Closing Ceremonies

Reeling from Canada's Men's hockey team's amazing victory over the US, I sat, weeping, watching the closing ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. A Canadian flag waved across the screen and Youngest, who had wandered in to cuddle with me, said 'you're from there'. Yes I am.

Images from http://www.morethanthegames.co.uk/other-sports/019571-in-pictures-the-closing-ceremony-2010-winter-olympics-vancouver?page=0%2C0

I thought that the closing ceremonies were GREAT! They did get a bit boring at times, like when it took 20 minutes for the athletes to wander in and find their seats, but it certainly had some redeeming features. I especially enjoyed the appearances of William Shatner, Catherine O'Hara, Michael J. Fox and —even though I'm not a huge fan— Michael Bublé. The inflatable Mounties and Beavers were perfect! The whole 'Maple Leaf Forever' Hollywood number was incredibly cheesy (and slightly parodic of the golden age of the movie-musical), but it totally fit the mood set by the opening of the mime/engineer 'fixing' the Olympic cauldron. It was a great show, but I did find myself shouting 'shut up!' at the screen as BBC commentators, Hazel Irvine and Kerrin Lee-Gartner, put in their two cents about everything they could possible think of! I couldn't even hear any of the musical numbers that followed Bublé's singing spectacle. I will have to see if I can find a Canadian version online.

P.S. Neil Young was magical.