Winter Olympics: Opening Ceremonies Live Blog

I figured that since I'm going to watch the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, I might as well share my thoughts on what I see with the rest of you. You may agree, disagree, strongly disagree or incredibly disagree with disgust with what I have to say and as always you're more than welcome to leave your thoughts by adding a comment.

I will be watching the Canadian broadcast of the ceremonies so if the Americans do something different I'm afraid I won't know about. So, lets get to it.

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12:19am - And the cauldron is lit, the games have officially begun and I'm out of beer. I think this would be a good time to call it a night. Thanks everyone for following along, leaving comments and sharing this moment with me. I may have been alone here but I didn't feel like it. Enjoy the Olympics everybody. Go Canada Go!

12:15am - Honestly...don't you think if this was any other country those people wouldn't have gotten anywhere near Wayne or whomever was carrying the torch?

12:11am - You can tell we're in Canada. Gretzky is probably perfectly safe...unless somebody gets run over and he falls out from the human speed bump.

12:08am - Gretzky looks like he's worried about the flame blowing out. Either that or the rain might extinguish it. Oops.

12:05am - So the flame has to be visible outside and Gretzky will light the external outside cauldron now. Wayne is a great choice....pardon the pun.

12:02am - So it was a team effort to light the Olympic flame. Did I see that correctly?

12:01am - First noticeable glitch of the night. Who designed that thing.

12:00am - Gretzky hands off to...come on already!

11:59pm - The Great One..you knew he would be there. He shoots he scores.

11:58pm - Well it won't be Nancy Greene as the last torch bearer.

11:57pm - And Doan hands off to Steve Nash.

11:55pm - Here comes Rick Hansen with the flame.

11:54pm - My French sucks so I'll have to pretend I know what he's singing. Something about the Montreal Canadiens being the best hockey team ever and Poutine being the tastiest meal ever.

11:50pm - Good choice for the oath for the Athletes. Hayley Wickenhi...um, Wickenhuiser...I never could spell her name.

11:49pm - The minute of silence was a nice touch.

11:47pm - I used to be able to sing like that...then puberty killed my chances of a career as a soprano.

11:46pm - Speaking as a Canadian...I have been very impressed by the opening ceremonies so far. Excellent flag bearers and so representative of Canada from sea to sea to sea.

11:44pm - I'm picking (guessing) actor Michael J Fox from Vancouver will light be the last torch bearer. He has to be there somewhere.

11:42pm - Guess Betty Fox is out for carrying lighting the torch. There's Anny Murray...I knew she'd be there. And number 4, Bobby Orr.

11:37pm - kd lang is done singing.....Hallelujah!! :-)

11:34pm - Hey..it's little k little d little l a n g. kd lang. I wondered where she went.

11:32pm - I don't have a clue what Jacques Rogge is saying. I'll just assume he's saying "Canada is awesome and that guy Bundy is the coolest dude ever."

11:28pm - OK...enough with the drums already. It's getting a tad old.

11:27pm - Nicely done Mr. Furlong. Now lets get that flame lit and get the party started.

11:24pm - Somebody please give Michael Jean a nudge and wake her up.

11:23pm - We are indeed a melting pot....filled with poutine.

11:21pm - What's with the drums everyone is pounding? I missed the reason for them. Beats the heck out of the thundersticks though.

11:18pm - A sad and touching moment. Simple, poignant and well done.

11:15pm - That was a great speech, poem or whatever you want to call it. I am a proud Canadian and that was a great way to sum us up. Well done. The beard was king of ugly though.

11:13pm - "Please and Thank You"...I love it. So Canadian. Zed and not Zee...fantastic.

11:12pm - Anybody else getting dizzy watching the skiers spin and the skates go round and round and round?

11:08pm - Huh...the Canadian feed just stopped so I flipped over to the NBC feed for a moment just in time to hear Bob Costas say the organizing committee has succeeded in putting on a great show. Thanks Bob.

11:07pm - Mount Bundy in the middle of BC Place. Cool

11:06pm - I love a good thunderstorm.

11:02pm - It's a good thing they didn't ask me to fly around like that. I don't think those wires would hold up under the strain. I'd end up falling into the wheat fields below :-)

11:01pm - I have to say...I'm not hating the show so far. Not what I expected and I'm pleasantly surprised. You don't know how shocked I am.

11:00pm - I think that's supposed to be wheat fields of Saskatchewan. Holy crap he's running fast.

10:56pm - While they take a break...let me say thanks to those of you who have taken the time to leave your comments. I appreciate you doing so.

10:53pm - Ashley MacIsaac kicking some ass with the fiddle. Go man go. He's well known in Canada by the way..for those who don't know him.

