Olympic Excess: Fireworks, Face-Painting and Commercialism

If you thought body painting and foam fingers were the exclusive excess of American sports, you missed the foam-fingered, wigged-out crowds along Wangfujiang Ave. for the opening ceremony.

A barrage of 29,000 pieces of fireworks kicked off the festivities, as 16,000 athletes from some 200 nations gathered at National Stadium, a 91,000-seat venue affectionately dubbed "The Bird's Nest."

And if the roman candles weren't enough, commercialism lit up every corner of Beijing. Visitors couldn't miss the towering, 40-foot neon Coca-Cola bottle, and the Olympic emblem could be found carved into fruit, and emblazoned on dragons perched on the Great Wall of China.

Of course, if you're tired of the spectacle, there's also the athletics. Time to ask yourself, "What the heck is synchronized diving?"

Weird News Highlights

• Nothing to Brag About: Radio talk show caller admits to murder (Dumb Crime Du Jour);
• Gimmie a D! Gimmie a U! Gimmie an M!: 26 Texas Cheerleaders trap themselves in an elevator (Idiotic Moves);
• Kilt-y Pleasure: Postal worker fights for the right to wear a kilt to work (Petty Disputes);
• Royal Opportunity: English Lord Puts His Title Up for Sale (Found on eBay);
• No Engine, No Go: Car thieves caught trying to hotwire car with no engine (Dumb Crime Du Jour).

Photo © China/Getty Images