Olympics Opening Ceremony 2012 Start Time: Viewing Info for Opening Event

One of the best parts of the Olympics is the Opening Ceremony.

There's no competition yet, no broken hearts, no hurt pride, no animosity toward the nations who have dared to build a team better than yours. There's just excitement and eagerness for it all to begin.

Plus, when a recent Oscar-winning Hollywood director is slated to direct the show, how can you not be excited?

When: Friday, July 27. Televised coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Where: East London

Watch: NBC

Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com

Danny Boyle, director of Slumdog Millionaire, will be calling the shots on Friday evening, but unfortunately, he might not get to stage the epic spectacle he'd been hoping to show the world. Due to time constraints, Boyle has been forced to trim the fat from his show, which is scheduled to run for three hours and and end sometime between 12 and 12:30 a.m. ET, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Sadly, trimming 30 minutes from the show means no stunt bikes, according to the Free Press. But there will still be plenty to see from a ceremony that is inspired by Shakespeare's The Tempest and features Paul McCartney as the closing act.

According to the Guardian, the show will also feature two BBC-produced short films and is so artistically and creatively out-of-this-world that it's been described as "a creative high-wire act."

Fox News reports that there have been tensions between Boyle and the Olympic committee over the time constraints, but it's all in the name of putting on an unforgettable show that is about more than just the sports.

As Director of Venues James Bulley put it to Fox News, the award-winning director is "very keen to make sure that the coverage of the opening ceremony was filmed not from a sports standpoint."

With all of the widespread reports of tension at rehearsals, you might think the world's fate depends on this show. But given the fact that the global audience is expected to be in the range of four billion, according to the Guardian, you can see why Boyle is desperate for everything to be perfect.

In an interview with the Guardian, a source described the rehearsal atmosphere as "miserable," so here's hoping that Boyle can get the camera angles he so desires by Friday night, or else we may not get a show at all. 

And how could the Olympics begin without an Opening Ceremony?