The London Olympics

[Brahmsian]

  Yes, I can imagine that quite vividly and without difficulty.  Similar coverage here...I think the production units in the UK have learned a thing or two from America.

This is not restricted to the United States or the UK.  Canada is just as boastful of its athletes and its coverage of the Olympics (no more so than in Vancouver).

I'm sure the same goes for other countries.

[Brahmsian]

Is tea considered a performance enhancing drug? 

[Bogey]

Enjoyed the start of the opening ceremonies, the ring making was cool....then the music/dance montage started and I checked out.  Athletes marching in now....fairly boring.  Now just waiting for Sir Paul and to see who lights the torch.  We are obviously watching it on delay.

[kishnevi]

Mohammed Ali was another of the flag bearers...second time he's had a featured role in the Opening Ceremony.  He was the one who lit the flame in Atlanta.

And this http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18906710 (read from the bottom up--that's how it's formatted)

2152: 
And is rudely reawoken as Simon Rattle spots his lack of concentration - Bean gets back to work to complete the piece with a flourish!
2151:
Mr Bean is content again and is dreaming about the film Chariots of Fire - we now see a replica of the famous scene of the race across the beach.

But wait a minute - Mr Bean is dreaming he is in it and is being overtaken by most of the runners.

So he gets in his car and is driven along the beach as he tries to overtake them.

He ends up in the lead but is overtaken again - only to nobble the leader so he can win...


Tripp Mickle tweets‏: "Mr Bean has this entire place cracking up."

Thirza Legg says: "Mr Bean on the Olympics ceremony has made my life complete!!!"

2149:
Mr Bean is on his smartphone during the performance and is very interested in a text message he has received while he plays the tune's repetitive note on the keyboard with one finger.

He sneezes and changes finger before getting up to try to reach his rucksack for a tissue. He now plays with an umbrella - and yes, he has his tissue!

2147:
And breathe. This is the "interlude" - and this sounds very familiar indeed. Who's up for a burst of Chariots of Fire?

Here, it's performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Simon Rattle with Rowan Atkinson's Mr Bean on keyboards!

[71 dB]

Would have rather heard Sir Edward Elgar's 'Pomp and Circumstance', or something by Vaughan Williams or Holst' 'Planets.

I heard Pomp and Circumstance and Nimrod briefly played in the beginning of the ceremonies.

[Brahmsian]

I heard Pomp and Circumstance and Nimrod briefly played in the beginning of the ceremonies.

Oh, ok.  I missed that then.  I turned the TV on when they were just starting the nations and flagbearers walking in.

[71 dB]

Oh, ok.  I missed that then.  I turned the TV on when they were just starting the nations and flagbearers walking in.

Yes, you missed those by about 2 hours.  Anyway, only short clips were played. You missed nothing.

[Karl Henning]

Paul McCartney signing 'Hey Jude'....not sure what that has to do with the Olympics.

If only he had sung "Her Majesty" . . . .

[Szykneij]

If only he had sung "Her Majesty" . . . .

He should have ended with "The End", which was cool.  "Hey Jude" brought things a bit downhill.

[Karl Henning]

He should have ended with "The End", which was cool.  "Hey Jude" brought things a bit downhill.

In my twitter feed, I read a chap say, Macca singing “Hey, Jude” at every major British concert is like Granddad repeating the same boring story every Christmas.

[Karl Henning]

Another tweeted, “Hey, Jude” was always too long — which I do not think true, but goes to show that Sir Paul has made it so.

[vandermolen]

I enjoyed the ceremony, especially the humour, multi-culturalism and emphasis on positive aspects of British life like music, Shakespeare, children's lierature the NHS (notwithstanding all its problems) etc. Also, the self-deprecating humour (Bond parody and Mr Bean/Simon Rattle). I thought that the whole thing was brilliantly choreographed and consider it great that the performers were mainly volunteers.

[Papy Oli]

"Hey Jude" brought things a bit downhill.

indeed, it was just superfluous then.

Hell,  The Arctic monkeys were better at being the Beatles than the Beatle himself. That says a lot...

[Papy Oli]

I thought that the whole thing was brilliantly choreographed and consider it great that the performers were mainly volunteers.

It was nice to see the volunteers having the loudest/longest cheer of the evening as well ! 

Only downside for me (beside Macca) were the BBC commentators... just wished they'd shut the f... up more often last night 

[madaboutmahler]

I too, John, tend to dislike quite a few aspects of the Olympics. However, I did rather enjoy most of the opening ceremony, watching it up here in Norfolk with my grandparents. It certainly was very impressive. The part with Mr Bean with the LSO/Rattle was truly one of the most hilarious things I have ever watched! I was crying with laughter throughout! I doubt I'll be watching much of the sport though, really not my thing...

[Bogey]

My wife, who enjoys the Beatles like the rest of our family, thought Paul should have just sung The End and then called it a night.

The whole dance montage with the digital age and then going through the decades I thought was dreadful.  The rest was decent, but the forged ring....now that was cool!

[Karl Henning]

By all accounts, Rowan Atkinson shone!

[TheGSMoeller]

The ending of the ceremony, lighting of the cauldron and fireworks, were quite dramatic, well done.

[Bogey]

The ending of the ceremony, lighting of the cauldron and fireworks, were quite dramatic, well done.

Kind of cool how the flame is closer to the ground.  Like I told my brother-in-law who was wondering how London would top China I said, "You cannot top what China did, but you make it different....maybe even cooler."  I believe they did just that. 

[TheGSMoeller]

I was kinda hoping they would have all the actors who have portrayed The Doctor from Doctor Who, in costume and run around the stadium with the flames before lighting the cauldron, now that would have been way cooler.