Olympic Opening Ceremonies...just a little late!

I finally got around to watching the Opening Ceremonies of the London Olympics.  (I had a show that night and I don't have DV-R or a VCR.)  

Just a couple of things you should know:  I have been obsessed with the Olympics since 1984.  I was 6 at the time and it was the first time I remember watching the Olympics.  (I have a hazy memory of the Winter Games in Yugoslavia, and I have a couple of not vivid, but not hazy memories of the  Summer Games in Los Angeles.)  Also, it is on my Bucket List to perform in an Opening or Closing Ceremonies.  If Denver ever gets the games, I will be on the phone within minutes, trying to get on the list of willing performers.


Anyway, just a couple of thoughts on the London Opening Ceremonies:

• I LOVED the beginning.  The Pastoral scene was so beautiful!
• Kenneth Branagh quoting Shakespeare?  Perfect!  And I loved it every time they showed him again...he had the biggest smile on his face.  I could read his mind...he was thinking this was the coolest thing he had ever done!
• The children's choirs singing those familiar hymns brought tears to my eyes!
• The transition to the Industrial Revolution was AWESOME!!!!!
• Forging the Rings?  Sweet!  (Probably not a nod to The Lord of the Rings, but I took it as such.)
• The entire James Bond/Queen Elizabeth II thing was HILARIOUS!!!  Oh, how I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when they pitched that idea to her.
• The homage to Children's literature was really cool!  I could have done without the love letter to the NHS, but whatever.  
• I thought it was funny that they were naming off the villains...but they didn't name one of them:  The Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  Probably because they didn't know who he was.  Way to go, Matt Lauer and Meredith Viera.  Way to go.
• I LOLed when the Mary Poppinses (Mary Poppini?) came to attack the 100 foot tall Voldemort.
• My absolute FAVORITE moment of all was the part with Rowan Atkinson.  That man is, hands down, the best physical comedian ever.  Or at least, he has the best facial expressions ever.  And kudos to him for doing that bit live.  How many other comedians today would not be able to perform live?   Genius.
• After that, it all got a little weird.  I didn't particularly care for the whole June and Frankie thing or whoever they were.  I started fast forwarding.
• It got to the parade of nations and I was going to fast forward some more.  But I was at Shauna's house and Ashlin was standing on the couch with her front paws in my lap and her face in my face...and she wouldn't get down.  So I turned the TV off and went home.

This wasn't my favorite Opening Ceremonies.  That honor goes to Beijing, of course.  But I enjoyed it very much.  I look forward to watching the rest later!