What an Olympic Opening Ceremony!!!

[checkwriter]

Just watched the opening ceremonies. AMAZING!!! What an opening! The drummers were fierce, the children adorable, the athletes unbelievable (especially the torch-lighter), the pyrotechnics astonishing, and that young boy who helped save his classmates from the earthquake was inspiring. I am SO going to hang out in China next week when we're at WDW!!!

Just thought I'd share.

 

[Tonya2426]

I agree - it was fabulous!!! The drums were amazing. The cheerleaders were good sports too - two hours of cheering for the athletes while wearing high heeled boots!!!

And none of the performers looked like they were sweating in the hot and humid weather. I want to know their secret!!!

If only Bob Costas didn't feel the need to make inane comments about the team uniforms it would have been perfect - last time I checked Clinton was still on What Not To Wear.

 

[Sir-Mickey]

Coolest torch lighting ever! The guy running on the stadium wall was amazing! I dont even have words for the fireworks display that followed the coolest Olympic Flame lighting ever! I was impressed to say the least. Go Team USA!

 

[disneyholic family]

i just read on yahoo, that in the US, NBC didn't broadcast the opening ceremonies live but rather delayed it by 12 hours...
i was wondering why no one had posted anything about the ceremonies yesterday when they were on....they were so amazing!!!!!..

i watched it live (at 3 in the afternoon my time - we're 5 hours from beijing)...
i kept swtiching between my local network that had live coverage and eurosport (when the local station took a commercial break).....

i am just totally shocked that NBC blacked out the US from being able to watch the ceremonies live... and they even managed to block the internet feeds (like eurosport has an online feed)...

it was so much fun watching it live....i'm such a sap....when the US team came into the stadium I started jumping up and down cheering....i LOVE watching the olympics....i always have....

 

[Mouse Skywalker]

Very, very cool opening ceremonies. The whole family gathered around to watch it, and our girls, DD7 and DD10 , were in awe. We didn't make it to the cauldron lighting, but I just watched it on the computer. That was so cool. The girls will have to watch it this morning.

 

[checkwriter]

Here's a report on the guy who designed the pyrotechnics:

http://www.wired.com/culture/art/news/2008/08/pyrotechnics_olympics

Interestingly enough, a Chinese artist who lives in New York, and worked with Long Island's Grucci fireworks company to build the shells.

 

[disneyholic family]

Just watched the opening ceremonies. AMAZING!!! What an opening! The drummers were fierce, the children adorable, the athletes unbelievable (especially the torch-lighter), the pyrotechnics astonishing, and that young boy who helped save his classmates from the earthquake was inspiring. I am SO going to hang out in China next week when we're at WDW!!!

Just thought I'd share.

didn't it bother you that you weren't watching it live?

 

[JCandKT]

I haven't said "wow" so many times during a broadcast in a long time. WOW. Everything was amazing. This should be a great Olympic games. Like you guys, I have always enjoyed watching the Olympics... I think it's a time for the whole world to stop and pause and realize that while we're very different, there are some things that are very similar...

I just loved seeing all the smiles from the athletes... what a feeling of accomplishment they must be feeling!!

Go World!

 

[lttlmc3]

I thought it was amazing. The best opening to the Olympics I have ever seen. Usually it's just wierd French-Cirques-soliel(I really have no idea how to spell that)type stuff, but this was amazing! Especially the people with the boxes! Wow...I was totally amazed.

 

[tinkbutt]

I only got to watch some of it but It was pretty cool!!!!! wish I could've watched more

 

[ADP]

I thought it was amazing too. The athlete lighting the torch had to be pretty brave to be up there. He was pretty high in the air with just a wire holding him up. Although it was an amazing torch lighting ceremony I still think the most creative one was when the flame was lit with the bow and flaming arrow and shot from the stadium floor across the torch.

 

[scarlett873]

The opening ceremonies were amazing!! I taped it and plan to put it to DVD soon...Those are not going to be easily topped!!!

 

[TewEpcot]

Has anyone heard yet if they will be re-aired? I fell asleep and my dh just can't stop raving about them. I know I could watch online, but our 50 inch hdtv would be so much better.

 

[aspen37]

WOW what a great opening to the games. I had my DN11 with me and she watched it in awe also. She even sat thru the parade of Nations.
We had a re-airing very early in the morning it was at 1:39am to 6:00am.

 

[Missin'Disney]

I too was in complete awe and am so glad that we got to TIVO it so that we can watch it whenever the urge strikes.

Too bad the Olympics can't be in China all the time. They outdid themselves and put every other host country to shame IMO.

 

[soupy11]

They really did a great job and one that will not be easily topped. I shudder to think what we could offer here in canada. 3 hours of beer drinking and some show shoeing?

I do have to say my fave part was the giant footsteps walking towards the stadium across the city. That was unlike anything I have ever seen before. Just wow.

 

[daneenm]

We loved them too. No angst about the pre-recorded thing...it was 'live' for us. We did not make it to the torch lighting but will watch that this morning.

I thought the most amazing feat was the part with the boxes that moved up and down in incredibly intricate patters only to find that they were not on computerized motors but that individual people were under each bow and were able to coordinate so tightly.

Simply amazing!
Daneen

 

[TewEpcot]

They really did a great job and one that will not be easily topped. I shudder to think what we could offer here in canada. 3 hours of beer drinking and some show shoeing?

My dh is freaking out about the same thing. He's English and that's all he kept saying... "What the **** are we going to do to even begin to compete with this?"...

 

[BriarRosie]

I kept thinking of Illuminations when I saw the people running around the globe thing (loved the people running sideways and upside down!). But I could have done without Sarah Brightman. Bleh.

I thought all the group precision work was amazing. From the drums, to the people doing the bird formation, to the tai chi masters in the circle, to the people under the boxes....all of it. Amazing feat for 2,008 performers in each group.

Chicago is still making a bid for 2016. I don't think we could match this, let alone top it.

 

[MenashaCorp]

Chicago is still making a bid for 2016. I don't think we could match this, let alone top it.

IMHO, you would top it if a certain team won the WS this year....

But I'm biased.....