Opening Ceremonies

I missed the start of it but starting at 9:15

9:15 - first nations of each province entering the scene doing dances (that aren't synchronized!)
9:21 - Countries starting to come in, starting with Greece, the founders of the Games, and then countries following in alphabetical order
9:23 - algeria comes in with 4 athletes
9:25 - the First Nation dancers are still dancing...are they going to dance through the whole opening ceremony
9:26 - Aizerbaijan comes in with 2 athletes! both in slalom skiing.
9:27 - is Carey Price's mom representing the First Nations from BC? (first commercial break)
9:29 - Bermuda has 1 athlete...and he showed up wearing shorts! and that's why they don't belong in the olympics.
9:31 - China comes in with 90 athletes!! Look out for the pairs figure skating, they're very good at coordination...The Chinese were also waving mini Canada flags.
9:33 - are the Czechs here for a military mission? Jaromir Jagr carries the flag-- side note...the sign bearers are hotties.
9:38 - France checks in with 108 athletes...one athlete painted a French flag mustache...classy! -- First Nations update...still dancing.
9:39 - Georgia comes in, looking serious, wearing black armbands to commemorate their lost teammate.
9:42 - Brits check in...not a very pretty nation. (commercial break)
9:45 - Hong Kong gets 1 athlete in Cross-Country Skiing...maybe some Canadian fobs should step up and form a team
9:48 - Jamaica checks in with 1 athlete...no bobsled team! Feel the rhythm, Feel the rhyme! Get on up, it's bobsled TIME!
9:51 - South Koreans are dominant in short-track speed skating...29 of 31 Olympic medals won in that category.
9:55 - Mexico comes in with 1 athlete...who is 51 years old. He begun his career 25 years ago.
9:59 - Norway leads all countries in medals with 280 and they are a good looking nation. IMO nation to follow for more than one reason ;)
10:02 - Russians have 178 athletes! Former Pittsburgh Penguin first rounder Aleksey Morozov carries the flag...imagine if he was still with the Penguins today? -- the tireless First Nations dancers continue to strut their stuff.
10:09 - First Nation dancers slowing down.
10:12 - States appear with 218 athletes!
10:14 - Canada finally arrives with 206 athletes, ranked 7th all-time in medals. Red Jackets black pants? not very warming.
10:19 - Bryan Adams and Nelly Furtado Singing a tribute song called "Bang your Drum"...would be funnier if Bryan Adams sang a song called "Winter of 2010"
10:26 - Cultural part of the ceremonies...could be boring. "Hymn to the North"
10:30 - nice energy wave effect with the staff.
10:32 - one massive Coca-Cola bear appearing out of nothing and floating onto the stage.
1034 - whales "swimming" along the stage, nice effect on the spraying of water as they pass by.
10:37 - Part 2 of the culture "the Sacred Groove" - Sarah McLachlan
10:42 - Alberta ballet performing underneath the trunks of the trees...feels like they're tiny little hobbits.
10:44 - Segment 3 "Rhythms of the Fall" -- a flying canoe!
10:45 - some sort of Scottish devil with a cape playing some folk music on the Violin...a nice touch with a dancing shadow on the moon...while playing on the canoe
10:47 - some crazy punks with tattoos fiddling...6 main fiddlers with 180 other fiddlers...that's a lot of fiddlers!
10:50 - crazy tap dancer! a lost art.
10:52 - Fiddle sticks on fire!! tap dancing shoes on fire! fiddlers putting on a good show.
10:56 - Part 4 "who Has Seen the Wind" -- from the view of a young girl...but the girl looks like a boy...
10:58 - in Canada...we believe we can fly..so we do!
11:00 - that flying kid probably gets all the chicks.
11:03 - from dancing prairie pansy to an electric storm...me no gets it, but crowd gets into it with flashlights
11:05 - George Vancouver reference...discovered Vancouver in 1792.
11:07 - one of the people in the stands is already passed out...8:07 Vancouver time is an early bedtime
11:08 - Olympic footage on the makeshift mountain backdrop with spinning skiiers/snowboarders...once again flying!
11:09 - rollerbladers simulating skatinig arrive on set in red jump suits to complement the snowboarders/skiiers
11:10 - rollerbladers lit up with light bulbs coloured red or white, trippy.
11:11 - a poet of some sort on to tell a tale on a raised stage.
11:13 - now this GUY probably gets all the chicks.
11:16 - Olympic speeches from Jacques Rogue (sp?) and John Furlong from the IOC and the head of the Vancouver movement. This is going to be boring! a Tribute to the unfortunately athlete that passed this morning.
11:31 - Michaelle Jean, the Governor General of Canada declares the opening of the winter games after a lengthy speech from the aforementioned duo.
11:32 - another song, not sure who, and not sure what.
11:38 - a Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" covered by KD Lang who looks like a man.
11:40 - Olympic flag being carried in...one of the carriers is Jacques Villeneuve! Hockey Legend Bobby Orr also carrying.
11:42 - No sight of other famous Canadians Bill Shatner or Pamela Anderson. Olympic Hymn being sung.
11:47 - 1 minute of silence for Georgian Luger Nodar Kumaritashvil
11: 49 - Hayley Wickenheiser takes an oath on behalf of all the athletes to not dope, and Michel Verrault does the same for all the judges to not fix any results.
11:50 - Garou singing a piece in French.
11:54 - FLAME ON! Olympic flame brought in, Paralympian Gold medalist Rick Hansen passing off to 2-time Gold Medalist Catriona LeMay Doan, passed off to Steve Nash...rumour is he's going to dunk it.
11:55 - the rumours are not true, Nancy Greene receives it next, Canadian Ski Champion of the Century, who passes off to the Great One.
11:59 - System is on delay, they can't open the cauldron that's supposed to come out of the floor
12:00 - 3 columns up, and 1 can't seem to get up...need Viagra?
12:01 - They light it up via the columns...very smooth.
12:02 - first Olympic flame in a domed stadium, with a minor malfunction
12:03 - Outdoor fireworks for finishing touches.
12:04 - the external cauldron will be lit by Wayne Gretzky...HE SHOOTS....
12:05 - air-lock in the doors, take some seconds to open so the inflated dome doesn't deflate
12:05 - Gretzky riding on the back of a truck...and it's raining...but the flame lives on!
12:06 - a kid is following beside Gretzky's car at a good pace...I wonder if he'll ever stop running
12:11 - this is a long ride, Gretzky had to switch flames, double fisting for a couple of seconds
12:13 - 15 minute lifespan of the torch, fueled by butane.
12:14 - 15 minutes after the scheduled programming, it's taking a while. We see the Cauldron and the way it's supposed to look indoors and.
12:15 - ...HE SCORES!!!!
12:20 - Montreal's own Nikki Yanovsky singing "I Believe" to wrap up the Olympics. She's gone a long way from doing Montreal Canadiens pre-game Anthems to doing the Anthems at the Olympics.
12:24 - and it concludes...and it also concludes my blog, and I'm going to bed. Good Bye and Good Night.