International stars - Angélique Kidjo, Alejandro Sanz, John Legend, Keith Urban - only appeared via video, singing what has become an all-purpose inspirational song: “Imagine,” which John Lennon said he wrote with his Japanese wife, Yoko Ono.
Later, an all-ages group frolicked around boxes that would form the Tokyo 2020 logo. Most of the production numbers were about building or rebuilding: traditional Japanese carpentry assembling the five-ring Olympic logo, as a traditional Japanese work song turned into a tap-dance showcase. Early in the ceremony, a Butoh dancer in white struck a pose of mourning. But the fraught Tokyo Olympics chose to be somber. Past Olympic opening ceremonies have been overstuffed showcases for national stars, visiting celebrities and general theatrical excess. There was a brief nod to ancient Japanese culture: a Kabuki theater excerpt intended to dispel negative energy. They did not, and as soon as she had the opportunity, Taylor left for another television company.
finals, and Adam Silver, the commissioner of the N.B.A., said he thought that “ESPN would have found a way to be able to work through it.” The controversy overshadowed the beginning of the N.B.A. The comments, and the way ESPN executives handled them, contributed to long-running tension among employees who cover the N.B.A. finals hosting duties to Taylor, who is Black, because ESPN executives were “feeling pressure” on diversity. In a conversation with an adviser to LeBron James that Nichols was unaware was being recorded, Nichols, who is white, said that she had lost the N.B.A. One of her colleagues, Rachel Nichols, made disparaging comments about Taylor last July. Taylor departed ESPN after a tumultuous year. Taylor will be especially essential to NBC next February, when the Super Bowl takes place in Los Angeles during the middle of the Winter Games in Beijing. “Literally, hosting the Olympics, ‘Football Night in America,’ and the Super Bowl is what I dreamed of when I started in television,” she said in the release. After the Olympics, she will host coverage of the biggest events NBC has rights to. On Friday, she was working for NBC at the Olympics.Īccording to a news release announcing her new roles, Taylor will join Tirico in hosting NBC’s late-night Olympic coverage and serve as a correspondent. On Wednesday, ESPN announced that it could not agree on a contract extension with her. On Tuesday, she hosted coverage of the N.B.A. It has been a whirlwind few days for Taylor. Olympic dream come true ❤️ #TokyoOlympics /Qlcoz8rBVh- Maria Taylor July 24, 2021