine's Baccanalian performance was EVERYTHING. sadly, i cannot figure out how to share it.
posted by lapolla at 11:05 PM on July 27, 2024 [1 favorite]


Just finished watching the women's team archery gold medal match between China and Korea and it really came down to a hair! Congrats to South Korea on a really close win!
posted by Art_Pot at 8:46 AM on July 28, 2024 [1 favorite]


Kevin Durant is back and he cannot miss right now. I haven't watched a full basketball game in like 20 years but for some reason I'm really excited about Team USA. Judo and Rugby have been great so far too.
posted by Hume at 9:00 AM on July 28, 2024 [2 favorites]


The 4th set of the Japan-Poland women's volleyball match was a great watch, going back and forth up to and beyond 25 points. One of those "it's a shame someone has to lose" situations.
posted by mediareport at 12:14 PM on July 28, 2024


I love the Olympics. Here I am, a perpetual indoor kid, and the fairest of fair weather sport fans, wondering what music I would listen to when walking out for the 200m Butterfly Semi Final.
posted by Hermione Dies at 1:39 PM on July 28, 2024 [5 favorites]


Watching the surfing, which some genius decided to hold in Tahiti, which looks gorgeous and has amazing waves that come out of nowhere (this is a big deal as my SO is wave expert)(it'll be a reef, she says). It has the benefit of being offset from the Paris broadcasting so playing out live on TV as there is nothing to compete with it. First guys out are a Japanese guy who seems to be the platonic ideal of a surfer dude and an Italian guy who does not. Really, look up the Japanese guy, he was in heat one. Great moves, ridiculously broad pecs, amazing hair.
posted by biffa at 3:49 PM on July 28, 2024 [1 favorite]


It does seem a tad far away compared to say Biarritz!
posted by TwoWordReview at 6:17 PM on July 28, 2024


If you're like me and have been wondering who the poor guy who handed the torch off to Zidane was, it's Jamel Debbouze. He's been in a bunch of stuff, although Americans probably know him best from Amelie, I suspect? And if you're actually me, you remember him from a very specific sketch with Stromae.
posted by Kyol at 7:26 PM on July 28, 2024 [1 favorite]


I believe biffa is talking about Kanoa Igarashi who won silver at the Tokyo Olympics.
posted by LostInUbe at 7:48 PM on July 28, 2024 [1 favorite]


That's him! Thanks LostInUbe!
posted by biffa at 12:02 AM on July 29, 2024


Watching the surfing, which some genius decided to hold in Tahiti, which looks gorgeous and has amazing waves that come out of nowhere
France's overseas territories and collectives are interesting in that they are firmly considered "France" - French Polynesia a little more loosely in that it can have its own laws, places like Martinique or Reunion more so. So, as an Olympic host, France's conception of "spreading out events outside the host city" has a much wider scope than anybody else: 12 time zones and a choice of Europe, South America, or the Caribbean.
posted by rongorongo at 12:36 AM on July 29, 2024 [1 favorite]


Not to sound like a cranky oldster, but I really didn't enjoy watching the women's skateboarding final. The second round was just watching a bunch of teenagers fall repeately; the majority only completed one or two of their five runs. It made for terrible tv and in no way seemed like the pinnacle of the sport instead of just a regular weekend at your local skatepark. *grumbles*
posted by TwoStride at 4:29 AM on July 29, 2024


The BBC seem to just not be showing the surfing, their evening coverage finishes before it starts. And they don’t offer all sports to watch on iPlayer, more programmes with hours of coverage so you have to fast forward to get to your sport. I watched some surfing on France TV with a VPN last night instead.
posted by ellieBOA at 5:46 AM on July 29, 2024


Also excellent gymnastics qualifiers for the women’s us team! Simone Biles came back after Tokyo beautifully!
posted by ellieBOA at 5:47 AM on July 29, 2024


I watched the opening ceremony on the BBC. I don't know if everyone had the same televisual feed, but I was really annoyed with almost never getting to watch a whole number. Like, they have Guillaume Diop, the primo ballerino from the Opéra ballet doing a specially choreographed solo under the flagpole...and they keep cutting away from him! No, I don't CARE about your little pre-recorded bits with the parkour torch guy, I don't care about your cityscape shots, show me the artist who is performing their heart out RIGHT NOW! Ballet solos only last 2-and-a-bit minutes because they're so physically arduous, and I think we saw less than 30 seconds of his.

