Olympics organizers began letting the first of an expected 8,000 people know about their places in the relay.
The torch bearers have largely been nominated in community ballots in an event meant to focus on the great and the good in cities across the country. Though star athletes and other celebrities are certain to be included among those named to carry the flame, Olympics organizers consciously made the choice to first focus on local heroes.
There's an online petition which is gaining useless momentum (in my opinion) to have David Tennant, the actor who played the Tenth Incarnation of the Doctor, to be the one who lights the Olympic torch at the stadium.
It reads:
To the Olympics 2012 committee,
We wish for you to consider David Tennant as the official Lighter of the Olympic Flame. David portrays the Tenth Doctor on 'Doctor Who', a programme which has been part of our national consciousness for almost half a century; and of which it can be said, captures the heart of being British more than any other piece of popular culture on television today.
David, as the Doctor, was seen lighting the Flame in an episode called "Fear Her" which featured the 2012 Olympics. We feel it would be entirely appropriate for him to be given this honour for real.
It made sense when 'Star Trek' fans successfully petitioned to get the first space shuttle named the Enterprise. As we saw in the opening credits for the last 'Star Trek' series, 'Enterprise', there had been a long line of vessels by that name. (Although for some reason, they forgot the 'Riverboat' which was also named Enterprise.)
But this? Tennant is not the Doctor; it wouldn't be the same thing as in Toobworld.
Some people have a very Ten-uous grasp on Reality.
Glad I'm not one of them..... ahem.
BCnU!
The thing about the first shuttle being named Enterprise is that the Star Trek fanatics jumped the gun. What they "forced" NASA to name "Enterprise" was a prototype that wasn't actually intended to fly in space but rather as a proof of concept to test the ability of a shuttle to be transported on the back of an airplane, and later to actually glide in the atmosphere and not drop like a brick. If they had been smart they would have asked/demanded that the first operational shuttle be named "Enterprise" and not "Columbia." Of course, given what happened to Columbia that might not have been the greatest idea.
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