London 2012 Megathread [Part 1]

getz

partyguinness wrote: »

Just watching the opening ceremony.

I am sorry but I thought it was rubbish (compared to China and Greece).

1. The first 15 mins was taken up showing rugby and cricket....2 non-olympic sports!
2. The reference to the NHS...WTF
3. Then a moment remembering people who were killed on 7/7...WTF Talk about politicising the Olympics which I thought was banned.
4. The industrial revolution....jesus...get over it. They are still cleaning up after it!

I know the Brits love any opportunity to go on about themselves but this was just a promo from the Ministry of Tourism.

I felt like I was watching a end of year school pageant in the local national school. Well intentioned but you just grit your teeth and through it.

Overall I thought it amateurish, lazy and dare I say, looked cheap and bereft of originality.

I mean Paul McCarthy singing "Hey Jude"...really come on...are they that short of ideas that it comes down to an end of the night wedding song!!!! That's just lazy.

It had feck all to do with sports or the olympics and was just a big orgy of Britain. I know there was always going to be an element of self-promotion but that's all it was!!

Very disappointing. Even my English wife felt disappointed. It was totally forgetable.

At the end of the day, it's all about the sports to come so we move on.

ps I liked the torch idea

you dont get it do you, the opening olympic ceremonies are about promoting your own countries culture /history and music over the years,and the NHS is the envy of most countries in the world,

partyguinness

I think the camera shots did the event no favours.

It was all over the place there seemed to way to much going on and the production team didnt know where to go or what to shoot next.

Even that was mentioned on the BBC (cheerleaders in chief) this morning as a moaning point.

The camera team were on speed.

RichT

Women's Beach Volleyball is on NOW on BBC1 via the red button......:p

Elessar

Yawn. Olympics me hole. Pointless drivel. Oooh look that "athlete" jumped higher than the last one. Who cares!

If these athletes want to impress me they need to get jobs and start paying taxes.




You can tell I'm not a sports person

partyguinness

getz wrote: »

you dont get it do you, the opening olympic ceremonies are about promoting your own countries culture /history and music over the years,and the NHS is the envy of most countries in the world,

Yes because all the people around the world were watching to see just how the NHS would be portrayed. Because that is what the Olympics are about.

"Hey everyone, look at our health care system." Right.

Oh I got it alright. I just didnt think it was very good.

Opening ceremonies tend to be about bringing cultures/peoples etc together for a once every 4 years event and celebrating. Of course there will be self-promotion but this was just embarrassing.

That was Danny Boyle's take on it and so be it.

OU812

The only thing missing in the opening ceremony was Dr Who. Was expecting the tardis to appear any minute for pretty much the whole thing.

Would have fitted in so well.

Patsy fyre

Elessar wrote: »

Yawn. Olympics me hole. Pointless drivel. Oooh look that "athlete" jumped higher than the last one. Who cares!

If these athletes want to impress me they need to get jobs and start paying taxes.




[SIZE="1"]You can tell I'm not a sports person[/SIZE]

God, you must have a sad life

partyguinness

Then again it is a little unfair comparing it with Greece and China.

Greek and Chinese culture is rich and varied and spans thousands of years whereas Britain is a relatively young society built on war and colonialism over the past 400 years.

So I suppose it is a bit much to expect Britain to able to compete with that.

Quite simply, it can't.

mike65

A vast number of great shots from last night

www.imgace.com/page/1/

Partyguinness stop trolling, British Culture bestrides the world and has done for the last 5 centuries. From Shakespear on its been a British dominated pop cultural environment.

Run_to_da_hills

The opening ceremony from different angle, I sort of guessed why so much effort was put into this part in particular.

Billions of people around the world witness the symbolic forging together of the five rings representing the five continents of the New World Order,







"We have before us the opportunity to forge for ourselves and for future generations a new world order, a world where the rule of law, not the law of the jungle, governs the conduct of nations". George W Bush. 1991.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc7i0wCFf8g

Elessar

Patsy fyre wrote: »

God, you must have a sad life

I've a fantastic life actually

Just don't see any rhyme or reason to competitive sport in general, particularly the bloated, pointless back slapping party that is the Olympics.

Sea Filly

Got a little bit emotional when Team Ireland was announced and was really surprised at the cheer they got! :eek:

Ella

Elessar wrote: »

Patsy fyre wrote: »

God, you must have a sad life

I've a fantastic life actually

Just don't see any rhyme or reason to competitive sport in general, particularly the bloated, pointless back slapping party that is the Olympics.

So why post in this thread?

partyguinness

mike65 wrote: »

A vast number of great shots from last night

www.imgace.com/page/1/

Partyguinness stop trolling, British Culture bestrides the world and has done for the last 5 centuries. From Shakespear on its been a British dominated pop cultural environment.

