Comments on: Highlights from the CCTV Spring Festival Gala

By: Jeremiah

Jeremiah — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 06:30:25 +0000

Ivan,

I would imagine a quick google search would yield the basic lyrics, though they were changed for the gala. I’m willing to bet between an online copy and a couple of passes through the YouTube video linked above, a passable set of lyrics could be transcribed.

By: Ivan Inversion

Ivan Inversion — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:45:57 +0000

I am contemplating making a bid for a spot on the 2009 Gala show. I covered ‘Xiao Fang’ on Dalian TV at the end of 2004, and am wondering about covering She’s ‘Zhongguo Hua’. Anyone know where I can find the chords and lyrics?

By: Jeremiah

Jeremiah — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 09:15:35 +0000

John B,

That was a nice line, too and I agree that given the tough parameters and guidelines for content, pulling off great comedy is quite an Olympian feat in and of itself. Good point.

Thanks for stopping by!

By: John B

John B — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 09:26:43 +0000

Ji Feng Jing Cao,

From what I’ve read, Zhao and Song were forced to do a bit about the Olympics (and, presumably, not ridicule it as they should — though that “什么运动最揪心？足球！什么运动更揪心？中国足球！” line had my wife and I in stitches), and then forced to add a bit at the end consoling the folks caught in the snow. Those are two tough topics to make funny.

The drunk driving bit at the beginning was my favorite this year.

By: Imagethief : The Chinese have a lot of hells: Photos from a temple fair

Imagethief : The Chinese have a lot of hells: Photos from a temple fair — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 05:46:22 +0000

[...] time of year. It was good fun to pop into one for a couple of hours. It’s kind of guilty fun, like CCTV New Year galas. The absolute hit of the fair was an old guy running a mouse circus in which mice performed various [...]

By: Jeremiah

Jeremiah — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 02:19:18 +0000

Ji Feng Jing Cao,

I’m certainly not a connoisseur of their comedy, they’ve been doing roughly the same bit since 《懒汉相亲》(“A Date with Slug”), but I’ve only been watching them for about four or five years, so certainly you’ll have the more critical eye.

But good or not so much, they’re usually one of the highlights of the gala, and it was the one that caused our family to guffaw the most.

Thanks for stopping by.

By: Jeremiah

Jeremiah — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 02:11:53 +0000

Nanhe,

The example I always remember is a Bruce Springsteen concert I saw in the early 1990s. As soon as the band played the opening chords to “Born in the USA,” a bunch of yahoos started waving giant flags around and bellowing “USA! USA!” It was obvious they had never actually listened to any of the other lyrics in the song.

By: Jeremiah

Jeremiah — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 02:09:34 +0000

Liyang,

Yeah, the Hua thing was a bit of an inside joke. As many, if not both, of my longtime readers know, Hua Guofeng is something of an unofficial pet project of mine. Click the link above to find out why.

Thanks for stopping by.

Ps. Only nine months and one day until Hua Guofeng Day, 2008 (October 12).

By: Ji Feng Jing Cao

Ji Feng Jing Cao — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 22:28:59 +0000

I thought Zhao Benshan and Song Dandan’s sketch was pretty bad by their usual standards. When it got to the last bit where Zhao Benshan was giving that speech I was like WTF is this? He normally wouldn’t get out of his way to sing praises or anything like that unless the lines were really funny. This one was a huge disappointment.

By: nanheyangrouchuan

nanheyangrouchuan — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 18:53:24 +0000

“I grew up in the United States where gratuitous displays of patriotic fervor are de riguer for many televised events and perhaps I’ve become a bit too desensitized to such things.”

It’s easy to be turned off to US patriotic fervor when you picture the type of people that show up in John Melloncamp videos or any sort of midwestern or deep south summer gathering.