| Royal spectators: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge enjoy the atmosphere ahead of the ceremony
Further, they chose not to stream the events online, the Wall Street Journal said.
This means that those wanting to watch on the West Coast must wait a
full six and a half hours before seeing the commencement of the 2012
Olympic Games.
In the
ceremony, fighter jets streaming red, white and blue smoke roared over
the Olympic Stadium, packed with a buzzing crowd of 60,000 people, at
8:12 p.m. - or 20:12 in the 24-hour time observed by Britons.
One
of Britain's most successful contemporary movie directors, Oscar winner
Danny Boyle, was presiding over a three-hour spectacular highlighting
the U.K.'s history and impact on the world.
The
parade of nations is expected to feature most of the roughly 10,500
athletes - some planned to stay away to save their strength for
competition - marching behind the flags of the 204 nations taking part.
Greece
had the lead, as the spiritual home of the games, and Team Great
Britain was last, as host. The tradition of athletes marching into the
stadium by nation at the opening ceremony began at London's first
Olympics, in 1908.
It fell
to Queen Elizabeth II to formally declare the games open. Last month,
the nation put on a festive Diamond Jubilee - a small test run for the
games - to mark her 60 years on the throne, a reign that began shortly
after London's last Olympics, in 1948.
The
Olympic cauldron will be lit with a flame that was kindled May 10, at
the birthplace of the anciest Olympics in Greece, from a reflection of
the sun's rays off a mirror.
Since then, 8,000 torchbearers,
mostly unheralded Britons, have carried the flame on a 70-day,
8,000-mile journey from toe to tip of the British Isles, whipping up
enthusiasm for a $14 billion Olympics taking place during a severe
recession.
The identity of
the last torchbearer, the one to light the cauldron, was kept secret -
remarkable given the intense scrutiny at what have been called the first
social media Olympics.
Speculation
focused on Roger Bannister, the first man to run a four-minute mile, in
1954, and on rower Steve Redgrave, among others.
Boyle's
$42 million show, with 15,000 volunteers, promised to take the expected
global television audience of 1 billion on a rich and textured journey
through British history.
In
the center of the stadium, where athletes like Usain Bolt will star in
the coming weeks, Boyle constructed a giant set portraying a
romanticized vision of a green and pleasant Britain.
Smoke wisped from the crooked
chimneys of a homely thatched cottage. Meadows of perky pink flowers,
spreads of real grass, fake fluffy clouds and live animals - including
40 cream-colored sheep - transported spectators from the East End of
London to a rural idyll so dear to English hearts.
That
was later to give way to darker, grittier segments dwelling on the
industrial might upon which Britain built a global empire and shaped
world history.
Boyle's challenge was daunting: To be as memorable as Beijing's incredible, money-no-object opening ceremony of 2008.
He
drew from Shakespeare, British pop culture, literature and music, and
other sources of inspiration that will speak to - but perhaps at times
baffle - not just Anglophiles but people across the globe.
One segment featured the actor Daniel Craig as James Bond, and former Beatle Paul McCartney was to lead a sing-along.
For
Jacques Rogge, it was his last time as president of the International
Olympic Committee to watch the Olympic flag being raised at an opening
ceremony. He will step down in 2013 after completing the maximum two
terms.
Besides the
thousands of athletes and performers, 60,000 spectators were expected to
pack Olympic Stadium. Political leaders from around the world, U.S.
first lady Michelle Obama and her daughters, and a sprinkling of
European and celebrity royalty were also attending.
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