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LONDON, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Pop will take the podium when
London bids farewell to the Olympics on Sunday, with a closing
ceremony starring the Spice Girls, Annie Lennox, One Direction
and a peculiarly British sense of humour.
Undeterred by criticism that the opening ceremony two weeks
ago was too British for the rest of the world to comprehend
fully, organisers are looking for local inspiration once again
as they attempt to deliver a fitting send-off.
The prying eyes of the media and artists unable to contain
their excitement have dashed all hopes of keeping the cast a
secret, in a show titled "A Symphony of British Music".
Virtually confirming their participation after months of
speculation, 90s chart-toppers the Spice Girls are reuniting for
a nostalgic blast of "Girl Power", performing at the main
Olympic Stadium from on top of London's distinctive black taxis.
They, along with Jessie J, Tinie Tempah, Queen guitarist
Brian May, Annie Lennox and George Michael, have all been
photographed rehearsing at the Ford car plant in East London's
Dagenham, while Muse and Ed Sheeran revealed they will sing.
Still not confirmed but widely rumoured to be joining them
are Madness, The Who and Liam Gallagher's band Beady Eye, while
the reclusive "Running Up That Hill" singer Kate Bush could
perform on video.
Monty Python comic Eric Idle was also spotted, and, bearing
in mind music director David Arnold's promise to get the
audience involved, a mass singalong of "Always Look on the
Bright Side of Life" could be a decent bet.
Once again the set is expected to comprise a central stage
surrounded by a road around which vehicles can travel, and a
cast of around 4,000 volunteers will dance and skip to the beat
of music through the ages.
Famous London landmarks like Tower Bridge, the London Eye,
parliament's "Big Ben" Clock Tower and St Paul's Cathedral have
been reconstructed for the action.
"If the opening ceremony was the wedding, then we're the
wedding reception," Arnold said in a newspaper interview,
suggesting that the two ceremonies would complement each other.
ECHOES
The Beatles may be honoured again on Sunday evening, just as
they were a fortnight ago when Paul McCartney led spectators in
a sing-a-long of "Hey Jude".
Music spanning the centuries, including stirring tunes by
Elgar, is set to return, as are words from William Shakespeare.
"Pixel boxes" on every seat of the 80,000-capacity arena
will be used again to create vivid, giant backdrops for a show
expected to attract hundreds of millions of television viewers
after the opening ceremony was watched by close to a billion.
"Cheeky, cheesy and thrilling" was how Arnold has described
his vision, all words that could apply equally to an opening
ceremony that was unabashedly British in flavour in its humour,
cultural and historical references and soundtrack.
Opening ceremony director Danny Boyle earned warm praise
from Britain's famously caustic press, but the ceremony was lost
in translation for many viewers around the world who were
puzzled by what it was trying to say.
They may be scratching their heads again if reports turn out
to be true that sitcom "Only Fools and Horses" actors David
Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst appear in their trademark
three-wheeled Robin Reliant car dressed as Batman and Robin.
While the comedy series has its fans outside Britain, it
will not be instantly recognisable to many tuning in on Sunday.
The 150-minute closing ceremony will include video highlight
reels of the July 27-Aug. 12 Games, and in between the music
will be the men's marathon medal ceremony, athletes' parade,
speeches and a presentation by the next hosts Rio de Janeiro.
"It is never easy to do a flag handover ... but we have very
exciting flag handover, very exciting, full of joy, full of
passion," said Rio's Olympic producer Marco Balich.
The Olympic Flame, in the form of a giant flower made up of
204 copper "petals" representing the nations taking part, will
be extinguished to symbolise the end of London 2012.
The Paralympic Games, which have broken ticket sales records
with 2.1 million sold so far, run from Aug. 29 to Sept. 9.
(Additional reporting by Avril Ormsby; Editing by Greg
Stutchbury)