me too! i was disgusted with a lot of people i follow on twitter they did nothing but trash it all last night and people.com review also pathetic. i say they hate on what they don't understand and that's pathetic. it's about history & heritage and some people are just too moronic to try to understand that
It is my official position that Her Royal Highness, Elizabeth II, the Queen of England, skydived from a helicopter into Olympic Stadium in London.
Any scurrilous talk about stunt doubles will be greeted with the same contempt I reserve for churlish, bigoted rumors about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.
There were parts of it I thought were boring and unfortunately, I fell asleep (the last thing I remember is the Queen saying the London games were open). Really enjoyed the beginning. What I found kind of shocking is this morning I found out that NBC would not show the 6 minute salute to the victims of terrorism of 7/7 - the day after it was announced that London had been awarded the games. Instead they put on some stupid interview with Michael Phelps. I just assumed it was so people would have a chance to get something to eat (or in my case, take a quick shower and get into bed). I can't believe they wouldn't show that! Why? Also, love Bob Costas.
I thought the ceremony was great. It was so human compared to the robotic feeling of the beijing ceremonies. All the pop culture touchstones just added to that feeling; it was all relatable.
Add me to the list of folks that loved it. It just felt right for the country. I loved the culture references, dancers dressed like Ziggy Stardust, Sgt. Pepper, etc... I thought the Arctic Monkeys vocalist didn't do justice to the Beatles, but that is it.
Who on Earth designed those dresses that the country name holders wore. ATROCIOUS!
I love, love, love Rowan Atkinson! Every since they showed the first Mr. Bean here in the US I've been hooked! Love his movies also. Beautiful opening by the way!
I thought the opening was great. Who doesn't love seeing QEII and james bond jump out of a plane? Also I thought it was respectful of Bob Costas to give the lost members of the '72 games a few seconds of silence since (I think it was) the IOC didn't want anything public. I heard they did a private prayer/remembrance but I really thought it should be mentioned at the ceremony since its the 40 year anniversary.
My sister and her family loved seeing Mr. Bean too. But honestly, when it came on and they gave him SO MUCH TIME over the beautiful music and the orchestra, I just thought, you've got to be kidding, who in their right mind would make that sequence all about Mr. Bean?
I felt that Danny Boyd was high on bath salts when he put that together it was dark and depressing at so points. But I guess that is the history of England.
But once they played the Mr. Bean and Paul McCartney cards, all was forgiven.
I still can't get over that giant baby reminded me of the scene in Trainspotting (directed by Danny Boyd) when the mother was high for days and forgot about her baby and find it dead in the crib.
At some points I felt like I was watching a Rave not the Opening Olympics, all I was missing was the hit of X.
I thought it was very eccentric--at first I was not impressed but it won me over. LOVED the Queen and Bond and the corgi's!
I was sorely disappointed at their failure to pay tribute to Monty Python or Ab Fab, but maybe they are saving them for the closing ceremony.
When they were doing the march through time in the beginning they missed the perfect opportunity for the guys from Spamalot to ride over a hill...with their coconut horse hooves!
I fell asleep and missed 2/3 of the athletes parade--Bob Costas does that to me. Ryan Seacrest is already better than Matt Lauer. Meredith was excellent at her commentary as well.
I too am convinced that was the queen herself parachuting in live. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
@surfer - thanks for the link - I had not read that - a real eye opener. Wonder if it had anything to do with NBC not showing the tribute to the victims of the 7/7 terrorist attack.
Aunt Jess & SusanB - I watched the opening ceremony live (on Canadian TV), and as soon as the Israeli delegation walked in, the host said, repeatedly, how disappointed he was in Jacques Rogge, despite pleas from many world leaders, that he refused to acknowledge the slain athletes, 40 years later. I was so proud of this guy too.
Our whole family loves Mr. Bean madly. We started watching all his shows on PBS when they first were coming out in the UK and and when our youngest was old enough we bought the whole DVD set. Mr. Bean can make eating a sandwich funny - and has.
Really liked the ceremony especially the industrial revolution part, Mr. Bean and the Queen. And NHS and Mary Poppins? Cute and quirky - loved it!
I loved the music! The Brits get the gold medal in music for every year ever. It wasn't my favorite opener but it was nicely done. The music just blew me away though. I mean, the music selection by Underworld who put it together. NOT Macca who really phoned it in. Why Hey Jude? Not even a montage? I'll try to make this make sense. I'm not a big fan of the Beatles but when Paul McCartney performs like on SNL, I get chills because I don't have to love the song to feel the performance. I thought he phoned it in last night. I was so disappointed. But I have the playlist if anyone wants it of the whole show and I'm going to pick out my favs for my own mix. Love those Brits!
