Diamond Jubilee

[dirac]

The head of the House Formerly Known as Saxe-Coburg-Gotha celebrates sixty years of dedicated figureheaddery and declaring things open. Talk about it here!

American TV guide:

.....And the Thames River pageant: A flotilla of 1,000 ships makes its way from Putney east to Tower Bridge. The queen and most of the royal family, including Will and Kate, will be on The Spirit of Chartwell, a luxury river cruiser redecorated in antique style and equipped with tiny robotic cameras operated by the BBC. The pageant has "really caught the popular mood," says pageant master Adrian Evans, who came up with the idea and spent two years organizing it. "It's a one-off event, very unlikely to be done again, and people will say, 'I just have to be there.' "

The Telegraph

NPR

Monday's Diamond Jubilee Concert, from which excerpts will be broadcast on the American broadcast and cable news networks. Fans in the U.S. won't get to see substantial portions of the performances by Sir Elton John and others, though, until ABC-TV airs them Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.

The Guardian

The diamond jubilee is going to be everywhere this weekend – the shops will be covered in Union Jacks, there'll easily be enough bunting to garrotte the entire population twice, and television will be rammed with it. However, it won't be entirely impossible to avoid. So allow me to present two bank holiday TV guides, one for royalists and one for republicans...

[Natalia]

Insensitivity to today's economic woes aside....the one event to which I'm most looking forward is Sunday's flotilla (aquacade?) down the Thames River, with 1,000 boats of all shapes and sizes. Earlier today, one of the U.S. morning shows featured the refurbishment of "The Gloriana" -- a HUGE gilded barge on which the queen will sit as she is rowed by 100 men (or something like that). It will be so hilarious -- so Monty Pythonesque -- that it simply cannot be missed!

You have to see this to believe it:

http://www.dailymail...age-Thames.html

More from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thames_Diamond_Jubilee_Pageant

From the above:

"...[Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip] will be seated beneath a gold canopy on top of the vessel, which will be decorated with red drapery, in the style of royal barges of the 17th and 18th centuries...."

BBC America will provide the most extensive live coverage in the US, including Sunday's flotilla (as of 8AM EST) and Tuesday's final celebrations (as of 4:45AM EST). NBC and some other basic channels will join the coverage a bit later.

[dirac]

I admit I'm looking forward to that barge. And none of the tax money is mine, so my enjoyment will be untrammeled by such concerns.

[Jayne]

think of it as stimulus spending. If everyone grand quit spending money - a lot of employees would be laid off. The Gloriana employed British ship builders over the past 2 years, and frankly, even in a recession, we all need a reason for a party. I read that the British pay about 69p each for the Queen. But the return is about 2.50 Sterling in tourist dollars visiting Royal related sites.

[Natalia]

Fair enough, Jayne. Somewhat related to the Jubilee, I'm wondering why the Royal Ballet did not take this occasion to revive Homage to the Queen? It hasn't been seen since 2006/07. I loved it in May '06, during the Queen's 80th b'day celebrations...amazing all-star casts and lovely costumes & scenery (appropriately over-the-top...like the Gloriana barge!). It's great that the current triple bill includes Birthday Offering...but surely they could have found a spot for Homage, too?

[dirac]

Well, it depends on the economist. As I said, it's not my money so I'm pretty mellow about it, and if the good people of the UK want to maintain the royals in the style to which the latter, at least, have become accustomed, it's entirely their call. I can enjoy watching while thanking a merciful Providence that the Founding Fathers didn't foist the whole Duke and Duchess of Whatsit system on us.

It's great that the current triple bill includes Birthday Offering...but surely they could have found a spot for Homage, too?

Yes, that's too bad.

[Natalia]

BBC America has just begun pre-coverage! For folks in the USA who do not get BBC America, CNN will be telecasting the final 2 hrs live, beginnig at 11AM EST.

God Save the Queen!

[Jayne]

I watched a bit this morning, rain drenched, but colorful and fun. I wouldn't want to stand for 3-4 hours straight, as the Royal family must do. The event struck me as a bigger version of the Opening Day of Boating Season when the Conspicuous Consumption boats parade through the Montlake Cut after the rowing races.

[Natalia]

Those 'Canaletto Moments' on the BBC were spine tingling. How lovely! Loved the on-the-spot interviews with the rowers aboard the Gloriana. It's amazing that the Quen and Prince Phillip stood throughout the festivities. Those two big red thrones remained empty. If ever there was a meaning to the words "The Show Will Go On" -- this was it!

[sandik]

I watched a bit this morning, rain drenched, but colorful and fun. I wouldn't want to stand for 3-4 hours straight, as the Royal family must do. The event struck me as a bigger version of the Opening Day of Boating Season when the Conspicuous Consumption boats parade through the Montlake Cut after the rowing races.

I know what you mean about the mega-boats in the Opening Day parade, but then they have crew races, which can be pretty special.

(I much prefer the Christmas Ship parades in December, when everyone participates, stringing lights on whatever they've got that floats. My favorites are the kayakers, wearing light-up hats.)