Like most things British,
the rest of the world couldn't quite unravel the opening ceremony; but,
typically, they took cover behind their other favourite pastime -
exaggeration - and proclaimed it the greatest show on earth.
Last heard, the Chinese are still smiling.
Yes, it was colourful, glitzy and different... and barely managed to keep you up into the wee hours of Saturday; there were more puzzled looks than dazzled ones in the stadium too as the show traversed the lengths and breadths of the once-great Empire, showcasing its history, culture and music like a Bollywood movie.
The saving grace, ironically, was the freedom enjoyed by Danny Boyle: he used the opportunity and platform to poke fun at his subject itself, with a stiff upper lip. The most daring act was to make the Queen parachute off a helicopter along with James Bond, although both were done by body doubles.
She pulled off the role cleanly, though: she looked stern like M to begin with, and carried a flustered face as she entered the Olympic Arena, with the hair wind-blown to perfection. For the rest of the evening, it seemed like her mind was elsewhere, maybe with Bond on his dangerous mission.
Mr Bean lightened the mood by hijacking the Chariots of Fire; the idea perhaps was to tell the athletes, who may have spent a lifetime just to prepare for this moment, that it's not really a matter of life and death. Mercifully - for him - Bolt, Phelps and the boxers had not yet found their way into the stadium.
The Indians got their two seconds of fame... literally; but even in that little time, they managed to kick up a controversy. They all trooped in, resplendent in their blue blazers, yellow sarees and big grins, but the show was stolen by a bigger lady in red. Much later, it was revealed that she was neither India's top wrestler nor weightlifter; she was a trespasser.
In a way, she made sure that the team's so far disastrous show was glossed over. One after the other, the hopefuls and expectant have fallen by the wayside.
Thapa, Jwala-Diju, Vijay Kumar and Ankita have clearly not kept pace with the world, and like it has always been, they seem to have been catapulted only by hype. The men's archery team fought back after a last-finish on Friday; but it couldn't hold on to the lead and eventually lost in the playoff.
The country's best medal hope, Deepika Kumari, also began on the wrong note in women's archery; but she regained her nerve and inched into the top 10, to help her team to ninth. She will face her big test on Sunday as the eliminators get under way. By then, Vijender's fate in the opening bout would be known.
Around the same time, Saina and our top shooters will also enter the fray. Maybe, all is not lost yet.
Last heard, the Chinese are still smiling.
Yes, it was colourful, glitzy and different... and barely managed to keep you up into the wee hours of Saturday; there were more puzzled looks than dazzled ones in the stadium too as the show traversed the lengths and breadths of the once-great Empire, showcasing its history, culture and music like a Bollywood movie.
The saving grace, ironically, was the freedom enjoyed by Danny Boyle: he used the opportunity and platform to poke fun at his subject itself, with a stiff upper lip. The most daring act was to make the Queen parachute off a helicopter along with James Bond, although both were done by body doubles.
She pulled off the role cleanly, though: she looked stern like M to begin with, and carried a flustered face as she entered the Olympic Arena, with the hair wind-blown to perfection. For the rest of the evening, it seemed like her mind was elsewhere, maybe with Bond on his dangerous mission.
Mr Bean lightened the mood by hijacking the Chariots of Fire; the idea perhaps was to tell the athletes, who may have spent a lifetime just to prepare for this moment, that it's not really a matter of life and death. Mercifully - for him - Bolt, Phelps and the boxers had not yet found their way into the stadium.
The Indians got their two seconds of fame... literally; but even in that little time, they managed to kick up a controversy. They all trooped in, resplendent in their blue blazers, yellow sarees and big grins, but the show was stolen by a bigger lady in red. Much later, it was revealed that she was neither India's top wrestler nor weightlifter; she was a trespasser.
In a way, she made sure that the team's so far disastrous show was glossed over. One after the other, the hopefuls and expectant have fallen by the wayside.
Thapa, Jwala-Diju, Vijay Kumar and Ankita have clearly not kept pace with the world, and like it has always been, they seem to have been catapulted only by hype. The men's archery team fought back after a last-finish on Friday; but it couldn't hold on to the lead and eventually lost in the playoff.
The country's best medal hope, Deepika Kumari, also began on the wrong note in women's archery; but she regained her nerve and inched into the top 10, to help her team to ninth. She will face her big test on Sunday as the eliminators get under way. By then, Vijender's fate in the opening bout would be known.
Around the same time, Saina and our top shooters will also enter the fray. Maybe, all is not lost yet.
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