Even the group dance numbers were really weirdly shot (what we saw of them, that is). No chance to follow the choreography-- the moment your eye starts to follow a move, they'd cut to an indistinguishable distance shot or more pre-recorded stuff with the fucking parkour torch. The torchbearer stuff was neat, but it should have been shown BETWEEN numbers, not during.

The cutaways during the mezzo singing Carmen were more forgiveable, because that sequence (the intellectual library flirting) had clearly been designed around that music. But there's still the sense that pop music gets shown without cutaways, while classical music is background for something else. Pianist Alexandre Kantorow played Ravel brilliantly in the driving rain, and I can only find 40 seconds of it online because they couldn't be arsed to film him doing it.

(At least we got to see most of Baroque countertenor/dancer Jakub Józef Orliński.)

If they were going to chop up the performances so badly for the main broadcast, they could at least have released complete versions later online! The cameras and operators were right there! I'd gladly watch an hour-plus of epic runway drag artistry, or the full Ravel performance, or that ballet solo-- lost to time except for the few who saw it live. Imagine being that dancer, or that pianist, and looking for video of your once-in-a-lifetime Olympic performance, and finding only a few seconds' worth.

This was probably the punkest, queerest Olympic opening ceremony of my lifetime, and I'm glad about that, but I wish they'd had more respect for artists.
posted by Pallas Athena at 6:18 AM on July 29, 2024 [4 favorites]


The second round was just watching a bunch of teenagers fall repeately; the majority only completed one or two of their five runs.

Oooh, can't agree! I like watching sports that are difficult enough that even the current masters of that sport have significant problems doing it. As opposed to sports where everyone at the Olympics is basically perfect, but the question is who will have the most perfectly perfect of all the perfect runs. (somehow this doesn't bother me when it's car racing)

Like, one of the things I enjoy about (ice) hockey is its difficulty -- at the Olympic / NHL level, it's so strenuous that basically nobody can play at that level for more than eh five minutes or so, and they're constantly pushing themselves and their skills so hard that players routinely just fall down splat on the ice.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 6:42 AM on July 29, 2024 [1 favorite]


So the only commercial-free version of the opening ceremony that's available on Peacock at the moment isn't the one I watched "live" in replay on Friday night with Kelly Clarkson and Peyton Manning, it's something with the occasional Australian voice instead, but the cuts are all the same as the BBC version I scrounged up to show my wife the Gojira segment. I've heard that there was some difference in what was broadcast in America later, but at this point I'm not sure I could find that version for comparison. I mean, without sitting through 2 minutes of commercials every time I seek further into the presentation. And I could see that being NBC cutting away to athlete/family/snoop dogg interviews when things got too "racy", without changing the feed.

But that's almost kind of worse, in a way? Like I could see and understand pre-recorded sessions like Gojira and Gaga and whatnot being aired as "live", that's fine, but if the official opening ceremony committee was responsible for that hash of cuts? Ech. If it was just the local broadcasters choosing from the available cameras, I could see Johnny Doorknob at the broadcasting company choosing poorly, but if it was the official olympic committee who theoretically knew who, what, where, and when, echhhh, c'mon. Like I really wanted to see more of the performers swinging around on the poles and doing the slow falls and slackline work for example and instead we got 2-3 seconds of that between the pre-recorded library performance.

I mean, don't get me wrong, I loved the concept - but it felt like they were trying to intercut too much sometimes.

And yeah, I half expected parkour torch dude to be Lupin? I dunno why.
posted by Kyol at 7:13 AM on July 29, 2024 [1 favorite]


The BBC seem to just not be showing the surfing, their evening coverage finishes before it starts. And they don’t offer all sports to watch on iPlayer, more programmes with hours of coverage so you have to fast forward to get to your sport.

Apparently Discovery got all the Europe wide Olympic rights and the BBC only gets a very limited feed, only two at a time basically.
posted by biffa at 8:37 AM on July 29, 2024 [1 favorite]


Went to the women rugby 7s today. Some exciting stuff but the atmosphere when the french team came out was electric. The US were very much the bad guys in this story, especially after going up by 2 tries but France came back into it with 4 tries from Okemba on great sprinting form.

