EYES ON LONDON: A queen's approval, Chinese gold

LONDON (AP) ? Around the 2012 Olympics and its host city with journalists from The Associated Press bringing the flavor and details of the games to you:

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HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE

Seems even the queen can't resist the opportunity to act with Daniel Craig.

The British monarch didn't need much persuading to take part in the brief flick that electrified the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony, says Jackie Brock-Doyle, the spokeswoman for the organizing committee.

"She liked the whole concept Danny brought together," she says ? presumably right down to the detail of having the queen's corgis, Monty, Holly and Willow, similarly take starring roles.

The matter was presented to her majesty by organizing committee chairman Sebastian Coe last year.

? Danica Kirka ? http://twitter.com/danicakirka

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CLOSE SHAVE

British gymnast Louis Smith knows a thing or two about making a statement. The eccentric 23-year-old ? the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist on pommel horse ? is known as much for his well-coiffed hair and elaborate tattoos as his elegant routines.

A couple of days before the biggest ? and perhaps final ? meet of his life, Smith slipped out of the Olympic village to his home in Peterborough to visit his barber.

"I could have used one in the village, but I didn't want to tell him he was doing it wrong," Smith said.

He returned with a distinctive do, with shaved sides and a meticulously groomed flowing flattop.

Smith says the "hip" cut is designed to grab the kind of attention he thinks the sport needs.

?Will Graves ? Twitter http://twitter.com/WillGravesAP

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AN AMAECHI MOMENT

Strolling through security to enter Olympic Park, former British basketball star John Amaechi says he has been quite pleased with how his home country has opened these games.

The center paired with gymnast Nadia Comaneci to take the torch to the roof of the North Greenwich Arena earlier this month and is eager to see how Britain opens against powerful Russia in its men's basketball opener on Sunday.

"It's been wonderful so far, but the real work hasn't even started," Amaechi says. "That will tell the tale."

?Jon Krawczynski ? Twitter http://www.twitter.com/APKrawczynski

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I SEE BY YOUR OUTFIT ...

Dressed head to toe in the British flag ? or, rather, AS the British flag ? Mick Burn wanted to find a spot along the road course to cheer cyclist Mark Cavendish.

But his outfit was so extreme, the man from Watford in Hertfortshire couldn't make it more than a few feet (meters) at a time without being stopped by fans wanting to pose for a picture with him.

"I've been mobbed all day," he says. And he's delighted by that fact.

It took him almost two years and 200 pounds (more than $300) to assemble the outfit, which consisted of everything from "posh golf pants," a waistcoat, his watch, eyeglasses and even his underwear. The toughest item was the sport coat, which cost him 50 pounds (about $75) on eBay.

Burn had thought his niece, rower Lucinda Gooderham, would be competing in these games. She didn't qualify, but he vowed to keep fine-tuning the outfit for Rio.

See a picture of him here: http://pic.twitter.com/IxF6WM7y

?Jenna Fryer ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jennafryer

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SMOOOOOOOOOOTH

"Louis Smith as smooth as strawberries and cream on pommel horse. It's like he's in slow motion, control in amazing." ? AP's Will Graves tweets from the gymnastics venue. A spectacular pommel horse by Britain's Smith capped the day for the British, who finished almost 2.5 points ahead of China with at a total of 272.420. Team finals are Monday.

?Will Graves ? Twitter http://twitter.com/WillGravesAP

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GHOST TOWN

On a Saturday lunchtime, London's main shopping area, Oxford Street should be packed. Saturday afternoon, it is surprisingly empty of the usual crowd of Londoners and tourists. Were there a lot of late nights last night at opening ceremony parties or are the crowds in different parts of London enjoying the events?

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

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SPIRIT WILLING?

Not everyone in London is infected with the Olympic spirit. A couple of hundred demonstrators have gathered to protest the gigantic corporate and security sides of the games. Among them is one woman with a home-made cross stitch sign declaring: "Bugger the Olympics."

Beneath it, a second one adds: "And the Jubilee." Apparently she's no fan of the monarchy, either.

Most of the protesters say they don't object to the sporting competition. But they resent being told they have to support the games.

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

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MY LEGS WERE SHAKING

American Timothy Wang is already out of his first Olympics.

He lost his first table tennis match in four straight games on Saturday to North Korean Kim Song Nam. The experience lasted just a few minutes, beaten 11-5, 11-4, 11-7, 11-4 in the knockout tournament before about 4,000 fans.

He probably spoke for many first-time Olympians ? and even experienced ones ? about being very nervous.

