Olympics opening ceremony moments: Lady Gaga, Zinedine Zidane

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

The Paris Olympics' opening ceremony got underway after a rough start to the Summer Games on Friday, with rainy skies over the Seine and suspected acts of sabotage targeting France’s flagship high-speed rail network.

ZIZOU’S FLAME

French soccer legend Zinedine Zidane kicked off the opening ceremony with the Olympic flame in his hands. In a prerecorded video, he’s seen running and weaving through a Parisian traffic jam before he delivers the flame to a group of children on the metro who then make their way through the Catacombs and to a boat, at which point the broadcast switched to a real-time view of the Seine River.

LADY GAGA DAZZLES

Lady Gaga delivered a dazzling performance as the first musical act during the Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony — except it was all prerecorded. The Grammy- and Oscar-winning performer kicked off her performance on steps along the Seine River, singing Zizi Jeanmaire’s “Mon Truc en Plumes.” Gaga’s appearance was a surprise — she was not listed on a program provided to the media in advance — but was heavily rumored after the singer and actor was spotted in Paris.

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For more coverage of the Paris Olympics, visit https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games.