The Olympic cauldron malfunctioned. Only three legs rose from the stage. Looks like the fourth leg stayed under.  The leg Catriona LeMay Doan (or Maybe Nash) was to light. Gretsky will light the external cauldron. Hard to tell from the renderings given to the media.

All 4 will light the torch

HUGE CHEER as Nancy Greene passes flame to the Great One.

FLAME IS HERE: Rick Hansen, wheelchair athlete, passes flame to Canadian gold medalist. Then Steve Nash

CANADIAN AND OLYMPIC FLAGS are at half staff for Nodar Kumaritashvili.

ONE MINUTE OF SILENCE for Nodar Kumaritashvili.

FATIGUE IS SETTING in. Hurry up with the flame already.

BETTY FOX is carrying the flag. She was the strongest contender in the rumor mill to light the flame. Looking more and more like it will be Gretzky.

HERE IT COMES … the Olympic flag that is. Carried by Betty Fox, Jack Bauer’s dad and some other Canadians.

FROM TWITTERLAND: “Wayne Gretzky better light the torch with a slap shot from the blue line” – LA HWANG

K.D. LANG is singing. She sounds great. The flame should be here any minute.

FURLONG: “Thanks to the media. MEDIA: “You’re welcome”

GAMES CEO JOHN FURLONG: “Nodar Kumaritashvili is in our hearts. … May you compete with him in your hearts.”

IOC PAY tribute to Nodar Kumaritashvili. But if that was a moment of silence, it only lasted about four seconds.

FLAME arrives in 27 minutes

PLEASE AND THANKS: Canada is proud to be polite. We should be like that, eh?

THE RAIN: The U.S. Snowboard Cross team trained in the rain today at Cypress. The team just released this quote from five-time X Games gold medalist Nate Holland: “It’s snowboarding. We work in this stuff all the time. Super cold, icy conditions … wet, rainy fog … it’s all a part of it. I grew up in this stuff over in Idaho (on home resort Schweitzer), so I’m pretty comfortable.”

GRETZKY AND THE FLAME: Canadians are abuzz trying to figure out who’ll light the torch at tonight’s opening ceremonies.

While the organizers have kept details under wraps, rumors are swirling that hockey legend Wayne Gretzky will get the honor.

Gretzky arrived in Vancouver on Wednesday and spoke at an event, but “aggressively ducked the media” afterward according to the Canadian Press.

Gretzky was part of the Canadian contingent in 2003 that traveled to Prague, where Canada edged South Korea to win the bid.

CANADIAN MAPLE LEAVES falling from the ceiling.

ADOPT A PET: Sarah McLachlan is singing and playing the piano.

COOL STUFF:  Indoor northern lights and more fake snow.  And huge flying polar bear.

FAKE SNOW … is falling from the roof.  Apparently that’s the only kind of snow they get up here.

BIGGER CHEERS … for Canada.

HERE COMES USA: Huge cheers for the United States. The only country so far bold enough to wear white pants.

JIM STERK TO SAN DIEGO?: Bonus football coverage to break up the dancing and singing. San Diego Union Tribune is reporting that Jim Sterk will be the athletic director at San Diego State. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/feb/12/sdsu-set-to-pick-new-athletic-director/

DANCERS GETTING TIRED: Forty-eight minutes is a long time dance. More than I’ve danced in my entire life, so I’m not mocking, I’m just saying, the dancers look tire. The dancer directly in front of me is only shifting his weight from foot to foot. Most of the first nation dancers are still going strong.

MOROCCO IS IN THE HOUSE: Team Morocco just entered. Both athletes.

DO THESE PANTS MAKE MY BUTT LOOK BIG: Bremerton bobsledder Bree Schaaf on the opening ceremony outfits: “When the women on the bobsled team saw the outfits it was terror. Ralph Lauren did a great job, but white pants. Come on, we are some large-legged strong girls.”

STILL GOING: We’re up to Lithuania. Program says the Parade last 48 minutes.

WORKING SPECTATORS:  Spectators might have paid $1,300 or more to attend the opening ceremonies, but they still have to work. Each seat comes with a packet that includes, among other things, a flashlight and a poncho. An hour before the show the spectators were trained in how to use their lights for the ceremony. They are required to wear the ponchos so images can be projected on the fans. Later the gear will come in handy for camping.

GEORGIA GETS STANDING OVATION: Biggest cheers so far for the Georgia athletes who are wearing black arm bands in honor of their fallen teammate.

CRAMMED IN:  I’m packed into the lower bowl and while the place looks packed, there are 10 empty seats within five feet of me.

PARADE OF NATIONS: Here come the athletes. 80 nations. So far we’re up to the Czech Republic.

THE POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE IS UNDERWAY: The opening ceremonies are underway.  The IOC has dedicated the ceremony to Nodar Kumaritashvili, the 21-year-old Georgian luge athlete who died in a training run this morning