I'm now watching the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and laughing. It's spectacular beyond belief: 2,008 Foo drumers with an amazing light show; 3,000 year old string instruments; fireworks displays across six miles of the Forbidden City axis to the Birds Nest Stadium; dancers painting a huge unfurling scroll combining the arts of dance, painting and music; and mysteriously floating objects rising like magic. Thousands of years of history all designed by movie director Zhang Yimou, so I'm guessing wires will be involved.
Oh, and the mandatory cute kid singing while China's national costumes get an airing and PLA officers march (no that is not a goose-step!) with the national flag in tow.
And puppets!!! (The kind with strings, you cynics out there!!!) As bread and circuses go, that was ace.
Fifty-six Chinese ethnic minorities, 1,000 medals, 300 events, 204 competing nations, 10,000 athletes, 313 Brits, 639 Chinese, plus 7 feet six inches of basketball hero Yao Ming.
A cast of thousands (fifteen thousand to be precise), state of the art technology, imagination and flair. London is so screwed. Follow that!
I'm on Radio 5Live tonight, 10 to 11pm, on the Stephen Nolan Show
Just watched the lighting of the Olympic flame that officially opens the games. Zhang Yimou — you are The One!
Another great blog on the ceremony
