Colbert Nation Gathers in Vancouver

On Wednesday morning, I had the pleasure of lining up with a few thousand 'iceholes', some 'syrup-suckers' and 'Saskatchewhiners' to take part in a live taping of The Colbert Report (that is pronounced 're-pour' a la francais) with Stephen Colbert.

Stephen Colbert is the host of The Colbert Report which is a very tongue-in-cheek political satire of the US conservative right. Think Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck but with intelligence, wit and a heavy dose of political satire.

This past fall Colbert began a campaign to discredit the Richmond Oval where all the long-track speedskating events are taking place. He accused the Canadians of favouritism and not allowing others access to the ice for training. This was picked up by the press and so began a good-natured ribbing. Colbert coined the terms 'ice-holes', 'syrup-suckers', etc. to describe Canadians - I think anything which brings Canadians to the attention of the US is great. Even though we share one of the largest unprotected borders in the world with our neighbour to the south, they surprisingly know very little about us.

Michael Buble and Stephen Colbert singing Oh Canada to the tune of Star Spangled Banner-surprisingly it didn't sound too bad.

When a Dutch bank went bankrupt and left the US speedskating team without a sponsor, Colbert stepped in and became their honourary team psychologist (booster). His Road to Vancouver 2010 segments are hilarious and worth checking out.

Stephen Colbert got his start on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
(would be fun if they would run for office in 2012)

The taping of the show went very well. The crowd was in a great mood despite us having waited for 3 hours for the show to start. All-in-all it was well worth our time and we all had a great time laughing with and at each other - one might say a cultural laugh-in.

Whenever the taping stopped, the crowd would chant 'ride the moose, ride the moose' until Colbert finally relented and had his last guest, Bob Costas mount the moose at the end of the show. For those not familiar with Canadian symbols, the beaver is actually the official symbol of Canada (appears on our nickel), however the moose comes a close second and graces our quarter. We value our animals, literally.

Not to be outdone, Stephen held up the stuffed beaver (insert joke here) :-)

The Podium & Medals

Keeping with the theme of having one of the first 'green' Olympics, the theme of recycling and using sustainable materials is echoed in the creation and design of the Olympic Medals & Podiums.

The podiums are made of more than 200 pieces of wood and each podium's wood comes from a specific location in British Columbia. There are 23 podiums in all. They are shaped to resemble Vancouver Island. They were assembled at the Rona Fabrication Shop.

Each medal has a unique design and if all medals are laid side-by-side they would create a truly one-of-kind piece of art. I love the way they look and have a slight wave as part of the design. The material for the medals is reclaimed from the recycling of electronic items such as televisions and computers.

The victory floral bouquests for the medal ceremonies posed another challenge the partnership faced was satisfying VANOC’s sustainability criteria for the flowers: certified organically grown, non-invasive and native to Canada. This was a problem. “Just about everything in the bouquet is grown here in the summer,” explained Schulz. “But not in February.” As well the bouquets had to meet the design and durability expectations of VANOC’s design team.

After three months of design discussions with VANOC, and extensive research, the group settled on locally grown greenhouse flowers and greens imported from sustainable farms in Ecuador. The air transportation associated with the imported flowers will be offset as part of VANOC’s carbon management program. And even the packaging and wrapping around the bouquets are sourced according to sustainability principals. For more information go to Vancouver 2010.

Olympic Update

The Olympic Games are now underway - day 4. The Opening Ceremony was amazing, having seen the rehearsal the Wednesday before the official opening, it was awe-inspiring, stunning - yet understated, classy, very Canadian.

I am very fortunate to live here and being able to take part. I and am going to see curling and short-track speedskating competitions on February 20 and the Victory Ceremony on February 21 (Loverboy & Trooper will be performing). As well as the Victory Ceremonies on February 24 (INXS) and February 25 (Burton Cummings). Can't wait, not only to see the acts but to see which medals will be awarded those nights.

The design of the Olympic tickets themselves are a piece of art and fits in very well with the overall design of the Olympic iconagraphy that is visible throughout Vancouver. The graphic identity and pictograms for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games were unveiled in September 2009. The Vancouver 2010 graphic identity features many illustrated textures drawn from Canada’s natural and urban environments as well as its rich cultural diversity. All creative elements of the graphic identity were developed by VANOC’s in-house design team, with one key texture created by local aboriginal artist Xwa lack tun under the leadership of the late Leo Obstbaum, the design director of Vancouver 2010.

Vancouver Winter Games

It is just days before the XXI Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. Can't believe that seven years after the announcement was made that the Games are nearly here!

Initially, I had no plans to attend any Olympic events, cost being one of the main considerations. However, there is something for everyone. I will actually be attending a few Olympic events as well as free entertainment which is being offered around the city and surrounding suburbs.

Have purchased a few Olympic shirts, hat, scarf, mittens, and fleece - I'm ready. Hopefully, the weather will actually reflect that it's winter as currently it has felt more like spring.

Olympic fever is spreading. It is nice to see that we are all coming together and celebrating this truly once-in-a-lifetime event. There are not too many cities or countries who can boast that they were host to the world for the Olympics.

Let the Games begin!

2010 Oscar Nominations

This morning the Oscar nominations were read in Los Angeles. For the first time

since 1944, ten films have been nominated for Best Picture. 'Casablanca' won in 1944. The reason - to help boost ratings as most 'regular folk' may not have seen the movies thus by expanding this category to include 'audience favourites' they may tune in to see the broadcast. Hmmm, as a film geek I don't think this is the answer - it's difficult enough to get quality film recognized, now we must endure films that were added just to boost the popular vote?

I agree with most of the nominations, especially thrilled that 'The Hurt Locker' has been recognized with 9 nods, tying with 'Avatar'. Jeremy Renner has been nominated for Best Actor, he is simply amazing in a very understated role. And of course, my sentimental favourite Jeff Bridges for his role in 'Crazy Heart'.

A wonderful surprise was Maggie Gyllenhaal's nomination for her supporting role in 'Crazy Heart' - she deserves it, a wonderful performance.

This is one of the more exciting Oscar races for me in a few years, we will see who walks away with the coveted statuette on Sunday, March 7.