Let the Games Begin!

I absolutely love the Olympics!  It is so fun to be here while the games are just an hour away and to feel the buzz of excitement all around me, especially after such a fun and spectacular Opening Ceremony.  The word from my British friends is that Danny Boyle did Britain proud and that the Opening Ceremony was a terrific warm-up act for the games. I could not agree more.  Let the games begin.

The scene when the audience entered the stadium was England's 'Green and Pleasant Land',  the starting point of Danny Boyle's Opening Ceremony extravaganza. This tranquil scene didn't last long. It was transformed by a brilliant rendering of the Industrial Revolution.

Sir Kenneth Branagh was dressed as Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the man who was responsible for England's Industrial Revolution, and read Caliban's speech from "The Tempest.”   Some Americans who are unfamiliar with Isambard Kingdom Brunel got him confused with one of the most famous of U.S. presidents, Abraham Lincoln. I thought he looked a bit like Brigham Young at first until he started chomping on a cigar. 

Why feature the Industrial Revolution?   Because it 

 marks a major turning point in world history; almost every aspect of daily life was influenced in some way. Most notably, average income and population began to exhibit unprecedented sustained growth. In the two centuries following 1800, the world's average per capita income increased over tenfold, while the world's population increased over sixfold. In the words of Nobel Prize winner Robert E. Lucas, Jr., "For the first time in history, the living standards of the masses of ordinary people have begun to undergo sustained growth ... Nothing remotely like this economic behavior has happened before"

It was a period from 1750 to 1850 where changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times. It began in the U.K. then subsequently spread throughout  Wester Europe, North America, Japan, and eventually the rest of the world.

I think most Brits favorite part of the ceremony what the entrance of the Queen.  I heard today on the radio that the reason the queen agreed to do the James Bond spoof was she is quite smitten with Daniel Craig.  I think there was a collective gasp and a big laugh when this clip aired. 

 The queen was a great sport to do this spoof and everyone was so surprised.  It also set the tone for much laughter and levity in the ceremony.  I love the way the British enjoy laughing at themselves.  I asked our 5-year-old neighbor if he watched the ceremony and his eyes got wide and he exclaimed that he saw the queen jump out of a parachute and jump into the stadium with James Bond.  I didn't dare burst his bubble. 

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Danny Boyle said of the NHS section: ‘One of the reasons we put the NHS in the show is that everyone is aware of how important the NHS is to everybody in this country.‘We believe, as a nation, in universal healthcare. It doesn’t matter how poor you are, how rich you are, you will get treated.’ 

The NHS section of the show also paid tribute to Britain’s contribution to children’s literature, with several villains recreated as spectacular nightmares suffered by the children. They included the Queen of Hearts from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland and Captain Hook from JM Barrie’s Peter Pan. Of course, Marry Poppins saved the day. I loved that J.K. Rowlings, the most successful British Children's author ever, was featured as well!

 Performers payed silent tribute to war dead and the victims of the 7/7 terrorist attack    

Another favorite moment: Rowan Atkinson in his role as Mr Bean during the tribute to British film

I know longer feel bad for Beckham for not making the Olympic Soccer team.  He had a much cooler  roll accompanying the Flame down the Thames as it made its final journey to the stadium.

Former British rower and five times Olympic gold medalist, Steve Redgrave, passed the Torch to seven youth who represent the future of sports, nominated to light the flame

The Cauldron was formed by 204 petals, one for each nation competing. It is simply stunning, brilliant design.

Sir Paul McCartney brought the Olympic Opening Ceremony to a rousing finale with a performance of Hey Jude. 
An estimated television audience of one billion tuned in worldwide to watch the Ceremony.  When is was over Danny Boyle tweeted the "He was proud to be British."  I think last night, 60 million Brits, Scots, Northern Irish, and Welch felt the same.