I only saw on TV, Pidcock's defence of his gold in the mountain biking was phenomenal. Puncture dropped him to sixth, he came back, french challenger came back and so on. Worth looking out for.
posted by biffa at 12:29 PM on July 29, 2024 [1 favorite]


The BBC is so good, though.

Re: skateboarding, I love watching sports I just don't understand. Someone performs a trick, the commentators are disappointed: she performs what appears to me to be an identical trick and the commentators lose their minds with excitement. It makes me feel ignorant in a very interesting way.
posted by Hermione Dies at 2:04 PM on July 29, 2024 [8 favorites]


Fascinating WSJ article about the lack of new world records being set in the first days of the swimming competions [gift link], especially in the women's 400 meters...

...a much-anticipated showdown between Titmus, of Australia, Ledecky, and Canadian phenom Summer McIntosh. All three have held the world record at various times in the last two years, and it seemed certain it would take another to claim gold.

It didn’t happen. Titmus won, but was a full two seconds slower than she swam at Australia’s Olympic trials last month. Ledecky didn’t even manage to break 4 minutes—her time of 4:00.86 in the 400 was the 40th fastest of her career.


The reason? A pool depth of just 2.2 meters, less than the 3 meters in other recent Olympics, which may be slowing swimmers down:

Every movement swimmers make with their hands and feet creates small waves that rebound off the bottom of the pool. No movement has more potential for waves than swimmers’ initial dive into the water. The shallower the pool, the more those waves ricochet back to the swimmers on the surface, creating a more turbulent aquatic environment that isn’t conducive to top speeds.

In the future, pools as shallow as the one at these Games won’t be allowed. World Aquatics enacted a minimum depth of 2.5 meters for swimming and water polo in January 2023. When Paris had its bid accepted for the Olympics in 2017 and the swimming facility was approved, regulations allowed for a pool of 2.2 meters.

posted by mediareport at 4:09 PM on July 29, 2024 [2 favorites]


I'm disproportionately furious that the opening ceremony video has been taken down because of hurt Christian feelings.

someone please have mercy on me and memail me where I can find an mp4 that fell off the back of a truck
posted by The demon that lives in the air at 7:51 PM on July 29, 2024 [4 favorites]


I watched the opening ceremony on the BBC. I don't know if everyone had the same televisual feed,
There is a documentary about how the opening ceremony was put together here. - My impression is that there was indeed just one feed by design (because, when we see large video screens visible to the crowd in the background - they were always seeing the same shot. So the decision to cut away from a particular performer before they were finished - was probably made in advance.
posted by rongorongo at 11:56 PM on July 29, 2024


I'm disproportionately furious that the opening ceremony video has been taken down because of hurt Christian feelings.

It's still up in the US on Peacock for subscribers, but I couldn't find that through search or the Olympic events page. I didn't look _hard_, mind you...
posted by Kyol at 6:18 AM on July 30, 2024


Any Canadians planning their day, be aware that the Canadian women's rugby sevens team has been punching seriously above their weight, with historic wins over France and Australia and are in the final game tonight, guaranteed at least a silver. Game is 18.45 Paris time, 12.45 Ottawa time.
posted by biffa at 9:09 AM on July 30, 2024 [1 favorite]


Americans might also like to see how their women's team fared in the bronze medal play off with Australia.
posted by biffa at 2:17 PM on July 30, 2024


The US v China indoor volleyball was a good match.
posted by nat at 2:25 PM on July 30, 2024


Snoop D O double G commentary needs its own gold medal

“It don’t stop till the casket drop”

He’s just out here completing side quests at this point.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 4:41 PM on July 30, 2024 [3 favorites]


And someone needs to tell whoever titles the highlight videos on Peacock that they can write interesting headlines without spoiling whatever they’re trying to get you to watch.

Don’t tell me “person X gets their third gold medal”. Instead, how about “person X goes for the three peat”. Or just “100 fly”. You don’t have to say who won, sheesh! If you have to say something try “close race for 100fly”.

