Henry Cavill video, at Omega House Party

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoCjnIu_UPQ&feature=player_embedded#!

OMEGA House - A taste of Russia with Vanessa-Mae at London 2012

Have no idea who this woman is - only know that Henry Cavill shows up at about :44 for a few moments.  The rest is a blur.

Henry Cavill - more pictures from the Omega Party (JUST JARED)

It looks like he posed with just about everyone.  Nice man.

From the 'Oh No The Didn't Website'

http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/71106433.html

Dame Helen Mirren pays tribute to troops’ Olympic effort Robin de Peyer Monday, August 13, 2012 5:07 PM (LONDON 24)

Dame Helen Mirren surprised soldiers on Saturday as she attended an event in Wapping to thank the army for their work in East London during the Olympics.


More than 2,500 troops drafted in to help with security during the Games were accommodated in the disused shopping centre Tobacco Dock.

On Sunday, a ceremony was held in Wapping Rose Gardens in recognition their work in maintaining security and integrating with members of the public during the Olympics. The event, which was open to members of the public, attracted Dame Helen Mirren, who lives in Wapping.

“As a resident I have loved having the troops here,” she said. “It has been great to see Tobacco Dock full of people and we have felt so close to what was happening in the Olympic park. It has been a very special event.”

READ MORE:http://www.london24.com/news/dame_helen_mirren_pays_tribute_to_troops_olympic_effort_1_1480403

Olympics - The Best of 'TWENTY TWELVE"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J2-YExNR24

THE JUBILYMPICS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sMhAMcCoRI

THE OLYMPIC CLOCK

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUPTemqxY28&feature=relmfu

THE EXCHANGE OF GIFTS


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

MULTICULTURALITY - (my favorite)

I ONLY PRAY THEY BRING THESE PEOPLE ALL BACK SOMEHOW.  HAVE TO KNOW IF IAN AND SALLY...

Kenneth Branagh: ‘Don’t call me sir’ (SCOUTLONDON.COM)

He may have been one of the stars of Friday’s Olympic Opening ceremony, but that’s not the only regal highlight Kenneth Branagh’s recently had – having been knighted in the Queen’s 2012 Birthday Honours list last month.

“The response has been overwhelming from people I haven’t seen for a trillion years: old school friends, people from all over the world. I’ve been touched,” says the Belfast-born actor.

Branagh, 51, turned down a CBE in 1994, but there was no such hesitation over the knighthood. In fact, he said his heart was “fit to burst” when he first heard.

His recent work before Danny Boyle’s incredible piece, however, has been somewhat bleak. He has been playing troubled detective Wallander (based on the books by Swedish author Henning Mankell); a man of few words but many emotions, who Branagh brings to life with a stripped-back performance that has earned him great praise.

READ MORE: http://www.scoutlondon.com/2012/07/30/kenneth-branagh-dont-call-me-sir/

Olympics: Off-Topic Request: Please thank our troops at the Olympics (SCOOP IT! BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH) Scooped by T Poulson

There's a great site - SCOOP IT! BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH that ran this little article about the troops guarding the Olympics.

By T. Poulson

In the UK, 18,000 of our troops are guarding the Olympics. There weren't supposed to be that many, but there was a SNAFU and they are picking up the slack. They are AMAZING. Some of them are just back from Afghanistan and are missing seeing their families. Many are staying in tents and sleeping on campbeds.

Now, they aren't complaining, but, if you happen to see them, please give them a big 'thank you'.

This is a very personal request. See that picture above? Well, that fit bloke at the front is *my big brother*. I am bursting with pride for him and the incredible job that *all* of our armed forces are doing to make the Olympics as fun and safe as they can be.

Apologies for the interruption, but thank you. Now, back to your normal 'Benedict Cumberbatch' service......T. Poulson


http://www.scoop.it/t/benedict-cumberbatch

Downton Abbey, Stella McCartney, Nicole Kidman: Celebrities at the Olympics post their pictures By: Jennifer Campbell Twitter: @jenncampbell

The cast of the runaway hit show Downton Abbey all attended the Opening Ceremony together. Actor Hugh Bonneville, who plays Lord Grantham on the show, posted this pic of the group. Try spotting Bates, Thomas, Daisy and Lady Edith out of their wartime garb. (We’re pretty sure some of the costume’s were on loan for ceremony’s turn-of-the-century

Nicole Kidman

Stella McCartney

See more pictures at CTV OLYMPICS BLOG: 
http://blog.ctvolympics.ca/2012/07/celeb-twitpics/

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH VIDEO - OPENING THE BBC COVERAGE OF THE OLYMPICS

The internet called.