10:50pm - I left my fiddle and tap shoes in the car or I could join in. Oh well, I'll just have to drink some Newfie Screech instead.

10:48pm - It's a little known fact that Samuel de Champlain actually played the fiddle as he discovered Canada.

10:45pm - Uh oh...looks like the bad rainy weather moved inside the dome. They just can't win right now.

10:43pm - Isn't that the music from the movie Platoon? Sure sounds a lot like it. Watch out for the napalm coming soon.

10:41pm - I'm looking forward to RUSH performing. I wonder if Cirque du Soleil will be involved in any way. A great Canadian group of performers.

10:39pm - Sarah McLachlan singing. A true Canadian songbird. I wonder if Anne Murray will sing a little Snowbird for us tonight.

10:38pm - Any thoughts on who will be the last torch bearer?

10:37pm - The Killer Whales blowing water out of the stadium floor was well done. Seriously...I liked it. Now it's salmon swimming upstream. Cover the eyes of the kids...we're about to spawn.

10:36pm - Uh oh....global warming has hit the opening ceremonies and the ice is melting. Damn you greenhouse gasses!!!

10:35pm - OK...the bear looks pretty cool. It used to be a Bart Simpson balloon in the Macy's Parade until they did some work on it.

10:33pm - The White Buffalo, the Eagle, The Bear and...what no Beaver? Come on...you're killing me.

10:31pm - Now back to my critique. I hope this picks up soon.

10:30pm - By the way, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has been stopping by to read my thoughts. I appreciate it and it's nice to see so many from different parts of the world. Glad I could do my part to bring the world together for just a little bit.

10:28pm - Ahhh..more of Donald Sutherland's voice. I like that. Now it's time for more Aboriginal stuff. Shocking.

10:25pm - So what...they lip-synced the song. It's better than having some technical issues with microphones. At least they didn't have Ashley Simpson's sound guy picking the wrong tune.

10:22pm - Nelly Furtado had her dress painted on for this special occasion. Meanwhile Brian Adams forgot to do up his tie. Oh wait...that's what cool rockers do. I forgot.

10:21pm - Just a quick fun fact...the dancing natives have lost a combined 600 pounds while dancing that whole time.

10:19pm - Prime Minister Harper looks like a proud father. Hey dad, can I borrow the keys to the private jet?

10:17pm - Go Canada Go! I love the simple red outfits and toques. I think I have a tear in my eye. Nope...just some leftover dust from work today. Wave that flag Clara!

10:16pm - Canada is next!!!!

10:14pm - Oh...The Americans did send a team. I thought they'd boycott over Alberta beef and softwood lumber. Guess they got over that. I kid my American friends.

10:13pm - Mmmmmm Turkey.

10:12pm - If all of our clothes are made in Taiwan, where are their clothes made? Hmmmmmmmm

10:10pm - Peter Forsberg carrying the flag for Sweden. I guess he's going to play for their hockey team. Sadly it won't improve their chances of repeating as Gold Medalists. Actually...I'm not sad about that at all.

10:07pm - There sure are a lot of countries with only one or two athletes. I should move to one of them and become a citizen and then I could compete. Can't you see me in a bobsled? Me neither. I'd need a welding torch to get me out of the darn thing.

10:05pm - The Big Bad Russian team enters the stadium. Funny how times change. They don't seem nearly as big or as bad as they used to. I miss the Cold War.

10:03pm - I will say one nice thing about the Natives....they sure can hop around for a long time.

10:01pm - And here comes Norway. We must crush Norway. Day old Timmies only for them.

9:58pm - Sorry for the slow update...I was talking to my brother on the phone in Florida. He's as happy as I am that Canada is being portrayed as a land filled with Natives, Inuit and Aboriginals. It isn't of course. We are of course a land of hookers, french strippers, comedians and hockey players.

9:52pm - Not bad...30 minutes into the parade of athletes and we're up to Korea already. That's quicker than a Tim Horton's drive-thru.

9:50pm - Jamaica enters the stadium. Anybody check them for ganja?

9:49pm - Those green pants on the Irish Team take me back to the neon glow of 1984.

9:45pm - Another Commercial break. Hope I'm not missing anything important.

9:44pm - I don't know who this guy is from Ghana but he's my dark horse pick to win a medal in alpine skiing. He could be the next Eddie the Eagle Edwards.

9:41pm - Nice of Georgia to still participate and wear armbands in respect for their countryman that died today. Nothing funny to say here. A tough moment for them.

9:40pm - The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Now that's a mouthful for the name of a country.

9:39pm - Seriously...Ethiopia? Do they even know what snow looks like?

