Olympic farrago

[Acrylic-bob]

Was I the only person in the country who found the British performance at the handover ceremony in Beijing a bit of a toe-curler?

Watch it here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QprSn_D31U0

(Skip ahead to 6:40 for the worst bits - If you can bear to. )

Now it seems that there is more embarassment to shoulder.

At a truly staggering cost of £27 million, it has been revealed that the opening ceremony will feature a tribute to the NHS, for God's sake, involving hundreds of dancing nurses.

Considering that these precious 'Angels' do little these days but complain about how short staffed, underpaid and overworked they are, one is amazed that they are able to find the time. Considering further that quite a lot of them are hopelessy overweight one wonders what sort of message the organisers are trying to send?

Reading what the director, Danny Boyle had to say in today's Telegraph...

London 2012 Olympics: Shakespeare theme to lead 'Isles of Wonder' Olympic opening ceremony - Telegraph

This is shaping up to be a cringe-fest of epic proportions.

Can this possibly get any worse?

 

[garinda]

I don't think that before the 1984 games in Los Angeles, there was all this big to do at the opening ceremony.

The Olympics are a sporting event, not an international jazz hands festival.

London, 1948.

Parade of competitors.

Welcome speech.

Light Olympic flame.

Release a few war ravaged pigeons.

Just get on with the thing.

We should look back to how hosted the games so well in '48, not try and compete with a costly Chinese freak show.

LONDON 1948 Lighting of the Olympic Cauldron (Amateur Footage) - YouTube

 

[MargaretR]

I have just watched the rehearsal of the nurses dance routine on tv.
It was like de-ja-vu of Broadway Accy 2011.

 

[mobertol]

Though it was meant to be an "austerity" Olympics given the recession -along the lines of the last London Olympics just after WW2. It all cost £600,000 back then - and was all very frugal (see account in link).
The First Post War Olympics - 1948 London - Olympics30.com

Apparently back then all the athletes got a free tin of Ovaltine!

For some reason I can't watch A-b's film in Italy, not authorised, perhaps it's 'cos it's so bad !

 

[jaysay]

Though it was meant to be an "austerity" Olympics given the recession -along the lines of the last London Olympics just after WW2. It all cost £600,000 back then - and was all very frugal (see account in link).
The First Post War Olympics - 1948 London - Olympics30.com

Apparently back then all the athletes got a free tin of Ovaltine!

For some reason I can't watch A-b's film in Italy, not authorised, perhaps it's 'cos it's so bad !

That was a bit bloody extravagant

 

[mobertol]

That was a bit bloody extravagant

Had to supply their own hot milk though Jay! And bring their own cutlery if they wanted to eat.

 

[garinda]

It would have been so much classier, in a British sort of way, to keep things simple. As well as much more fitting, in the middle of a world recession.

Welcome parade of competitors of all nations, then just let the games begin.

It doesn't need all this amateur theatrical brouhaha.

We don't do it very well.

Plus we could have spent the enormous amount it's costing, in a thousand more worthwhile ways.

 

[mobertol]

It would have been so much classier, in a British sort of way, to keep things simple. As well as much more fitting, in the middle of a world recession.

Welcome parade of competitors of all nations, then just let the games begin.

It doesn't need all this amateur theatrical brouhaha.

We don't do it very well.

Plus we could have spent the enormous amount it's costing, in a thousand more worthwhile ways.

Hear, hear! Well said - after all it is meant to be about the best athletes in the world, that's the real "show".

 

[susie123]

At a truly staggering cost of £27 million, it has been revealed that the opening ceremony will feature a tribute to the NHS, for God's sake, involving hundreds of dancing nurses.

Considering that these precious 'Angels' do little these days but complain about how short staffed, underpaid and overworked they are, one is amazed that they are able to find the time. Considering further that quite a lot of them are hopelessy overweight one wonders what sort of message the organisers are trying to send?

So just what have you got against nurses, A-B?

I may be biased, but having just spent two weeks in hospital, I do not recognise your description. All the nurses I encountered, and other staff as well such as porters, domestics and theatre staff, were caring and considerate even though I would say the nurses could have done with more staff at times. They certainly all worked hard and did not complain, at least not in my hearing.

