China pulls a Milli-Vanilli

[MyopicJoe]

(the title for this post came from this Yahoo article (http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/The-Chinese-pulled-a-Milli-Vanilli-during-the-Op?urn=oly,100162). that article referenced this one from The Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/2545387/Beijing-Olympics-Faking-scandal-over-girl-who-sang-in-opening-ceremony.html))


The girl on the right competed for the honor to represent her country, by singing the national anthem during the Olympic opening ceremony:

http://f3.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_oly_experts__2/ept_sports_oly_experts-343589430-1218550009.jpg?ym6zy1_CYdKf.7If


At the last minute officials sidelined her because she didn't represent the image they wanted. She has buck teeth. No doubt her parents couldn't afford braces. So the girl on the left won the honor of displaying her lip syncing talent for the world.


So you see? China isn't that much different from the rest of the world :)

[Leo Lakio]

As the International Herald-Tribune's Pat Choate wrote, back in 2005: "China is the global epicenter of pirating and counterfeiting." It's the Bootleg Kingdom of Asia, so this simply fits the pattern.

[MyopicJoe]

I would guess a big reason why China is a global epicenter for counterfeiting is because they are a global epicenter for manufacturing and shipping. The two go hand in hand.

Some factory does a production run for Hasbro. They meet their quota. It doesn't take much to keep the production line going a little longer and selling the extra.

So that's means. Motive is easy. They're a poor country trying to catch up with the global super powers. Yes, fair-play is a virtue in sports, but that's because lives aren't on the line. With a country mostly full of poor people, I can see why the Chinese government isn't in a rush crack down on it.

I'm not justifying their actions. I'm just trying to understand them.

[Random]

Some factory does a production run for Hasbro. They meet their quota. It doesn't take much to keep the production line going a little longer and selling the extra.
So, the little extra is what they pocket fully than what is agreed between them and US corporations (i.e., revenue sharing)?

Maybe the US corporations better send more of their representatives to oversee the extra production. To make sure they're truly fakes (e.g., cheap, low-quality, breaks easily, cause bodily harm).

So, the girl is a fake and the boy (with Yao. Yo!) is real, or is he too a fake?

[Walkoff Balk]

What's the difference between this lipsync and using a body double in a movie? This is not as dissapointing as finding out that wasn't Julia Roberts nude body in Pretty Woman.

[Random]

What's the difference between this lipsync and using a body double in a movie? This is not as dissapointing as finding out that wasn't Julia Roberts nude body in Pretty Woman.
In a movie, they can get away with body doubles, and shooting multiple takes just to find the right scene to be edited in.

In a live performance like a concert where you paid high ticket price to just to watch, you WANT it to be authentic and genuine. If not, then you felt cheated on. Of course, I didn't pay the ticket price. I get to watch it for free. But those who actually went there to the so-called "Bird's Nest," maybe they're thinking they should have paid less than the actual worth for that.

Now, the real singing girl may not know, but to be told by some snotty person in charge of the Olympic ceremony that her face is not a good image of a cute girl to represent China, despite her tremendous singing talent, that's disheartening.

[Walkoff Balk]

In a live performance like a concert where you paid high ticket price to just to watch, you WANT it to be authentic and genuine. If not, then you felt cheated on. Of course, I didn't pay the ticket price. I get to watch it for free. But those who actually went there to the so-called "Bird's Nest," maybe they're thinking they should have paid less than the actual worth for that.

Did these Chinese girls display Britney Spears' vocal talent?
How about a broadway play where you get the understudy instead of the star in a no refund policy?

[Random]

Did these Chinese girls display Britney Spears' vocal talent?
Whether she lip-synced perfectly or not, and it's not even her own recorded voice, just the better yet bucktoothed singer singing off-stage, it's still fake.

How about a broadway play where you get the understudy instead of the star in a no refund policy?
Don't they tell everyone before the play begin that there is a replacement to that night's performance and stating the reason for the replacement?

[Leo Lakio]

Britney Spears' vocal talentThat phrase screams "oxymoron." :p

[acousticlady]

I feel for the little girl who did the actual singing. Sidelined because she wasn't cute enough? Just think, at 8 or 10 or however old she is, she will forever hold the thought in her head that she isn't cute enough! No matter what she does in life, or how successful she becomes, in the back of her mind she will harbor the idea that she isn't cute enough. BTW, I thought she was cute as a button - crooked teeth and all.

[MyopicJoe]

I feel for the little girl who did the actual singing.
...
BTW, I thought she was cute as a button - crooked teeth and all.

Yeah, I feel bad for her as well. If she ever manages to live outside of China, I would love for someone to interview her.

I think she's really cute, too.


The girl on the left might have sent a message to the world, but imagine the message the girl on the right would have sent to China's people.


Meh. Maybe surface is more important than substance. Maybe the lip syncing girl on the left is the honest truth about the world we live in, while the girl on the right is fantasy. Maybe I'm just getting too pessimistic and should stop ;)

[Ron Whitfield]

Damn right that little singer is cute!
And she had the right response to the hoo ha, "I think having my singing in the ceremony was enough".
I just hope that wasn't a PC response forced by some Chinese nazi with a bayonet afixed rifle pointed at her.

[Random]

Yeah, I feel bad for her as well. If she ever manages to live outside of China, I would love for someone to interview her.
Yeah, but by then, the government would have fixed her crooked teeth. Like they fixed the official documents and passports of their women's gymnastic team, stating they all reached the minimum "16 age rule."

[MyopicJoe]

Yeah, but by then, the government would have fixed her crooked teeth.

Heh.

Maybe the little girl is tougher than we give her credit for. Perhaps she'd say this in her interview:

"Yeah, I was disappointed at first. Then my daddy guilted the government into getting me braces and sending me to music school. Daddy says the government wants to keep me happy so I don't complain to international reporters. We might be moved to a better neighborhood if we play our cards right. Daddy's so cool. So yeah, I'm OK with it now. It's all good."

[Random]

Heh.

Maybe the little girl is tougher than we give her credit for. Perhaps she'd say this in her interview:

"Yeah, I was disappointed at first. Then my daddy guilted the government into getting me braces and sending me to music school. Daddy says the government wants to keep me happy so I don't complain to international reporters. We might be moved to a better neighborhood if we play our cards right. Daddy's so cool. So yeah, I'm OK with it now. It's all good."
We better keep a tab on her dad. He might be hauled off to a labor camp in the middle of the night.

[Walkoff Balk]

Yeah, but by then, the government would have fixed her crooked teeth. Like they fixed the official documents and passports of their women's gymnastic team, stating they all reached the minimum "16 age rule."
China's women or girls gymnastic team was so komai.
Jennifer Beals didn't do the dancing in Flashdance.

[Frankie's Market]

Now, the real singing girl may not know, but to be told by some snotty person in charge of the Olympic ceremony that her face is not a good image of a cute girl to represent China, despite her tremendous singing talent, that's disheartening.

Totally disheartening that they would do this to a little girl, I agree.

But I can think of many other Chinese govt. transgressions that are far, FAR worse than this lip-synch deception.

[Random]

But I can think of many other Chinese govt. transgressions that are far, FAR worse than this lip-synch deception.
True, but that's for another topic thread, don't ya think?

Feel free to open one.

[Amati]

True, but that's for another topic thread, don't ya think?
Feel free to open one.
Another thread, like the one that includes discussion on the topic of the Chinese government reportedly selling bodies of executed prisoners to companies to use in their for-profit "plasticized human bodies" displays?

http://hawaiithreads.com/showthread.php?t=15561