OMG U R on TV!

Channel Seven has been copping a bit of flak back in Australia over its Olympics coverage. 

But television viewers in Australia didn't have the benefit of the Chinese domestic coverage of the closing ceremony.

As the athletes started leaping out onto the arena, the atmosphere was electric.

And state television cut away to ... a solemn-faced Chinese president Hu Jintao watching on from the stands.

Papua New Guinea's flag carrier beamed as she carried the Pacific Island nation's colourful standard out into the stadium.

And former Chinese president Jiang Zemin looked on with a solemn look on his face.

CCTV spent an awfully large amount of time tonight cutting away from the action in the centre of the arena, to the faces of senior party officials looking on from the VIP seats.

Most of them were paying attention.  It's difficult to say whether or not they were enjoying it.  The facial expressions were ... solemn.

I suspect the shots of Stephanie Rice carrying the Aussie flag on behalf of a grateful nation was missing because some up-and-coming members of the Communist Party were being similarly serious.

I'll try not to get too upset. 

One Chinese official might be upset - but for slightly different reasons.

When CCTV cut to him, he was sending an SMS text message from his VIP vantage point.

Oops.  Perhaps he received a few more text messages once the estimated 1 billion TV viewers had spotted him.