Hollywood Heads to The Olympics: Steven Spielberg, Kelly Clarkson, Celine Dion on Deck for Opening Ceremony

Paris kicks off the Olympic Games Friday with an opening ceremony along the Seine River with a little help from L.A.’s own Steven Spielberg. The iconic director filmed the four-minute inspiration short Land of Stories (watch below) on the Universal lot last fall and was transported to the City of Light with a little help from Industrial Light and Magic.

“Steven Spielberg is one of the world’s greatest storytellers,” Molly Solomon, president and executive producer at NBC Olympics Productions, said in a statement. “For decades we have been moved to experience the full range of human emotions through his fully immersive storytelling style.” A shorter version of the film will air in IMAX and AMC theaters (watch out Nicole Kidman).

Snoop Dogg, a name known across music, TV, and sports, added Olympic torchbearer to his list of accomplishments on Friday. Carrying the flame in the Saint-Denis area near Stade de France, he captivated the Paris crowd during the penultimate leg of the relay, just before the opening ceremony.

Universal will also air the piece across Peacock, Telemundo and NBC, which is where we’ll see Kelly Clarkson and Peyton Manning hosting the opening ceremonies as thousands of athletes enter the games on boats floating down the Seine River. The four-mile flotilla will turn the waterway into the world’s biggest stage as nearly 100 vessels pass fans along the riverbank.

NBC is also enlisting dozens of social media influencers and SNL talent past and present across its platforms, including Jimmy Fallon , Colin Jost , Leslie Jones , Kenan Thompson , and Bowen Yang (along with three-time host Kevin Hart ). All the starpower seems to be an attempt to to make the games appealing to a younger audience or one that might not otherwise tune in. “If you saw Challengers ,” quipped comedian Matt Rogers, who is co-hosting Two Guys, Five Rings with Yang. “And said, ‘Hmm, that’s enough sports for me.'”

Paris Hilton stars in an NBC commercial where she deadpans, “Oh, the other Paris.”  It was reported today that Celine Dion and Lady Gaga will both perform on opening night. All that and who knows what Snoop Dogg has up his sleeve once he delivers the Olympic torch and returns home to Los Angeles juiced up for the ’28 Games.