Like many others, I watched the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics last Friday and thought it was awe-inspiring. I was very proud of the hardworking Chinese and the efforts they had put forth in preparing for the opening ceremony. I really enjoyed watching the fireworks, only to find out yesterday that some of the them were created digitally. Today I found out that the cute little girl (Lin Miaoke) that sang the song, “Ode to the Motherland” was actually lip-syncing to the sound of another girl, 7-year-old Yang Peiyi. The reason for the switch, as explained by the ceremony’s musical director, was that Yang was not as cute as Lin. For an important event like this, they wanted someone who was “flawless in image” and little Lin fit the bill just right. Poor little Yang. She is going to grow up hating herself. She will always remember that she was rejected by the government for her looks. 

As if the last minute switch was not bad enough, China Daily newspaper featured an article on Tuesday praising little Lin for her heartwarming performance and saying that she is well on her way to stardom. This is like giving the former pop duo Milli Vanilli a Grammy Award. Wait, they did give these fakes a Grammy!

This would not have happened if the Philippines were to organize the Olympics. They would send their national dynamite Charice Pempengco to do the job. Glass will shatter and buildings will collapse once she opens her mouth to sing. She has the looks to go with her stunning voice too.