EYES ON LONDON:
Opening ceremony secrets -- sort of

[July 24, 2012]  LONDON -- Around the 2012 Olympics and its host city with journalists from The Associated Press bringing the flavor and details of the games to you:

CEREMONY OF WONDERS (NO BLABBING)

Danny Boyle has let 60,000 people in on the secrets of his Olympic opening ceremony -- and then begged them to keep the information to themselves.

Tens of thousands of spectators who attended a technical rehearsal for Friday's ceremony entered the stadium to be greeted by signs imploring them to "Save the Surprise." Boyle, the Academy Award-winning director of "Slumdog Millionaire," addressed the crowd with a personal plea not to blab, for the sake of future viewers and the 10,000 volunteer performers who have been working on the spectacle for months.

Many details have already leaked out out of the ceremony, titled "Isles of Wonder" and inspired by Shakespeare's "The Tempest" and by two centuries of British history and culture.

And Boyle left some gaps in Monday's run-through where extra-secret segments will appear on Friday.

Most of those who saw the show seem to be keeping mum. Many tweeted enthusiastically, but vaguely, about the contents of the show, which mixes grand spectacle with British humor and irreverence.

Many of the spectators streaming out of the stadium afterward said they had been wowed -even those who had been skeptical at first.

Jill Lawless on Twitter: http://twitter.com/JillLawless

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BETTER THAN SYDNEY?

The Aussie team's chief says the Brits might just do a better job than the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Nick Green tells Australian reporters Tuesday that in his opinion London 2012 will be "the best Olympics ever." The predominantly Australian media responded with mock shock.

Australia's games 12 years ago have until now been considered among the best. But, says Green, "London's learned a lot out of Sydney ... my view is it'll be the best ever."

Gerald Imray on Twitter: http://twitter.com/GeraldImrayAP

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EDINBURGH'S FINEST

Olympic fever hasn't swept through all of Britain -- at least not yet.

Most people in Edinburgh, Scotland, are focused on the upcoming Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, an annual festival and demonstration that takes place on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle. But that doesn't mean there wasn't a cheer inside pubs such as Maggie Dickinson's on Grassmarket on Monday when Edinburgh's own cycling star Sir Chris Hoy -- already Scotland's most successful Olympian -- was chosen to carry the British flag for the Opening Ceremony.

Hoy won his first Olympic gold at the Athens Games, but cemented his legacy in Beijing, where he became the first Brit to win three gold medals in a single Olympics since Henry Taylor in 1908. Hoy was chosen to carry the Union Jack at the Closing Ceremony in 2008, and will now carry it for the Opening Ceremony on Friday after a vote of the 542 members of the British team. Hoy will be trying to defend his gold medals in the keirin and the team sprint when the track cycling program begins.

Just how popular is Hoy in Scotland? The Scottish National Velodrome being built for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow will be named in his honor.

Dave Skretta on Twitter: http://twitter.com/APdaveskretta

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EXTRA TROOPS

The British government has just announced it is deploying an extra 1,200 more troops to protect Olympic venues. There's no indication that the step was taken as a result of any specific threat.

British troops stepped in earlier this month after the private security company hired to protect the games failed to hire the number of guards it promised.

Danica Kirka on Twitter: http://twitter.com/danicakirka

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FROWN FOR THE CAMERA

Only boring, mean people can be a part of the Olympic Games. That goes for athletes, volunteers, journalists -- everybody.

Don't believe it? Just look at those bulky credentials around everyone's necks.

The International Olympic Committee requires that mug shots have a completely colorless facial expression. They say it's needed for security purposes, but it sure makes us all look miserable -- or worse.

U.S. women's soccer player Sydney Leroux put it best when she tweeted a photo of her credential. She said: "I look like I would burn down your house."

Joseph White on Twitter: http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP

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FLAME MYSTERY

So where will the Olympics flame burn? Steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal says the ruby-red sculpture that towers over London's Olympic Stadium is not the cauldron that will hold the ceremonial flame. Mittal had floated the idea, but plans arrived too late for consideration.

