People are raving over the intensity, creativity, symbolism, and general entertainment value of what is the single most watched Olympic opening ceremony (on TV) in history. That's all well and good. It was a sight to see... if you believe what you're seeing. Two new reports have however tarnished the spectacle. First reported is the CGI generated footage of the amazing footprint fireworks, which in reality were in fact real. The footage you saw on your TV was however, fake.
This, to many, isn't much of a big deal. The fireworks on site were real even if the TV footage was faked.

A FAR more offensive act however, was the lip-synced "Hymn to the Motherland." The girl who won the intense competition for the singing part was apparently to UGLY to be seen on camera, so they used her voice and replaced her with a cuter girl who became an idolic sensation overnight.

Beijing Olympic officials apparently did not realize how offensive this sort of action is to a great many people these days. "We're sorry kid, you can sing great... better than anyone your age, but you're too Fugly to be seen in our precious ceremony. What will people think?!"

Well ... they'll think you gypped a 7-year-old out of a dream come true to hand the fame to an actress who is prettier. Well, the good news is that the news crept out and now we know who is who. NOW, it's tragic for the actress who will be unfairly viewed as a fraud. She might not even have known it was not her voice everyone was hearing.

For the record, 7-year-old Yang Peiyi sang.
Cuter actress Lin Miaoke, 9, was seen and got credit.


These two screw-ups aside, this was the most spectacular opening ceremony in Olympic history so praise is due in large measure. It is a shame it could not have been entirely authentic however.