I just hope mittens shuts the hell up!!

Who will light the Olympic cauldron? Odds favor Queen Elizabeth or Roger Bannister

The biggest mystery of the Olympics will be revealed just before midnight Friday when the Olympic cauldron will be lit in London. Speculation on the identity of the final torchbearer began almost immediately after the IOC announced the Games would return to London. In the final hours before the Olympics get underway, odds have dramatically shifted. Who will light carry the final Olympic flame? Fourth-Place Medal investigates. (Odds from Sky Bet.)

Queen Elizabeth II: 5/1

The odds on the Queen have increased sharply in the hours before the Opening Ceremony. The 86-year-old monarch, in the midst of celebrating her diamond jubilee, dropped from 25/1 to 5/1 overnight.

Roger Bannister: 1/1

A prominent British bookmaker suspended torchbearer betting on Thursday after a surge in wagers on Bannister, the man who broke the four-minute mile barrier in 1954. Over 98 percent of the bets that came into William Hill were for the 83-year-old living legend. That helped drop the odds on Bannister to even. He had been 33/1 in June. Not that anyone will be getting rich off these wagers: When inside information can shift a market like this, bookmakers tend to limit the amount that an individual can bet.



Steve Redgrave: 3/2

Redgrave won five consecutive Olympic golds in rowing and is considered one of the biggest sporting stars in Great Britain. He’s been the odds-on favorite since it was first announced that London would host the Olympics and has remained near the top of many lists ever since. That air of inevitability could hurt Redgrave. Danny Boyle likes to be unconventional and the most conventional choice may have a disadvantage. Then again, a Redgrave lighting doesn’t have to be predictable. With Boyle at the helm, a simple torch lighting (think Muhammad Ali) may be off the table. Thinking along those lines, can’t you just picture Redgrave rowing down the Thames and lighting the flame from his boat?

David Beckham: 7/1

You’d be better off betting on Henry VIII to light the cauldron. Beckham isn’t lighting it. There are no certainties in life, but this is pretty close.



Children or normal citizens: Off

The oddsmakers we looked at didn’t have odds on a regular person being the final torchbearer. We think it’s a possibility, however slim. Early word says Boyle’s Ceremony will be an egalitarian tribute to England. There are nods to the industrial revolution and nurses and war efforts. What better way to cap it all off than by having children or citizens of varying backgrounds light the cauldron together?

at one time there was solo synchranized swimming

When does womens beach volleyball begin?........I'll be all over that....lol....

They still got boxing, or is that too rough now ?

has it already started?

Pdog wrote on Jul 27^th, 2012 at 4:37pm:


I agree the games have been good but you should drop a t and add an o. 

I thought the whole thing was absolutely mad and brilliant.

Good musical soundtrack too. Our team coming into the stadium to the strains of Bowie's 'Heroes' was a great moment.

PART ONE
Captain Algernon Drummond, William Johnson Cory - Eton Boating Song
Elgar, AC Benson - Land of Hope and Glory
The Jam - Going Underground
Muse - Map of the Problematique
Big Ben Chimes
Sex Pistols - God Save the Queen
The Clash - London Calling
Simon May - EastEnders Theme
The Shipping Forecast
Sir Hubert Parry, William Blake - Jerusalem
Elgar - Nimrod
Handel - Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
Eric Coates - Dambusters March
Handel - Music for the Royal Fireworks
Monty Norman - James Bond Theme
Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells
Mike Oldfield - In Dulci Jubilo
Vangelis - Chariots of Fire
BBC News 1954
Arthur Wood - The Archers Theme
Winifred Atwell - Black and White Rag

PART TWO
Sugababes - Push the Button
OMD - Enola Gay
David Rose - The Stripper
Lionel Bart - Food Glorious Food
Irwin Kostal, Richard Sherman, Robert Sherman - Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Rizzle Kicks - When I Was a Youngster
Eric Clapton - Wonderful Tonight
Colin Tully - Gregorys Girl Theme
William Pitt - City Lights
The Who - My Generation
The Rolling Stones - Satisfaction
Millie Small - My Boy Lollipop
The Kinks - All Day and All of the Night
The Beatles - She Loves You
Mud - Tiger Feet
Led Zeppelin - Trampled Under Foot
The Specials - A Message to You Rudy
David Bowie - Starman
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
Sex Pistols - Pretty Vacant
Duran Duran - The Reflex
New Order - Blue Monday