I am not trolling Mr Back Seat Mod. Plus you have essentaily agreed with my point.

Lando Griffin

Pudsy33 wrote: »

What time is the opening ceremony tomorrow?

You can catch the closing ceremony in a few weeks.

westendgirlie

watching the swimming..... Yummy

getz

partyguinness wrote: »

I am not trolling Mr Back Seat Mod. Plus you have essentaily agreed with my point.

your point is irreverent ,and also shows a lack knowledge about the opening ceremonies of olympic host countries,

mike65

partyguinness wrote: »

I am not trolling Mr Back Seat Mod. Plus you have essentaily agreed with my point.

I still don't see the essential point of your culture comment - the Greeks have two cultures these days - yoghurt and tax avoidance, the Chinese culture is buried - literally, and metaphorically - under decades of authoritarian communist rule.

Last night was a mad dash through the period that has created modern Britain (agrarian revolution onwards), its unlikely that Boyle would ever have thought spending time on woad covered early Britons made sense (or that there was enough time!)

H2UMrsRobinson

daisybelle2008 wrote: »

Does the main Olympic thread on boards have to be cluttered up with all this irish vs brits politics nonsense?

On topic what sport are people going to watch today?

+1. It seems to pervade almost every thread at some stage on AH and it's tiresome. It doesn't represent the attitude of the general populous here in Ireland. I've always been made to feel most welcome here and have never experienced any negativity of this kind in "real life".

Loved the opening ceremony, I think it was very tastefully done, and representative of what is at the heart of British people's identity and pride in their nation.

I'm most looking forward to the events that are taking place outside the stadia. Get to see London in all it's glory. The start of the road racing on the Mall this morning looked great. And the rowing on now, the weather looks great. The spectators in London are really getting into the spirit of the Olympics and it's great to see my home City being portrayed in such a great light. I bet there'll be a great atmosphere over the next 3 weeks in and around the events.

Hercule Poirot

Phelps is looking very good, more gold medals for him methinks

westendgirlie

Phelps just scraped into the 800m medley final which is decided by times and not by who wins each heat.

Capt'n Midnight

getz wrote: »

you dont get it do you, the opening olympic ceremonies are about promoting your own countries culture /history and music over the years,and the NHS is the envy of most countries in the world,

Like we haven't milked Riverdance.

Off topic - how much would it cost to get in the NHS to replace the HSE ?

Hercule Poirot

westendgirlie wrote: »

Phelps just scraped into the 800m medley final which is decided by times and not by who wins each heat.

Yeah but he wasn't even trying - he knows what he's doing, the crafty fox

Colmustard

To much sport on, what will I watch, heaven.

There are 2 Irish lads in the cycling road race. You never know, Wiggins and Cavendish may fall off their bikes.

Capt'n Midnight

partyguinness wrote: »

1. The first 15 mins was taken up showing rugby and cricket....2 non-olympic sports!

yet

3. Then a moment remembering people who were killed on 7/7...WTF Talk about politicising the Olympics which I thought was banned.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/story/2012-07-27/London-Olympics-Israelis-Munich-moment-of-silence/56545088/1

the IOC permitted a video tribute to the 52 people who were killed in the suicide bombings in the London transit system the day after the city won the Games in 2005.

Here's a big clue - "the day after" Kinda hard for Londoners who remember winning the gig not to associate.
No mention in that article about Bombing during the Atlanta Olympics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centennial_Olympic_Park_bombing - weren't there a load of people killed too when some nutter mounted a sidewalk

Overall I thought it amateurish, lazy and dare I say, looked cheap and bereft of originality.

Did you miss the Mr Bean moment ?

Capt'n Midnight

daisybelle2008 wrote: »

Does the main Olympic thread on boards have to be cluttered up with all this irish vs brits politics nonsense?

On topic what sport are people going to watch today?

whichever one has irish vs brits

getz

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Like we haven't milked Riverdance.

Off topic - how much would it cost to get in the NHS to replace the HSE ?

BBC today was talking to a american media company who took a sample poll around the world,and its results came up as 87% said it was a success,13% including partymcguiness did not like it.

mike65

In the States NBC cut away from the remembrance to show an interview with Phelps. Well done them! :rolleyes:

Capt'n Midnight

Beefy78 wrote: »

and I can't wait to get to London for the second week of the games.

Unless you have a pass for those special lanes you'll probably make it if you leave now

westendgirlie

Just switched to cycling. They do like chatting when racing, don't they?

Capt'n Midnight

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Billions of people around the world witness the symbolic forging together of the five rings representing the five continents of the New World Order,

One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them,
One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them



Is there a sixth ring for the Nazi's down in New Swabia ?

