Olympic Opening Ceremony 2012: The Best Pictures of the Night

It's London 2012 time, and in a year like 2012, we don't have to wait anymore to get a tape-delayed feed of the awesomeness that's taking place at the Summer Games' opening ceremonies. It's going down now, on live streams, Twitter and here at Bleacher Report (of course). 

Even the newswires are cranking out epic shots of the grand kickoff party as quickly as they're happening, giving us some epic pics almost instantly from across the pond. 

Here are some of the sweetest so far. 

Big Ben's Cameo

It wouldn't be London without an appearance from the world's most famous clock. 

Rings of Fire

Beijing 2008 brought down the house with its visual displays, but London isn't slacking here. 

That's a Big Bell

Really. That's a really, really big bell. And quite the audible way to kick this party off. 

Dance the Night Away

Twitter is all abuzz about the epic playlist for this ceremony, and these dancers seem to be enjoying the tunes as well. 

Feeling Hazy

Something about this photo just screams classic opening ceremony. 

David Beckham...on a Boat

One of Britain's most famous exports of the last generation, having Becks make a cameo was a nice touch.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie

Gotta be nice repping a country that starts with "A." Sorry, Zimbabwe. 

Rocking the House Down

If there's one thing the Brits can do, it's rock. Here's another shot of that dance party that made the world bob its head. 

Our Bridge Is Cooler Than Your Bridge

And us SF-based folk thought it was cool when they shot fireworks off the Golden Gate a couple of months back.

I'm a Little Bit Country...

Before the rock and roll took over, we were treated to a much more placid opening. 

Let It Glow

DSLR cameras + scenes like this = epic. 

Quite the Skyline

Gotta love the from-afar, wide-angle visuals when they look this stunning. 

Royal Couple Canoodling

Still no Pippa sighting (bummer). You have to wonder, what's the bigger party—the Royal Wedding or this? (Yes, I watched both). 

Oh My Gosh

The pic kind of speaks for itself, no?

Fire in the Hole!

The pyromaniac in many a B/R reader probably appreciates this shot. That and WWE fans (Kane definitely would approve).

Eye Sighting

If these Olympics were in NYC, we'd get the Statue of Liberty. The London Eye is their skyline-enriching delight. Here it is in the background looking nice and dapper in green. 

Bubble Boy

Is it me, or does this look like a gigantic hamster ball?

Is the New '007' Movie out Yet?

And this photo, an epic scene from the intro of the ceremony, made me wish for Skyfall to come out already. Oh well, Casino Royale on Blu-ray it is. 

Wave to the Camera

They're excited. 

Nose-Bleed Seats...

Look pretty dang good, too. Really not a bad seat in the house for this one. Even the live stream (thanks, BBC!) looks great here in San Francisco. 

Germany Bringing the Bright Hues

Flashiest outfits of the night? They're definitely in the top five. 

Bed-Ridden

If you came into the ceremonies midway (like I did with the BBC livestream), this part was rather confusing. Still, it looks pretty cool.

The Queen Makes Her Cameo

Plus, we had the sounds of Queen (the band) as part of that rocking set midway through. 

Mr. Bolt on a Casual Stroll

Bearing the flag for Jamaica here, this is probably the slowest you'll see the Fastest Man in the World move all Olympics. 

Mr. Bean's Boring Job

In by far the funniest moment of the show, British comedian Rowan Atkinson (aka Mr. Bean) made a must-see cameo with the show's orchestra, where he was tasked with playing the same note over and over again on a piano. Well done. 

This Is for Who?

For everyone? Cool. 

Oh Canada

Have to give a shout-out to our neighbors to the north. 

Brazil Makes Its March

Quite a photogenic group here. 

Pretty and Purple

While everyone was fretting about the music, the opening and the countryside motif of the ceremony, the people putting this show on were obviously working on making it look visually stunning from a lighting perspective, too. Mission accomplished. 

China's Grand Entrance

Led by NBA player Yi Jianlian, the 2008 host country crashed London's party in style. 

Seeing Red

With photos like this, the nosebleed seats may be some of the best in the house. 

Save the Legs

Hey, if you've got a competition coming up, no use putting extra miles on those puppies. 

If You Don't Like Fireworks ...

... Then you're in the wrong place. 

USA! USA! USA!

Let's give it up for the ladies and gentleman representing the red, white and blue. There will be plenty of medals in this group in a couple weeks. 

Olympic Vets Show How It's Done

This beach volleyball duo (Misty May Treanor and Kerri Walsh) have done this dance before, but it definitely doesn't get less exciting – as proven by this picture. 

So. Many. Colors.

For a city not exactly known for bright lights, they've make the sky sparkle tonight. 

Rocking Out

Quite the stage for the Arctic Monkeys. Does it get any bigger than this? 

Well, This Is Awesome

Not much more to say than that. Wow. 

E.T.?

Nope, it's not everyone's favorite 1980s-era alien, but it still looks cool. 

Peace and Pride

Love this shot. Especially the iPhone showing "USA."

Celeb Sighting

Tennis star Maria Sharapova leads the way for Russia. 

Home Team Rocking Quite the Look

The host country had to wait last to take the track, but their outfits were certainly worth the wait. Like them or not, the "wow" factor is definitely there. 

Torch-Lighting Team

About the most athletic thing we saw all night was this group jogging while getting ready to – literally – fire the olympics up. 

Mission Accomplished

And the results look dang good. 

How About a Close Up?

The flame may never look this pretty again. 

Beatle in the Building

Hard to argue with "Hey Jude." Really, who has a problem with this song?

Fireworks Finale

Gotta love these shots. Especially when it only gets better ...

Firework Finale (Part 2)

And it does get better. 

Fireworks Finale (Part 3)

Fireworks, for the win. Enjoy the games, everyone. This was quite the start.