PART THREE
Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax
Soul II Soul - Back To Life
Happy Mondays - Step On
Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony
Prodigy - Firestarter
Underworld - Born Slippy
Jaan Kenbrovin, John William Kellette - Im Forever Blowing Bubbles
Blur - Song 2
Dizzee Rascal - Bonkers
Tigerstyle - Nacnha Onda Nei (contains Michael Jackson - Billie Jean, Queen & David Bowie - Under Pressure and Ilaiyaraaja - Naanthaan Ungappanda)
Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
Mark Ronson & Amy Winehouse - Valerie
Radiohead - Creep
Muse - Uprising
Kano & Mikey J - Random Antics
Tinie Tempah - Pass Out
MIA - Paper Planes
Coldplay - Viva La Vida
The Chemical Brothers - Galvanize

PART FOUR
Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
Kaiser Chiefs - I Predict a Riot
Roll Deep - Shake a Leg
Adele - Rolling in the Deep
Oasis - The Hindu Times
Oasis - Wonderwall
Emeli Sande - Heaven
William Monk/Henry Francis - Abide With Me
Pink Floyd - Eclipse
The Beatles - The End
The Beatles - Hey Jude
David Bowie - Heroes
Eric Spear - Coronation Street Theme
Ron Grainer - Doctor Who Theme
John Philip Sousa - Monty Python Theme/The Liberty Bell
David Bowie - Absolute Beginners

Well done!
Let the games begin!

Paranoid Android wrote on Jul 28^th, 2012 at 3:02am:


...? Wouldlike to know.. was trying to sleep.. so awesome all the opening?   

Well done Great Britain. Opening ceremony was very moving and Her Majesty stole the show.

Missed the parade of athletes (fell asleep), saw the torch lighting and turned it off before "Angela Lansbury's" performance of Hey Jude. Blech.

Love gymnastics, tennis,  swimming, track & field, equestrian events.....well, I watch as much of it all as I can!

Paranoid Android wrote on Jul 28^th, 2012 at 3:02am:



It was the music played in the stadium during the Opening Ceremony (great bit of inventiveness and direction by Danny Boyle).  Some of it performed live, some of it a mish-mash of British music down the years to accompany various choreographed routines which included nods to the Industrial Revolution, The NHS, the Suffragette movement, tributes to the British Film Industry etc - and then finally a musical soundtrack to the Parade of Nations as the teams entered the stadium.

Loved the use of David Bowie's "Heroes" when the GB team came in at the end. A genuinely spine-tingling moment.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19025006

sirmoonie wrote on Jul 28^th, 2012 at 11:34am:



You have indeed. I even lifted you out of a pool of your own vomit somewhere off Oxford Street in August 2003.

Edith Grove wrote on Jul 27^th, 2012 at 4:27pm:

They even have womens boxing now.

Gazza wrote on Jul 28^th, 2012 at 11:56am:

Wait, that was me?

I was boozing under the Hammersmith Flyover on the night in question.  And I never puke. Can hold mud.  Proven talent over various narcotics, drugs, and alcohol, via all known routes of administration.

Gazza wrote on Jul 29^th, 2012 at 10:55am:



LOL!!!

In my area, we have 6-7 TV channels covering the events. I have access to 5 of them....and I'm practically going crazy, flipping from station to station, trying to watch it all! I won't see as much during the work week---mostly the nightly broadcasts. I've seen a bit of just about everything, I think. 

I still think it's strange that beach volleyball, water polo, badminton, etc. are Olympic sports......and baseball and softball no longer fit that bill... I wonder who determines what sport qualifies? And which sports are added or dumped?? The Olympic Committee? I should know the answer to this....

the football is outstanding.... my family is besides themselves, they have lost Dad!!!!

The gymnastics scoring to qualify for the individual all around are ridiculous!  The top 24 atheletes are supposed to go on, but only two are allowed from each county.  So if a gymnast scores third in the overall competitioin  but is also third on their team they can not go on to the individual round.  That is just stupid.  No other sports at the Olympics have a stupid rule.  Can you imagine the uproar if a swimmer had the third fastest time but was also third on their team and couldn't swim in the finals?

