I remember friends raving about the opening & closing ceremonies in years past; I've never been impressed. I watched a few minutes here & there last night but, as usual, was underwhelmed. . .some pretty athletes, though!

Anybody else have to sign-in each time they post on SE lately? Annoying~

Its awful. A huge letdown.

Loved pink floyd and wish it had ended there...that was the best part for me... instead of bringing on Paul mscartney...
overall it was quite amazing.
huge undertaking...my praise for many intriguing visuals and a musical travel through time.

The entire thing was an embarrassment to the Brits. What a joke. China rocked the house 4 years ago and this was a pathetic children's pagent by comparison.

Tubular Bells, Mike Olefield, excellent music choice to accompany mind numbing boredem of moving beds, dancing nurses, and a creepy giant baby. Brits are a strange lot.

I was SO very irritated by the incessant yammering of Meredith Vieira & Matt Lauer!! Boooooo! They really sapped a lot of my enjoyment. I still love the games, though!

lame. the chinese rock while the british are broke and boring?

"the chinese rock while the british are broke and boring?"

I see you have adjusted well to your Chinese overlords.

"the chinese rock while the british are broke and boring?"

The 2008 opening ceremony was great because China wanted to showcase to the world how great they are as an economic power. Plus the Chinese government has tons of money to spend.

i only wish that, during the parade of nations, the commentators would discuss more the ATHLETES rather than the politics of the nations they represent.