You broke it, Mr Cumberbatch.

[It has exploded with screen captures from the Olympic launch video!]

Well done Mr Boyle, Mr Cumberbatch and the BBC; the launch of the Olympics was an absolute triumph and, judging by the reaction from the internet during the show, this is going to be an incredibly well-received event.

I wish they had shown this in the states.  It's better than Bob Kostas.  Much better.

Queen, famous faces light up Olympic opening ceremony (REUTERS)

REUTERS - Seven teenagers lit the Olympic cauldron on Friday, at an opening ceremony starring the queen and seen by millions around the world, in a touching finale to a high-octane, musical celebration of British history and culture.

True to the London Games’ motto of ‘Inspire a Generation’, organisers put unknown youngsters in the global limelight rather than established sporting greats in the closing act of a madcap four hours of comedy, spectacle, noise and emotion.

“I declare open the Games of London celebrating the 30th Olympiad of the modern era,” said Queen Elizabeth, the 86-year-old monarch, followed by a fanfare and explosion of fireworks.


The ceremony on a cool, cloudy but dry London night kicks off 16 days of sporting thrills and spills up and down the country, as more than 16,000 athletes from 204 countries vie for the Holy Grail of sport – Olympic gold.

Celebrating her 60th year on the throne this year, the monarch played a starring role in a ceremony which film director Danny Boyle turned into an unabashed celebration of the host nation stamped with an unmistakeably cinematic style.

Early on in the show, which ran well over time, Her Majesty appeared in a short, tongue-in-cheek film also starring Daniel Craig in his role as James Bond.

Wearing his trademark tuxedo, 007 enters Buckingham Palace and the queen, with two corgis at her feet, turns from a writing desk and says simply: “Good evening, Mr Bond”.

The moment drew a huge cheer from the crowd, not used to seeing Her Majesty play such an informal part in proceedings, and coincided with a resurgence in the royal family’s popularity following the 2011 wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Doubles of Bond and the queen then parachuted from a helicopter above the stadium, built on the Olympic Park in a once derelict area of London’s East End, before schoolchildren sang the national anthem and the Union flag was raised.


READ MORE: http://www.france24.com/en/20120728-uk-athletes-actors-queen-light-london-olympic-games-opening-ceremony

Star-studded audience for Olympic opening ceremony Updated: July 27, 2012, 3:53 PM ET Associated Press (ESPN)

LONDON -- There will be monarchs, presidents, prime ministers, plus David Beckham and the cast of "Downton Abbey." Friday's opening ceremony for the London Olympics is an A-list affair.

Among the 60,000 spectators at Olympic Stadium will be Queen Elizabeth II -- who as British head of state will officially open the games -- along with royals including Prince William and his wife Kate, and Prince Harry.

There's sure to be a sprinkling of showbiz royalty, too, with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, recently filming in Britain, the most often-cited names -- though the first celeb spotted arriving was British actor Richard E. Grant.

British movie star Orlando Bloom stopped to take pictures with British soldiers and fans outside the stadium.

"I'm a big fan of Danny Boyle, so I'm excited to see what he's done!" Bloom said.

Actor Hugh Bonneville, who plays aristocrat Lord Grantham in the costume drama "Downton Abbey," tweeted a picture of his fellow cast-members arriving at the stadium.

READ MORE:http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=oly&id=8204734

KATE MIDDLETON AND PRINCE WILLIAM BAG FRONT ROW SEATS AT THE OLYMPICS! By Eleanor Young - Tuesday 24 July 2012 (MARIE CLAIRE)

As official Ambassadors of the London 2012 Olympics, the lucky Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have bagged the best seats in the house for some of the most hotly-anticipated sporting events.

According to officials, William and Kate, together with Prince Harry, will cheer on cousin Zara Phillips in the equestrian events, with Prince William also scheduled to attend Team GB football at Wembley, Tennis at Wimbledon and Athletics, including the men’s 100m final.

Meanwhile, Kate Middleton will reportedly watch the swimming, sailing, diving and hockey, and Prince Harry the Beach Volleyball on Horse Guards Parade.

One royal aide told the Telegraph: 'The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry have been tremendously excited about the Olympics for a long time and want to throw themselves in to the Games and help out as much as they can.

'They will be out and about for much of the two weeks, but as well as watching the sports and meeting many of the athletes and visiting dignitaries, they hope to meet a whole cross-section of people, from volunteers to cooks in the Olympic village, who will make the Games a success.'

Another insider added Kate Middleton is 'especially pleased she can watch the women’s hockey team because she has trained with them.'