Grrr…
posted by nat at 5:30 PM on July 30, 2024 [3 favorites]


Dear gods, Murray and Evans are stubborn wee fuckers.
posted by Hermione Dies at 12:19 PM on August 1, 2024


I just realised that if I had bought a fridge magnet of the Paris Olympics mascot it would have a Phryge magnet. Or a Phryge fridge magnet.
posted by biffa at 7:21 AM on August 2, 2024 [1 favorite]


Why Athletes Who Have COVID-19 Can Still Compete in the Paris Olympics [Time]
posted by ellieBOA at 7:23 AM on August 2, 2024 [1 favorite]


I caught covid at/ on the way to the olympics. Pretty likely it was from a family on the train to London, 3 out of 4 of which had cough and sniffles but there were lots of different potential opportunities for infection - busy metro trains, jam packed queues, full restaurants, etc. No symptoms till I got home and have stayed at home since.
posted by biffa at 7:47 AM on August 2, 2024


I have some words for whoever chose the American tramopopoline LASER-EAGLE!!!! uniforms.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 3:36 PM on August 2, 2024


Pulled up a replay at random after a long night and Oka Shinnosuke in men’s gymnastics has been really impressive (to me as someone learning the rules of men’s gymnastics on the fly by osmosis) and also adorable. Haven’t gotten to pommel horse guy yet though.
posted by brook horse at 7:44 PM on August 2, 2024


Wishing you a swift recovery biffa!
posted by ellieBOA at 4:07 AM on August 3, 2024 [1 favorite]


just watched the Columbia women's quarterfinal game in football... what a game!!
posted by midmarch snowman at 11:29 AM on August 3, 2024


Saint Lucia just won their first ever Olympic medal, with Julien Alfred winning gold in the women’s 100m! The pure joy on display was wonderful.
posted by brook horse at 12:30 PM on August 3, 2024 [2 favorites]


The stupid CBC seems to believe that just because Canada failed to make the final round of equestrian team jumping (Amy and Mario choked and knocked over fences like they were bowling pins), that nobody would want to watch it.

Originally my do-called "feed" page had the team jumping final listed, but now that I have time to go back and watch it, poof--it has vanished. I watched the preliminary. I know how badly Canada did, but I wanted to watch the final round of teams that were performing and jumping well. Yes, I can go to the CBC results page and look to see what the final standing is but that's hardly the same as watching the event.
posted by sardonyx at 3:28 PM on August 3, 2024


The podcast The Rest is Entertainment (Richard Osman and Marina Hyde) has a c. 15 minute discussion of the opening ceremony and specifically how it was covered on TV. They begin with general comments but eventually get to (a bit of) insider info about the BBC coverage. Two main points I thought were interesting: the director Thomas Jolly is a theater director and therefore may not have thought through how it would work for TV; also the director wanted everything to be a surprise and therefore there was no dress rehearsal and commentators weren't given the extensive notes they would normally be given that would let them identify all the people, symbolism, etc, know what order things would happen in or what was next -- Andrew Cotter for the BBC was filling in and translating from his own knowledge.
posted by LobsterMitten at 5:21 PM on August 3, 2024 [1 favorite]


(That might sound negative but I mainly post it just because people above were commenting on some aspects of the opening ceremony. I only watched clips after the fact, and from that, there are some pretty awesome moments in this opening ceremony.)
posted by LobsterMitten at 6:29 PM on August 3, 2024


Hey, countries outside the anglosphere! Please go ahead and put your own name for yourselves on your uniforms. Lemme see the Suomis and Polskas and Zhongguos and suchlike. Never be ashamed of who you are!
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 7:17 AM on August 4, 2024 [2 favorites]




Yay Cindy! I hope this speeds up her immigration process 🙏🏻
posted by ellieBOA at 3:54 PM on August 4, 2024


Someone, please make an SSX-like game about kayak cross! That start ramp looks so much fun.
posted by Hermione Dies at 3:15 PM on August 5, 2024 [1 favorite]


Neat article about speed climber Sam Watson, who trains by playing blitz chess [gift link]:

Watson’s gravity-defying secret isn’t strapping himself to a jetpack. It’s training his mind through three-minute games of blitz chess to identify patterns and make split-second decisions...Whenever Watson stands in front of a wall, it takes him almost no time to spot the winning line...

