Details

Did you know that there were more than 15,000 performers for the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in Beijing last week? Can you imagine what it must have been like to be one of those performers? I imagine the phone call to mom would go something like this:

"Mom, I'm gonna be on TV! Four hundred and fifty-third row, one hundred and thirty-ninth from the right! I'll be waving a pastel flag... you can't miss me! Fire up the TiVo!"

With so many performers on display, it goes without saying that you (the casual viewer) missed some of the more subtle touches. Lucky for you, I have an eye for detail.

Did you know...

1) To avoid criticism from the US, all performers wore sneakers that were manufactured by workers over the age of 12.

2) Near the end of the ceremony, on the lower-left corner of your screen, four male performers proposed to their girlfriends (three said yes).

3) The introductory moments were reworked a bit at the last minute when it was discovered that the Flying Elvi had expired passports.

4) That guy running around the upper rim of the stadium was Jet Li, and no special effects were involved.

You're welcome.