Olympic opening

whitewave ...very well said.

ajenela. How true.

Here! here! ajanela I loved the celebration of the British people and I love that so many ordinary folk have done so well achieving so much through sheer hard work and guts. Glory to them all

Well living here in Portugal, I can tell you the Portuguese TV loved the opening ceremony particularly Mr Bean, the Queen and the music. They praised us for not trying to compete with the Chinese Ceremony and loved the British Sense of Humour. Looking at some of the comments maybe some people don't appreciate what they have.

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I've said it before and I'll say it again - our pop anthem should have been 'One Day Like This' by Elbow. Yes, I am a fan but just listen to it, the lyrics are absolutely fitting for the occasion.

Please please stop wheeling on Macca with his unfeasible hair dye and feeble voice. And 'Hey Jude' ? Why? That was a song Macca wrote to commiserate with Julian Lennon after his smack-head father went AWOL. What on earth does it have to do with the Olympics? If we HAD to have the Beatles music, 'All You Need is Love' would have been more appropriate.

As it was, a very uplifting and proud occasion fizzled out like a damp squib.

I see .

I didn't watch the opening ceremony, but seeing bits and pieces since has been unavoidable. It looked as if it were well produced and some things had a certain charm, but I still feel that it is absurd to spend so much money on a performance, especially as it is invariably utterly unrelated to the sports of the Olympic Games apart from the teams marching at the end. Ditto the closing ceremony. Also, I wish someone could put Macca out of our misery.

I think she was advertising her blog without permission, Nonu.

Whenim64 , I see Purplehairstreak message deleted by gransnet , any theories ?

I loved it for all sorts of reasons - one being that the Telegraph was very sniffy suggesting that it was too left wing!
Danny Boyle gave us the history of common man and all that he had strived and suffered for over the past couple of centuries, reminding us how so many of our ancestors had fought for what we so often take for granted - Make sure we don't loose them, our ancestors would not thank us.

It was different, mad, interesting, some bits puzzling, some bits not so good, time flew by. The dancers and Emeli Sande brilliant (so much better than an operatic singer), with wonderful unexpected touches like Sir Tim B-L and the line of construction workers as the torch entered, and I liked the way the Torch cam eup the river - both the traditional rowbarge & the speedboat with female footballer. I even discovered music that I'd missed in my deprived adolescence. The lighting of the flame was inspriational. It also felt inclusive in a way I haven't seen before without feeling too tokenistic - I'd love to know if young people who felt discounted last year in any way felt it was for them too. My 4 year old grand-daughter made me watch the NHS sequence about 10 times on Sunday - she loved Mary Poppins scaring away the demons. She loved seeing all the different countries in their different outfits in the parade (Mexico won - sparkly dresses). My mother (88) didn't like it but now she's understood it a bit more wants to watch the recording. What a task for Danny Boyle and he did brilliantly even if he didn't (couldn't)please everyone. And most of all people are talking about it and may well do for a long time.

I've studied many aspects of psychology and never come across 'astrological'. Is it something recognised by the Britsh Psychological Society?

Bit too complicated for ickle old me

Message deleted by Gransnet.

Our family thought the ceremony was wonderful. We loved the political statement showing who built the country and suffered for it- the factory workers, the suffragettes, the Jarrow marchers. We loved different approach to the whole concept of an opening ceremony. Our friends round the world really enjoyed it. We should never have bid for the Games - I would have rather seen the French saddled with the debt - but it's here and we intend to enjoy it.We saw the Torch, then we took the GC to see it and we are going to some events . Otherwise it's a good excuse to put our feet up, sit as a family and discuss the finer points of diving, cycling and gymnastics (so far). Who knew we were experts?

I thought that this was a wonderful celebration of what's special about Great Britain at the right time to give us a boost in the eyes of the world and inspiration for the future. I was particularly pleased to see Sir Tim Berner's-Lee being recognised for his role as the inventor of the World Wide Web.

DH suggested that the only bit of sending ourselves up that was missing was that Sir Macca should have been suddenly cut off as he was at the Hyde Park concert.

It was a triumph. Only a couple of things jarred - Paul McCartney (it is so incredibly sad when these ageing rock stars can't accept the fact that the voice and power has gone - although they are the ones laughing all the way to the bank!) and the GOSH emblem (but that is just jealousy - as a trustee of a local branch of a national charity I would have given anything to have had our logo beamed out worldwide ).

Well done to all the cast - professional and volunteers alike

I'm with the non-enjoyers I have to say and in my family I am the only one who didnt. I was bored. I thought the music choices wern't good. I would actualy have preferred a sport themed opening and I am not big on sport anyway and whatever was our team wearing - ghastly.

fANTASTIC.

Let's face it we probably all thought it would be crap and it has shut us all up.
Even the miserable press could not say anything against it.

The Queen has shown a good sense of humour and who would have thought she would go along with that, bloomers and all. The couldron was an inspirational piece of engineering and beautiful to watch. Who would have thought the copper pods the children were carrying would create something so lovely.

I am going to watch it again as I missed the tribute to the London bus bombing for example. To think most of the players were ordinary people who came together for the good of the country is brilliant. They certainly seemed to enjoy the night and when interviewed on T.V. you could just sense their pride in being part of it. It was quite bonkers in places but it was compulsive to watch and I don't think it will be challenged again. Bejing was absolutely brilliant and you can't take anything away from it but this was so different and so British.

Only wish I had been there.

Choreographer’s haunting vision edited out by US TV
Londoner Akram Khan created a memorable dance segment featuring a troupe of dancers, a nine-year-old boy and himself performing to the tune of 'Abide With Me', sung by Emeli Sandé, in what was one of the most moving and memorable sequences of the dazzling ceremony.

But American broadcaster NBC decided to cut the section out, instead showing a brief interview with Olympic champion swimmer Michael Phelps conducted by "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest

Welcome to GN ladymo
I found the opening ceremony a real mixture and it was well done, the choreography was good and excellently performed. All the same it bored me after an hour or so and so I went to bed.
I was appalled to hear Boris Johnson saying the next day that 'it had knocked to spots off Bejjing!' and in such a bully boy voice like some over grown boy in the playground. It is not the point of the Olympics just to put a better show on than the other countries. All countries are different, have different cultures, and I can't imagine any other Lord Mayor of another capital city boasting in that bad mannered way.
As to the Queen. I always imagine she has the 'Times' crossword or a Sudoku on her lap out of sight. How else can she endure the hour long boredom?

Welcome ladymo

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