Hello, everybody. After seven years of planning, the Games of the XXX Olympiad kicked off in grand fashion Friday night in London with a spectacular production. 

This is their third Olympics after the 1908 and 1948 games, and the opening ceremony (under the auspices of Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle) was a concoction of rock and royalty rather than pomp and pageantry. Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean provided comic relief, appearing in a dream that he was in "Chariots of Fire" after trying to play the keyboard with his left hand while texting and doing some other things with his right.

The stadium became one giant jukebox with modern British music becoming the soundtrack, with Paul McCartney's "Hey, Jude" as the closer after a group of teenage athletes had the once-in-a-lifetime honor of lighting the Olympic cauldron, which explain the theme being "Inspire a Generation." That became a secret right up to that moment, though there were rumors that Roger Bannister or even David Beckham was going to do the deed.

Before that, the parade of nations featuring 204 countries and 10,500 athletes taking part in these games featured, for the first time, women in each delegation; 45 percent are represented.

After her adventurous descent to the stadium by James Bond, Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed the games open, and for the first time ever, all events -- including the marquee ones like swimming, track and field, and gymnastics -- will be live on various platforms besides television. NBC, among other broadcasters, allows you to watch the complete Olympics on your computer, smartphone, and/or tablet anywhere, anytime! It sure is a far cry from that Olympics Triplecast disaster 20 years ago in Barcelona (remember that?), only this time...it's FREE!!!

During the next two weeks, Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt will pick up where they left off in Beijing, while there will be some new legends being made in the blink of an eye. It all depends on which country's anthem will be played the most on the medals podium. Oh, and FYI: Wenlock and Mandeville are the games' mascots, though they reek Kang and Kodos from "The Simpsons".

By the way, NBC drew lots of flack for tape delaying their coverage of the opening ceremonies for primetime, and that led to loyal fans looking for an alternative way to watch them live via the BBC stream. I was among them despite the nine-hour time difference between London and Alaska, so in other words, we sodded off NBC because we preferred seeing them with very minimal commentary.

(UPDATE: Brazil and China picked up the first golds on Saturday with two apiece)

Now...Shawn Johnson picked up gold in Beijing, which was followed by a stint on "Dancing With The Stars." And speaking of which...she's returning this season as one of the All-Stars along with fellow medalist Apolo Ohno, Pamela Anderson, Emmitt Smith, Kirstie Alley, Pamela Anderson, Helio Castroneves, Bristol Palin, Melissa Rycroft, Joey Fatone, Drew Lachey, Gilles Marini, and inaugural winner Kelly Monaco. But where was Stacy Keibler, you ask? Well, she's still up for "The X Factor" hosting gig, which may be in jeopardy because names like Khloe Kardashian and Fox Sports' newest hire/DWTS alum Erin Andrews are also in contention. Stacy is definitely camera-friendly (read: WWE), but will that translate to seeing her once again on a weekly basis? We shall see in the weeks to come.

Even though the Olympics are in his home country, one person who doesn't care less about them right now is Robert Pattinson, and why? He's trying to buy out every issue of the latest "Us Weekly" because Kristen Stewart was caught getting freaky with married "Snow White and the Hunstman" director Rupert Sanders...and they have photographic evidence. Right away, Stewart issued this statement: "I'm deeply sorry for the hurt and embarrassment I've caused to those close to me and everyone this has affected. This momentary indiscretion has jeopardized the most important thing in my life, the person I love and respect the most, Rob. I love him, I love him, I'm so sorry." Sanders had this to say as well: "I am utterly distraught about the pain I have caused my family. My beautiful wife [Liberty Ross] and heavenly children are all I have in this world. I love them with all my heart. I am praying that we can get through this together."
 
This comes about a week or so after Katie Homes was finally free again after divorcing Tom Cruise, but as far as Robsten are concerned? Well, there are reports that the couple have moved out of the Los Angeles home they shared, which means they could be no more. That, or Fred Willard may be pleasuring himself to those scandalous photos right now.

And last but not least: With "Desperate Housewives" already over after eight years, one person you won't be catching dead at the unemployment line anytime soon is Eva Longoria, as she is keeping herself occupied with assorted ventures including executive producing "Ready For Love" this fall on NBC. But when "Housewives" began, she was labeled as a "media whore" for hogging the spotlight more than the other cast members.

