If it looks too good to be true … – 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics
| It turns out that amazing line of fireworks footprints marching from Tiananmen Square to the Bird’s Nest stadium during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics was computer-generated and inserted into television coverage to look like the real thing.
It was fake. It didn’t go down like that. Of course, this is a case of good news-bad news. I was in Tiananmen Square on Friday evening, reporting and writing a column on the tens of thousands of jubilant Chinese citizens who gravitated there to celebrate. Those people saw two tiny flarelike blasts pop in the sky, followed by a lot of nothing, and they were probably baffled by the widespread reports of the lit-up sky, exploding footprints and brilliant fireworks. And today, I’m thinking those people are relieved to learn they’re not losing their marbles. That’s the good news. |