So, who's it gonna be then?
Posted by: Kevin-W on 27 July 2012
I've been a bit of an Olympics agnostic up until now, but, living in London, I'm starting to find people's enthusiasm and excitement rather infectious. I think if everything proceeds (relatively) smoothly, GB equals or beats its Beijing medal haul, the suns shines, Bolt astounds us all again,and the Aussies get thrashed; everyone will forget the transport chaos, the heavy-handed branding, Coe's insufferable smugness, the security farce and all the discomforting contradictions of the modern Olympics.
I'm really looking forward to seeing what Boyle's come up with for the opening ceremony - fingers crossed that we'll get something that's a mixture of the bonkers and the tacky; the high-tech; the self-deprecating and the pompous. In short, a mixture of the two things we in Blighty do better than anything else: humour and pageantry - something as far from the semi-fascistic organised displays we saw in Beijing four years ago.
Apparently the bookies are doing very good business on bets placed on who's going to light the cauldron in the stadium tonight.
So, who's it going to be? Roger Bannister? Steve Redgrave? Becks? Wills and Kate? BoJo? Sir Macca? Bradley Wiggins?
My money's on Sir Steve... anyone else?
x
Posted on: 27 July 2012 by Kevin-W
Posted on: 27 July 2012 by Tony2011
David Bechham, "football legend". Tell me I'm dreaming....
Posted on: 27 July 2012 by Tony2011
Originally Posted by Kevin-W:
... and well deserved!!!
Posted on: 27 July 2012 by Gale 401
And ends with a light show and the Floyd and Macca.
I have to now get home.
Stu.
Posted on: 27 July 2012 by Steve C
Fantastic torch lighting.
Posted on: 27 July 2012 by Steve C
Originally Posted by Gale 401:
And ends with a light show and the Floyd and Macca.
I have to now get home.
Stu.
All night the wife said were's the floyd.She thought the whole thing was like a floyd concert waiting to happen 
Posted on: 27 July 2012 by Kevin-W
That cauldron is stunning, absolutely beautiful.
Posted on: 27 July 2012 by Gale 401
No Council worker turned that off.
And the women said at the end I hope you all enjoyed the Olympic games.
Posted on: 27 July 2012 by Guido Fawkes
Absolutely brilliant ... without doubt the best opening ceremony I've seen for any event ever ... I expected it to be much better than Beijing, but even I didn't expect it as good as it was. Glad I recorded it ... fantastic music, show and everything really. Just perfect ... though could have done without the three BBC commentators who couldn't shut up .... I guess is was even better if you were there.
Danny Boyle ... you're a hero
Posted on: 27 July 2012 by California Jim
The torch/cauldron was the best part visually...and
the burning Olympic rings. The historical segment
was far too literal for me, should have been symbolically
conveyed..If at all....and the NHS beds? I thought
the cyclists with wings had the most potential, but
the idea didn't really go anywhere. Just my thoughts.
On with the Games...I'm lookin' for 50 medals for team
GB...Go for Gold!
Posted on: 28 July 2012 by Bruce Woodhouse
Ok not every segment worked totally but as a whole we loved that ceremony last night. Sharp, stylish, witty, warm and spectacular. For us it caught the mood of a multicultural games and the emphasis on youth seemed spot on. I have only ever watched fragments of any Games opening ceremony before now, finding them them to be appaling self-reverential and deeply naff. Last night was neither.
The lighting of the flames was a wow moment, but there were plenty of other highlights.
Well done Danny Boyle, the Bolton boy done good!
Macca was a bit rubbish though, he really is looking a bit sad now.
Bruce
Posted on: 28 July 2012 by Martin_C
.....overall a bit uneven but at least it tried (rowan Atkinson was excellent). Perhaps just a little too Eurovision.
Lighting of cauldron was perfectly judged.....7 oldies passing to the "next generation". Ok so they didn't get 'everybody' to light it but can I claim a moral victory 
Now for heavens sake can we actually get on with some sport !
Posted on: 28 July 2012 by tonym
Some quotes from the World's media -
The New York Times said: "With its hilariously quirky Olympic opening ceremony, a wild jumble of the celebratory and the fanciful; the conventional and the eccentric; and the frankly off-the-wall, Britain presented itself to the world Friday night as something it has often struggled to express even to itself: a nation secure in its own post-empire identity, whatever that actually is."The Washington Post stated: "If the opening ceremonies of the London Games sometimes seemed like the world's biggest inside joke, the message from Britain resonated loud and clear: We may not always be your cup of tea, but you know - and so often love - our culture nonetheless."For the Sydney Morning Herald it was "an unforgettable start".
"Boyle's vivid and vibrant pageant set the tone for these Games and perhaps even a new direction for the Olympic movement. Rio has a hard act to follow, which won't deter it at all," it said.The Times of India called the ceremony "dazzling".