Well, now we have who I think is America's latest media whore, and it's not Snooki, Kate Gosselin, or the Jacksons in the latest family feud. She's (drumroll please)...Maria Menounos, and let me explain:

Earlier this week, it was reported that Menounos will be the subject of her own reality show for Oxygen as cameras follow her every step of the way. Now let's face it: Everywhere you look, Maria's all over the place so far this year!

As a matter of fact, it started in New Year's Eve 2010 when, while frolicking in Miami Beach, Menounos exposed a little extra on her lower body. She loved being in bikinis so much, she returned to Miami for four more encore showings when 2011 ended and 2012 began; only this time, she came prepared. And after her New England Patriots lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, she had to woman up and do "Extra" -- which she joined from "Access Hollywood" last fall -- in a Giants bikini in Times Square.

That caught the attention of "Dancing With The Stars", who cast her last season pairing with Derek Hough. During her stint, she even competed at Wrestlemania 28 in a brief match. In addition to "Extra", Maria also created AfterBuzz TV, which specializes in in doing post-game podcasts for popular TV shows too many to list.

And now comes her Oxygen show. You know, this is probably too much Maria Menounos to handle for someone who's been in the business since her days at Channel One a dozen or so years ago, but I'll admit it: This Greek goddess all that...except for her laugh that would rival Fran Drescher's! So long and stay strong.

Hello, everybody. It was supposed to be a memorable night at the movies in screen #9 at the Century 16 Theaters in Aurora, Colorado outside Denver, but in a matter of moments, it would become a horrific nightmare.

At a midnight screening of the highly anticipated "The Dark Knight Rises", 24-year-old James Holmes dressed up at the Joker and opened fire inside the multiplex, claiming 12 lives and wounding 58 others; some of them are still in critical condition. His weapons of choice for what was one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history: An AR-15 assault rifle, a Remington 12-gauge shotgun, and a .40-caliber Glock with another one stashed in his car.

But before he set out to do his dastardly deed, Holmes booby-trapped a third-floor apartment, which is four miles from the theater. According to authorities, the four guns used in the massacre were bought in the last two months at Gander Mountain and Bass Pro Shops.

So...who is James Holmes? He was a 2010 University of California Riverside graduate with a degree in neuroscience who was about to go to graduate school before he withdrew. A clean-cut athlete who also excelled in cross-country running and soccer, this shy and intelligent person as we've just learned had a missing Facebook account.

Among the victims was aspiring sports journalist Jessica Ghawi, whose last tweet before her life would be taken was "movie doesn't start for 20 minutes."

As the country's (and the world's) hearts remain heavy over this horrendous turn of events, as far as the film is concerned? It was originally poised to set an opening weekend record currently held by "The Avengers", while the Paris premiere set for Friday has been canceled. Also, theaters have beefed up security in New York and other parts of the country in light of the shootings. Here in Alaska (where there also happens to be two Century 16 theaters in Anchorage), it was no big deal whatsoever. 

Meanwhile, Warner Bros. in light of Friday's tragedy delayed the weekend's box office figures for "Dark Knight Rises" from Sunday to Monday, and in a statement, said "Warner Bros. and the filmmakers are deeply saddened to learn about this shocking incident. We extend our sincere sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims at this tragic time."

Now Friday's shootings happened 13 years after the Columbine High School massacre in another Denver suburb, Littleton, except there is one comparison: The masterminds behind that, Dylan Harris and Eric Klebold, would later kill themselves. 

But this was not the first time movie theaters became unsuspecting killing fields. In 1988, a Stockton, California man was shot to death while waiting in line to see "Colors", which depicted gang life in South Central Los Angeles. Three years later in 1991, one man was killed at a New York theater showing "New Jack City", based on the real life of drug lord Nicky Barnes. And that same year during the opening weekend of "Boyz N the Hood", there were slews of actual violence happening at theaters nationwide; in Chicago, a 23-year-old man was killed.

And now over 20 years later, we have this surrounding "The Dark Knight Rises." I said in "Safe Route, Sleazy Route 2" (which was re-posted on this blog in 2008) that America, even in economic times, keep coming back for more and more violence, whether it's movies or video games. What happened early Friday morning in Aurora, Colorado is more than just a wake-up call, but a call to action. We go to the movies occasionally to draw ourselves into imaginary worlds, not draw ourselves into murder and mayhem. These days of course, I don't go often, but the shootings next time would think twice before I go out to the lobby and get myself some snacks. And of course, our hearts go out to the families of those 12 slain innocent souls while trying to be entertained by what was expected to be another box office blockbuster. So long and stay strong.