Watson is the rare athlete who plays a sport that’s actually faster than blitz chess. To him, a three-minute clock might as well be a one-week calendar. In one of Watson’s favorite drills, he races an opponent up the wall. Then they battle over the board. They keep alternating, with each climb and chess game counting for one point, until someone gets to seven.

posted by mediareport at 6:09 AM on August 6, 2024


I really want to watch Kaylia Nemour’s gold winning uneven bars routine but the BBC don’t consider this a ‘must see moment’ and it’s not on YouTube, missed it live. Can anyone point me somewhere else?
posted by ellieBOA at 2:30 PM on August 6, 2024


It’s on peacock but that’s not useful unless you have a good enough VPN.

Separately, Mr Nat had the lovely idea that once they both retire, Simone Biles should teach Armand Duplantis to do the gymnastic vault, and he should teach her to do the pole vault.
posted by nat at 4:52 PM on August 6, 2024 [1 favorite]


Stephen Nedoroscik and Elmo have an exchange on twitter:

Elmo: Mr. Stephen Nedoroscik, Elmo wants to be a specialist too! Elmo was thinking he could be the giggle specialist or maybe a monster-hug specialist. Elmo will keep thinking! #ParisOlympics

Stephen: Elmo, the great thing about specializing in something is you get to decide. I think you’ll be a great specialist in anything you end up choosing!
posted by LostInUbe at 5:43 PM on August 6, 2024 [2 favorites]


Also, it was pointed out on twitter that despite all his years of dominance, Kohei Uchimura never got four medals at an Olympics. In his first Olympics, Shinnosuke Oka picked up three golds and a silver.
posted by LostInUbe at 5:46 PM on August 6, 2024


I really want to watch Kaylia Nemour’s gold winning uneven bars routine but the BBC don’t consider this a ‘must see moment’ and it’s not on YouTube, missed it live. Can anyone point me somewhere else?

If you're in the UK, the women's bars final starts at about 1 h 30 minutes into this iplayer stream, with Kaylia Nemour's routine starting at 1 hour 51.
posted by dng at 10:01 AM on August 7, 2024 [1 favorite]


Thanks dng and Nat! I am in the UK.
posted by ellieBOA at 3:20 AM on August 8, 2024


Kite! What crazy future sport is this?
posted by Hermione Dies at 2:54 PM on August 8, 2024


A bit of a gush, but Rhythmic Gymnastics Individual Qualifiers started this morning; athletes performed with each of the 4 apparatuses. I've been sort of eh about the hoop in the past - it's much stiffer and less fluid than the ribbons and ball stuff - but wow, the Bulgarian athlete who starts at 2:18:00 in the Peacock replay of Part 1 had a fantastic performance, bouncing the hoop off various parts of her body, incorporating great dance moves, showing incredible mental and physical concentration, and nailing almost every catch. I love those foot throws they do - amazing. A fierce Barbara Domingos from Brazil, with claws out, teeth bared and a lion's head on her outfit, kills it with the hoop at 3:19:40, and Ukranian Taisiia Onofriichuk has a stunning routine with the ball (including an incredible finish) that starts around 2:54:00.

Seriously tho, that Barbara Domingos clip.

Peacock's replay of the 2nd half is here and alternates ribbon and clubs. Wonderful stuff from Domingos again around 1:38:00, a gorgeous ribbon routine from Italy's Sofia Raffaeli and another great performance by Onofriichuk from Ukraine with the ribbon around 2:55:20, to her famously crowd-pleasing song.

To help sort through the 6+ hours of qualifying, I used this page showing the scores for each rotation and scrolled through the replays to find the routines with scores above 32, say. It's a pain with all of NBC's ads, but if you have limited time it's a good way to see the most wonderful stuff.

Group qualifying is tomorrow morning (5 hoops! 3 ribbons and 2 balls!) with the Individual Finals after that.
posted by mediareport at 3:44 PM on August 8, 2024


Ah, it sounds really good! We've been trying to find rhythmic gymnastics coverage in the UK, and haven't found anything.
posted by Hermione Dies at 4:28 PM on August 8, 2024


Dang, that sucks. I hope the sport doesn't fall by the wayside. It's the last one that's single-gendered now that artistic swimming allows guys, and I've seen fans online worried it'll be phased out of the olympics. I hope you can find it!
posted by mediareport at 5:33 PM on August 8, 2024


(Oh, for folks with Peacock, I meant to put that Sofia Raffaeli's beautiful ribbon routine starts around 2:37:30 in part 2 of the qualifier.)
posted by mediareport at 5:49 PM on August 8, 2024


We've been trying to find rhythmic gymnastics coverage in the UK, and haven't found anything.