READ MORE: http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/celebrity/537363/kate-middleton-and-prince-william-bag-front-row-seats-at-the-olympics.html#index=1

Olympics: Paul McCartney, Daniel Craig, Queen Elizabeth in Opening Ceremony NBC, Olympics — posted by halboedeker on July, 25 2012 9:42 AM (ORLANDO SENTINEL) HAL BOEDEKER

The Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics will be a celebration of all things British.
The best of Britain includes the Beatles and James Bond. Paul McCartney has announced he will perform in Friday’s event, which starts at 7:30 p.m. on NBC.

James Bond (played by Daniel Craig) will be knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in a film that’s part of the big opening, The Telegraph reports. Oscar-winner Judi Dench, who plays M in the film series, also takes part in the film.

Is Queen Elizabeth ready for her close-up?

She had better be. She also will officially open the Games. She will have a little help from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, who will be there, too.

But that’s not all for Bond: Craig will reportedly drop into the Olympic ceremony from a helicopter.


READ MORE:http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2012/07/olympics-paul-mccartney-daniel-craig-queen-elizabeth-in-opening-ceremony.html

Hugh Bonneville: Twenty Twelve, BBC Two, review Michael Hogan reviews the final episode of the Olympics mockumentary starring Hugh Bonneville and Jessica Hynes. (TELEGRAPH) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/michael-hogan/

Twenty Twelve: Jessica Hynes as Siobhan, with Aled Jones, Catherine Shepherd as Vicky and Hugh Bonneville as Ian. Photo: BBC

The athletes are ready. Almost. The stadia are built. Well, nearly. The security guards are trained. Ish. But what about “future generations of future people”? Whither “sustainability, posterity and legacy”? Yes, with mere days before the opening ceremony – both in real-life and on-screen – it was time for the farewell episode of Olympic-organising mockumentary Twenty Twelve (BBC Two).

As the Deliverance Team prepared to hand over to the Live Team, last-minute “loose ends” needed tying up. Or more accurately, last-minute panics needed fudging and bucks needed passing. Danny Boyle’s opening ceremony fireworks were going to trigger the Army’s ground-to-air missiles and start World War Three over east London. Eco-friendly charging stations for the official Olympic electric cars worked so slowly, the entire fleet would soon be stationary. And the special “Big Bong” peal of church bells, supposed to ring out gloriously nationwide, had attracted an embarrassingly low number of entries. How many? Not loads, actually. How many exactly? Er, two. Bummer.

‘Downton Abbey’ Heads to the Olympic Opening Ceremonies Published: July 23, 2012 @ 4:27 pm (THE WRAP) By Mikey Glazer

PBS’ Rebecca Eaton knows the first rule of politics: timing is everything.


The "Masterpiece Theatre" executive producer, who helped bring "Downton Abbey" to the airwaves, specifically chose last Thursday morning to make the pilgrimage from Boston to Washington D.C. to pitch PBS for future funding.

“The pilot told me to shut off my phone. We had one nomination when I got on the plane and 37 nominations when I got off,” Eaton told TheWrap at the Beverly Hilton on Saturday night.




“Americans are much more generous,” Julian Fellowes told TheWrap. “They’re not trying to make a fool of you all the time."

“Americans see the fun in award shows more than we do,” Fellowes continued. “It’s a difference of culture. The English have a resistance to success that the Americans don’t.”

The “Downton Abbey” tour’s next stop is the British version of the TCAs on Tuesday, before appearing together at Friday’s Olympic Opening Ceremonies in London.

As for a potential Pippa-esque moment of global-TV fame on Friday, Fellowes promised, “I can handle it."





READ MORE: http://www.thewrap.com/culture/column-post/party-report-downton-abbey-heads-olympic-opening-ceremonies-48911

London Olympics: Hearing Paul McCartney is like winning gold (LA TIMES) By Bill Plaschke July 24, 2012, 9:00 a.m.

Touring the park with the Chicago Tribune’s Phil Hersh on Tuesday, I stopped outside the gigantic venue and openly wondered.

Why would the Olympic folks be blaring the most iconic Beatles song in the middle of a weekday afternoon? Or was some cover band actually in the stadium singing it?

We walked up to an Olympic worker and asked, "Where is that song coming from?"

The guy shrugged and said, "Sir Paul is in there training."

Yes, he was talking about Paul McCartney. And, yes, as we discovered moments later when we entered the mostly empty stadium, Paul McCartney and his band were on an end-zone stage rehearsing "Hey, Jude."

The scene was surreal. My sweat became chills. We stood and swayed with a couple of hundred workers listening to McCartney booming one of the most memorable refrains in music history.