9:37pm - The flag bearer from Denmark is going to rip her arms out of their sockets if she keeps waiving the flag like that.

9:36pm - Jaromir Jagr looks great gnawing away on that gum. Spit it out you bum. I mean...welcome to Canada Jaromir.

9:34pm - Nice hats on the Croatian team. They double as a Frisbee.

9:33pm - China entering the stadium. Of course Vancouver is also known as Hongcouver so this is just like a home Olympics for them.

9:30pm - Damn, they go to commercial as Bermuda is coming out. I heard they were going to enter the stadium in the nude. Now I'll never know.

9:27pm - Is it a rule that all athletes have to be good looking? I haven't spotted an ugly woman yet. Believe me...I'm looking hard.

9:23pm - Here come the athletes. Canada will be last as host country. That should happen in an hour or so. :-)

9:20pm - At some point they should welcome the "Welfare Tribe" and the "Protest People of Ontario". OK...that might be a low blow but I just can't help myself.

9:19pm - I would just like to go on record to say that my ceremonial head gear is still at the dry cleaners.

9:15pm - And now, let the Aboriginal Ceremonies begin.

9:13pm - They're in a dome...where's the wind coming from to move the flag? It's magic.

9:11pm - Hang on...I have to stand for the National Anthem. Hang on that isn't the tune I know. Guess they have to fancy it up a bit for the occasion.

9:10pm - Mounties looking sharp in their dress uniforms. I don't see a turban but they do have one black guy. So I guess it's sorta politically correct.

9:08pm - Nothing like a little God Save the Queen / O Canada mash-up to get things going.

9:07pm - Governor General looks good. Eating Seal gives you a healthy glow I guess.

9:06pm - Snowboarder jumps through the Olympic rings....that was cool.

9:05pm - Boy that snowboarder is going to have a tough time getting to the ceremonies without any snow in Vancouver. :-)

9:02pm - Give me a friggin' break...they're speaking in French first. I'm going to be sick.

9:00pm - As the Blackeyed Peas say..."Lets Get It Started".

8:59pm - Interesting how many Canadians have been hired by other countries to train their athletes. I guess we really are that good. Come on...I'm allowed to brag on my own blog.

8:58pm - High expectations for the Canadian athletes on home turf. No Canadian has ever won a gold medal at an Olympic games in Canada. Hoping that changes in a big way this time.

8:55pm - Another Canadian "Raw Raw" video to get us all pumped up for the show. I'm sure all countries broadcasting are doing the same thing.

8:53pm - I didn't think Jennifer Hedger could look any better. Best looking female sports broadcaster in Canadian history. OK...hormones are back under control. Now back to the show. :-)

8:50pm - Prime Minister Harper is sporting some interesting hair tonight. I don't think it ever moves.

8:45pm - 15 minutes to go and I'm already sick of seeing the Bell commercials and I'm sure the Tim Horton's commercials will grow old very quickly over the next 17 days.

8:42pm - Great to see the troops in Afghanistan in good spirits and waiting to watch the ceremonies. Support The Troops. One guy yells "Move the camera". I guess he wants to be on TV.

8:41pm - Please tell me that CTV didn't rent a blimp to cover the opening ceremonies at a domed stadium.

8:38pm - Hayley Wickenhis, Wickenhaus, Wicken...how the heck do you spell her name? Gotta Google it.

8:37pm - I see we spared no expense for a light show. What were they waiving in the crowd....disposable flashlights?

8:36pm - Babcock is the man that's going to get the job done. It's gold or nothing for the Men's Hockey team. A lot of pressure on them but they can do it. I hope. :-)

8:33pm - Is there a better voice than Donald Sutherland to get you pumped up?

8:29pm - Commercial break...time to grab a beverage and take care of another little issue. :-)

8:26pm - Glad to hear they're going to do a moment of silence and make reference to the death today. But I hope they also celebrate and party down. Bow-chick-a-wow-wow.

8:24pm - Couldn't they find anyone better to get the crowd pumped up prior to the show beginning than Ben Mulroney. At least he had a spray tan.

8:18pm - Brian Williams is great. It wouldn't be an Olympic broadcast without him.

8:11pm - Furlong is making his way to the ceremonies. Such a long wait and a lot of hard work to lead up to this day. Sadly it won't be as much of a celebration as it might have been after the accident that claimed the life of the Luge competitor from Georgia today. Very sad indeed.

8:00pm - They just showed protesters not far from B.C. Place doing what protesters do. What a bunch of idiots. Do they really think they can make a difference by standing in the rain and singing protest songs. Oh well, it's their right I guess.