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++ UPDATED 4.00pm August 7 (UPDATED #2 6.05pm)

It seems tomorrow's Opening Ceremony in Beijing is going to be bigger than Ben Hur.. And that's pretty big..

But will it have the same FEEL as the Sydney ceremony, complete with fake lawn mowers, and Nikki Webster's high wire act?

Who better to ask than the man behind the Sydney show - Ric Birch.

He's already seen the Beijing ceremony, and he'll be passing judgement on it tomorrow morning.

We'll also be joined by the Sunrise Olympic Panel.. They're going to be our companions at Brekky Central, right through the Games.

Jodie, Michael, Jana and Matt will let us know what our athletes are thinking, just before the Games spring into action.

And Monique has been busy with another report for us - she'll take us on a tour of the athletes' village.

Just wait until you see how they live, and what they eat!

And finally on Beijing, Paul Slater has put some more thoughts to laptop. Check out his blog:

By Sunrise Cameraman in Beiijng - 'Slats'

(This is a photo I took of a boy I started playing soccer with today. He didn't understand what we said. He just knew we were visitors. We just knew he had wanted to play soccer.)

The biggest challenge for us in Beijing is trying to communicate with the locals.

While most taxi drivers seem to know a broken English version of 'Welcome to Beijing' a simple 'turn right' is
totally foreign to them.

On Tuesday a taxi driver tried to have a full conversation with us in mandarin and it was totally useless as we had no idea what he was trying to say!

Today we're doing a shoot with the guys to talk with Rick Birch about tomorrow night's opening cremony. While waiting for Rick to arrive, a little Chinese boy was kicking a soccer ball around the square where we had set up.  Now that's a language we understand! We spent the next 15 minutes kicking the ball around between us.

Sport is a universal language which is ironic because that's what brought us here in the first place, to cover the Olympic games!

P.s. It's bloody hot over here!!!!

++ UPDATED 4.35pm August 6

Well Sunrise in Beijing this week is obviously getting your attention. We've received HEAPS of emails, with tips on the sights to see, and even the food to try..

Plus some kind people (living and working in Beijing) have even offered to show our crew around the Olympic city. But from what I hear Mel, Kochie and Simon have been managing to see a fair chunk of the place.. 

You can read Simon's thoughts on a blog here.

Still on the Games - do you have a burning question about them? Our sports nut Beretts is itching to answer it. You can send it to us here. 

We'll get it answered online, and maybe even mention it on the show too.

Plus make sure you're watching between 7 and 8 in the morning, when we read out more of your hero messages to our athletes.

It's great to see some of the messages - a seven-year-old girl asks triathlete Emma Snowsill "do you like chocolate?" Not until the Games are over, I'm thinking..

Also tomorrow.. Brian McFadden performs two songs in the studio, just before he heads off on a national tour.

And big medical news - a breakthrough in the condition that causes pain and infertility in millions of women.

Insider

++ UPDATED 4.48pm August 5

Have you ever had a big secret, which you'd love to tell - but you can't just yet?

That's the feeling on the production desk - we had a big staff meeting this morning, to announce some great news for the show.

But then everyone was sworn to secrecy, until the word was OFFICIALLY out.. It will be soon, so stay tuned.. Meantime, we're hearing lots of interesting stories from the crew in Beijing.

Dacien's vented his spleen on Beijing taxi drivers and food in this blog. Speaking of food, did you see Grant sampling the local cuisine this morning? I wonder if that grasshopper leg is still stuck in his throat..

And hello to everyone thinking about dinner! Now tomorrow.. we're going to find out what this grocery inquiry means.. The ACCC report was released today. It doesn't seem to have found a "smoking gun" on food prices, but there are some parts which could change the way you shop.

And after shaking out the cobwebs in the Brekky Central building this morning with The Living End, tomorrow The Potbelleez get to wake up the neighbourhood! Insider 

++ UPDATED 4.46pm August 4

James Tobin got an offer he couldn't refuse recently.

It was an invitation to go to the US, and interview Star Wars creator George Lucas at his own hideaway, Skywalker Ranch.

James was on a plane in no time - and you'll see the chat tomorrow morning.

He loved talking to George about movie-making, but he also found time to have some fun at the Ranch. Be watching for that.

Kochie and Mel have been enjoying some balmy days in Beijing. It's reasonably cool at dawn when they're on air, but it warms up pretty quickly as the day begins.

Tomorrow they'll be joined on set by Monique Wright, who's travelled to China's earthquake zone. Mon found out how the recovery is going, a couple of months after the event.

And thanks for your emails about our week in Beijing. It seems there are heaps of Aussies already over there, both as tourists and workers.

We've received a couple of notes about the "noodle strap" we put across the screen sometimes.

It's got some Chinese characters on it, and we've been told it makes the word "exit"!

I'm not sure how or why that happened, but there are certainly some eagle-eyed viewers out there. Maybe we'll come up with a new mystery word?

PS Nat and Beretts are in for a treat - The Living End are performing their new single, live in the studio.

  Insider

++ UPDATED 4.35pm August 3

Well despite some last-minute flight dramas at the airport, the Sunrise team is on the ground in Beijing.

It was an early morning arrival over the weekend, and since then they've been "taking it all in" before our first show from the Olympic city tomorrow morning.

Here's a picture of Michael testing out our broadcast position..

Everyone's been busy with stories which we'll bring you throughout the week. Monique has travelled quite some distance in China itself, to shoot a package. More on that soon but you can view our first Sunrise Beijing piccies here now.

Back at Brekky Central, Nat and Beretts will be looking after things on Aussie soil. They'll get to be part of the Sneaky Sound System gig we're hosting on the Plaza tomorrow.

It's two LIVE songs, out in the open air, at 7:50 and 8:50. A fantastic way to start a very big week on the show.

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