Olympic newsletter: What to expect in the opening ceremony

Competition pauses Friday for the festivities marking the official start of the Games. Olympic opening ceremonies are generally pretty stuffy affairs, but Paris is trying something new by injecting some literal fresh air into its show.

Instead of the traditional march into a closed stadium, athletes will be ferried down the famous Seine river on more than 90 boats. The 6-kilometre sunset cruise takes them toward the Eiffel Tower, passing several other Paris landmarks along the way as an expected 300,000-plus spectators watch from the river banks. The journey ends in front of the Trocadero, across the river from the Eiffel Tower, where the rest of the show and the official protocols will take place.

Intermingled with the floating parade will be a theatrical performance depicting various moments in Paris history, like the French Revolution, along with other spectacles (the script is a secret, but floating skateboard ramps have reportedly been spotted on the river). The list of musical performers is also under wraps, though Canadian singer Celine Dion was seen in Paris and reportedly rehearsed a duet with Lady Gaga.

A confirmed celebrity for Friday's festivities is Snoop Dogg, who will carry the Olympic torch through the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis during the final leg of its journey to the cauldron. The 52-year-old American rapper might seem like an odd choice, but he's part of NBC's Olympic broadcast team. And, hey, he does have a ton of experience holding lit things.

Another well-kept secret is who will be the last to take the torch and light the cauldron, which is always a big deal. One potential candidate is Zinedine Zidane, the soccer great who helped France to its first World Cup title in 1998 on home soil.

Canada's