Lip-synching? Let’s pretend it didn’t happen

JDM080823linmiaoke.jpg

Lin Miaoke in her breakout performance

The Global Language Monitor, a Texas-based organization whose biggest claim to fame is its dubious pursuit of the millionth word in the English language (they’re up to 996,341 right now), recently released its latest analysis of the media buzz surrounding various Olympic personalities.

Michael Phelps topped the list, and Yao Ming was #3, but second place belonged not to an athlete but to Lin Miaoke, the girl in the red dress who lip-synched “Ode to the Motherland” at the opening ceremonies.

The top headline of this evening’s Mirror announces these results, but something seems to be missing:

JDM080823mirror.jpg

Headline in the Mirror for 23 August

Olympic buzz: Miaoke ranks #2 in the world

Anerican agency surveyed media mentions; Phelps is most frequent, Yao Ming is #3

Lin Miaoke defeats the “little giant”

The survey showed that Lin Miaoke, the pretty girl from the opening ceremony, is swiftly climbing the notability chart.

Nine-year-old Lin won popular acclaim for her adorable image, and her name is has been spread around the world by the media. In the survey, she is second only to Phelps, pushing Chinese basketball center Yao Ming into third place.

No mention whatsoever of why the world’s English-language media has lavished so much attention on Lin. And while the article makes a point of noting gymnast that Cheng Fei (17) and hurdler Liu Xiang (18) made the list, it neglects to report that Yang Peiyi, who actually sang the song Lin performed, ranks #15.

A sidebar to the article cites four foreign newspaper reports about Lin and her breathtaking performance:


¤ From Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao:

“中国梦在开幕式中最好的表现就是林妙可小姑娘演唱的《歌唱祖国》,张艺谋说这是他最满意的环节,每次彩排都会感动所有工作人员。”

“The best expression of China’s dream during the opening ceremony was Lin Miaoke’s performance of ‘Ode to the Motherland.’ Zhang Yimou said that he was most pleased with that segment of the performance, and all of the participants were touched every time they rehearsed it.

The editorial by Zhang Xiang, which analyzes the opening ceremony as part of China’s soft power strategy, has been taken down from the Zaobao site. It can be found on DW News.

¤ From the Sing Tao Daily (US):

林妙可表演 《歌唱祖国》的时候,效果非常好,歌曲很动听,现场的气氛也非常高涨。

When Lin Miaoke performed “Ode to the Motherland,” the overall effect was excellent. The song was pleasing and the mood in the stadium had reached a crescendo.

The paper was quoting Wu Guobao, head of the San Francisco chapter of the National Association for China’s Peaceful Unification, who attended the event at the Bird’s Nest.

¤ From the Times (UK):

在8月8日晚的开幕式盛大表演中,林妙可腼腆的微笑和可爱的辫子赢得了世界观众的心。

In the magnificent performance at opening ceremony on 8 August, Lin Miaoke’s bashful smile and cute pigtails won the hearts of a world audience.

What the Times actually said, in the infamous “crooked teeth” article:

As Lin Miaoke sang sweetly through Ode to the Motherland in the Bird’s Nest stadium on Friday night, an emerging superpower swelled with pride at their beautiful little songbird in her red dress and cute pigtails.

¤ From the New York Times:

经张艺谋千挑万选在北京奥运开幕式中高唱 《歌唱祖国》的9岁小女孩林妙可,以天籁的童声打动了世界。

Nine-year-old Lin Miaoke, plucked from a cast of thousands by Zhang Yimou to sing “Ode to the Motherland” at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, touched the world with her pure child’s voice.

Oh, wait. That’s not from the New York Times at all. It’s actually a line from a Netease report that just happens to mention that the newspaper put a photo of Lin on the cover.

One thing’s for sure: some things we’re just not meant to talk about.

JDM080823baidu.jpg

Your search results may involve material that is not in accord with relevant laws, regulations, and policies, and have not been displayed.
Links and Sources
This entry was posted in Newspapers and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.