Here's how you light an Olympic cauldron

[BillVol]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoIunu-2FMU

So who lit the cauldron tonight? And smack after that "event," we had to suffer through Paul McCartney. This OC was even worse than Atlanta.

[ATK]

This ceremony was pretty embarrassing. I was waiting for something to happen practically the entire time...

[jazzcyclist]

This was my favorite.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIl_3sYP ... re=related

[Daisy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoIunu-2FMU.

I can't see what's so impressive about Berlin. Barcelona was definitely great.

I was waiting for something to happen practically the entire time...

I think the devil was in the details. It was easy to miss all the cultural references.

As to embarrassing, I was not. Certainly a little odd, but that's probably fitting.

Did anyone notice that one of the teams had wellies as their official team kit?

[ATK]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoIunu-2FMU.

I can't see what's so impressive about Berlin. Barcelona was definitely great.

I was waiting for something to happen practically the entire time...

I think the devil was in the details. It was easy to miss all the cultural references.

As to embarrassing, I was not. Certainly a little odd, but that's probably fitting.

Apologies, I definitely thought that if I was from GB I would appreciate/understand it more.

But I still think it was embarrassingly boring for an opening ceremony.

[Daisy]

Apologies, I definitely thought that if I was from GB I would appreciate/understand it more.

But I still think it was embarrassingly boring for an opening ceremony.

No need to apologise. And I understand, I miss most of the jokes that reference US culture. I agree it dragged in places, but not more than other OC's. I'm probably not the best to poll though, I've never really enjoyed these gradiose types of events on a TV screen. I imagine being in the stadium would have been better.

[shivfan]

To each their own....

I'm not a great fan of opening ceremonies, but I enjoyed Beijing, and I enjoyed this one, both in their separate ways. I also preferred the idea of using "athletes of tomorrow" to light the cauldron, rather than have to pick one of several athletes of the past, and leave it open to accusations of it-should-have-been-xyz.

But I do understand the view that some aspects of this ceremony may have flown over the heads of some who are not familiar with British culture and history....

[Jackaloupe]

Most of all that obscure BritComic hamming it up on the KeyBored! Like getting Stephen Colbert in on the act. At least the James Bond bit had universal appeal--once they'd brought it down to pre-taped bits, incl J.K. Rowling no less.

At least Bob Costas passed on "betting DjaBooty" redux--a line he waited days to toss out back then. Yet we had to listen to the likes of Matt Lowry reminding us of places he'd been. [I recall his little half-truth, in an early version of "Where in the world is ML, of being "at Mt. Everest", where they showed a glimmering Ama Dablam, the famous chisel-shaped sacred mountain that towers above Tangboche Monastery--even if it's "only" about 6000m and days from Everest/Chomolungma (sp?). I know cuz I've been there;~)

[Flumpy]

HERE'S how you light an Olympic cauldron.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crO2l-Im ... age#t=266s


This was absolutely perfect and more or less what I had dreamed of for years in the run up to the games.

Raelene Boyle to Betty Cuthbert to Dawn Fraser to Shirley Strickland to Shane Gould to Debbie Flintoff King to Cathy.

It makes me cry right from the very beginning........"Ladies and Gentlemen. Celebrating 100 years of women's participation in The Olympic Games, the Olympic flame carried by Betty Cuthbert and Raelene Boyle"

I want legends at my opening ceremony not a bunch of kids titting around, whilst I get a fleeting glance of the people who should have been involved sitting in the crowd.

Complete wasted opportunity.

[Marlow]

The Barcelona Arrow wins, hands down.

[jazzcyclist]

The Barcelona Arrow wins, hands down.

Great minds think alike.

[Flumpy]

The Barcelona Arrow was fabulous but it wasn't Betty Cuthbert.

[KDFINE]

Re: Opening Ceremonies.
Kudos to the Industrial Revolution;
however
London, for example, by the end of the 19th century still had a greater death rate than birth rate due to the unwholesomeness of living in cities (which Malthus wrote about much earlier);
And these rate differences helped fuel the "Enclosure Movement" which drove "unproductive" small rural landowners and workers off their lands into the cities, thus providing the labor for the industrial revolution, and giving the lands to larger, wealthier folks.
Of course urban living provided the hearth for many of the innovations that provided for advances that we all benefit from, and I suppose a glitzy opening ceremony must gloss over the downside.
Why did I bother to watch?
I too wanted to see the legends. Too much to ask for.
Boring.
Me thinks McCartney has the same make-up artist as Jenner.

[Conor Dary]

And life was so much better in the 12th Century. They should have had a segment on the Crusades.

[Conor Dary]

The Barcelona Arrow wins, hands down.

On that theme the Brits could have restaged the Battle at Agincourt in 1415, and had an archer shoot the final arrow into the cauldron. I am sure the French would have appreciated the thought.

[Cooter Brown]

Did anyone notice that one of the teams had wellies as their official team kit?

That was the Czech Republic. I was wondering why they were wearing rubber boots until I just looked up the history of them and see that it was a tip of the hat to England.

[TN1965]

I want legends at my opening ceremony not a bunch of kids titting around, whilst I get a fleeting glance of the people who should have been involved sitting in the crowd.

Complete wasted opportunity.

Yeah, Melbourne wasted opportunity in 1956 by allowing an unknown kid to light the cauldron. Glad we didn't have Internet back then with people bitching about that hapless kid.