And yes, the the real football is great!  Enjoying that and the swimming very much so far.

Talk about an uninvited guest at the Olympics.


Friday night's spectacular pyrotechnics display of the most watched opening ceremony in summer Olympics history attracted more than the eyes of over 40 million people. A clearly seen unidentified flying object was videotaped making its way over London's Olympic stadium, reports Examiner.com.
The disc-shaped object is first seen entering the upper left portion of the video as the fireworks erupt over the stadium. The UFO -- which appears to have a dome or bulge rising from its center -- moves slowly across the sky as if deliberately observing the light-show spectacle below it.

While NBC Olympics -- a division of NBC Sports -- has chosen Goodyear blimps for all of its 2012 Olympics aerial coverage, the strange-looking object that appeared over the opening ceremonies doesn't appear to be a blimp.
On an evening that included an apparent Queen Elizabeth and 007 agent James Bond parachuting out of a helicopter into the Olympics stadium, most people probably wouldn't have been surprised if a staged UFO was also on the entertainment menu, just two weeks after the U.K. released its most recent batch of UFO documents.

Last month, former Ministry of Defense UFO desk officer Nick Pope suggested that a huge event like the London Olympic Games, could present itself as a prime target for otherworldly craft to show themselves to a gigantic viewing audience.

"With the summer of mass events, we are all on high alert for terrorism. But we must also cast our eyes further afield and be prepared for even the most seemingly unfathomable," Pope said, according to PressTV.
Pope wrote earlier this year of a conspiracy theory rumor that suggested a fake alien attack would be staged at the London Olympics.

"A combination of special effects and holographic technology will be used to create the illusion of an alien invasion, the rumor claims," Pope wrote on TruTV.com.

"If aliens have studied our psychology, they may choose to appear in our skies on a significant date -- the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games is one date being widely circulated by conspiracy groups," PressTV quoted Pope.

Maybe Friday night's UFO appearance was a dress rehearsal.

Might be the same UFO seen in the French Quarter:

http://www.abc26.com/news/local/wgno-french-quarter-ufo-sighting-20120723,0,1569...

Aliens must be checking out tourist destinations.

uncleson wrote on Jul 30^th, 2012 at 4:03pm:



especially the part where the japanese get it changed!!!

I think the games lost a lot when they allowed the professionals in.....like basketball superstars..although I am looking forward to wrestling and seeing The Undertaker kick some ass!

sweetcharmedlife wrote on Jul 31^st, 2012 at 9:14am:

Thanks sweetsniffle, they are saying that UFO the other day was a blimp.

Some Guy wrote on Jul 31^st, 2012 at 9:20am:


Geez..another Mick Taylor sighting>?

They had both already qualified and the draw meant that losing would have got them easier opponents in the next round.

sweetcharmedlife wrote on Aug 1^st, 2012 at 9:51pm:


During the women's match between Spain and the United States, one player ended up pulling down another's swimsuit on live television. The "wardrobe malfunction" resulted in NBC airing bare breasts and nipple live on television. The momentary boobage caused an uproar on Twitter, with many going online to seek confirmation that they did, indeed, lay eyes on a bare breast during NBC's live coverage of the event

Why would anyone that has the internet bother looking for that?

Cant they just look at hardcore porn sites like normal people do?

Momentary boobage ? 

This has been the Olympic Games that I have enjoyed the most, London rules, great organization, simply the best so far; it's also nice to have two nationalities as this was you enjoy twice

BTW... The medal count http://www.london2012.com/medals/medal-count/ is now a click-away on the header

any chance the Stones play the closing ceremonies?

has the USA won 200 medals yet? everynight all NBC shows is wins....never seen a loss yet....I know its the prime time show but hasnt someone from another country set a record or something they could at least give us a glimpse of????

NBC sucks donkey balls...they go to commercials during the real football (football) matches. Watching womens the real football...Japan v Brazil...they went to commercial while Japan scored a goal. 

Gazza wrote on Aug 3^rd, 2012 at 12:31pm:

above the rim

Voodoo Chile in Wonderland wrote on Aug 2^nd, 2012 at 11:08am:

Its a great Games and getting better.  London is the greatest city on earth circa middle ages.  