Looking at NHS pay scales I would say the days of poor pay are gone and as for your comment about being overweight, I really don't know where you are coming from. I only saw one obese person on the staff while I was there, plenty among the visitors, and he I think was a doctor, in scrubs, and so fat he could not sit in a chair with arms but had to perch on the edge of the seat.

I wonder what Marg P will have to say about your comments?

PS talking about obesity, what about that executive producer in the Telegraph photo?

 

[walkinman221]

My best mates partner is a cardiac nurse, she works long unsociable hours in a understaffed and under funded ward.To hear you say that the nurses do little and are obese really irks , the majority of nurses and docs do a good job in difficult conditions where money and staffing levels are low, i would like to know what you base your assumptions on, tarring all nurses with a dirty brush as you have done.

 

[cashman]

Never bother watching the crap, aint gonna start now.

 

[MargaretR]

We will be left with some expensive 'art'
..rich pickings for pikxies

 

[Alan Varrechia]

Perhaps they could have thousands of unemployed, dancing with bowls in their hands singing please sir can we have some more. Formation cap doffing and forlock tugging. Maybe a troup of ceremonial bankers (phew spelt it right) collecting massive bonus cheques. The possibilities are endless.

 

[garinda]

Perhaps they could have thousands of unemployed, dancing with bowls in their hands singing please sir can we have some more. Formation cap doffing and forlock tugging. Maybe a troup of ceremonial bankers (phew spelt it right) collecting massive bonus cheques. The possibilities are endless.

A flash loot.

 

[DaveinGermany]

A flash loot.

Flash B'stards !

 

[Eric]

It would have been so much classier, in a British sort of way, to keep things simple. As well as much more fitting, in the middle of a world recession.

Welcome parade of competitors of all nations, then just let the games begin.

It doesn't need all this amateur theatrical brouhaha.

We don't do it very well.

Plus we could have spent the enormous amount it's costing, in a thousand more worthwhile ways.

I don't think anyone does it well, least of all our moronic neighbours, which is surprising as they have had lots of practice. For the ultimate in tacky, watch the half-time show at the Super Bowl. But it seems as if each Olympics has to achieve a lower standard at twice the expense. Maybe the organizers get all their ideas from Wrestlemania.

One could also blame the krauts and their Aryan Expo '36.

 

[Benipete]

In this age of digital TV should not the Olympics have Its own channel then I don't have to be bored out of my mind.

 

[garinda]

I don't think anyone does it well, least of all our moronic neighbours, which is surprising as they have had lots of practice. For the ultimate in tacky, watch the half-time show at the Super Bowl. But it seems as if each Olympics has to achieve a lower standard at twice the expense. Maybe the organizers get all their ideas from Wrestlemania.

One could also blame the krauts and their Aryan Expo '36.

The French actually do it well. As was seen at the World Cup.

But they're brilliant at pulling off 'all show, and no substance'.

It's how they are.

French women look very chic, but drenching yourself in eau de toilette, is no excuse for only giving your pits and your tuppence, a quick wipe over with the flannel once a month.

 

[Eric]

The French actually do it well. As was seen at the World Cup.

But they're brilliant at pulling off 'all show, and no substance'.

It's how they are.

French women look very chic, but drenching yourself in eau de toilette, is no excuse for only giving your pits and your tuppence, a quick wipe over with the flannel once a month.

Maybe the Frogs invented the aqua-lung so that one could make love to the ripe ones without gagging.

But it must be a difficult task to come up with something that is quintessentially British. Not only is it a country with a long, rich history, it is also a place of more regional differences than a country ten times its size. In Canada, all we would need would be a few guys in touques speaking French, some fishermen, guys in cowboy hats, some First Nations people, and a bunch of dope smoking hippies from the Queen Charlottes, and you have it all summed up.

 

[annesingleton]

Apparently, despite being in a state of severe economic austerity we can afford to pay the head of RBS an enormous and unjustified bonus as well as hosting a money's no limits olympic games - I despair!