The Great Olympics Opening Ceremony Hoax

Not since NASA staged the moonlanding in a remote New Mexico hangar have we seen such fakery: That big footprint effect during the cast-of-thousands opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics was the result of computer graphics rather than part of the elaborate fireworks display:

"Gao Xiaolong, head of the visual effects team for the ceremony, said it had taken almost a year to create the 55-second sequence. ... 'Seeing how it worked out, it was still a bit too bright compared to the actual fireworks,' he said. 'But most of the audience thought it was filmed live - so that was mission accomplished.'"

(This, apparently, didn't really happen.)

NBC announcers hipped their viewers to the fact, but millions of other viewers around the world were left with the impression that what they were witnessing was actually erupting in the skies over Beijing. Good thing they tricked up that bit, because otherwise, you know, that extravaganza might've felt a little flat.

(A scene from the Beijing Olympics' opening ceremony, or, maybe, just a random shot of a whole bunch of explosions. It's kind of hard to tell.)