The Mormons are crying in their NA swill at the success.

Wait until track starts!

Go Galen Rupp !!

Edith Grove wrote on Aug 4^th, 2012 at 3:17pm:

Just watched the race. Pretty cool. Brit wins it and a good finish for Galen Rupp to get Silver.

Gazza wrote on Jul 30^th, 2012 at 7:59am:


Thanks for the info, Gazza... Yes, tennis came back in '88, one of my fave tennis years, as my girl, Steffi Graf, won the "Golden Slam" that year! All four major tournaments, plus the Olympic gold. 

sweetcharmedlife wrote on Aug 3^rd, 2012 at 11:00am:



We are very proud of "our" Gabby, here in Virginia! When I first saw her compete, I knew nothing about her--or where she was from. I just LOVED the way she "flew"! And her smile and personality were contagious. I just about bit my fingernails to the knuckle, waiting to see if she'd win that gold!

Our newspaper headline SHOULD have been...


"Flying Squirrel! Golden Girl!"

What happened with Phelps? Wasn't he supposed to be shit and washed up a few days ago?

Gazza wrote on Aug 4^th, 2012 at 6:17pm:


Yeah, he decided to retire before he embarrassed himself any further!

Gazza wrote on Aug 4^th, 2012 at 6:47pm:

Really?  My arcane references don't go for loss.  The Shifter - he was amazing (when he remembered where to show up), like 5 foot nothing, and just blazing last lap speed.  Once ran a 27:30 with a 49 second last 400.  Who the hell runs that fast even today?

More track coming up! Some great races, next few days.

Ronnie tonight at the event "Jessie J Live In London", The Roundhousein


With Great Britain Olympic Athletes Rebecca Tunney, Zoe Smith, Hannah Whelan, Imogen Cairns and Jennifer Pinches


With British professional boxer Amir Kahn

Voodoo Chile in Wonderland wrote on Aug 4^th, 2012 at 10:29pm:



Records are made to be broken.......

CONGRATS ANDY-WELL PLAYED!!!

sirmoonie wrote on Aug 5^th, 2012 at 12:45pm:


shovel ready postin'

Bolt looked like he could do a 9.65.  No one can beat him.

Hope Gay medals.  Hope Gatlin suffers same fate as Romney's Mormo-horse.  Carrot eating, plow neck, sneed.

I saw at TV... Mick Jagger in the House with Lucas in athletic events...

rogerriffin wrote on Aug 6^th, 2012 at 5:00pm:



Once again MICK shows his parenting expertise! Not every little boy gets to attend the Olympics with his VIP dad & (almost) step-mom. What a great time for them!  I'm sure little Lucas is athleticly inclined, in fact I bet MICK insists on it! MICK's dad was a gym teacher so the apple does not fall far from the tree. With so many sports at the olympics it really opens up possibilities in young minds, and the attitude that if you work hard at something, there is much that can be achieved. Thats why I love watching the Olympics, its inspiring! And I never saw so many people in such excellent physical condition! How about that double amputee Oscar Pistorius from S. Africa? That was incredably amazing!

US beat Canada 4-3 in womens the real football. I heard the ref made a few bad calls which turned the game. Not a the real football expert but any thoughts from those of you that are?

Pdog wrote on Aug 7^th, 2012 at 8:16am:


fair enough...thx pdog...missing a PK in the real football is like folding a full house....

Voodoo Chile in Wonderland wrote on Aug 4^th, 2012 at 10:20pm:



WOW! Is Ronnie dating TEAMS of beautiful young girls now??

Tumbling Dijs wrote on Aug 7^th, 2012 at 2:00pm:


Tumbling that is an excellent point....17 million people much less than say Canada yet top 10 as you say...plus they are always near the top in Winter games too.....that orange though......lol..Im going to take another peak at Imogen Cairns before I leave this thread......

Gazza wrote on Aug 7^th, 2012 at 1:01pm:



LOL

FPM wrote on Aug 7^th, 2012 at 10:26am:



Yes! lol  And, in keeping with the athletics/Olympic theme.....this is a TAG team. 

Voodoo Chile in Wonderland wrote on Aug 7^th, 2012 at 10:36pm:


Yes Voodoo!  We'll be rooting for Mexico in our house!