VANCOUVER – Your friends on Facebook, the people you follow on Twitter, and the stranger behind you in the coffee lineup may all claim to know what is happening at tonight’s top-secret opening ceremony.
In this day of instant messaging and phones that take photos, how can you quiet the rumour mill about tonight’s massive spectacle, which is supposed to be Vancouver 2010’s kickoff surprise party?
Vanoc CEO John Furlong insisted Thursday we should ignore all the hype, saying some of it is wrong. For the truth, we’ll have to wait until this evening.
“I’m not going to comment about true or false about anything you’ve seen, other than there’s a lot of speculation that’s floating around today that’s completely inaccurate. That’s a fact. But we’re not going to sit here and provide any information,” he told a news conference to celebrate the last day before the show begins.
“Our goal is to have a stirring night on Friday night, and we would rather people were not running around trying to … It’s a bit like advertising a movie and giving everyone the ending, and ruining it. People in this country and around the world want to be surprised. We are not going to contribute to revealing any of what’s going on in there. We think it’s going to be a great show, we think it is going to be magical and fun and will tell a great story.”
Rumours have been rampant on the Internet following dress rehearsals this week at BC Place Stadium. Those on the inside, who were asked not to kiss and tell, posted online that the spectacle will feature gigantic ice-like totem poles, a light show, dancers and other performers.
Viewers of the sneak preview wrote messages and snapped photos, many of which were posted to social networking sites, claiming crooners Bryan Adams and Nelly Furtado will be centre stage.
They also tweeted about the ceremony including “a weird version of O Canada being sung,” a rendition of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, and a performance by Canadian R&B singer Justin Bieber.
And there’s more: Celine Dion, the Tweeters say, will perform with the Canadian Tenors, and Rush will play its instrumental rock piece YYZ.
MetroValley Newsgroup quoted anonymous people who attended Monday’s rehearsal, who claimed the audience will be entertained by Sarah McLachlan playing the piano, many aboriginal dancers, the Canadian anthem sung by Montreal singer Nikki Yanofsky, and aerial acrobatics involving skiers and snowboarders. The story also promised the ceremony will include images of oceans, forests and mountains, as well as falling snow and maple leaves.
The biggest question, perhaps, is who will light the cauldron to officially kick off the Games. The most repeated rumour is hockey great Wayne Gretzky, himself a former Olympian. Gretzky has been in Vancouver in recent days, but refused to comment on whether he will be the final torchbearer.
While Furlong allowed that “it is fun to speculate on who will light the cauldron and who will carry the flag,” he would not share his speculation about those answers at the news conference.
Perhaps it is a secret that only he and a few Vanoc officials keep. But by tonight, thousands of people in BC Place Stadium and millions of TV viewers, will also be let in on the secret.
Furlong was asked by an American reporter what the opening ceremony will say about Canada.
“Often people think we’re you. People hear us talking or they see our athletes or they see our performers and they’ll think we’re you,” he said. “Tomorrow night is part of a broader attempt to try to let Canada be seen, on its own terms. … It is a chance for Canada to be seen for what it is and have the world see how Canada works.”
Furlong said he felt no pressure following in the footsteps of Beijing’s spectacular opening ceremonies in 2008, noting he has heard the same comments after each opening for the last 10 years: “No one is ever going to top that.” But Furlong noted artists are just as competitive as athletes, and he is confident tonight’s performance will be spectacular and emotional.
Vanoc said some last-minute tickets for the opening ceremonies may go on sale today.
lculbert@vancouversun.com
With files from Canwest News Service
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