I tried to watch it too!
posted by ellieBOA at 2:50 AM on August 9, 2024


I asked over in r/Gymnastics (a fab sub I linked to in this post) and someone replied "Discovery+!" if you can access that for a month. I'll keep an eye on that thread and post other suggestions that might show up.
posted by mediareport at 4:14 AM on August 9, 2024 [1 favorite]


As Hermione says about kite sailing. Take a regular sailboat, and then delete the boat. keep only the sail and rudder. Tie yourself to the sail, stand on the rudder, and go.

Fun fact: since there’s no boat, what makes you capsized? You’re considered “capsized” (important for right of way rules etc) if your sail is in the water or if it has been entangled with another sail.
posted by nat at 9:11 AM on August 9, 2024


See also the windsurfing where moving is partly accomplished by the wind and partly by madly humping the air
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 1:26 PM on August 9, 2024


Since someone raised Sesame Street, did the American high jumper miss the episodes about the importance of sharing?
posted by biffa at 11:53 AM on August 10, 2024


I always love when you get to witness the birth of a meme in real time. Sha'Carri Richardson, thank you for your service.
posted by the primroses were over at 12:42 PM on August 10, 2024


Just struck me that if Pacific Rim happens IRL then the artistic swimming pairs will be the ideal jaeger pilot partners.
posted by biffa at 1:52 PM on August 10, 2024


Who fancies some trivia?

What is the only Paris metro stop that bears the name of a previous Olympic city?
posted by biffa at 5:14 AM on August 11, 2024


GuessRome

Anyone watching the closing ceremony? Interested to see what they do with the "records" theme.
posted by the primroses were over at 1:04 PM on August 11, 2024


I know it's not gonna happen. I know. I get it.

But nonetheless I'm going to spend the next four years in the hope that the LA Olympics will use a classic Hollywood-style burning man to light the cauldron.

I don't care whether it's the protective-goo kind or the asbestos-suit kind. I just want the "penultimate" torchbearer to run up to the "final" torchbearer and set them on fucking fire, and then for that last dude to run around flailing their arms until they can light the cauldron with themselves.

AMERICA!
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 1:11 PM on August 11, 2024 [3 favorites]


Apparently they're trying to make LA a "no cars" Olympics, which is arguably a crazier idea by US standards, so dream big!!
posted by the primroses were over at 1:15 PM on August 11, 2024 [1 favorite]


So is Tom Cruise the golden dude?
posted by biffa at 1:22 PM on August 11, 2024


Rome

I knew I should have done more checking. There are two and that is one of them
posted by biffa at 1:26 PM on August 11, 2024


GCU, are you seeing the human torch in the closing ceremony?
posted by Hermione Dies at 1:40 PM on August 11, 2024


WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 1:43 PM on August 11, 2024


Oh, false alarm, it's a 'Golden Voyager'. Sorry, I just really wanted to believe!
posted by Hermione Dies at 1:48 PM on August 11, 2024


Daft Punk not available?
posted by biffa at 1:51 PM on August 11, 2024


I am really stunned that they are singing in English.
posted by biffa at 1:52 PM on August 11, 2024


Air, though!
posted by Hermione Dies at 2:12 PM on August 11, 2024 [1 favorite]


The head of the IOC certainly brings the thrills.
posted by biffa at 2:27 PM on August 11, 2024


There have been so many inspiring impromptu performances of the Marseillaise in the last two weeks that it feels almost like an insult to trot out the American dirge. No singer can save it.
posted by biffa at 2:39 PM on August 11, 2024 [1 favorite]


So is LA 2028 being sponsored by Scientology?
posted by the primroses were over at 2:39 PM on August 11, 2024


Jimmy Fallon is just the worst at this. Bring back Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski.
posted by dnash at 2:41 PM on August 11, 2024


Guardian Is suggesting Simone Biles was on stage so there'd be someone shorter than Cruise.
posted by biffa at 2:56 PM on August 11, 2024 [1 favorite]


That Tony Estanguet is a fine looking man.
posted by needled at 3:08 PM on August 11, 2024


Well, that was fun! See you all on the 28th!
posted by Hermione Dies at 3:25 PM on August 11, 2024 [2 favorites]


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