Olympic girl seen but not heard

Source: CNN

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- A little girl and her song captivated millions of viewers during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. But what they saw was not what they heard.
Lin Miaoke was the darling of the Olympic opening ceremony, but it turns out she was lip-syncing.

Lin Miaoke was the darling of the Olympic opening ceremony, but it turns out she was lip-syncing.

Games organizers confirm that Lin Miaoke, who performed "Ode to the Motherland" as China's flag was paraded Friday into Beijing's National Stadium, was not singing at all.

Lin was lip-syncing to the sound of another girl, 7-year-old Yang Peiyi, who was heard but not seen, apparently because she was deemed not cute enough.

"The reason was for the national interest," said Chen Qigang, the ceremony's musical director, in a state radio interview. "The child on camera should be flawless in image, internal feeling and expression. ... Lin Miaoke is excellent in those aspects."

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/08/12/oly.kids/index.html

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"Few who watched the Olympic ceremony realized the DECEPTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "Tiny singer wins heart of nation," read the headline in Tuesday's China Daily newspaper.

In this case, however, it was. I'm happy that China is liberalizing. I think that it's a road that they can't easily turn a U-turn on. But clearly they're not quite ready for prime time.

And someone please show me an example of a talented seven year old who isn't cute!

Seriously, as if this ultimately matters =/

;)

played on some of their records and wrote some of their own material. A better analogy would be Milli Vanilli or any number of dance videos where the singer wasn't "thin enough" or "feminine enough" ("Pump Up The Jam", "Gonna Make You Sweat"). Or all those musicals where Deborah kerr or Natalie Wood or Audrey Hepburn were overdubbed by Marni Nixon...

When we devalue children, as this young girl was indeed devalued, we ride a slippery slope.

It DOES ultimately matter. Of course there has been worse. Perhaps you can define where the unacceptable begins in devaluing a child?

You are one hostile and self-important person. Maybe you can start there. Posting bullshit outrage without analysis carries no weight with me.

Your turn.

who could sing just as well as this poor little 'not cute enough'(Pathetic!) little girl.

That is why I posted it! I CARE!

I guess it's their right to devalue their children. Females are pretty low on the priority list as it is.

However, it is objectively douchebaggy to tell a 7 year old girl that she isn't beautiful, nonetheless.

families. You know when you hear something like that then the exact opposite is true.

NOW China has to do the same thing. I saw a web clip of what the 7 year old looks like and I thought she was cute.

Flawless image...Kind of reminds me of the Twilight Zone episodes "No. 12 looks just like you" and for the life of me I can't remember the title of the one in which everyone has a "pig-like" face and the "beautiful" woman is trying to look like everyone else.


It is just sick the whole situation.

considering the genocide of female babies after the one child policy was put in place.

Poor kid.

How similar are the Chinese communists and the Republican conservatives, both needing to hide behind secreted fake exteriors, even when it is not needed for the betterment of country nor countrymen.

Apparently the Chinese have more in common with us.

They think the "flawless" child should be on camera.

I'm sure Paris Hilton would agree.

Wouldn't you all rather watch Charlize Theron and listen to Celine Deon?

I love that kind of beautiful deception.

Duh.

imperfections like buck teeth(one of the reasons they said she shouldn't be seen) are cute on little kids.

but of course it shouodln't matter what she looked like. she competed for this and that's all that should have mattered.

this makes me more convinced the chinese gymnasts are underage.

and then told she is not pretty enough and has buck teeth to be seen by others.

a decision from the 'very top'

and not a good one


that said, it is pretty amusing to see such 'outrage' over this. would a 'chubby' girl have ever WON a contest in the US? not bloody likely. or in Canada for that matter.