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Opening Ceremony


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Since we are still so caught up in discussing the ceremonies - here's a statement by British comedian David Mitchell I stumbled across yesterday on YouTube. Caution: It could hurt a lot of feelings on a board like this one! ;)

An ignoramus bar none.

He should be sent back to 1908....and stay there!!

He wasn't even funny. <_<

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Well, many humurous comments also include some seriousness. And to me, he seemed to be pretty serious about it. But anyway, I guess there are many other people out there who are mainly interested in the sports events at the Olympics and would be surprised if they saw how much we concern ourselves with the ceremonies, with the symbols, with the countdown clocks etc. surrounding the Games.

I didn't mean that as a critical posting -- I just found it interesting to get a new perspective from an "outsider". ;)

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I really hope that this is not going to be a case of the British thing of making fun of things after they happen, even though during the games there was only praise.

If you were spending billions of pounds/dollars over 7 years for an event that is the biggest sporting event in the world and a once in a generation/lifetime hosting then of course you are going to go all out and promote not just the sports but the culture, arts, music and the country as a whole. The Olympic Games are one big package and that's its magic.

I have never really liked David Mitchell, some of his sketch shows are funny but when he is being himself he comes across as arrogant and a bit of a toff.

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I really hope that this is not going to be a case of the British thing of making fun of things after they happen, even though during the games there was only praise.

It isn't such a case - the video was posted on February 29 of this year. So it's possible that Mitchell has eaten his words meanwhile. ;)

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  • 2 weeks later...

The Man With The Golden Grump: Daniel Craig was in a bad mood during Olympics skit with the Queen after working on his day off

It was one of the most talked about segments at the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, but Daniel Craig has admitted he was grumpy during filming with the Queen as it was his day off.

But Craig has confessed that while his royal companion was game for a laugh during the skit, he was less so.

The Bond actor, 44,and Her Majesty filmed a hilarious scene for the opening ceremony, featuring 007 accompanying the royal Bond girl to a helicopter.

The memorable scene ended with stunt performers, doubling for Bond and the Queen, jumping out of the helicopter and parachuting into the stadium.

But Craig has confessed that while his royal companion was game for a laugh during the skit, he was less so.

He is quoted by The Mirror as saying: 'It wasn’t supposed to be funny. It was supposed to be serious.

'She was fun, incredibly game. We had a short space of time and I was a bit grumpy as it was my day off and suddenly I am at the Palace with the Queen at her private chamber.'

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'And she improvises a little bit. She was supposed to be sitting at the desk and she asked if she could write, so she pretended to write.'

And if Craig didn't make it as an actor, Bond producer Barbara Broccoli insists he wouldn't have looked out of place at the Olympics Stadium as an athlete.

The Skyfall producer said: 'Daniel did his own stunts. Tough, knocked around a lot, he soldiers on. He likes real actors to perform.

'Daniel trains like an Olympic athlete and sustains that six days a week for a six month shoot. Incredibly physical, he takes the action part seriously.

'You should see him in a swimsuit. His fighting on top of a moving train gave me grey hair.'

http://www.dailymail...o=feeds-newsxml

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Strange quotes from Daniel Craig. According to the original Mirror article (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/daniel-craig-queen-was-incredibly-game-1366245), he also said that "the scene wasn’t played for laughs so he was surprised that millions around the world found it so comic".

OK, he obviously refers to the scene in Buckingham Palace there and not to the helicopter/parachuting scene; but he really was surprised that the audience found it funny that the Queen takes part in such a clip and even keeps her agent waiting so that he has to call for her attention by clearing his throat? I somehow thought that he has a better sense of humour.

I'm curious to see how Putin and the Russians top QE2's entrance.

Well, Daniel Craig can impersonate Putin, they will both enter the stadium and then the audience will be asked who the real Putin is. ;)

Bearing in mind that Putin is not really known for his humour but rather for narcissism and autocratic behaviour, I doubt that he'll do something funny.

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Well, if Rome won, the Pope could've entered doing cartwheels or something silly like that.

The thing I liked so much about the Queen's entrance was the tone. It was just charming and fun. Surprisingly playful. Just the right sort of lightness. A truly unique Olympic moment.

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It's funny how that James Bond video became one of the favourite moments of almost everyone in that opening ceremony. Remember how some of us (including me) cringed when it was reported for the first time on April 1 (hence some, including me, believed it was an April Fools' prank) that they are shooting a James Bond video at Buckingham Palace for the opening ceremony?

I must say that the actual execution was much better than I originally believed. There was a flaw, though, regarding the light conditions shortly before the Queen and Bond jumped out of the helicopter (one could see that they shot that scene at daylight, while it was already dark at that stage of the opening ceremony), but apart from that, that segment was sheer brilliance.

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I must say that the actual execution was much better than I originally believed. There was a flaw, though, regarding the light conditions shortly before the Queen and Bond jumped out of the helicopter (one could see that they shot that scene at daylight, while it was already dark at that stage of the opening ceremony), but apart from that, that segment was sheer brilliance.

If it was any darker, the images & the Union Jack would've been blurred too much -- so they used a little 'artistic license' of more daylight. (Altho I thought the jumping out was 'live'; was it not?)

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If it was any darker, the images & the Union Jack would've been blurred too much -- so they used a little 'artistic license' of more daylight. (Altho I thought the jumping out was 'live'; was it not?)

What Union Jack do you mean? I was talking about the scene when James Bond opens the helicopter's door above the stadium, looks out and then lets the Queen jump first. You can recognise that they shot that scene at daylight, so it didn't fit with the actual lighting conditions at the opening ceremony.

And they could have filmed that "Bond in the helicopter" scene also at nighttime. They could have used lights to provide a clear picture then.

The parachute jumps of the "body doubles" of James Bond and the Queen were live indeed, but that's another matter. I was just talking about the film.

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