Hercule Poirot

Judging by their rowing ability I don't think any Estonians went to Oxford or Cambridge

Capt'n Midnight

Hercule Poirot wrote: »

Judging by their rowing ability I don't think any Etonians went to Oxford or Cambridge

fyp

Anyone

In work and trying to watch a bit on RTE player....its already annoying me....everytime I look at it, they are in the studio talking(and I have no sound!)....theres shít loads of sport on, and RTE are not showing it

Beefy78

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Unless you have a pass for those special lanes you'll probably make it if you leave now

Yeah, can't say I'm looking forward to using the tube that week. It's gonna be a squeeze.

Hercule Poirot

Anyone wrote: »

In work and trying to watch a bit on RTE player....its already annoying me....everytime I look at it, they are in the studio talking(and I have no sound!)....theres shít loads of sport on, and RTE are not showing it

In fairness to the beeb they are showing anything and everything, the odd 30 secs of discussion and then back to a different sport - nice!

westendgirlie

Anyone wrote: »

In work and trying to watch a bit on RTE player....its already annoying me....everytime I look at it, they are in the studio talking(and I have no sound!)....theres shít loads of sport on, and RTE are not showing it

If you look skim through the first 10 pages of this thread, biggins (I think) listed a livestream

Anyone

Hercule Poirot wrote: »

In fairness to the beeb they are showing anything and everything, the odd 30 secs of discussion and then back to a different sport - nice!

Yeah, I cant watch the BBC in work, I know where I will be watching all the Olympics when I'm at home. RTE really are a joke at times.

Tinie

Anyone wrote: »

Yeah, I cant watch the BBC in work, I know where I will be watching all the Olympics when I'm at home. RTE really are a joke at times.

Well you can always download a english VPN for free to allow you to watch the BBC iplayer live stream, but yeah, RTE are awful in comparison for sport coverage.

Anyone

westendgirlie wrote: »

If you look skim through the first 10 pages of this thread, biggins (I think) listed a livestream

Yeah I started to watch that, eventually you need to sign up(not pay) but make an account. I'll try sort it out over the weekend, its just not something I can do right now.

Sea Filly

Sea Filly wrote: »

My personal highlight: Emelie Sandé singing 'Abide with Me', very soothing and really matched the visuals.

Closely followed by the cycling bird/fairy/butterfly things. Stunning.

Cú Giobach

Anyone wrote: »

Yeah, I cant watch the BBC in work, I know where I will be watching all the Olympics when I'm at home. RTE really are a joke at times.

Have to agree there, too much talk on RTÉ, they are more interested in analysis than watching the actual sport, thank fuck for Freesat.

Sea Filly

Tinie wrote: »

Well you can always download a english VPN for free to allow you to watch the BBC iplayer live stream, but yeah, RTE are awful in comparison for sport coverage.

I've always preferred the RTÉ's Olympics coverage, actually their sporting coverage in general. Less biased. Less excuses. RTÉ all the way for me.

OU812 wrote: »

The only thing missing in the opening ceremony was Dr Who. Was expecting the tardis to appear any minute for pretty much the whole thing.

Would have fitted in so well.

Yeah, would have been great to hear that theme tune. The Smiths and Oasis were also glaring omissions, IMO. But Danny Boyle and Morrissey are the same person, so they were there in spirit.

Hercule Poirot

Sea Filly wrote: »

I've always preferred the RTÉ's Olympics coverage, actually their sporting coverage in general. Less biased. Less excuses. RTÉ all the way for me.

I understand where your coming from, but during the olympics all you want to see is race, race, race

Colmustard

getz wrote: »

BBC today was talking to a american media company who took a sample poll around the world,and its results came up as 87% said it was a success,13% including partymcguiness did not like it.

It was an absolute triumph, from the US to Indonesia all had very positive reviews. I am re-watching some sections of it, the NHS section and the superb music section. I never did that for any other opening ceremony.

I was amazed, I smiled, I even hooped with laughter, then it culminated in that whole surprising sequence of the torch lighting, all unexpected. Danny Boyle has lifted the game, fair play to the Queen, the stars, the musicians and all those volunteer performers.

The whole thing was a spectacular West End show in the East End and I believe it topped Beijing.

Hercule Poirot

Watching the shooting on the beeb, they all look like cyborgs - sexy cyborgs

.E_C_K_S.

Rumours of a betting scandal involving an Irish Athlete. More details to come!

Hercule Poirot

China have won the first gold medal - Women's 10m Air Rifle

Poland silver, China also get bronze

Colmustard

A story is breaking about an Irish athlete betting on an opponent which is illegal. Yay first day and we are involved in a scandal. (no names mentioned)

LadyMayBelle

Too many channels, missed Behan in the gymnastics because I was searching for the channel.. Gah!! Lots of Irish in it today:)