"I walked out and as soon as everyone started cheering, I started to get goose bumps. My legs were shaking while I was playing. The nerves definitely kicked in. I tried to focus before the match, but I really wasn't expecting it when I came out. Over here every match is like center court and all the eyes are on you. In tournaments in the U.S., very few people are there."

? Stephen Wade ? Twitter http://twitter.com/StephenWadeAP

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ROYAL SIGHTING

It's just how she likes it. Princess Anne crossed the road in front of me in Green Park. And, despite the crowds, she went mostly unnoticed, although there was a smattering of cheers.

The queen's daughter is as low-key as a British royal can be. And the British public seems to respect her wishes.

Here's the picture: http://bit.ly/QtNFwn

? Jenna Fryer ? Twitter http://twitter.com/JennaFryer

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TECH FAIL

Japanese volleyball coach Masayoshi Manabe is missing his trusty iPad. Turns out there's no wireless for the coaches to use at the Earls Court venue, something that isn't going over well.

"There is no wi-fi available here. All the teams are in the same condition. We are talking to the organizers," Manabe said through a translator.

Japan swept Algeria 3-0 in the opening match. For now at least, looks like they can do without technology.

? Anne M. Peterson ? Twitter http://twitter.com/anniempeterson

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FIRST GOLD

And the first gold medal has gone to China. Yi Siling has just triumphed in the women's 10-meter air rifle shooting.

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SLOW PHELPS

Michael Phelps was surprisingly slow in the 400-meter individual medley prelims Saturday. He barely made the field and will swim in Lane 8 in the final.

No big deal, right? All lanes are the same.

Not exactly, according to a tweet from former Olympic swimmer Summer Sanders: "Lane 8 is worse than Lane 1 because Phelps breathes to the right on the way home. He won't see the rest of the field."

?Jon Krawczynski ? Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/APKrawczynski

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I CRIED LIKE A BABY

London Mayor Boris Johnson says he spent all night dreaming about the opening ceremony and thinks it was better than China's stunning show four years ago.

"Call me chauvinistic, call me jingoistic, but I think we knocked the spots off Beijing last night," Johnson said.

"From the beginning I was crying like a baby. I just thought it was brilliant."

He lauded the cultural complexity of Danny Boyle's production.

"We weren't just Beefeaters and Big Ben. It was the real story of this country," he said.

? Shawn Pogatchnik ? Twitter http://twitter.com/ShawnPogatchnik

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BILL GATES

The table tennis venue is abuzz with talk that Bill Gates will show up on Saturday ? and he'd see a familiar face in young American singles player Ariel Hsing.

The 16-year-old Californian is friends with Gates and fellow billionaire Warren Buffett, having played demonstration matches against the two earlier this year at Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting.

She knows them well enough to call them "Uncle Bill" and "Uncle Warren." Is that cool or what?

? Stephen Wade ? Twitter http://twitter.com/StephenWadeAP

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NEWSPAPER REACTION

"BLAST-OFF!" thundered the Daily Mail; "Quirky and eccentric ... oh, how very British," judged the Daily Express; "TORCH OF GENIUS: QUEEN IN SKYFALL," was the Daily Mirror's take.

The Times led with a screen grab of James Bond, the queen and her corgis strutting down the red carpet of Buckingham Palace. Its headline: "Shaken and stirred."

The Sun, world famous for its in-your-face headlines, simply said "WOW" on the front page, with "FLAMING FANTASTIC" inside.

? Shawn Pogatchnik ? Twitter http://twitter.com/ShawnPogatchnik

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WHO'S IN CHARGE?

There's a battle for authority at points along Saturday morning's cycling road course. Even soldiers are being ordered around.

A military man in uniform demanded to be allowed to cross the road. A female police officer told him he could go through the gate, but the volunteer refused to open it. They all argued before he climbed atop the gate, saying simply "I'm crossing!"

He then fell hard on his knees on the pavement.

? Jenna Fryer ? Twitter http://twitter.com/JennaFryer

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EARLY GOLD RUSH

The action's well underway, with Britain hoping for an early gold in the men's cycling road race. Elsewhere, swimming heats began, with Michael Phelps, who won eight gold medals at the Beijing Games four years ago, looking to qualify for potentially his first of the London Games.

?Dennis Passa ? Twitter http://twitter.com/dennispassa

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HUGE AUDIENCE

Who says the collective television event is dead?

The BBC says 27 million people watched its coverage of the Olympic opening ceremony ? almost half the entire British population. That's even more than the 20 million who watched last year's royal wedding.

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

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EDITOR'S 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, and get even more AP updates from the Games here: http://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/eyes-london-queens-approval-chinese-gold-135043755--oly.html

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