Another Faked Episode From Beijing's Opening Ceremony

Yesterday we learned that the Chinese computer enhanced and manipulated the video showing fireworks dancing across the sky. Today, we learn that the voice of one of the Chinese girls who sang during the opening ceremony was dubbed over by another girl. The Chinese wanted to have the perfect opening ceremony, so they picked the prettiest girl to appear and had the girl with the best voice sing over her.

Acoustics had nothing to do with it. Under pressure from the highest levels of the ruling Communist Party to find the perfect face and voice, the ceremony’s production team concluded the only solution was to use two girls instead of one. Miaoke, a third grader, was judged cute and appealing but “not suitable” as a singer. Another girl, Yang Peiyi, 7, was judged the best singer but not as cute. So when Miaoke opened her mouth to sing, the voice that was actually heard was a recording of Peiyi.

And it is unclear if Miaoke even knew.

“The reason was for the national interest,” explained Chen Qigang, general music designer of the opening ceremonies, who revealed the deception during a Sunday radio interview. “The child on camera should be flawless in image, internal feeling and expression.”

China wants the Olympics as a stage to present a picture-perfect image to the outside world, and perfection was clearly the goal for the dazzling opening ceremonies. The filmmaker Zhang Yimou, who oversaw the production, has drawn international raves for a performance considered one of the most spectacular in Olympic history. But to achieve the spectacular, Mr. Zhang faked not only the song; organizers also have admitted that one early sequence of the stunning fireworks shown to television viewers was actually created using digitally enhanced computer graphics for “theatrical effect.”

The Chinese must have figured that if such things are good for Britney Spears or Madonna, it's good enough for their opening ceremony.

UPDATE:
Attendance isn't where the Chinese hoped it would be, so they're using volunteers to fill the seats. Excuses are offered, but perhaps it has something to do with the fact that most Chinese can't afford to go to the games combined with the Chinese making promises they couldn't or wouldn't keep. Then again, it could be the fact that the Chinese limit the number of people who can be in and around the venues.

Or, maybe it has something to do with the armored personnel carriers and heavy security presence that seemingly sprang into place after the murder of a relative of a US coach earlier this week or repeated attacks on Chinese security in Western China.