Tuesday, August 12, 2008

When Leni Met Milli


God bless those fascists and their love of propaganda. The latest news out of China's near-Goebbelsesque spectacle is a small controversy about a young girl deemed "not cute enough" by the State. It seems the precocious child seen belting out "Ode to the Motherland" for the whole world to see, one Lin Miaoke, wasn't actually the vocalist behind the performance. No, that was Yang Peiyi, who had the misfortune of being less cute (because of an imperfect set of teeth, it seems) than über-charmer Miaoke.

"The national interest requires that the girl should have good looks and a good grasp of the song and look good on screen," Chen [Qigang, the ceremony's chief music director] said. "Lin Miaoke was the best in this. And Yang Peiyi's voice was the most outstanding."
Uncensored Chinese bloggers are at odds over the decision:

On the side of dissent (soon to be quashed), a middle-aged retail worker laments: "This is like a voice-over for a cartoon character. Why couldn't they pick a kid who is both cute and a good singer? This damages the reputation of both kids for their future, especially the one lip-synching. Now everyone knows she's a fraud. Who cares if she's cute?"

But sucking up to the Politburo, a Beijing-area marketer responds: "I can understand why they picked the prettier girl. They need to maintain a certain aesthetic beauty during the opening ceremonies. This situation is not so bad, especially since it gives two people an opportunity to shine rather than just one."

So, what say you? Fraud or a case for aesthetic beauty?

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