Olympics Fireworks As Real As Lord Of The Rings

Remember that cool visual during the Opening Ceremonies on Friday of a helicopter tracking firework footprints going across the Beijing skyline, leading to the stadium? What a sight it was! Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were installed across the entire stadium (even the roof!) and a LED screen, measuring 147 meters long and 22 meters wide was placed in the center of the stadium. And for the full futuristic effect, around 44,000 tiny LED beads, all different colors, were embedded within the LED screen as well as in the costumes of the performers.

THE TELEGRAPH reported the firework was a lie, a fantacy created by CGI inserted into the broadcast coverage in order to spruce things up a bit. It was like we got punked,I’m trying to free your mind, Neo

But sure to tune in for the closing ceremonies, where they promise that everything will be live, legit, and with no special effects. The highlight: a thousand Chinese warriors rise to do battle with real, live dragons, as Sun Tzu reads passages from his book The Art of War. Also, David Copperfield is going to make The Great Wall of China disappear.