[Dutra5]

Most of all that obscure BritComic hamming it up on the KeyBored!

What country are you from that would make Rowan Atkinson obscure?

[Marlow]

Most of all that obscure BritComic hamming it up on the KeyBored!

What country are you from that would make Rowan Atkinson obscure?

Americans only know him as the inept Mr. Bean, and not many of us get his appeal. Gimme Benny Hill any day!

[Conor Dary]

Most of all that obscure BritComic hamming it up on the KeyBored!

What country are you from that would make Rowan Atkinson obscure?

I preferred his Blackadder days.

[Jackaloupe]

I'm from California, via New Jersey, neither of which cottons to such "dry" humor--even if I did come to appreciate the likes of Victor Borgo (sp?), but PDQ Bach is so much better at the KeyBoard. This Dude did indeed do KeyBored.

But, seriously, in the age of Stephen Colbert--who along w/ Jon Daley is my main source of News--would you expect that many modernday dudes & dudettes to have a clue as to this comic style, let alone someone of my generation hamming it up like that--and so out of place at the Oly venue, wouldn'tcha concede?

[Daisy]

That was the Czech Republic. I was wondering why they were wearing rubber boots until I just looked up the history of them and see that it was a tip of the hat to England.

It was a brilliant tip of the hat and I'm sure it was appreciated. Great that they are self confident enough to have some fun like that.

Gimme Benny Hill any day!

Really? The guy was a sexist prat.

Me thinks McCartney has the same make-up artist as Jenner.

Or would that be plastic surgeon? When will this fad for rolling out the old rockers end? You'd think that they would realise their own limitations.

[Marlow]

Really? The guy was a sexist prat.

You do understand he was playing the stereotypical British male, yes?

[Daisy]

More like playing to the stereotypical male. His contemporary, Dick Emery, was far more creative.

[Marlow]

Really? The guy was a sexist prat.

You do understand he was playing the stereotypical British male, yes?

More like playing to the stereotypical male. His contemporary, Dick Emery, was far more creative.

America got Benny Hill and Monty Python regularly on the TV in the 70s. That is Great Britain, as far as we know!

[Cooter Brown]

Gimme Benny Hill any day!

Now a fat guy chasing some topless women would've made it the best opening ceremony of all time. At least beat Rio to the punch. No way '16 escapes without some debauchery in the ceremony.

[tandfman]

Most of all that obscure BritComic hamming it up on the KeyBored!

What country are you from that would make Rowan Atkinson obscure?

I preferred his Blackadder days.

Me too. That was very funny stuff.

[tandfman]

I've never really enjoyed these gradiose types of events on a TV screen. I imagine being in the stadium would have been better.

It was infinitely better. We saw what was presumably the international feed on the big screens in the four corners of the stadium. What we saw on the screen did not well capture what we were seeing in front of us. The life show was quite good. Had I been at home watching on tv the images that I saw on the screens in the stadium, I would have had a much less favorable impression of the ceremony. Watching it live, I thought it was excellent, even though I am not much of a fan of most of the musical content. I could quibble about a couple of details, but it was a very effective presentation--they did a fine job.

[Conor Dary]

Most of all that obscure BritComic hamming it up on the KeyBored!

What country are you from that would make Rowan Atkinson obscure?

I preferred his Blackadder days.

Me too. That was very funny stuff.

Especially the Elizabethian Blackadder II Hugh Laurie (House), Stephen Fry, Tony Robinson, Miranda Richardson. Great stuff.

[Randy Treadway]

I was wondering why the BeeGees weren't included in the 'history of British music' right after Queen, but then I remember that they were invited to perform in the closing ceremonies at Sydney 2000, but had to cancel. The Australians claim them.

But the British claim them too, and lo and behold there they were as featured music during the entry of the national teams last night. Of course only one of the three BeeGees survives now, so a concert is impossible.

An interview with McCartney afterward said he was overcome with emotion at the start, and indeed he seemed to improve as Hey Jude went on.

We'll have to see about Elton John in the closing ceremonies. I wonder if Mick Jagger and the Stones will be there too? Elton did okay at Prince Diana's funeral, but he really has a lot of miles on him. But if Elton has miles, Mick and the Stones have marathons on them.

[Gabriella]

I thought the whole thing was superb. I was emotional only 20 minutes into it. It showcased what Britain was about and what we have given to the world. The lighting of the flames and they way they rose up into one was superb.

[gh]

I want legends at my opening ceremony not a bunch of kids titting around, whilst I get a fleeting glance of the people who should have been involved sitting in the crowd.

Complete wasted opportunity.

Yeah, Melbourne wasted opportunity in 1956 by allowing an unknown kid to light the cauldron. Glad we didn't have Internet back then with people bitching about that hapless kid.

For the record Ron Clarke was not unknown. Believe he had already set world junior record in the mile or some such.

[Pego]

I did not care for the part before the Parade of nations. It could be an issue of a small screen as tandfman observed, but I am not quite sure. Everything post-Parade I thought was superb with the lighting of the cauldron the best. Flumpy contrasts it with the female stars in Sydney, I see nothing wrong with either presentation. I just added London's lighting to Sydney and Barcelona as my all-time favorites.

[bijanc]

Thompson to Cavendish to Bannister to Redmond would have been more symbolic.

[Conor Dary]

Hey, it is over.