What? Danny Boyle is the director for the opening ceremony of the Olympics?

[cali]

I may actually have to watch it. For those of you who may not know Danny Boyle is a Brit film director. His films include Trainspotting,
Shallow Grave, 28 Days Later and Slumdog Millionaire.

LONDON (AP) — There will be sheep. A cricket game. Nurses. Plus Paul McCartney and possibly James Bond.

Officials want details of the 27 million-pound ($42.3 million) London Olympics opening ceremony to be a secret so that viewers can be surprised, but director Danny Boyle has already disclosed select details: Real farm animals on meadows; plows and maypoles; an idyllic picture of England as the "green and pleasant land;" a dance number featuring nurses and a closing song by McCartney.

Many reports are also suggesting a pre-recorded segment filmed inside Buckingham Palace featuring actor Daniel Craig as Bond, and a stuntman dressed as 007 who will parachute into the stadium to start the show. Later, the pastoral first act will be replaced by a grim scene reenacting a coal-blackened, industrial Britain at the mercy of towering chimney stacks and giant cogs.

How will it all come together?

<snip>

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/26/olympics-2012-opening-ceremony-danny-boyle_n_1707224.html

[NYC_SKP]

1. Paul McCartney?

Oh dear, I think I have a colonoscopy that day.

If I don't, I can schedule one, or, should I say, "sheddule" one!

[loli phabay]

2. an idyllic picture of England as the "green and pleasant land;" a dance number featuring nurses and

erm its teh UK, i know people always get England and the UK mixed up but England is just a part as is Wales, Ulster and Scotland. Its like assuming that Texas is the whole of the US.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. "Green and pleasant land" is a line from a Blake poem, about England

which is now set to music and known as "Jerusalem", and it is specifically English (some suggest it should be sung as the English anthem in sports between the nations of England, Scotland etc., rather than the generic 'God Save the Queen' which England uses at the moment - all the other nations have their own specific anthems). It's appropriate to use England in the article in that way.

[loli phabay]

5. not at all, the olympics is not just england you know, so i dont think it is.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. It's primarily London, which is in England

But the main point is that the 'green and pleasant land' reference is about England. The other nations aren't being shut out (eg "Each of Great Britain's four nations — England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland — will be represented by a maypole topped with their national flowers&quot , but there is no ban on mentioning England unless they mention the other 3 immediately. To go back to your Texas analogy, no-one would have objected to something Georgia-specific in the Atlanta ceremonies, saying "they've got to give the other 49 states equal time!".

[loli phabay]

7. nah i disagree with you, lets be realistic it will be the usual englander thing

im sure the other nations will be happy with the maypole thing, as jerusalem is being belted out.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

4. I hope it doesn't contain images of the worst toilet in Scotland

Unless "hurling" is an Olympic sport.