Set your TiVO

9:08 pm (EST) this Friday, August 8: get ready for the much-anticipated Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games, a top-secret performance that has been in the works for over three years now, directed by renowned filmmaker Zhang Yimou and featuring a fireworks display by Guggenheim-anointed art superstar Cai Guo Qiang.

It will be interesting to see how this artist-designed extravaganza compares to the fabulously imaginative 1992 Albertville Olympics Opening Ceremony, which was overseen by French choreographer Phillipe Decoufle–here’s a clip from that one:

According to ABC News, we should “be ready for a dramatic countdown, giant whales, an illuminated globe and performers flying through the air like Peter Pan.”

Watch a clip of the rehearsals of the fireworks show here:

And click here to see a leaked video of rehearsals of the performance spectacle.

I cannot wait.

Posted by Lana | Tuesday, August 5th, 2008 | Leave a Response