Olympics opening ceremony: US media reacts to 'peculiar' British fe

By FlintyV
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Grand Master

FlintyV

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"Olympics opening ceremony: US media reacts to 'peculiar' British festival"

London (Guardian) - With its colourful and stunning melange of the bizarre and unexpected, Danny Boyle's Olympic opening ceremony was bound to provoke a few puzzled looks from across the Atlantic.

When you mix an eccentric British history lesson about the Industrial Revolution with a tribute to the National Health Service and throw in Mr Bean, a parachuting monarch and a horde of Mary Poppinses, then virtually the only guarantee is that some people won't get it.

That seemed to be true of the reaction of the American press, which digested Boyle's spectacle a good deal later than the rest of the world after network NBC refused to show it live, preferring instead a delayed and edited broadcast.

Some American critics loved it and others found it bizarre and hard to understand.

In the first camp was the New York Times' writer Sarah Lyall who was so ecstatic about the show that it believed it had solved ? sort of ? the great problem of Britain's post-Imperial place in the world.

"A wild jumble of the celebratory and the fanciful; the conventional and the eccentric; and the frankly off-the-wall, Britain presented itself to the world Friday night as something it has often struggled to express even to itself: a nation secure in its own post-empire identity, whatever that actually is."

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Japlabot

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The British Empire ended a long time ago, it seems like the stereotypical 'stupid American' image comes from the news media that feeds this drivel to the nation. Thr Brits know who they are and they were showcasing their culture.

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Vice

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As a Brit and a Londoner I think it would be fair to say that over the past few years I've been hating on the olympics pretty hard. I didn't like anything about it, I didn't think we should be hosting it, I thought it was a big waste of money and I didn't like all the sponsorship **** going on around it.

I did not have high hopes for the opening ceremony, I thought it would be stuffy, expensive and easily forgotten. I did not think it would be better than Beijing's opener.

But then I watched it and I thought it was the best Olympic opener I've ever seen. It was just amazing in every way it totally conveyed everything that Britain is about and I think Danny Boyle and everyone else involved did an amazing job. I truly believe it was better than Beijing's - Theirs felt more like a staged act to portray how powerful their nation has become and it felt very false in places especially the part with the little girl singing with the piano. But the British one I felt was authentic it didn't try to do anything abnormal and it showcased a true British style and life. It involved people from all cultures just like Britain is made up of and yeah I just thought it was great.

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+SOOPRcow MVC

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I really enjoyed the whole thing and I'm very proud of and happy for the British people. Paul McCartney with Hey Jude and everyone singing along was really spectacular.

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Ghost5525

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It was pretty good i wouldn't say it topped Beijing in 2008 though. I liked the end though the lighting of the torch was pretty cool too.

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Vykranth

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Oh, Good Lord, there are really too many people trying to over-analyze things.

Even if I miss some of the cultural references, I have found the opening ceremony very enjoyable and British to the core: joyful and eclectic.

The only thing I would criticize was at the end: when they brought Muhammad Ali for the Olympic flag presentation. It was a heart-breaking moment to see how much the Parkison disease has affected him.

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Semtex

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The only thing I would criticize was at the end: when they brought Muhammad Ali for the Olympic flag presentation. It was a heart-breaking moment to see how much the Parkison disease has affected him.

Look on it form other side, how big sportsman He is, how strong man, to face His illness, to face billion people... My full respect for Him :)

About opening ceremony, for me that was the best OC ever!!

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stereopixels

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The only thing I would criticize was at the end: when they brought Muhammad Ali for the Olympic flag presentation. It was a heart-breaking moment to see how much the Parkison disease has affected him.

What's to criticise? Ali is a sporting legend and cultural icon, the world shouldn't hide him away because he has Parkinsons ;)

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Mr. Gibs

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That seemed to be true of the reaction of the American press, which digested Boyle's spectacle a good deal later than the rest of the world after network NBC refused to show it live, preferring instead a delayed and edited broadcast.

And NBC pretty much ruined it as well. Apparently they did nothing but talk during the show and then they cut out the tribute for the July 7th terrorist attacks and replaced it with some bland interview with Michael Phelps.

Good job :rolleyes:

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FlintyV

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London (Guardian) - As the Olympic torch was lit in London at the end of a three-and-a-half-hour ceremony live blogged and tweeted across the globe, NBC finally began to broadcast the show ? to Americans on the east coast (west coast viewers had to wait another three hours for their turn).

Commentators Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira reunited for the cameras as if it was Beijing 2008 ? or the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, or just a regular morning in 2011.

Theirs was the job of interpreting, explaining and trampling all over Danny Boyle's fast-paced, high-def presentation of Great Britain from the time of maypoles and hay bales to the current day. And they did what they were paid to do.

In the early part of the broadcast, commentary was restrained. Matt and Meredith didn't speak over every song, and they only interrupted each other every so often.

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mattmatik

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It was a disgrace. My wife and I were irritated and finally just muted the TV. We wanted to enjoy the music but couldn't due to the constant talking. Once Meredith started singing to the Stones, I was done. And then you've got Ryan Seacrest of all people interviewing Phelps? What a joke. Give me Jimmy Roberts any day over that celebrity ass clown.

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Mr. Gibs

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And then you've got Ryan Seacrest of all people interviewing Phelps? What a joke. Give me Jimmy Roberts any day over that celebrity ass clown.

Well and don't cut out a tribute to the victims of a terrorist attack so you can interview Phelps.

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mattmatik

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Cmon people everyone knows that's what Americans want to really watch. They eat up stuff like that, it's sad.

Really? Says who? We're a family of Americans and certainly don't care to watch the Opening Ceremonies commented on like its a People Magazine show.

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Vykranth

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What's to criticise? Ali is a sporting legend and cultural icon, the world shouldn't hide him away because he has Parkinsons ;)

There are absolutely no doubts for me about the qualities of Ali, he is the greatest champion of all times. But to see him looking so frail and fragile, I had a pinch in my heart.

I hope the organization comittee did everything they could to preserve his health for his voyage and accomodation.

Look on it form other side, how big sportsman He is, how strong man, to face His illness, to face billion people... My full respect for Him :)

May be.

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