"Na na na, na-na na na…"

READ MORE: http://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/olympicsnow/la-sp-sn-paul-mccartney-20120724,0,5049770.story

Patrick Stewart Carries Olympic Torch (STAR TREK)

Patrick Stewart made it so today. This afternoon in Croydon, South London, the Star Trek star carried the Olympic torch for a short distance – through the streets and into the St. Andrew’s School -- as the iconic Olympic symbol grows closer and closer to the Olympic Stadium. The torch has been on a 70-day trek through the neighborhoods of London, host city of the 2012 Summer Olympics. It will, on Friday, be used to light the cauldron during the opening ceremonies of the Summer Games.




http://www.startrek.com/article/patrick-stewart-carries-olympic-torch

LIVE BLOG: London 2012 Olympics: seven days to go - Coe defends Olympic sponsorship rules and Games Lanes • Olympic torch to abseil from helicopter into Tower of London • Boris Johnson: 'Stop whining' Paul Owen guardian.co.uk, Friday 20 July 2012 04.16 EDT (THE GUARDIAN)

LONDON 2012 LIVE BLOG

Downing Street

Keep up in real time with the events leading up to the 2012 Olympics.

Here is a summary of today’s key events
• On a tour of the Olympic Park’s security centre this morning, Theresa May, the home secretary, said G4S had told the Home Office last month that it would be able to resolve its problems supplying enough security guards. Charles Farr, the head of security and counter-terrorism at the Home Office, suggested the military’s expanded role in the Olympics means the Games may now be more secure. Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's put G4S on alert for a possible downgrade, warning its Olympic failings could result in the group losing out on future work.

• Andy Murray has said that playing at Wimbledon again only three weeks after losing in the final to Roger Federer will be the best remedy for that loss. "I think it was good for me the Olympics came so soon after Wimbledon; that gave me an extra push and extra motivation to get back on court and not think too much about [the Wimbledon final]," he said. "I feel fine just now. I've been practising now for a week. If the Olympics wasn't here I would have taken two or three weeks off, but I just took four or five days off and got back on the court. I'm hitting the ball well, been playing well in practice, but we'll have to see once I get back out on the court how I'm going to feel exactly. But I would expect that by now I'm experienced enough and had enough tough losses to be able to deal with the final.”

• Confusion surrounds Lord Coe’s comments about whether or not Olympic spectators could wear Pepsi T-shirts or Nike trainers to the Games, given that those brands are rivals to key sponsors. This morning the Locog chief said Pepsi T-shirts would not be allowed, but Nike trainers would “probably” be all right, which I take to mean you “probably” won’t have to walk around barefoot all day if you turn up in Nikes – reassuring. But Locog disagrees with its boss. “As an individual you are free to wear clothing of your choice … of course. Including trainers,” a spokesperson for the organising committee said.

FOLLOW THE BLOG:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/london-2012-olympics-blog/2012/jul/20/london-2012-olympics-seven-days-to-go-live-blog

Hugh Bonneville: Twenty Twelve's Olympic chaos continued in a timely manner (METRO.CO)

Given the furore which erupted in the press this past week over the apparent fiasco involving Olympics security, the latest episode of Twenty Twelve couldn't have come at a better time - kicking off with the aftermath of Ian Fletcher (Hugh Bonneville)'s unfortunate encounter with a starter pistol and the notion that it was a security test that went wrong.

As Fletcher languished in hospital with his bullet-riddled foot in bandages, all manner of chaos swirled around him - from the news that his PA was leaving (albeit not without bringing him a totally irrelevant gift in hospital), through to the arrival of an unexpected replacement.

Meanwhile back at the office the team panicked over Inclusivity Day and Diversity Day, trotting out ridiculous proclamations with the usual razor-sharp accuracy ('We're looking at a runway of three days on this, if we don't get airborne fast we are so eating tarmac') and deadpan wit.


Read more:  http://www.metro.co.uk/tv/reviews/905471-twenty-twelves-olympic-chaos-continued-in-a-timely-manner

Hugh Bonneville: YOU COULDN'T MAKE IT UP: BEHIND THE SCENES ON TWENTY TWELVE Written: Sunday, 08 July 2012 ARTICLE BY GERARD GILBERT FOR THE INDEPENDENT (HUGH BONNEVILLE ON LINE)

Gerard Gilbert is granted an exclusive guided tour behind the scenes of the award-winning comedy 'Twenty Twelve' – and discovers how sometimes life imitates art more closely than you imagine...

