Video Olympic Opening Partially Faked

News has emerged that parts of Beijing's Olympic Opening Ceremony on Friday were faked.

For those watching it on TV, one of the most spectacular images was the series of firework footprints that lit the sky over Beijing. But in an interview with the Beijing Times newspaper, video graphics animator Gao Xiaolong let slip that he had actually overseen the production of these images. They were artificial images, computer-generated for the broadcast.

And one of the Ceremony's most emotional moments was when nine-year-old Lin Miaoke sang "Ode to the Motherland." Well, as it turns out, this performance was entirely lip-synched.

According to the Ceremony's musical director, Chen Qigang, in a state radio interview, members of China's Communist leadership found Lin's singing unacceptable. So they replaced her voice with a recording by the more musically talented seven-year-old Yang Peiyi. Yet Yang Peiyi was judged to be not cute enough to take the stage, so they arranged a lip-sync. Chen said the trick was--quote--"in the national interest," but some Chinese bloggers are expressing feelings of surprise and even disgust at the news. Notably, the architect of China's centerpiece Bird's Nest Stadium, Mr. Ai Weiwei, has stated on his own blog that the ceremony--quote--"deceived and humiliated its six hundred million spectators."

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