Opening ceremony thoughts.

I think there some differing opinions on the success of last night's opening ceremony. First of all, people need to remember that no one will ever try to match what Beijing did. They can only find a way to set themselves apart.

However, I actually saw some similarities between last night and four years ago. Beijing's artistic portion was very beautifully crafted and executed and that made it very Chinese. London was historical and eccentric with a surprise touch of sentiment and that made it very British. The similarity being that both did an excellent job of portraying themselves to the world.

The artistic portion really was like watching a live film. Those actors had to keep their characters going for quite a long time. While famous people tend to make appearances from time to time, I was impressed that someone like Kenneth Branagh was so involved. And I thought he did a great job. I loved the olympic ring being made and then the five coming together with the fire. It was a big "wow" moment. And actually more symbolic than some might realize. The Olympic Park is in East London which is not known for being the wealthiest or nicest part of the city and it's not a place you typical visit unless you want to go on the Jack the Ripper tour. All the factories were built there during the industrial revolution because the wind wouldn't sweep all the smoke west into the main part of the city. Now a very large part of the Olympics are taking place there and it is very meaningful to the East Londoners.

Now, let's talk about the entrance of the head of state. Beijing didn't do anything like that. And if they had a James Bond, you better believe they would have tried. We can only assume the Queen didn't actually jump out of that plane but I love that she agreed to do that video.

There was a lot I liked about the portion based on children's literature. Combine Mary Poppins and Harry Potter in an Olympics and you have a fan in me. Also, I don't think many know about the lasting legacy that J.M. Barrie left for children in London. He did a very unselfish thing in leaving the rights to Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Hospital. While that giant baby was a little creepy, the fact that J.K. Rowling had an appearance made this portion awesome.

Mr. Bean on the keyboard was probably the most entertaining part of the night. He has such a talent for making people laugh without saying a single word.

I think that the last part dragged on a bit, but I got a lot more out of it by watching it again.  Probably not the way it's supposed to be, but sometimes you have to watch a British production twice to fully grasp it. In the end, the world wide web is arguably the greatest gift to our society today.

The Parade of Nations seemed to take forever as always, but Bob Costas said it went by quicker than any Olympics he's been a part of. And I pretty much trust anything he says. Maybe it seems to take so long because we have to wait until pretty much the end to see the USA come in. But it's still awesome every time. I also love watching the host nation come in. There is always such an energy to them that you don't see from any other nation.

I think that the way the cauldron was lit was a surprise and a very refreshing idea. Having more than one person hold the final torch is not new. It was kind of done in Salt Lake City and was a big part of  Vancouver. But having young athletes, who could possibly be Olympians, was a cool idea. I love the unity of the Olympics and how all these nations come together. I thought is was great how all the flags were placed on that torre and that the copper bowls that came in with every nation combined to light the Olympic cauldron. And it was a beautiful sight watching it all come together.

Then Sir Paul McCartney performed. He will always be amazing. It's doesn't matter what decade. And to see someone like him, who has probably performed in just about every venue and situation, get choked up performing at the opening ceremony, you understand how much something like this means.

Here's my quick "Best" list:
Best moment: Lighting of the cauldron.
Most memorable: Queen Elizabeth and James Bond.
Best artistic portion moment: Forming of the Olympic rings.
Most entertaining: Mr. Bean.
Creepiest moment: Giant sleeping baby doll.
Best opening ceremony outfits: Bermuda. I love that they always wear Bermuda shorts.
Best nation entrance: Independent Olympic Athletes. It's not technically a nation and they compete under the Olympic flag, but their excitement could not be contained.
Best unexpected moment: The construction workers cheering the flame into the the stadium they built.
Best performance: Sir Paul. No question.