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Opening Ceremony Spoilers *SPOILER ALERT!*


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Those are old tricks, yes it might be all fun and all with these cutesy landmark props. But do we really need to be reminded that this is London? Guess I'll leave my judgment until I see how they are used in the ceremony then. Just expected more than that

There are tried & true techniques. I do not find it odd at all. Not everything "new"--just because it's new--works.

A Hey Jude sing-along is a odd idea,if they want the audience get involved do a little lights for everbody.

The 'little lights' thing is corny...been done so many times before. THe "sing-along" hasn't been tried since LA. It gets the whole stadium more involved emotionally. "Hey Jude" is not the best choice but there are probably licensing rights involved in the choice of the song; and it is very representative of the Beatles.

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To be honest, it's sounding like a disjointed hodge-podge. I want it to be great. I really hope they pull it all together, but these written descriptions provoke more concern than anticipation. I'm reserving judgement, but I'm worried. Concluding with a Hey Jude singalong is an anti-cherry-on-top.

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To be honest, it's sounding like a disjointed hodge-podge. I want it to be great. I really hope they pull it all together, but these written descriptions provoke more concern than anticipation. I'm reserving judgement, but I'm worried. Concluding with a Hey Jude singalong is an anti-cherry-on-top.

I know. That's why I was apprehensive about the choice of Danny Boyle & Daldry. (Suffragetes? Jarrow march? The NHS? - all seemingly corny ideas.) That's why I wasn't exactly thrilled to go to London this year.

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One thing is for sure: As foreign viewer or even only as British viewer with a mediocre historical education, you'll need a commentator -- unless the announcers give some explanations. I didn't know about the Jarrow march or the Windrush before, and many people also might not know about Emmeline Pankhurst or what is so special about the National Health Service.

I get the impression that the ceremony is extremely British and haven't heard of a segment yet which has a distinct international touch (apart from the Jamaicans they'll probably show in the Windrush segment ;)). It's OK of course to display many elements of the host country's history and culture -- but it should rather be self-explanatory and not too special.

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One more thing that's kinda off-putting to me is seeing those 3D model of the gherkin, big Ben etc. Really? Do we need those that things that belong more to props of a panto or school play.

kev - this is for the closing - everything for the opening has been from dageneham 3 weeks ago

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kev - this is for the closing - everything for the opening has been from dageneham 3 weeks ago

Oh cool! Good to hear that :) I dont mind much the closing to be a little light hearted, so those props are fine for closing :D

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guys - i was not going to come back on here - but with all the spoilers that ran this weekend - i feel the need to.

some of what has been reported is correct - there are elements of truth in it.

none of you know how this will all fit together (the history segment is mine and to be honest it works and is spectacular and moving). the historical elements of this have been over emphasised by the press and are a tiny part of it - rather than the whole.

the segment is about british history but also about the evolution of mankind over the last millennium - it will have universal appeal and should talk to an international audience.

as regards the other segments - I have seen elements of them but don't know how they will pan out. again don't get too hung up on the NHS - it acts a vehicle to this segment rather than the whole subject.

the bmx segment (if they can pull it off) will be really beautiful.

the athletes won't be seated.

i spent 21 hours rehearsing one segment on Friday night - Saturday and Sunday - it really is coming together and the elements that we all thought impossible to do in 15 mins are now being done in that time.

finally - Sir Paul and hey Jude = disappointing but inevitable as the Beatles are the Beatles and started the British domination of popular music.

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what's quite odd and missing from the bits-nd-pieces revealed so far, is Britain's role as a global, maritime power?? I mean the colonization of 13 colonies, well, almost an entire continent? :wacko: India/Pakistan?? :blink: HKG? Singapore? Malaysia? :blink: Most of the Middle East and Africa? "The sun never sets on England"? (Don't give me that it's Great Britain hosting and not the England B/S.) That seems to have been conveniently left out...

And I understand why. But featuring little known, seemingly minor chapters in London (not UK) history and then instead of olde England's overseas, imperialistic reach, they'll feature "boatloads of West Indies people trying to come to the UK for a better life"? :blink: Please. (Even Sydney's show sort of made that abundantly clear, in its so called "Tin Fugue" or "Symphony" section.) Altho I'll still wait for July 27, but if you're going to do a "history parade," I mean leaving out the BIGGEST, most important chapter??? I hope the show on the 27th is NOT insulting to the viewer's intelligence.