I liked the ceremony too. I thought it was appropriate for the location. The highlights for me were Daniel Craig and David Beckham.. great googly moogly. Also, Muhammad Ali is the greatest. I love that he was included. I cried when he lit the torch in Atlanta. I really thought that'd be the last Olympics for him. Very happy he's still around.
I loved it. All of it. I was so happy the NHS and Great Ormand Street Hospital got such recognition. Those nurses are tireless and fearless. It was very British right down to the family watching soaps on Tele together. I am Irish and have very close connections to Britain. My brother is a Firefighter who rescued many people in the 7/7 attacks. I was so impressed.
"Worst. Opening. Ceremonies. EVER. The Olympics are in London, England, a place with a fascinating history and culture, and what do we get? An ode to text messaging, a salute to the NHS, and bratty kids jumping on their beds. What the ...? Fail."
I minored in English history in college and continue to devour anything English to this day, so it's not like I don't know anything about England, either, so please don't say that I am just too ignorant to "get it." It was just stupid. They could have done so much with it -- tracing London's development from a simple Druidic hill through the Roman occupation, Anglo-Saxon London, the dark ages, medieval times, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment and the empire, through to the blitz, the swinging 60s, and its present status as one of the hippest, most diverse, fascinating cities on earth. Instead, we got a 100-foot tall Voldemort and no-names lighting an Olympic flame you can only see inside the stadium. Yuck.
Long time lurker, first time poster. I love this site, and the pundits! (you are not commentators). Anyways, I didn't like the hate for the Olympic Opening Ceremony. I'm watching it on repeat having lived abroad for many years. Citius, Altius, Fortius
I'm Irish, not the biggest fan of Rule Britannia AT ALL, but I thought the Opening Ceremony brought the right amount of British quirkiness to the world's attention that went beyond the stereotypical 'Little Britain' persona. There is so much more to the culture than the traditional image of Lords, Ladies, Kings, Queens, palaces and empires and that was shown last night. Loved the forging of the rings in the Industrial Revolution piece (history grad here), celebrating the NHS was just sublime as it is an institution I will forever support and I can't believe I gave up James Bond for the disappointment that is Magic Mike! I'm no royalist but get in there Queen Liz ye girl ye!
Well done Danny Boyle, can't wait to see what the closing ceremony brings!
This is something I asked on another post -- I'm glad you support the NHS, but what the f*ck does that have to do with either the fabulousness of London or the Olympics?! It would be like the Americans having an opening ceremony and featuring a skit extolling the virtues of social security. It was completely out of place.
It was the context of the ceremony to celebrate everything that makes Britain (not just London) great - the NHS is a major part of that. If you look at it as who looks after the athletes if they are injured in training etc then it's certainly linked to the Olympics. You could just as easily ask why the heck was the Industrial Revolution/Tim Berners-Lee celebrated...they each gave important contributions to the world and will hopefully continue to inspire future generations for years to come. I liked Danny Boyle's whimsical approach to it, very different from the norm. Also many saw the NHS part as a BIG fu*k you to the current coalition govt. who are making extreme NHS cuts so I'm on Boyle's side with this one :D
Oh, please, Wee S., if an Olympic athlete is injured during the Olympics, their delegation has multiple doctors and trainers on hand to treat them. They won't be using the NHS.
Also, I don't think that the NHS "gave important contributions to the world and will hopefully continue to inspire future generations for years to come." It's a 60 year-old government program riddled with wastefulness, incompetence, and disorganization.
I still say it was ridiculous and completely out of place. And the Olympic Opening Ceremony is no place for a political statement, either.
Great!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe ceremony was spectacular. I loved it!
ReplyDeleteme too! i was disgusted with a lot of people i follow on twitter they did nothing but trash it all last night and people.com review also pathetic. i say they hate on what they don't understand and that's pathetic. it's about history & heritage and some people are just too moronic to try to understand that
DeleteLove him and he was really funny and didn't even say a word!
ReplyDeleteI wasn't impressed by the opening cereomonies but loved, loved, loved Rowan Atkinson!!
ReplyDeleteIt is my official position that
ReplyDeleteHer Royal Highness, Elizabeth
II, the Queen of England,
skydived from a helicopter
into Olympic Stadium in
London.
Any scurrilous talk about stunt
doubles will be greeted with
the same contempt I reserve
for churlish, bigoted rumors
about Santa Claus and the
Easter Bunny.
Such a fantastic inclusion!
ReplyDeleteMr Bean is as universal as The Beatles and Harry Potter.
Rowan Atkinson is brilliant!
ReplyDeleteluved the entire ceremony, it felt so personal and somehow sincere, as if the story was being just told to me
ReplyDeleteThere were parts of it I thought were boring and unfortunately, I fell asleep (the last thing I remember is the Queen saying the London games were open). Really enjoyed the beginning. What I found kind of shocking is this morning I found out that NBC would not show the 6 minute salute to the victims of terrorism of 7/7 - the day after it was announced that London had been awarded the games. Instead they put on some stupid interview with Michael Phelps. I just assumed it was so people would have a chance to get something to eat (or in my case, take a quick shower and get into bed). I can't believe they wouldn't show that! Why? Also, love Bob Costas.
