Talk about miserables . The Paris Summer Olympic 2024 Opening Ceremony on Friday was so rough that the local dancers bungled the Can-Can. The Can-Can! What were the French thinking? Je ne comprend pas! Re-conceived from the usual arena spectacle into an aquatic procession down the river Seine — like a moist Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade without fun — the kickoff to the quadrennial athletic competition meant to promote worldwide unity was boring, ill-conceived and choppy.
And not only because of the downpour of rain. The entire poncho-covered celebration felt needlessly divided. For instance, the international teams of brilliant athletes, including our exceptional Team USA , were scattered on at least 84 separate boats.
The always-moving image of a continuous line of diverse, impeccable athletes? Gone in favor of a Disney ride. Enthusiastic spectators were dispersed over nearly four miles, making their proud cheers barely audible. It’s still the Olympics, of course.
I shed a tear watching the competitors take in the extraordinary moment. I got verklempt listening to an opera singer nail the French national anthem. The cauldron, reimagined as a fiery hot air balloon, was neat.
But the entertainment-value performances during the more-than-four-hour broadcast were all over the place — in every sense. Nothing came together. Was any of the messy staging awe-inspiring or remotely impressive, as London, Beijing, Sydney, Rio and Tokyo all were? Non .
The fake enthusiasm of .
