jjeffeory Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 I find it strangely re-assuring that most of you didn't get it. It helps bolster that inbred superiority we Brits have over you Americans. Did someone say "inbred"! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeffeory Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Those opening ceremonies were so very British. My Grandmum would have been proud. If you didn't like it, you probably didn't get it. And that's nothing against you. Things over there are just a little different. :) Geesh, now I wish that I had watched them. Guess I'll fire up youtube.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skywhopper Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 (edited) On a side note, all this griping about BD I feel is forcing me into a BD honk and defending them. Plan9's already got that market cornered. So let's ease up a bit, shall we? :) It's weird. All the overwrought, untempered praise for the show, the insults to people who don't like the show, and equating top scores and befuddled audiences with high art are making me wish I didn't like the show so well. Edited July 29, 2012 by skywhopper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sobe Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Well when it comes to opening ceremonies...Mitt got it right. The Chinese blew away the Brits...and they did it with LIVE performances, not 50% on film...anyone can make a movie. 'cept the Chinese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindap Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 (edited) Geesh, now I wish that I had watched them. Guess I'll fire up youtube.... I watched 3+ hours of Opening Ceremonies on CTV Friday eve. This has been my habit for over 40 years. Every opening ceremony I've seen is unique! Today I watched swimming, beach volleyball, men's gymnatics; fired up FN and watched alot of drum corps in awesome multi-cam! From a fan who rarely watches TV; um ... kinda buggy eyed now but happy I got to see the best of both worlds :D edit I rarely watch TV and found BBC early in the eve. It was wonderful watching the children in pyjamas interviewed about their performance before I watched it on TV. Kudos BBC! Edited July 29, 2012 by lindap 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rd Glasgow BB Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 I rarely watch TV and found BBC early in the eve. It was wonderful watching the children in pyjamas interviewed about their performance before I watched it on TV. Kudos BBC! Yes the BBC coverage was 1st class! The opening ceremony was about two things, inspiring a generation (hence all the kids on the field + the kids who lit the flame) and paying tribute to British history & culture... Shakespeare, The Beatles, Harry Potter etc. The nurses on the field were actual nurses, the construction workers were actual construction workers etc. 90% of those on the field were volunteers, average member of the public with normal day jobs. Today Britain is a multicultural, technology based, quirky society with a massive catalogue of literature & music plus a list of historical firsts as long as your arm that changed the world. As a nation, we love nothing more that to laugh at ourselves because these days... we have too!!! We're not China, we were never going to put on an inch perfect precision display that had been rehearsed full time for 4 years solid and cost more than the Canadian economy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rd Glasgow BB Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Did someone say "inbred"! that would be me... Lysdexlic.... Bred in!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vis Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 If you want to see an innovative opening ceremony, look at the one from the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville. It was done by the same costume/set design/choreography team who went on to do Cirque de Soleil's current 'Iris' production in Los Angeles. In 1992, I only saw several short segments of it on the US broadcast as it was probably a little 'out there' for American prime time TV. Thanks to youtube, you can see the parts of the version shown in Europe. You'll see an aerial ballet, some really interesting props and costumes, a group of drummers suspended in air as pieces of a giant mobile, and hundreds of colored flags. The closing ceremonies feature segmented fabric stars which float in the air while attached to skaters. Even though it's 20 years old, no production since then has really come close for me in the level of innovation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musclebud Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 (edited) I think the worst thing about the Opening Ceremony was NBC's horrific coverage. The commentary by Meredith Vieira and Matt Lauer was terrible and completely unnecessary. People on DCP raid on Devils and other corps for covering music with narration, but this was FAR worse. They could have (and should have) simply used text in a lower third to identify performer and source material. Even Bob Costas was embarrassing during the Parade of Nations. I've never heard more ignorance and culturally insulting comments from a usually otherwise excellent broadcaster. At least we know what network to avoid for information on world politics and affairs. But by far the most egregious move was when they edited out the 7/7 tribute to air a Ryan Seacrest softball interview with Michael Phelps, who clearly didn't even want to be there. Matt and Meredith should stick to 8 minutes cooking segments on morning talk shows. Bob Costas is always an embarrassment. He seems to think the Olympics are where you go to play basketball and nothing else. Maybe 2 Americans were even mentioned who were not NBA players. Those guys already get more than fame and fortune than they are entitled to. Even worse was when some of the smaller nations came in He would say " never won a medal". He has no understanding of what the Olympics mean to athletes competing in the less profitable or popular sports. Edited July 30, 2012 by musclebud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 I find it strangely re-assuring that most of you didn't get it. It helps bolster that inbred superiority we Brits have over you Americans. Only caught bits and pieces but saw Mr Bean was to be represented. Then the US went to commercial and I switched channels and never got back to see what Mr A did. Irony is my one cousin went to college with Rowan Atkinson(sp?) at Oxford at probably the Bristol campus. Not quite in-bred but definitely my blood relative. Found out when my aunt showed me the class group picture and out of 100-200 (been a while forget details) of bright smiling faces, one sticks out because he looks so stone cold serious. Yeah, guess who Mr Serious was.... I was like "There's cousin Trevor... look at the dude with the expression like ye olde hanging judge". Then my aunt said to take a closer look.... "OMG.... it isn't is it? ... it is!!!". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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