ReplyDeleteI thought the ceremony was great. It was so human compared to the robotic feeling of the beijing ceremonies. All the pop culture touchstones just added to that feeling; it was all relatable.
ReplyDeleteWanted to add - I also totally believe that it was the Queen herself who parachuted into the stadium. Can you imagine!?
ReplyDeleteAdd me to the list of folks that loved it. It just felt right for the country. I loved the culture references, dancers dressed like Ziggy Stardust, Sgt. Pepper, etc... I thought the Arctic Monkeys vocalist didn't do justice to the Beatles, but that is it.
ReplyDeleteWho on Earth designed those dresses that the country name holders wore. ATROCIOUS!
The opening was wonderful...
ReplyDeleteI love Mr. Bean - I have him on my cell phone. He says "Aye, you have a message. Yes, there's a message for you." Hysterical.
ReplyDeleteIt's blocked!
ReplyDeleteThe dresses the country name holders wore had photos of all the people who volunteered that couldn't be included. I thought that was a lovely gesture.
ReplyDeleteYes it was bonkers and brilliant. Danny Boyle is a national hero today.
They could have dedicated their entire ceremony to awesome British music.
ReplyDeleteI also love Bob Costas. Matt Lauer and Meredith could have STFU a little bit though.
I love, love, love Rowan Atkinson! Every since they showed the first Mr. Bean here in the US I've been hooked! Love his movies also. Beautiful opening by the way!
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of the dresses and the gesture - hated the construction and the shoes.
ReplyDeleteShout out to the Black Adder.
ReplyDeleteI thought the opening was great. Who doesn't love seeing QEII and james bond jump out of a plane? Also I thought it was respectful of Bob Costas to give the lost members of the '72 games a few seconds of silence since (I think it was) the IOC didn't want anything public. I heard they did a private prayer/remembrance but I really thought it should be mentioned at the ceremony since its the 40 year anniversary.
I agree Aunt Jess. I couldn't understand why the IOC was adamant about not acknowledging the massacre 40 years ago, until I read this.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/07/27/why-ioc-will-never-memorialize-72-munich-massacre/
My sister and her family loved seeing Mr. Bean too. But honestly, when it came on and they gave him SO MUCH TIME over the beautiful music and the orchestra, I just thought, you've got to be kidding, who in their right mind would make that sequence all about Mr. Bean?
ReplyDeleteI felt that Danny Boyd was high on bath salts when he put that together it was dark and depressing at so points. But I guess that is the history of England.
ReplyDeleteBut once they played the Mr. Bean and Paul McCartney cards, all was forgiven.
I still can't get over that giant baby reminded me of the scene in Trainspotting (directed by Danny Boyd) when the mother was high for days and forgot about her baby and find it dead in the crib.
At some points I felt like I was watching a Rave not the Opening Olympics, all I was missing was the hit of X.
Surfer argh! Politics! Now I'm even more grateful to Bob for his 5 seconds of dead air. That took balls.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was very eccentric--at first I was not impressed but it won me over. LOVED the Queen and Bond and the corgi's!
ReplyDeleteI was sorely disappointed at their failure to pay tribute to Monty Python or Ab Fab, but maybe they are saving them for the closing ceremony.
When they were doing the march through time in the beginning they missed the perfect opportunity for the guys from Spamalot to ride over a hill...with their coconut horse hooves!
I fell asleep and missed 2/3 of the athletes parade--Bob Costas does that to me. Ryan Seacrest is already better than Matt Lauer. Meredith was excellent at her commentary as well.
I too am convinced that was the queen herself parachuting in live. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
@surfer - thanks for the link - I had not read that - a real eye opener. Wonder if it had anything to do with NBC not showing the tribute to the victims of the 7/7 terrorist attack.
ReplyDeleteSorry, bean is beyond unfunny.
ReplyDeleteAunt Jess & SusanB - I watched the opening ceremony live (on Canadian TV), and as soon as the Israeli delegation walked in, the host said, repeatedly, how disappointed he was in Jacques Rogge, despite pleas from many world leaders, that he refused to acknowledge the slain athletes, 40 years later. I was so proud of this guy too.
ReplyDeleteBut that article sure puts it in perspective.
Our whole family loves Mr. Bean madly. We started watching all his shows on PBS when they first were coming out in the UK and and when our youngest was old enough we bought the whole DVD set. Mr. Bean can make eating a sandwich funny - and has.
