One point though - which I hope doesn't sound too parochial (or like a knee-jerk gay journalist's Dave Spartism).
The ceremony was clearly trying to show what a wonderfully diverse and inclusive place modern Britain has become - particularly the second half.
And it picked as two of a handful of historic moments that made modern Britain, the Suffragettes and Windrush.
So where were we?
It seems incongruous as so much of the soundtrack (Kinks, Queen, Bowie, Frankie...)* hinted at what a queer old place this is.
I may have missed something, but all I saw was a snippet of the "Brookside lesbian kiss".
But this was so brief I doubt hardly anyone would realise what was going on if they didn't know of the fabled "Brookside lesbian kiss". **
[The kissing segment is 1.05 in here. I'd estimate the Brookside bit is two or three seconds long - out of an 80 minute show! If anyone's fast enough to actually time it, please let me know].
There was one other thing, that I'm not too sure about - again it was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it-moment.
It could just be some men in their best suits drinking Champagne - or is it meant to be a civil partnership?
As with the above was it deliberately brief, and vague - and thus really a quite pointless gesture.
Wouldn't this have been something to go big on, if you wanted to show the world how much this country's changed for the better?
Update: Unfeasibly right-wing Tory MP Aidan Burley calls the ceremony "leftie multicultural crap". Not a patch on Berlin 1936, eh Aidan?
* There was a distant clip of Bowie doing Starman on Top Of The Pops, which you could call a pretty seminal gay moment, but this had no context.
** Postscript: The Guardian online calls the kiss a "Little-noticed 'special statement'" - it's hardly much of a statement if hardly anyone noticed it. I think this was intentional.
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Maybe the men are meant to be bankers celebrating their bonuses?
ReplyDeleteBritain at its best!!!
I'm watching it on iplayer.
ReplyDeleteJust after they play Relax, there's a clip of Billy Elliott, as Billy looks round to his best mate in a dress.
Bit like the Brookside kiss, I suppose, in its briefness - but Billy and his cross-dressing friend were deffo hot for each other. :'(
All the kisses on the screen in that segment were rapidly cut, but the Brookside one did seem slightly quicker - given all the other stuff in the ceremony I seriously doubt this was intentionally done to censor it.
No man on man lip action yet - I seriously doubt they'll do that. :(
PSB's West End Girls just started playing halfway through the various nations walking out, haha!
ReplyDeleteIs that significant in some way??? o_@
I may concede Billy Elliot (I didn't notice his "friend" was in it).
ReplyDeleteWas also hoping Alan Turing would be Tim Berners-Lee scrensaver (at least), but no...
They should have included a clip of the scene in the first episode of Queer As Folk, where Aiden Gillan rims Charlie Hunnam.
ReplyDeletei didn't watch...which makes me waaay more unpatriotic than your sellout ass. haha.
ReplyDeletei gather our americans friends not so keen. earlier bits certainly read a bit twee..and mr bean???
however, that YOU fagburn -- the gay victor meldrew [err?!] -- found it enjoyable is indeed high praise... or possibly the inauguration of the End Times.
That's nice, dear.
DeleteThank you.
xxx
No gay content? I went to the first and second round auditions. We were heavily represented in the cast :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm sure we were.
ReplyDeletexx