Evgeni Plushenko withdraws from men's figure skating

David J. Phillip/The Associated Press

Featuring tributes to da Vinci and Dante, Puccini and Pausini, Armani and Fellini, pasta and vino, and other iconic tastes of Italian culture — plus Mariah Carey hitting all the high notes in ''Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu'' aka ''Volare'' — an unprecedented four-site, dual-cauldron opening ceremony got the Milan Cortina Olympics officially started Friday.