Hours before the lighting of the Olympic flame, The Mag's Anne Marie Cruz attended another sort of opening ceremony. Here is her transoceanic transmission.

The Americans are here! In case there were any doubts, weightlifter Suzanne Leathers erased them when she opened up her wedding (to some guy named Don) to a media free-for-all. The scene was 100% pure U.S. of A. in the Rainforest Lounge at the Bankstown Sports Club, 20 minutes south of Olympic Park. The place was low on sentiment, but high on Vegas, complete with a fake jungle and hundreds of blue-haired oldsters parked at the slot machines. Suzanne herself isn't an Olympian, but who could turn down a photo op with powerhouses Cheryl Haworth, Cara Heads-Lane and Robin Goad all gussied up? The trio looked fabulous with bejeweled hair piled high above their heads and pastel princess-cut gowns -- Robin in pink, Cara in light blue and Georgia girl Cheryl in peach. Almost, dare I say, dainty. Decidedly un-whup-ass, anyway.

Overheard

"Uh, no one."

-- A journalist at Suzanne Leathers' wedding, when asked by a colleague whether he'd rather have a horde of media folk at his wedding or no one at all.

The ceremony itself was a little awkward, preceded by instructions --"No flash photography during the ceremony" -- promptly ignored by the international media. (Among others: Mexican, Japanese, French and of course, American.) You couldn't hear Suzanne and Don's vows over the din of gamblers, journalists and the miked MC (lounge lizardy, but not quite as bright green and sequin-suited as he needed to be). Not to mention the easy cheese being piped in over the P.A. (An orchestral version of Extreme's More Than Words?) The cameramen blocked off everyone's line of sight, so actual friends and family of the bride (numbering fewer than 10, it seemed) were psyched when they managed to get a glimpse of the bridal party's arms. Suzanne, Cheryl, Robin and Cara seemed more tolerant than jubilant, though they did smile through the whole thing. The real party probably started when all the credentials left.