Not sure whether this should be Cafe Society (being arts-related) or Game Room (being Olympics-related)…so I stuck it here.
The trend in Olympics Opening Ceremonies for the past, oh, 24 years has been to somehow capture the Host Nation’s history & culture, through a multi-disciplined dance, music, technology spectacular. Good luck with that – although China did an eye-popping job of doing just that.
So if you’re in charge of the London games opening ceremonies – how would you express British history and culture? (let’s keep the snark to a low-level…I’m moderately serious.)
But if you want to propose an army of Beatles vs an army of Shakespeares in a re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings, go ahead.
My first thought is that it has to have bagpipes. and Stonehenge…and the Magna Carta…and the Beatles and Shakespeare. And we should hear Rule Britannia a lot.
The main organiser, Sebastian Coe, said tonight they’re not even gonna bother with the big extravaganza. The last few olympics have been everyone trying to outdo each other with the ceremony getting bigger and bigger. He said they’re gonna do something completely different - which I think means much more low key.
I think that could be a good idea - much more classy if it’s done well.
“We used to own you (but you weren’t worth the fuss)”
As each nation enters the arena, the athletes walk under an archway. If the nation passing under the arch is a former British colony, a sign lights up on the arch that says, “PWNED” and midgets holding Union Jacks pop up on top of the arch and wave their flags.
From what I’ve seen of the Beijing ceremony, the London organizers probably crapped their pants when they saw that. There’s no way they’ll ever top it, so they should underplay it. Something low key, that is essential British sportyness.
I say they hold a cricket match.
Best part: by the time it’s over, it’ll be the closing ceremonies, too!
Note that what you saw of the Beijing ceremony doesn’t necessarily correspond to what the Beijing ceremony actually was. Most of the televised fireworks were computer-generated weeks in advance, and the cute little kid they had singing the national anthem was actually lip-synching a different cute little kid. I haven’t heard of any other fakery in the presentation, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised to hear of more.
Let’s face it, every host country is now obligated to have some kind of “spectacular” show to open the event.
There is no particular need to shell out $200 million to top China, but they still have to come up with something of grand proportions, considering billions of people around the world will be tuning in.
The UK has a rich cultural heritage to pull from, and they also have a huge list of living, world-class talent to tap into for live entertainment. Even China used Sarah Brightman in their opening ceremony.
If I were in charge, I would work on a couple of nice technological tricks, get some top performers together and put on a concert/stage show using some of the living legends, as well as some newer talent.
And why not use Beatles music? The show LOVE in Las Vegas is selling out to tourists from all over the world…maybe they should just take that show, beef it up by about 2000 performers, add a few big name celebrities and run with it. I would tune in for sure.
I believe it was only the “footprint” fireworks at the beginning which were computer generated for the home viewer. They were also actually set off live, there were just issues in filming them.
But if you have information to the contrary i’d love to see it.
Ouch…Starbucks iced cocoa HURTS when ejected at high speed through the nose.
I vote for a 2,012-participant Fish Slapping Dance, and a surprise alien invasion that the Doctor and his companions show up in the TARDIS to thwart ('cause although the Doctor isn’t technically British, he might as well be).
The British Olympics will open with Queen Elizabeth 1 and 2 riding into the stadium on dinosaurs. Then Margaret Thatcher as Lady Godiva, but on a unicorn. At the climax the whole arena will be flooded and the Battle of Trafalgar re-enacted with Spitfire air support.
