(Liveblog): The London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremonies…

(rightclicked from today’s Google logo of the cover page of the Google search page, used here non-commercially for review purposes)

looks like it’s  going to be a few minutes late. CNN has removed its countdown/ timer; a couple of minutes ago, it said 2:00 (two minutes) to go and then the digital timer disappeared…

     it’s alright, a thousand lights, sounds, performers of a multi-million-euro production have to be set up: they can be a few minutes late….

    Who’ll be carrying the proverbial Promethean torch…? it’s a well-kept secret up to now. Abangan! (Watch out). For me, the torchbearer should be an athlete or any person symbolic of courage and imagination — that’s what the Promethean lore was all about, isn’t it?…  someone symbolic of being able  to surpass pain, hardship, and strife to bring light to everyone…well, this is London, the Olympic bid was meant to revive the economy with tourist attractions and investments; no need for substance, maybe… CNN is presently filling up the air with… weather news!

     The Philippines, it seems, has consciously downplayed the event because… we’ve sent the leanest contingent ever (11 athletes): hopefully it’s a mean team; i hear we have a good chance at the shooting and boxing competitions. Sports are a reflection of a country’s economic development…i’m blabbering — where are the opening lights and sounds…?

   A good Olympics opening ceremonies, to me, should be judged based on its content and theme, and not on pomp and pageantry or how much was spent on it. The theme and content should have some historicity, or  should show why we are holding the Olympics, its historical background, and its relevance; it should depict the current times and the conflict besieging the world and how the event could have a unifying effect; and finally, it should showcase the triumph of the human spirit in overcoming adversity in every competition… All these in one entertaining, breathtaking production of dancers and dancing lights, opera and pop singers, full orchestras,  fireworks display, acrobats, liontamers,  of course.

    CNN is filling up the air now with a backgrounder of the leading contending athletes…

    … now, it’s filling up the air  with the story of a rickshaw driver in London, which has been replayed half a dozen times to fill up gaps in the broadcast. And more station i.d. and show plugs. wala man lang live interviews ang mga ito, at least dito sa Pilipinas magaling mag- improvise ang mga  producers at hosts; kung sinu-sino ang hinahatak sa studio or  pino-phone patch! ..

Wala na, update on and feature story of the Colorado mass killings na ang pinapalabas nila….

… Maybe they’re waiting for the Queen….

and (from Reuters) here she is, photo by Reuters. video shown at the  opening ceremonies, London 2012 Olympics

FROM THE BRITISH BROACASTING CORPORATION:

“KEY MOMENT- THE QUEEN ARRIVES AT THE OLYMPIC STADIUM

“As the film finishes the Queen arrives at the Olympic Stadium, walking down the steps into the Royal box.

“2128: Two figures parachute out of the helicopter, one dressed as Her Majesty!

“The statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square waves as the helicopter flies over London and through Tower Bridge.

“Her Majesty and James Bond leave the palace and step onto a chopper.

“The Queen and Daniel Craig slowly walk down Buckingham Palace corridor.

“A film of Buckingham Palace – with overhead shots and film of tourists taking a look round. A black cab draws up and Daniel Craig (aka James Bond) races up the stairs and into the building.

“Olympic and triple world champion Zac Purchase

“The men in top hats applaud and salute the rings as a pall of smoke from the iron smelting drifts away over the stadium.

“2123: Five Olympic rings seemingly made from molten steel, rise from the ground and come together in a shower of sparks.

“A replica of the Windrush ship, which brought the first West Indian immigrants over to England after the Second World War.

“The  following are among the performers in this segment alongside the industrialists: Windrush passengers and porters, steel band members, Suffragettes and pearly Kings and Queens…

“But here is a bright splash of colour representing The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper uniforms.

“2118:The men in top hats remain a constant as the ceremony continues – there is lots of movement in the centre of the stadium, people walking here and there.

