Olympic Countdown

Let the Games begin!  My goal is to provide you with Olympic news each day, as I love the Olympics, still hold an impossible dream of walking in the Opening Ceremony (I suppose that would mean competing in an event, but that's an even more impossible dream), and feel that this Olympics is either going to be very newsworthy - or a big fat Chinese dumpling dud.  I (and China) would prefer the former.

Up today: Opening Ceremonies - NBC - 7:00 central time.  Hosted by Bob Costas and Matt Lauer, and sold as breathtaking and overwhelming.  If you only have time for a little bit, tune in for the start, and the finish, where the Olympic torch will be lit by a mystery guest. 

Michael Phelps - part man, part fish - is slated for enough swimming events to break the Olympic record of number of gold medals won in one games (the current record is 7 gold medals, also held by a swimmer... first one to throw the correct name in the comments will win a prize... ).  Phelps is sporting a goatee now, which prompted Matt Lauer to wonder why swimmer's shave their entire bodies and squeeze themselves into aerodynamic Speedos, only to voluntarily create drag on their faces (I agree, and suspect that if Phelps doesn't do well in his first race, he'll be back to a naked chin quicker than... well, quicker than he swims the 100 freestyle!)  Check out Phelps teaching Lauer how to do flip-turns!

Best of all, the John Williams / NBC Sports Olympic music begins today.  NBC actually uses a few different songs that Williams originally created for the 1984 Los Angelos Games and 1996 Atlanta Games.  Now, the "dum, dum, da dum dum dum dum" that you hear incessantly on TV is not the Official 2008 Olympic Theme Song; China came up with some unusual "Friends Forever" tune to fit that bill.  However, I will always be partial to the William's music; it's powerful, catchy, and inspires me to vacate the couch and take a walk around the block :)

Let the Games begin!