On Friday, February 10th, 2006, the 2006 XX Winter Olympics began in Torino, Italy. Torino (Turin in English) is approximately 90 miles east of Milan. Fifteen sports -- the biathlon, bobsled, curling, ice hockey, figure skating, cross-country skiing, Nordic combined, luge, speed skating, short track, Alpine skiing, Freestyle skiing, ski jumping, skeleton and snowboarding -- will be showcased by athletes from around the world from February 11th to the 26th. On February 10th, a primary star of the show was the group of creators who brought Italy to the United States. The Opening Ceremony was broadcast in America by NBC Universal. The team who produced the four hour production, especially, the first six minute introduction to Italy, deserves an Emmy along with major accolades.

I wish anyone in the world with a television could have watched and heard NBC television introduce America to Torino, Italy.

Brian Brown and Mark Levy deserve much of the credit for setting the stage and the tone for NBC's Olympic coverage. The pair devoted the majority of their time as producers to their six-minute "opening". And you could tell. Absolutely amazing. I had tears streaming down my face from start to finish.

Andre Braugher, the critically-acclaimed, Emmy award-winning actor who plays Det. Francis Xavier "Frank" Pembleton on "Homicide: Life on the Street" and in the upcoming show "Thief" served as their narrator.

Fabulous choice!

We kept asking, "Who is that?"

If you asked the same question, now you know.

NBC's Olympic Team Creative Director Mark Levy and Brian Brown, the poetic genius, did a magnificent job showcasing Torino to all those watching in America.

Torino, a beautiful Italian city is often lost in the shadows of Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan. Torino has a vibrant history, thriving culture and rich scenery.

Brown and Levy magnificently showcased Torino in Friday night's six minute introduction.

Scott Duncan, the cinematographer for "The Apprentice" and "Survivor," (and the brother of NBA star Tim Duncan) shot much of the breathtaking scenery. Stunning!

And the music. Wow. Superb.

If our kids weren't in school, we'd be booking the next flight to Italy. Thank God we get to head there in June.

To follow is how Andre majestically lured us into the images of Torino. You could almost taste the snow.

Hopefully, if you didn't see the Opening Ceremony live, you've at least TiVoed it.

For the fifty million viewers who did tune in, your participation was greater than last week's American Idol (40 million), CSI (34.5 million), The Grammys (44.3 million) and Dancing with The Stars (29.9 million).

The top twenty-five cities to tune in included Salt Lake City, Minneapolis / St. Paul, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Denver, St. Louis, Ft. Myers, Sacramento, West Palm Beach, Las Vegas, Providence, Indianapolis, Hartford, Norfolk, Columbus, Baltimore, Portland (Oregon), San Diego, Atlanta, Tampa, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Buffalo, New York and Kansas City.

Nominations for the 78th Academy Awards were announced on Tuesday morning, January 31st, 2006.

5,856 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences were given the opportunity to vote. Those who mailed in their ballot sent it directly to PricewaterhouseCoopers, the international accounting firm, for tabulation. Academy President Sid Ganis and Oscar-winner Mira Sorvino announced ten of the nominations for the 78th Academy Awards at 5:30am to an audience of over 430 international media.

The announcement was made announced in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Sorvino won an Academy Award in 1995 for her supporting role in "Mighty Aphrodite."

Official screenings of all pictures with a nomination will begin this weekend for members at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Screenings in some categories also will be held in the Academy's Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood and in London, New York and San Francisco.

And the 2006 Academy Awards nominations go to ...