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London puts on a show fit for royalty at XXX Summer Olympics By George Dickie © Zap2it indelible image from the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing was the 897 blocks of movable type on the floor of the Olympic sta- dium, moving and chang- ing to depict, among other scenes, a raindrop rippling outward on a pond, swells on an ocean and the Chi- nese symbol for harmony. At sequence's end, Probably the most you wouldn't find anywhere else. "Plus of course, they it was revealed that the performance was not computer-controlled, as had been assumed, but actually the work of 897 human performers moving their blocks up and down perfectly in unison. It was a stunning display of precision and attention to detail that still impresses NBC's Bob Costas four years later as he readies to host the XXX Summer Olympics in London, which kick off with the Opening Ceremony Friday, July 27, on NBC. "I think in Beijing they have an extraordinarily rich civilization and history to talk about," he continues. "And it was a true national effort by an emerging na- tion with, at least for that purpose, close to unlimited resources of both people and money. So I think everybody decided after that, 'All we can do is the best we can do on our own terms.' But no one's terms will ever be the same as Beijing's. "And I think that - and I casts, heading a broadcast talent pool that includes Al Michaels, John McEn- roe, Mary Carillo, Ryan Seacrest and Dan Patrick. For Costas, 60, this Olympics represents his 10th Games, Winter and Summer (and ninth as prime-time host), dating back to the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul. His favorite all-time said this during the open- ing ceremonies - the aver- age person watching at home had a combination of appreciation and awe for the beauty of it and the accomplishment of it. But also it was a little unsettling to them, because you said, 'My God, if they can mar- shal their forces with this much precision for this ...,' well, you fill in the blank." The peacock network retired the trophy (for best Opening Ceremony)," Cos- tas says. "You know, they had the resources to do it. You have a country that not only financed the Olympics and did so with an unlim- ited budget, but which is in a position to have tens of thousands of 'volunteers' volunteer to rehearse for six months. You just got cir- cumstances in China that and its various properties - MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo, NBC Sports Network, Tele- mundo, NBCOlympics.com and two specialty channels - will provide more than 5,500 hours of coverage of the 2012 Summer Olym- pics running through the Closing Ceremony on Aug. 12, offering live and delay coverage of all 26 sports and all 302 medal competi- tions. Costas will serve as prime-time host of the tele- Olympics moment, or as close as one gets for him, came in Atlanta in 1996, when Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic torch at Turner Field to open the XXVI Summer Games. "It was such a well-kept bundled into that one mo- ment, and you had tens of thousands of people all more or less thinking the same thing: Here's a guy who once was the most controversial athlete on the planet, and now he's a figure of reconciliation. And he once was the most agile and nimble and beau- tiful of athletes, and now he's in the throes of this affliction and shaking like a leaf. These contradictions made it really dramatic." Of course, one of the big "There was so much secret," Costas recalls, "... and in truth Dick Enberg and I did not know. We had begun to suspect, but we didn't know for sure. I think there were a half-dozen people who even knew. Dick Ebersol (then the president of NBC Sports) was one of them because it was his idea, actually, and he had to sell (Presi- dent and CEO) Billy Payne and the Olympic committee on it. "But when Ali kind of stepped out of the shad- ows," he continues, "you heard a sound that you don't often hear in a gigan- tic, filled-to-capacity sta- dium, and that was a gasp, an audible gasp that was then followed by a short bit of silence while people kind of processed this, and then this enormous roar both of excitement and ap- preciation and respect. You know, all of it. stars of the next 17 days - along with Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, Rafael Nadal, Alicia Sacramone and the rest of the estimated 10,500 athletes represent- ing 204 countries - will be the city of London itself. These Games represent the burg's third Olympics and first since 1948. While it is a given that the host city will put its best foot for- ward, and its countrymen and women will put on a big medal push, London has another feature no other locale can match. British royalty will make Catch the Craze & Save! Save on Rentals • Breakfast Get Free Glass Cleaner Save on a Quilt Find these great savings plus more on Coupon Craze! In The Goshen News every Monday, Online everyday! its presence known in several ways, from Queen Elizabeth II opening the Games to Princes Harry and William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, serving as official "Olympic ambassadors" and Zara Phillips - daughter of Prin- cess Anne and Mark Phil- lips and granddaughter of the queen - competing in equestrian. Nobody covers your hometown better 114 S. Main St., Goshen 574-533-2151 www.goshennews.com Employment Ad Today! Place Your Over 3,500 resumes are posted on monster.com in The Goshen News readership areas. 574-533-2151 ext. 398 goshennews.com / 574.522.4475 www.GurleyLeepHonda.com Bob Costas anchors NBC's prime-time coverage of the XXX Summer Olympics beginning Friday. 2 The Goshen News • Viewer's Choice • July 23, 2012 - July 29, 2012 EVERY MONDAY IN FIND A VARIETY OF GREAT RECIPES PLUS GROCERY STORE ADVERTISEMENTS

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