I laughed, I cried ...

[The Hen]

Bloody good job on the Opening Ceremony London.

Well Done.

Loved the Bean!

[Gob]

I must admit that walking into our living room this morning, and catching a glimpse of it, led me to watch the remaining bits. A good show, with a few dodgy moments.

I loved the kiddy dream/nightmare sequence with the Mary Poppins flying in. The music of the 60's 70's etc was very cleverly done (was that young lass hot or what?)

The dance sequence to "Abide with me" was a bit odd to say the least.

Edited to add. Well done Danny Boyle and his team.

[The Hen]

[Lord Jim]

I'm pissed they're doing this on delay...

We're not going to be able to watch it till 7:30 out here...(about 3 and a half hours from now...)

Though I guess it's not all that surprising...a lot more prime commercial time sold that way....

My understanding is that ultimately they expect around a billion people to watch the opening ceremonies...

It's great to hear that Rowan's a part of it, but I'd appreciate no more spoilers without warnings....

[Gob]

[spolier] Watch out for the giant Somalian refugee, lesbian, single parent, dole claiming, illegal alien, puppet, which represents all that is good in the UK today. [/spoiler]

[Lord Jim]

BASTARD!

[Sean]

Oh come on Jim! That's not really a spoiler. That's like saying that there'll be some kind of torch involved at some point.

[Gob]

There was a torch?!?!?

[Lord Jim]

Oh come on Jim! That's not really a spoiler. That's like saying that there'll be some kind of torch involved at some point.

Okay Sean, I understand that lib's humor intent may have been a bit obscure, but.....



"Don'tcha get it boy? I made a funny.."

ETA:

Oh Geez...

You were being sarcastic, and I missed it...

While I was upbraiding you for your lack of appreciation for sarcasm....

That's...uh...a little embarrassing....




Damn, I hate it when one of those things explodes in my own face...

[The Hen]

And who is that jumping from the helicopter?





God bless you Ma'am.

[Gob]

Oh Danny Boyle, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying
'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny Boyle, oh Danny Boyle, I love you so

I cannot be alone in hearing that each and every fucking time his name is mentioned...

[The Hen]

I must admit that I had NO IDEA that the Aussie Lawn Bowling squad was so big ...

[Lord Jim]

And who is that jumping from the helicopter?





God bless you Ma'am.

I knew it....

Her Majesty is going to do a halo jump and then set the Olympic Torch on fire with the embers of her burning parachute.....

I can't believe I didn't see that coming....

[Sean]

Oh come on Jim! That's not really a spoiler. That's like saying that there'll be some kind of torch involved at some point.

Okay Sean, I understand that lib's humor intent may have been a bit obscure, but.....



"Don'tcha get it boy? I made a funny.."

ETA:

Oh Geez...

You were being sarcastic, and I missed it...

While I was upbraiding you for your lack of appreciation for sarcasm....

That's...uh...a little embarrassing....




Damn, I hate it when one of those things explodes in my own face...

Bazinga!

[Gob]

Things you couldn't make up...

London Mayor Boris Johnson has dismissed suggestions the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games was left-wing as "nonsense".

He described the event, which included a tribute to the NHS, as a triumph for the country.

It comes after Tory MP Aidan Burley said a tweet in which he referred to "leftie multi-cultural" rubbish in the ceremony was "misunderstood".

He said he was talking about the way it was handled in the show.

The Games opening ceremony included sequences about the National Health Service, with one showing menacing figures from children's literature looming over children in hospital beds.

Its artistic director, Danny Boyle, said the theme was "this is for everyone".

Speaking at the Olympic Park, Mr Johnson said: "It wasn't global 'Brito-pap'. It wasn't just Big Ben and Beefeaters and red buses and stuff. It was actually the truth about this country in the last two or three hundred years told in a big, dynamic way.

"People say it was all leftie stuff. That is nonsense. I'm a Conservative and I had hot tears of patriotic pride from the beginning. I was blubbing like Andy Murray.

"I thought it was stupefying, one of the most amazing events I have ever seen.

"The big anxiety we had was, could we do something that would rival Beijing. I think we knocked the spots off it."

In his initial tweet the MP for Cannock Chase wrote: "The most leftie opening ceremony I have ever seen - more than Beijing, the capital of a communist state! Welfare tribute next?"

He followed it with a tweet welcoming the fact the athletes have arrived, adding it would mean moving on from the "leftie multi-cultural" rubbish. "Bring back red arrows, Shakespeare and the Stones!" he concluded.

Speaking later to the BBC, Mr Burley insisted he had not been criticising multiculturalism.

"I agree it should be celebrated," he said. "I wasn't having a go at multiculturalism itself, I was having a go at the rather trite way, frankly, it was represented in the opening ceremony."

A Downing Street source said: "We do not agree with him."

A fellow Conservative, Croydon MP Gavin Barwell, was among his critics. "With respect, us Londoners are rather proud of the diversity of our city #nothingleftwingaboutit," he tweeted in reply.

However, in his Daily Telegraph column, Andrew Gilligan said the ceremony was great in parts but added that the section on the NHS was too parochial.

News Corp chief executive Rupert Murdoch tweeted that the ceremony was "surprisingly great even if a little too politically correct".

David Cameron last year sacked Mr Burley as parliamentary private secretary to Transport Secretary Justine Greening for "offensive and foolish" behaviour during a Nazi-themed stag party.

He apologised for the "inappropriate behaviour" of fellow guests at the party.

[The Hen]

So, did anyone else watch the opening ceremony?

What did you think of it?

How about that NHS then, eh? GOSH.

[Grim Reaper]

We are not amused.

[Lord Jim]

I liked most of the live acts, (though a few were kind of tacky) but I really found the interjection of the film footage distracting and confusing....

[The Hen]

Fair doos. I must say I didn't have the same experience.

[Grim Reaper]

And NBC has been criticized for their coverage of the opening ceremony.

Apparently dropping the 7/7 tribute for a Ryan Seacrest interview was not a very good idea.