ReplyDeleteReally liked the ceremony especially the industrial revolution part, Mr. Bean and the Queen. And NHS and Mary Poppins? Cute and quirky - loved it!
@surfer - thanks for the link.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the ceremony. it was done with heart and simplicity.
ReplyDeleteI love Mr. Bean, and James Bond ain't bad either!
I loved the music! The Brits get the gold medal in music for every year ever. It wasn't my favorite opener but it was nicely done. The music just blew me away though. I mean, the music selection by Underworld who put it together. NOT Macca who really phoned it in. Why Hey Jude? Not even a montage? I'll try to make this make sense. I'm not a big fan of the Beatles but when Paul McCartney performs like on SNL, I get chills because I don't have to love the song to feel the performance. I thought he phoned it in last night. I was so disappointed. But I have the playlist if anyone wants it of the whole show and I'm going to pick out my favs for my own mix. Love those Brits!
ReplyDeleteI liked the ceremony too. I thought it was appropriate for the location. The highlights for me were Daniel Craig and David Beckham.. great googly moogly. Also, Muhammad Ali is the greatest. I love that he was included. I cried when he lit the torch in Atlanta. I really thought that'd be the last Olympics for him. Very happy he's still around.
ReplyDeleteI loved it. All of it. I was so happy the NHS and Great Ormand Street Hospital got such recognition. Those nurses are tireless and fearless. It was very British right down to the family watching soaps on Tele together.
ReplyDeleteI am Irish and have very close connections to Britain. My brother is a Firefighter who rescued many people in the 7/7 attacks.
I was so impressed.
I have to find a stream of the Opening Ceremonies, just because some Americans are balking at it. I know I'm going to love it.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts from my FB page:
ReplyDelete"Worst. Opening. Ceremonies. EVER. The Olympics are in London, England, a place with a fascinating history and culture, and what do we get? An ode to text messaging, a salute to the NHS, and bratty kids jumping on their beds. What the ...? Fail."
I minored in English history in college and continue to devour anything English to this day, so it's not like I don't know anything about England, either, so please don't say that I am just too ignorant to "get it." It was just stupid. They could have done so much with it -- tracing London's development from a simple Druidic hill through the Roman occupation, Anglo-Saxon London, the dark ages, medieval times, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment and the empire, through to the blitz, the swinging 60s, and its present status as one of the hippest, most diverse, fascinating cities on earth. Instead, we got a 100-foot tall Voldemort and no-names lighting an Olympic flame you can only see inside the stadium. Yuck.
Long time lurker, first time poster. I love this site, and the pundits! (you are not commentators). Anyways, I didn't like the hate for the Olympic Opening Ceremony. I'm watching it on repeat having lived abroad for many years. Citius, Altius, Fortius
ReplyDeleteI'm Irish, not the biggest fan of Rule Britannia AT ALL, but I thought the Opening Ceremony brought the right amount of British quirkiness to the world's attention that went beyond the stereotypical 'Little Britain' persona. There is so much more to the culture than the traditional image of Lords, Ladies, Kings, Queens, palaces and empires and that was shown last night. Loved the forging of the rings in the Industrial Revolution piece (history grad here), celebrating the NHS was just sublime as it is an institution I will forever support and I can't believe I gave up James Bond for the disappointment that is Magic Mike! I'm no royalist but get in there Queen Liz ye girl ye!
ReplyDeleteWell done Danny Boyle, can't wait to see what the closing ceremony brings!
@Wee S - you said it so much better than I tried, and failed. Back to luck mode for me. xx
ReplyDeleteThis is something I asked on another post -- I'm glad you support the NHS, but what the f*ck does that have to do with either the fabulousness of London or the Olympics?! It would be like the Americans having an opening ceremony and featuring a skit extolling the virtues of social security. It was completely out of place.
ReplyDeleteIt was the context of the ceremony to celebrate everything that makes Britain (not just London) great - the NHS is a major part of that. If you look at it as who looks after the athletes if they are injured in training etc then it's certainly linked to the Olympics. You could just as easily ask why the heck was the Industrial Revolution/Tim Berners-Lee celebrated...they each gave important contributions to the world and will hopefully continue to inspire future generations for years to come. I liked Danny Boyle's whimsical approach to it, very different from the norm. Also many saw the NHS part as a BIG fu*k you to the current coalition govt. who are making extreme NHS cuts so I'm on Boyle's side with this one :D
ReplyDeleteOh, please, Wee S., if an Olympic athlete is injured during the Olympics, their delegation has multiple doctors and trainers on hand to treat them. They won't be using the NHS.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I don't think that the NHS "gave important contributions to the world and will hopefully continue to inspire future generations for years to come." It's a 60 year-old government program riddled with wastefulness, incompetence, and disorganization.
I still say it was ridiculous and completely out of place. And the Olympic Opening Ceremony is no place for a political statement, either.