PEN Nearovi
2006-02-11 20:54:36 UTC
For the first time, eight women carried the Olympic flag: Italian
actress Sophia
Loren, Chilean writer Isabel Allende, American actress Susan Sarandon,
Nobel
Peace-prize winner Wangari Maathai of Kenya, and three Olympic medal
winners. They were Nawal El Moutawakel of Morocco, Manuela Di Centa of
Italy, and Maria Mutola of Mozambique. The eighth was Cambodian human
rights activist Somaly Mam.
==========================
FOXNEWS.COM
TORINO, Italy - Mix in some song, dance and a squealing Ferrari, and
cap
it off with some opera.
That's amore - for the Torino Olympics.
It was a mutual love affair between the Italian hosts - known for
their flair for the
dramatic - and their visitors from around the world at Friday's
opening ceremony.
It started the moment the Olympic torch arrived, carried by skiing hero
Alberto "La
Bomba" Tomba, who ran up the stage steps and handed it off to a
succession of
Italian medal winners.
Ultimately it was Stefania Belmondo, a two-time gold medal winner in
cross-country skiing, who touched the flame to a wire that ignited
fireworks and lit
the Olympic caldron in what was a spectacular eruption.
The cheering crowd screamed its delight - just one of the many times
it did so
throughout the three-hour show, though perhaps never more than when a
fire-engine
red Ferrari spun in furious doughnuts, sending smoke wafting through
the air and
leaving a streak of black rubber in a jumble of circles.
But it wasn't truly over until the big man sang.
Luciano Pavarotti performed "Nessun Dorma," ("Let No One Sleep"), from
Puccini's "Turandot," an aria that the tenor has turned into a
signature piece.
While that closing number sent spectators home happy, it was the parade
of nations
that really got the party going.
More than 2,500 athletes arrived to the accompaniment of chest-thumping
disco
ranging from "YMCA" by the Village People to "I Will Survive," by
Gloria
Gaynor.
Italy, as host country, entered last and brought down the house.
Dressed in
fur-trimmed coats, against the pulsating, popular Italian pop song "Una
Donna Per
Amico" ("A Woman For a Friend"), the crowd jumped to its feet, and
shouted while
ringing souvenir cow bells provided by show organizers.
"Hopefully after such a show Torino will no longer be seen as a drab
city, where you
only go to sleep early and go to work in the morning," said
entrepreneur Domenica
Devietti Goggia. "We also know how to have fun."
Second only to the audience's reaction to Italy was the roaring welcome
given to the
Americans. Around the packed stadium, fans stood and clapped as "Daddy
Cool"
blared through loudspeakers.
More than 200 U.S. athletes, wearing white coats and hats of blue and
red, waved
and blew kisses. Giant video screens showed a smiling first lady Laura
Bush.
In an unusual security move, three plain-clothed guards followed the
Danish team as
it marched through - a precaution that responded to recent violence
by Muslims
enraged at derogatory cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad published in
Danish
newspapers.
Security was also tight for the arrival of the first lady and Cherie
Blair, wife of British
Prime Minister Tony Blair.
"Rhythm, Passion and Speed," promised the show's producers, and those
watching
- an estimated 35,000 at the Olympic Stadium and 2 billion tuning in
- got all of
that.
The program opened with Yuri Chechi, one of Italy's most famous
gymnasts,
swinging a mighty hammer onto a giant anvil that sparked tall flames.
Rollerbladers in
red body suits zoomed across the stage, two-foot flames shooting out
the back of
their heads.
Next came a tribute to the seven countries abutting the majestic Alps
- including
Austria, Germany and France. Dancers wearing green sheaths pranced near
brightly
painted fake cows pulled on rollers. It was a homage to mountain life
and livestock,
and to cheer both, the stadium audience was supplied with the cow
bells.
More modern-day were the Federico Fellini-inspired clowns, acrobats and
high-wire acts.
In what executive producer Marco Balich described as an "iconic
moment,"
silver-clad dancers appeared with big, white bubbles stuck to their
heads. Balich,
who has staged concert shows for U2 and the Rolling Stones, said the
balls signified
snow, of which there is none in Turin.
This northwest city, home to both Fiat and Savoy-era mansions, has
exhibited a
certain ambivalence to the Winter Games, largely because of an
ever-changing
pattern of traffic detours and street closures. The weather, hovering
in the high 30s
and low 40s this week, melted more than a foot and a half of recent
snow and
prompted officials in the mountain venues to churn out the man-made
kind.
For the first time, eight women carried the Olympic flag: Italian
actress Sophia
Loren, Chilean writer Isabel Allende, American actress Susan Sarandon,
Nobel
Peace-prize winner Wangari Maathai of Kenya, and three Olympic medal
winners. They were Nawal El Moutawakel of Morocco, Manuela Di Centa of
Italy, and Maria Mutola of Mozambique. The eighth was Cambodian human
rights
activist Somaly Mam.