The lighting of the cauldron is always a big moment for the Olympics, and organizers usually withhold details to ensure drama. But usually there is some structure -- somewhere -- that hints where the flame will burn.

Suspicion had long fallen on the ArcelorMittal Orbit Tower, but Mittal says the tower is art, not a fire vessel for the games that start Friday.

Danica Kirka on Twitter: http://twitter.com/danicakirka

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GAMES -- WHAT GAMES?

AP's Joseph White reports in from Scotland:

Yes, I'm at the Olympics -- but I'm some 400 miles (640 kilometers) from center stage.

Glasgow is hosting some of the soccer matches but the Scottish city doesn't have much of an Olympic vibe. In London, one can hardly walk 20 feet without spotting a special Olympic traffic lane or a billboard or some sort of notice; in Glasgow, there is a lonely sign at the main train station telling fans where to queue to catch the subway to historic Hampden Park, plus some Olympic-themed banners lining the streets.

The action starts with a pair of women's matches Wednesday -- two days before the opening ceremony in London -- and the locals have given away thousands of tickets to schools and other youth so the 52,000-seat stadium won't feel so empty.

The two cities can't even agree on the weather.

London had a beautiful sunny day Monday, while Glasgow was so wet and dreary that the U.S. women's team had to take their team photo in the stadium's VIP seats instead of on the field to stay dry. Tuesday in Glasgow, however, is sunnier.

Joseph White on Twitter: http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP

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OLYMPIC VARNISH

Kati Elliott has got a nail for you.

The 20-year-old manicurist can paint 240 different designs -- all versions of national flags -- at the P&G Salon in the Olympic media village. The company has similar salons in the athletes village and in central London at the US Olympic family home, where they cater to athletes' moms.

On a recent day, Kati was sporting designs for Great Britain, Sao Tome and Principe, USA, Myanmar and South Africa, all on one hand. The most complicated design? She thinks it's the U.S. Virgin Islands, which packs an eagle, state colors and a shield all into one nail.

Sheila Norman-Culp on Twitter: http://twitter.com/snormanculp

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TORCH INTERLUDE

From AP's Fergus Bell, a Londoner:

At 8:47 a.m. the Olympic Torch passed along the route near my house, and I was able to experience the torch relay as it was meant to be experienced. And what is that, precisely?

Hundreds of excited men, women and children lined the residential suburban streets. Next came the huge police presence: I counted at least six police motorcycles before I caught a glimpse of the procession.

One poor woman innocently reversed out of her driveway at the wrong moment and was promptly surrounded. The police were good-natured; with three days left, they've probably seen it all.

Then you see the runner. Well, not quite.

First you have at least three buses representing various Olympic sponsors adorned with toned promotional staff cheering about the runner behind. When members of the crowd do finally catch a glimpse of the runner decked out in the official white torch relay uniform, they rush in, cameras out, as they cheer and shriek.

And then it's over. In moments, it's all gone. The cheers echo down the street as everyone disperses, each carrying a big grin.

Fergus Bell on Twitter: http://twitter.com/fergb

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RIVER GOLF

Talk about a water trap.

U.S. PGA Tour players Sergio Garcia and Dustin Johnson previewed golf's inclusion at the 2016 Olympics by hitting purple balls toward a floating green on London's River Thames in late evening sunshine.

The tee box was on a barge and the floating green bobbed under the giant Olympic rings on the historic bridge. Using lob wedges, Garcia got three of his five shots on the bright green artificial turf island from around 75 yards while Johnson got two -- or maybe it was three.

The pair struggled to see where those little magenta balls -- the official color of the London Olympics -- landed. Curious Londoners peered over the edge of the bridge in bright evening sunshine to see what was going on. Some waved flags.

Golf will be included at the next Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, returning for the first time since 1904.

Said Garcia just before the stunt on the choppy water: "Courses usually don't move this much, but it's definitely going to be fun."

Gerald Imray on Twitter: http://twitter.com/GeraldImrayAP

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NOTE : "Eyes on London" shows you the Olympics through the eyes of Associated Press journalists across the 2012 Olympic city and around the world. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.

[Associated Press]

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