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With some 34.5 million Americans tuning in to the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics, and millions more worldwide, a global audience was treated to some homosexual performers kicking off the athletics orgy!
k.d. lang is being credited with “stealing” the show with her rendition of “Hallelujah.” (Our copy appears to be abnormally cropped; we’re working on that.) Also performing alongside mainstream acts like Nelly Furtado and Sarah McLachlan: Ashley MacIsaac, the openly gay Canadian fiddler who married partner Andrew Stokes in 2007 on stage during a concert.
It was all quite beautiful, and even our cynical nature — combined with the horrendous news of luge competitor Nodar Muaritashvili’s death — was stunted for a moment.
How about we take this to the next level?
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unclemike
That was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. Or heard.
Tom
It gave me teh goosebumps it did.
romeo
I recorded it and haven’t watched it yet. (I do have a social life.) Is that Lang in the picture? She needed to have that tux tailored. I’ve always loved her voice. Unique.
Canuck Perspective
Homos steal the show? OH PUHLEASE. And Heteros stole the other half, right? Like what is it with this fixation on which way someone swings. GIVE IT A REST. Most of you are probably knocked out by k.d. and Ashley because you’d a) likely never heard k.d.’s version the version of Hallelujah (old but still revered in Canada), b) had never seen or heard of Ashley (OLD NEWS to us Canadians. He’s simply always been a rebel.) c) “homos” don’t make big press here in Canada. Like WHO cares????
Like get over your sexual selves. We don’t care here in Canada. We don’t fixate on the bedrooms of our artists. We fixate on TALENT. END. OF. STORY.
Geez Louise…
As for k.d.’s tuxedo? What a trivial, trite, and tacky observation. She sounded and looked fantastic. Restrained and classy – the way we Canadians like our talent to behave.
Canuck Perspective
s/b: k.d.’s version of Hallelujah
“like our talent to behave”…
Except for Ashley…the more broken strings fly, the better. That’s passion.
Mike L.
Ugh! I can’t find any clips of them online at all. Too bad I missed it 🙁
Mike L.
@Canuck Perspective: Well congratulations on living in a country where you have full equal rights and politicians don’t use you as a political tactic 🙂
Darv Jemming
Fantstic presentation!
Terry
You go, Canuck Perspective—I feel your pride! The opening ceremonies were just amazing, despite the tragic accident that claimed a young life. I enjoyed living in Canada for only a brief year, & resonate with your sentiments. Laid-back & classy, that’s a good definition for Canadian criteria. You all are so ahead of us in the U.S. in terms of the relationship with your indigenous peoples–I learned alot last night. Canada is a beautiful, vast & remarkable place–of which I hope to see alot more.
Marc
That was one fucking AMAZING performance KD!!!!!!!!
Love, love, LOVED IT!
Rogerbear
she was by far the best performer last night. I went out and got her recollection twin cd and have fallen in love with here all over again.
Cool opening too.
Canuck Perspective
Actually Mike we get tactics on ALL sides regardless of the issue! 🙂 Our parliamentry sessions can be pretty lively. I have a more conservative bent but the recent writing things on the hand by Palin and press secretary was HILARIOUS. One thing I do like about our politicians is that they will ALL appear on our comedy shows like Rick Mercer. Rick Mercer has a Liberal bent but even our Conservative Prime Minister has appeared on the show. No politician is spared reputation.
Without banging you all over the head with Canadiana, here’s an old version of k.d. that, well, never fails to get old (for me personally).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_NpxTWbovE
The Junos are Canada’s equivalent of the Grammys, although the Grammys were technically created by Canadian Quebecer Pierre Cossette, who just passed away!
If you are interested check out k.d.’s album Songs from the 49th Parallel. Unless your heart is made of cement it is timeless and captures an aspect of Canada beautifully. She sings Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, and the amazing Jane Siberry, etc…all excellent Canadian singer/songwriters.
This is a lesser known version of Hallelujah from a Vancouver Island artist. Excellent version but k.d.’s is still my favourite…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIMOdVXAPJ0
Terry, you should still be proud to be an American. Don’t forget that. Americans have a generous and indominitable spirit. Don’t lose sight of that.
I am proud of the Cree side of my heritage. Our relationship with First Nations has never been perfect, but humans are complex whereever you go in the world. We do seem though to have a more recognizable relationship with our natives than the US does. Like Australia, we formally apologized to Aboriginals in our parliament. It was incredibly moving. Aboriginals, even with our troubled relationships, have always featured prominently in Canadian culture, especially on the West Coast.
My impression of the USA’s Indian population is one of disregard and oversight. But I’m an outsider. Although the Black community has certainly played an important historical contribution to the USA, and of course the Hispanic community is also very prominent these days, in seems so sad that Native Americans are seemingly invisible.
