Newsworthy Cracks Coming To Light In The Great Wall Of Olympics Coverage

NBC's Olympic ratings glory is just slightly tarnished because not everything we saw during the opening ceremonies was real.

I'm shocked. Computer-generated special effects were mixed in with the fireworks display. If anyone is going to use computer-generated imagery, why not make Bob Costas' hair look better?

The network has been racking up huge ratings for the summer games thanks to impressive efforts by the athletes. So maybe the peacock will make back the $900 million-plus it paid for the games. But there are cracks in the Great Wall of coverage from China.

Olympic organizers mixed in fake CGI fireworks during Friday night's opening ceremony. The spectacular helicopter view of explosives wasn't real. It was a 55-second sequence that took the Chinese a year to create because it's "logistically impossible" to get that kind of shot live.

And sadly, the cute 9-year-old Lin Miaoke, who impressed the world when she sang one of China's favorite anthems, was lip-syncing because 7-year-old Yang Peiyi, whose voice we heard, was deemed not cute enough by the Chinese musical director.

The Chinese also have been padding the empty seats in the sports venues with "cheer squads" to avoid the embarrassment of having vacant rows at what is supposed to be the first ever "sold-out" Summer Olympics.

These face-saving, staged transgressions were done by the Olympic organizers, but NBC appears to be in collusion with the deceptions. NBC Sports responded to the fireworks flap by noting that viewers were informed by Matt Lauer and Costas that the fireworks looked like "a cinematic device" and "almost animation." But that seems a little vague to me, and the fireworks were so impressive that I wasn't paying attention to the commentary.

I was paying attention when the verbose John Tesh introduced the coverage of women's gymnastics, and I still don't know what he was talking about. But it sounded pretentiously poetic.

Viewers are flocking to all NBC Universal outlets. The television network is on track to set an American record for Olympics viewership, according to Nielsen Media Research. During the first two days of the 29th Summer Olympics, about 114 million viewers watched at least a portion on NBC, Telemundo, MSNBC and CNBC.

ALOHA FIVE-0: Everything old is new again. CBS is considering an update of "Hawaii Five-0" from the producer of "Criminal Minds." The new series would pay homage to the classic CBS cop drama that ran from 1968 to 1980.

The late Jack Lord starred as Steve McGarrett, the head of a state investigative unit. In the new version, McGarrett's son, Chris, will be in charge.

The memorable theme song, by Morton Stevens and covered by The Ventures, will be updated (hope they don't ruin it).

The crime stuff also would be updated to keep pace with all the "Law & Order" and "CSI" shows. No cast has been named yet. Producer Ed Bernero says he will also update the show's famous closing line, "Book 'em, Dano," spoken by McGarrett to his sidekick, Danny Williams (James MacArthur).

The network is also reworking "The Streets of San Francisco," a cop drama that ran from 1972 to 1977. It starred Karl Malden and Michael Douglas.

BLOG NOTES: What was I doing in the same hotel where John Edwards was meeting his mistress? Get the scoop on the next "Dancing With the Stars." And see proof that Mary-Kate Olsen has another twin. All this and more can be found on Walt TV at TBOextra.com.

TUNE IN TONIGHT

Greatest American Dog,

8 p.m., CBS

The ratings continue to drop, probably because of the Summer Olympics on NBC, but as long as there's a bulldog in the competition, there's a reason to watch. Let's hear it for Tillman, the skateboarding English bulldog.

Animal House: The Inside

Story, 9 p.m., Biography

This is a new "biography" of a 1978 comedy about frat life that captured the spirit of what college was like in the carefree 1960s. The depths, the debauchery, the ill-fated demise of Delta House as well as John Belushi's food fight are explored.