“Both men and women drummers beating away at bigger drums and we also see what appears to be looms from the cotton mills.

“2118: Time keeps marching on and we now have a group of First World War soldiers – the men in top hats take them off and show respect for those who lost their lives in the 1914-1918 conflict.

“2117: The word Pandemonium, by the way, was coined by poet John Milton: It was the name of the capital of Hell in Paradise Lost.

“2117: A group of Suffragettes enter the stadium and we now see six chimneys smoking away – with a person climbing down the side of each one.

“2115: The men in top hats look up into the crowd and other members of the cast are dragging things around the set – including what seem to be gates, rolled up pieces of turf and even a small building.

“The music for this section of the ceremony is And I Will Kiss, by Underworld, a British electronic duo who previously collaborated with director Danny Boyle on the films Trainspotting and Sunshine.

“2114: Men are marching up and down the hill, groups of people in peasant costume are walking around carrying heavy objects, the group of men in top hat and tails are shaking hands with each other – and all the time the 1,000 drummers keep on beating.

“And beating.

“2113: Tonight’s ceremony is set taking the watching world through “great revolutions in British society”, including the Industrial Revolution, the “revolution of social attitudes” of the 1960s onwards, and the digital revolution of the 21st Century.

“2112: The drumming is being led by Dame Evelyn Glennie, who – having been profoundly deaf for almost her entire life – often plays barefoot “in order to feel the music more accurately”, according to our guide.

“Almost a thousand drummers are taking part.

“After the Green and Pleasant Land opening this part of the ceremony is called Pandemonium.

“It covers subjects ranging from the Industrial Revolution to World War One, trade unionism, Chelsea Pensioners, Suffragettes and the Jarrow hunger marchers, in a 15-minute segment celebrating Britain’s role as “the workshop in the world” in its industrial heyday.

“2110: Danny Boyle promises this is a ceremony with a theme of “this is for everyone”.

“He adds it contains “a celebration of the creativity, exuberance and, above all, the generosity of the British people”.

“He warns that there are “no spectators – everyone in the stadium will be part of the magic”.

“2108: Kenneth Branagh plays Isambard Kingdom Brunel in the ceremony, speaking Caliban’s lines from Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

” “Be not afeard: the isle is full of noises…”

“Brunel, who died comparatively young by modern standards at 53, managed in that time to become a world-leading engineer of steamships, bridges, tunnels and railways.

“2106: All four countries of the UK were represented in song – Jerusalem, Danny Boy, Flower of Scotland and Bread of Heaven sung by youngsters, some of whom are not in the stadium.

“A horsedrawn carriage is on the track and a man in an old top hat carrying a book under his arm steps out, to meet several other men dressed in similar garb.

“The choir in the stadium, all wearing yellow hooped tops, carry on singing Jerusalem.

“2104: As the sound of the bell dies away a young soloist sings Sir Hubert Parry’s setting of William Blake’s poem Jerusalem. And we hear the strains of Danny Boy being sung by a young choir.

“Milkmaids are tossing apples from one to the other, a village cricket match takes place – with an unsuccessful lbw appeal – and there’s morris dancing.

“2102: BBC 2012, Olympic Stadium

“KEY MOMENT- OPENING CEREMONY BEGINS

“The London 2012 opening ceremony begins as Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins rings the largest harmonically tuned bell in the world.

“2059: The banners in the crowd come down and to huge cheers we are almost ready for the official ceremony to begin.

“2057: A classical orchestra sitting on the grass are playing Elgar’s Nimrod. The waterwheel is turning and there is also maypole dancing going on.

“Some members of the crowd are now all sitting under long blue banners which means we can not see them for the moment.

“2057: A quick reminder that you can watch the opening ceremony in 3D on the BBC HD Channel.

“2054: BBC 2012’s Claire Heald at the Olympic Stadium

“United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has just issued the Olympic truce, calling on all countries to declare peace for the Games.”