Ooh la la! The Blue Man responds to controversies over Olympics opening

He's become world famous in a few days: French entertainer Philippe Katerine depicted the Greek god of festivity, fertility, and all that is enjoyable in life. At the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, he participated in a scene that caused controversy around the world. Now, he responds.

Image: Olympic Games / X

Katerine sat down with CNN's Sakya Vandoorne and explained his style of art. It often revolves around the beauty of the human body. However, he said, "I'm deeply sorry if it shocked some people because that wasn't the intention at all."

Image: Still from CNN

The remarkable ceremony, held in the center of Paris along the banks and bridges of the river Seine, had a controversially wide range of entertainers. Lady Gaga was one of the superstars singing at the ceremony. She shouted "Good evening! Welcome to Paris!" in French.

We've known her to lighten up events of all sorts - from football games to presidential inaugurations and gay parties. So when she appeared on the banks of the river Seine in a tight cabaret outfit and a play with pink feathers, singing 'Mon Truc en Plume,' no one was surprised. French extravagance and global entertainment coming together.

Things soon got heated at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics though. Feathers were ruffled - literally and figuratively.

At the Palais de Justice, we saw the first image that shocked many spectators around the world: Marie Antoinette standing up straight, carrying her own head after her historic meeting with the guillotine. The last queen before the Revolution was beheaded in 1793.

The twins of Prince Albert and Princess Charlène of Monaco expressed shock and wonder at the sight of the unusual opening ceremony. According to Fox News, some found the Marie Antoinette appearance "despicable", while others thought she deserved the Games' first gold medal.

In another hotly debated scene, three actors flirted with each other in what seemed to become a 'ménage à trois' or at least a non-conventional love affair. As the Olympic Games X account emphasized, "the freedom to love is no less sacred than the freedom to think" - pure wisdom by Victor Hugo.

Image: Olympic Games / X

Viewers cited by Fox News reacted with "a mix of both hilarity and negativity." At USA Today, the feedback was generally positive, but "that didn't make it any less shocking to witness on network television in the middle of the afternoon."

Image: vlucas / X, via Fox News

Further along in the evening, after striking appearances of Les Miserables, the Mona Lisa, and even the Minions, another scene appeared on the Seine that many people found hard to watch.

A group of cross-dressing artists depicted a famous religious scene... but which was it? The Last Supper of Christ, or a Dionysian bacchanal from ancient Greek culture? TV host Piers Morgan was appalled.

Image: Piers Morgan / X

Just like Morgan, many viewers saw Da Vinci's depiction of Jesus and his apostles in the scene. They took to social media or contacted the organizers to complain.

The French Catholic Church was especially vocal, Reuters reported. A spokesperson even claimed that "Some French athletes had trouble sleeping because of the fallout from the controversy," as cited by the news agency.

At the moment of the controversial display, the Olympic Games organizers were ready on X to explain what we were looking at:
"The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings."
A noble message, but would anyone have guessed it?

Image: Olympic Games / X

Maybe people were confused when they saw the performers at the table. Or, maybe, it really was the Last Supper and it subsequently turned into a Greek bacchanal. Both options are possible, and the debate continues.

In any case, the next morning, the organizers of the opening ceremony apologized for the 'kitsch tableau', Reuters reported. "If people have taken any offence we are really sorry," Reuters cited the Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps.

"Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group," Deschamps said. The ceremony "tried to celebrate community tolerance."

As with the horsewoman galloping across the Seine towards the end of the ceremony, the organizers wanted to portray "A representation of Olympic spirit and a call for peace and solidarity". Let's hope the Games themselves will soon pacify the critics.

See the most beautiful images of the Paris 2024 opening ceremony