Visiting television drama and comedy sets can be a tedious business, with a lot of hanging around between takes and re-takes, but watching the first of the final three episodes of Twenty Twelve being filmed is a delight. I'm an admirer, anyway, of John Morton's award-winning BBC2 comedy about the Olympic Deliverance Commission (ODC), the fictional body tasked with organising the 2012 London Olympic Games, and this was like having a private live performance. And who cares about re-takes when a fantastic cast led by Hugh Bonneville, Jessica Hynes and Amelia Bullmore are delivering the sort of nuanced dialogue that almost demands repeat listening? Take five? Bring it on.

"You really do have to concentrate on the lines," says Bullmore, who plays Kay Hope, the head of sustainability, a role in charge of what happens to the Olympic venues after the Games. "It's speedy and feather-light; you don't sit on anything, you just bomb on through. If I had a fiver for every time John [Morton] said, 'Pace', I'd have a lot of fivers."

We're sitting in standard-issue partitioned offices on the 37th floor of the Canary Wharf Tower in London's Docklands – the previous series were filmed on the 29th floor, so this is a sitcom literally going up in the world – the windows affording a distant panoramic view of Olympic Park. As his character Ian Fletcher, ODC's head of deliverance, chairs a breakfast meeting to sort out the travel arrangements for visiting American VIPs, Hugh Bonneville is experiencing hiccups with his lines. "Obviously we can't have the First Lady sitting in traffic on the Balls Pond Road as Usain Bolt crosses the finishing line in the 100 metres," he recites smoothly after a couple of takes. "At the same time, we can't have Boris being mown down on his bike by a cavalcade of armour-plated Lincoln Continentals."

Not only is this a fiendishly intricate line to deliver in the midst of a rapid-fire ensemble scene, it's also very funny. Is Bonneville ever not able to retain a deadpan face? "You don't actually have time for corpsing because you're just panicking like hell to get it right," he says. "That scene took five hours and the challenge is to make it look effortless and accidental, but as you saw, it's actually very finely honed."

Bonneville is "zooming up and down the M4" to fit this filming into his ongoing commitments for Downton Abbey – his busy timetable one of the main reasons that this final series of Twenty Twelve was split in two; the first five episodes (screened in March) were filmed last summer, while this concluding trilogy has been left until nearly the last minute. "Trying to prise Hugh out of the arms of Downton Abbey is very tricky," says Morton, creator, writer and director of the series. "The good consequence of that is that I was able to leave three episodes to write closer to the Games, although actually they're not really fantastically topical. It's not like a stand-up doing a routine about this week's news about the Olympics. It's trying to make up things that haven't happened but you feel might have."

Indeed, Twenty Twelve has become renowned for its almost spooky prescience, going right back to the very first episode in March 2011, which featured problems with the 1,000-day countdown clock. The morning after the episode aired, the real-life clock in Trafalgar Square broke down. "I had no idea there was a countdown clock," claims Morton, "and then to find out that not only had they done a clock but... it's just a wonderful piece of happenstance."

Others might suspect espionage – but Morton denies he had a mole inside the offices of the real-life version of ODC, the almost satirically named Locog (the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games), which happens to have its headquarters a few floors down from the Twenty Twelve set. "There was someone in the costume department whose sister, I think, may have had occasion to go in [to Locog] and was able to give us a steer as to whether or not they wore ties," says Morton, "but I didn't want an inside track. These people are made up. I wanted to put some clear blue water between us and Locog.


READ MORE: http://www.hughbonneville.co.uk/backstage-articles-interviews-a-charities/item/you-couldn-t-make-it-up.html

Hugh Bonneville: Olympic sitcom in real life security breach TOM PECK WEDNESDAY 11 JULY 2012 (THE INDEPENDENT)

It is a plot line seemingly straight from the sitcom Twenty Twelve.

Olympic officials grant permission to film in a highly restricted security area, to a television sitcom satirising Olympic security. Said sitcom - a heavily trailed BBC prime time show - is then broadcast, creating an actual real life security risk.

Only it's not satire, it's real life, and the sitcom in question is, of course, Twenty Twelve.

In last night's episode of the award winning BBC comedy, the first of three final episodes to be aired before the games, rough-talking, Obama-guarding American Secret Service personnel arrive in Stratford, decidedly unhappy with the security arrangements. They are shown the airport style security in place, in an attempt to placate them, which fails (oh, and Hugh Bonneville gets shot in the foot, literally).

But the sequence in question, The Independent can reveal, was recorded in the Olympic Park's actual security areas. The only thing missing were the signs usually in place reading “For security reasons, filming and photography is not allowed in this area.”

A spokesperson for the BBC confirmed indeed that: "Twenty Twelve requested permission to film in a small area within the security gates of the stadium and the London Olympics kindly agreed."

READ MORE: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/olympic-sitcom-in-real-life-security-breach-7936336.html