It said: "London presented a vibrant picture of Great Britain's rich heritage and culture as a colourful opening ceremony marked the inauguration of the 30th Olympic Games.""Kaleidoscopic pageant sets London Games rolling," said the China Daily.
"Britain's Queen Elizabeth declared the London Olympics open after playing a cameo role in a dizzying ceremony designed to highlight the grandeur and eccentricities of the nation that invented modern sport," it said.
Posted on: 28 July 2012 by Mike-B
Hope ya'all listened thru your Naim's
For once Auntie BEEB got the audio about right, some awesome sound effects, captured the industrial revolution perfectly with some gut churning sub-bass.
Posted on: 28 July 2012 by Kevin-W
Originally Posted by Mike-B:
Hope ya'all listened thru your Naim's
For once Auntie BEEB got the audio about right, some awesome sound effects, captured the industrial revolution perfectly with some gut churning sub-bass.
A pity about the terrible commentary though Mike. Trevor Nelson, in particular, was appalling.
Posted on: 28 July 2012 by Guido Fawkes
Quite simply perfect ... I still can't get over how brilliant it was from the first note of the introduction to the finale with Macca (surely the greatest showman ever to tread the boards) ... entertainment doesn't get any better .... not only was it best Olympic opening ceremony I have ever seen, it was the best show I have ever seen of any type.
Rowan Atkinson was beyond his superb best .... and the Queen's entrance ... and Mike Oldfield ,,, well just everything really
It has to be Sir Danny Boyle in the next honours list
Jacques Rogge said it all ....
Now let us hope we can win some medals and above all see some great competition wherever the participants come from
Events like this make it worth being alive
Posted on: 28 July 2012 by Mike-B
Originally Posted by Kevin-W:
A pity about the terrible commentary though Mike. Trevor Nelson, in particular, was appalling.
Agreed, but it did not bother me too much
Not too sure who would do it any better tho'.
OK Nelson was the worst of the bunch, but we don't seem have a classic BBC big occasion person these days.
Posted on: 28 July 2012 by Forester
Not sure why but 3D had a different commentary team which included Colin Jackson - great athlete but not my first choice as a social commentator. Hopefully they will repeat it again and give listeners the opportunity to switch the commentary off. Nevertheless it was still an excellent official beginning to the games.
Posted on: 28 July 2012 by Guido Fawkes
> give listeners the opportunity to switch the commentary off
+1 an option I would favour on many programmes.
Posted on: 28 July 2012 by Lontano
Originally Posted by Guido Fawkes:
> give listeners the opportunity to switch the commentary off
+1 an option I would favour on many programmes.
You were able to switch the commentary off last night for the opening ceremony. It was an option on the red button.
Posted on: 29 July 2012 by Geoff C
A Great show for Great Britain - well done Danny!
Watched on BBC HD Olympic Channel 450 on Sky, with audio through the naim as usual - and decided to press the record button at the start having not really planned to. Glad I did! Added bonus was that on this channel it was commentary free, so was much more like being there without the inane comments interrupting the music.
Posted on: 30 July 2012 by winkyincanada
Originally Posted by Kevin-W:
That cauldron is stunning, absolutely beautiful.
I agree. Very creative. Much nicer than the thing in downtown Vancouver.
Posted on: 30 July 2012 by DenisA
Staging and lighting trivia
The Olympic Opening Ceremony will have:
- A million-watt PA system, using more than 500 speakers and 50 tonnes of associated sound gear – that’s double the amount of speakers on the main stage at Glastonbury.
- A 27-tonne bell, twice the size of Big Ben, inscribed with a quote from The Tempest by William Shakespeare: ‘Be not afeard, the isle is full of noises.’
- A lighting team made up of 16 professionals and 24 local stage crew.
I think the Sound System was supplied by Britannia Row Productions (see below)
http://www.britanniarow.com/news/index.php?story=202&page=1
Over the next couple of weeks running up to the end of the month we also start tours and Festival runs for Bryan Adams, Alanis Morrisette, Florence and the Machine, Paulo Nutini, Pearl Jam and Mike and the Mechanics. The Blues Festival in London, Peace One Day Festival and The Cornbury Festival at the end of June herald in our heavy up-and coming-Festival and outdoor concert season in July and August, which this year runs alongside us fielding over 20 P.A. systems for a certain sporting event being held in the UK over the period! We are also working on a new website to bring you news of some of these great projects.
As the Floyd featured in the opening ceremony it is fiiting that BRP are involved with the sound. Here is a SOS article from 1994 that may be of interest... http://www.soundonsound.com/so...sep94/pinkfloyd.html
And... On an Island with David Gilmour - Part 1
http://www.britanniarow.com/news/index.php?story=106