Behind the scenes, 6,100 volunteers helped stage the event, for which
they had
practiced an estimated 10,000 hours. Cost of both the opening and
closing
ceremonies: $34 million.
actress Sophia
Loren, Chilean writer Isabel Allende, American actress Susan Sarandon,
Nobel
Peace-prize winner Wangari Maathai of Kenya, and three Olympic medal
winners. They were Nawal El Moutawakel of Morocco, Manuela Di Centa of
Italy, and Maria Mutola of Mozambique. The eighth was Cambodian human
rights activist Somaly Mam.
==========================
FOXNEWS.COM
TORINO, Italy - Mix in some song, dance and a squealing Ferrari, and
cap
it off with some opera.
That's amore - for the Torino Olympics.
It was a mutual love affair between the Italian hosts - known for
their flair for the
dramatic - and their visitors from around the world at Friday's
opening ceremony.
It started the moment the Olympic torch arrived, carried by skiing hero
Alberto "La
Bomba" Tomba, who ran up the stage steps and handed it off to a
succession of
Italian medal winners.
Ultimately it was Stefania Belmondo, a two-time gold medal winner in
cross-country skiing, who touched the flame to a wire that ignited
fireworks and lit
the Olympic caldron in what was a spectacular eruption.
The cheering crowd screamed its delight - just one of the many times
it did so
throughout the three-hour show, though perhaps never more than when a
fire-engine
red Ferrari spun in furious doughnuts, sending smoke wafting through
the air and
leaving a streak of black rubber in a jumble of circles.
But it wasn't truly over until the big man sang.
Luciano Pavarotti performed "Nessun Dorma," ("Let No One Sleep"), from
Puccini's "Turandot," an aria that the tenor has turned into a
signature piece.
While that closing number sent spectators home happy, it was the parade
of nations
that really got the party going.
More than 2,500 athletes arrived to the accompaniment of chest-thumping
disco
ranging from "YMCA" by the Village People to "I Will Survive," by
Gloria
Gaynor.
Italy, as host country, entered last and brought down the house.
Dressed in
fur-trimmed coats, against the pulsating, popular Italian pop song "Una
Donna Per
Amico" ("A Woman For a Friend"), the crowd jumped to its feet, and
shouted while
ringing souvenir cow bells provided by show organizers.
"Hopefully after such a show Torino will no longer be seen as a drab
city, where you
only go to sleep early and go to work in the morning," said
entrepreneur Domenica
Devietti Goggia. "We also know how to have fun."
Second only to the audience's reaction to Italy was the roaring welcome
given to the
Americans. Around the packed stadium, fans stood and clapped as "Daddy
Cool"
blared through loudspeakers.
More than 200 U.S. athletes, wearing white coats and hats of blue and
red, waved
and blew kisses. Giant video screens showed a smiling first lady Laura
Bush.
In an unusual security move, three plain-clothed guards followed the
Danish team as
it marched through - a precaution that responded to recent violence
by Muslims
enraged at derogatory cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad published in
Danish
newspapers.
Security was also tight for the arrival of the first lady and Cherie
Blair, wife of British
Prime Minister Tony Blair.
"Rhythm, Passion and Speed," promised the show's producers, and those
watching
- an estimated 35,000 at the Olympic Stadium and 2 billion tuning in
- got all of
that.
The program opened with Yuri Chechi, one of Italy's most famous
gymnasts,
swinging a mighty hammer onto a giant anvil that sparked tall flames.
Rollerbladers in
red body suits zoomed across the stage, two-foot flames shooting out
the back of
their heads.
Next came a tribute to the seven countries abutting the majestic Alps
- including
Austria, Germany and France. Dancers wearing green sheaths pranced near
brightly
painted fake cows pulled on rollers. It was a homage to mountain life
and livestock,
and to cheer both, the stadium audience was supplied with the cow
bells.
More modern-day were the Federico Fellini-inspired clowns, acrobats and
high-wire acts.
In what executive producer Marco Balich described as an "iconic
moment,"
silver-clad dancers appeared with big, white bubbles stuck to their
heads. Balich,
who has staged concert shows for U2 and the Rolling Stones, said the
balls signified
snow, of which there is none in Turin.
This northwest city, home to both Fiat and Savoy-era mansions, has
exhibited a
certain ambivalence to the Winter Games, largely because of an
ever-changing
pattern of traffic detours and street closures. The weather, hovering
in the high 30s
and low 40s this week, melted more than a foot and a half of recent
snow and
prompted officials in the mountain venues to churn out the man-made
kind.
For the first time, eight women carried the Olympic flag: Italian
actress Sophia
Loren, Chilean writer Isabel Allende, American actress Susan Sarandon,
Nobel
Peace-prize winner Wangari Maathai of Kenya, and three Olympic medal
winners. They were Nawal El Moutawakel of Morocco, Manuela Di Centa of
Italy, and Maria Mutola of Mozambique. The eighth was Cambodian human
rights
activist Somaly Mam.
Behind the scenes, 6,100 volunteers helped stage the event, for which
they had
practiced an estimated 10,000 hours. Cost of both the opening and
closing
ceremonies: $34 million.