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what's quite odd and missing from the bits-nd-pieces revealed so far, is Britain's role as a global, maritime power?? I mean the colonization of 13 colonies, well, almost an entire continent? :wacko: India/Pakistan?? :blink: HKG? Singapore? Malaysia? :blink: Most of the Middle East and Africa? "The sun never sets on England"? (Don't give me that it's Great Britain hosting and not the England B/S.) That seems to have been conveniently left out...

And I understand why. But featuring little known, seemingly minor chapters in London (not UK) history and then instead of olde England's overseas, imperialistic reach, they'll feature "boatloads of West Indies people trying to come to the UK for a better life"? :blink: Please. (Even Sydney's show sort of made that abundantly clear, in its so called "Tin Fugue" or "Symphony" section.) Altho I'll still wait for July 27, but if you're going to do a "history parade," I mean leaving out the BIGGEST, most important chapter??? I hope the show on the 27th is NOT insulting to the viewer's intelligence.

myles - i see where you are coming from. i think they have chosen to focus on how britain transformed itself industrially and the benefits and losses that came with it.

am not sure how the empire would fit into this narrative.

anyway - we can all judge (myself included) on the 27th!

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myles - i see where you are coming from. i think they have chosen to focus on how britain transformed itself industrially and the benefits and losses that came with it.

am not sure how the empire would fit into this narrative.

anyway - we can all judge (myself included) on the 27th!

I see why. But if you're building a show with international resonances, leaving out that chapter would seem to pose a big, gaping hole. I mean, that is England's greatest legacy--inadvertently passing on a global lingua franca that enables the human race to communicate easily today in this increasingly, complex world.

But I'll take whatever unfolds in the final product. Just playing devil's-advocate here. ;)

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I see why. But if you're building a show with international resonances, leaving out that chapter would seem to pose a big, gaping hole. I mean, that is England's greatest legacy--inadvertently passing on a global lingua franca that enables the human race to communicate easily today in this increasingly, complex world.

But I'll take whatever unfolds in the final product. Just playing devil's-advocate here. ;)

i know what you mean - but that maybe covered ;)

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myles - i see where you are coming from. i think they have chosen to focus on how britain transformed itself industrially and the benefits and losses that came with it.

am not sure how the empire would fit into this narrative.

It fits PERFECTLY! Empire both fueled that transformation and was fueled by it. Britain is the nation it is because of the imperialist past. Omitting it completely (if that happens) would be glaring revisionist history and would significantly temper my respect for LOCOG and the OC.

Good grief, it's because of the British Empire that English is the most widely spoken language on the planet.

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Yes but for the most part, Britain treats its Imperial past as an embarrassment. It's barely taught in schools; I have a 22 year old cousin with a degree who, on looking at an old globe, had absolutely no idea why so many countries were pink. And another friend who was astonished by how many countries were in the Commonwealth at the last CG.

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The 'Hey Jude' segment will be very similar to this (really gets going from 2.10):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojkHjVnlnIg

Which I think is a really good thing. The first thing I thought when I originally watched that performance of Hey Jude at the Superbowl was this would be great for the Olympics.

I'm somewhat reconciled now with that song being performed as closer of the ceremony. I mean, if it could bring party to the White House, it should bring party also to the Olympic opening ceremony:

Remarkable for Paul McCartney that he will have performed it at three of the most prominent times and locations in the world -- the Super Bowl, the White House and the Olympic opening.

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guys what if it were done like this?

A massive number of British Artisit performing the song...

Uh-uh. That's McCartney's big moment. And they have to hold back the others for Closing. Otherwise, what or who will perform at Closing? You have to space these things out.

(Gosh, just realized that a 2nd cousin works for Stella McC in LA. Sh*t, could've pumped him to get me an OC ticket from Stella.)

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Uh-uh. That's McCartney's big moment. And they have to hold back the others for Closing. Otherwise, what or who will perform at Closing? You have to space these things out.

(Gosh, just realized that a 2nd cousin works for Stella McC in LA. Sh*t, could've pumped him to get me an OC ticket from Stella.)

Very true!

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Who da hell is "Jude" anyway? :blink: (I mean aside from the apostle.)

"Jude" is actually "Jules", John Lennon's son Julian. Paul McCartney wrote the song in 1968 to comfort Julian from the divorce of his parents John and Cynthia. And you know because of whom they separated? Exactly, because of Yoko Ono. So it comes full circle now -- first Yoko's Olympic opening performance in Torino in 2006, and now a song she was the cause for will be performed at the Olympic opening of London in 2012. ;)

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