PT.1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAmUe17nUdY
PT.2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyxJ-zpYDkE&NR=1
I’ve written too much. You are all welcome to visit. Thank you for your kind comments. Enjoy the games. My apologies for the Canadian centric poet at the Olympic ceremonies.
Canuck Perspective
That’s Hymns from the 49th Parallel. Sorry about that.
kathleen Kempker
Beautiful….I was wrecked for hours.
big_red737
Not sure if this will work for those outside of Canada but here is a link to the entire Opening Ceremonies. The K.D. Lang part starts at about the 2 hour 30 minute mark. Her performance was certainly a highlight for me.
http://www.ctvolympics.ca/video/collections/collectionid=40427/index.html
JayCanuck
@big_red737: Thank you sooo much! I’ve been looking all over the web for the full video 🙂
Terry
@Canuck Perspective:
Thanks for your response. Have no fears that I’m proud of my country, & of our generosity & indomitable spirit. I’m grateful for the 5,000 miles of peaceful border that we share with Canada;
& also grateful to have lived there & tasted the spirit of things Canadian.
tyner2024
Perfect!
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/assetid=49bc5f18-a712-4f1c-b71d-73c8debb9adb.html?chrcontext=ceremonies#opening+ceremony+hallelujah
Laura
she is Canada’s grestest musical talent and proved it!
Laura
that is, Greatest!
rrr
@Laura: Actually I would say our greatest musical talent is the man who wrote and originally performed that remarkable song (and many others), but KD is very talented as well.
bobito
@Canuck Perspective: LOVE the clip of KD at the Junos! Thanks for sharing it. She really is remarkable – just a stunning artist.
Simon Cowell
More money for me!!! More money for me!! I own the rights, you know.
1EqualityUSA
Canada, you are so hip. Do you know how much we American gays wish we were equal citizens in our own country? We are taxed, yet we are not fully represented by our country’s government. It’s wrong. We see the equality you have and strive for it. You are a beautiful neighbor. Neil Young and k.d. lang are gifts to the music scene. My favorite niece was conceived in Canada. She turned out to be a good egg, so thanks for this too.
soul_erosion
What a magical evening, thanks Canada. And, K.D., you not only made every gay person take pride in themselves, you made the world proud to live in these extraordinary times.
hephaestion
I wonder if this ceremony was broadcast in Uganda, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Senegal, or any of the other countries where the heads of state have called for the death of gay citizens. How do they explain k.d. lang in those countries? To look like her in those countries would get you killed.
That Bitch Tea Delgado
That was breathtaking. k.d. lang has the most incredible voice. I had chills.
schlukitz
That was incredibly beautiful. I was moved to tears by K.D.
Queertyisthebest
“It was all quite beautiful, and even our cynical nature — combined with the horrendous news of luge competitor Nodar Muaritashvili’s death — was stunted for a moment.”
This is not really a sentence. Somebody missed out on 8th grade english class.
emmy
Come and visit our lovely country of Canada! Although Vancouver is a wee bit busy with the Winter Olympics right now, you won’t be disappointed with a visit any other time of the year!
There’s even a Pride House in both Vancouver and Whistler! So how about some press coverage for them too?
Bob A
The opening ceremonies were stunning. Bravo for putting on an amazing show (and without the thousands of economic slaves like they used in Bejing for their show). Out of the 6 or 7 major performers 2 are out gay and a third, Mr. Adams, is reportedly in the closet — so maybe 2.5 gays — thanks Vancouver and Canada for the inclusiveness.
Rose
Magnificent!! And thank you for this video…..brought tears to my eyes.
1EqualityUSA
I regret not including Joni Mitchell in my list of beautiful Canadians, above. She is a National treasure.
Taylor Siluwé
Wow.
Paul
You forgot to mention Ignatius Jones, the gay Australian co-producer of the whole spectacle.
Stevie
LOVED IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Stevie
Not many countries would be willing to have as big a queer content as Canada — maybe the UK and Australia (I expect to see Elton John in London 2012, Sydney had the Pricilla float). The US would give us Donnie and Marie, some homophobe rapper, and some country schlock. And Turin? Well, Berlusconi and the Vatican wouldn’t go for anything like that. As for Sochi Russia in 2014 — would they sanction a Pride House?????
Kym
Just awesome…. kd blew the whole world away with that incredible performance. Canadians should be proud.. What can I say apart from mesmerising…. goosebumps.. tears.. amazing!!!
Ally
SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL! Why should anyone care what KD’s sexual orientation when you should be focusing on her amazing talent!!!