Queen Elizabeth II declared the London Games open. The Olympic cauldron is lit. It came after a staggering and cinematic opening ceremony that celebrated all aspects of British life — from its bucolic ...

London Olympics Opening Ceremony. London greeted the world in a celebration of Old England that was stunning, imaginative, whimsical and dramatic -- and cheeky, even featuring a stand-in for Queen ...

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 27: Bradley Wiggins the first British winner of the Tour De France cycle race rings the largest harmonically tuned bell in the world to signal the start of the Opening Ceremony ...

The London Olympics opened Friday with a ceremony that was full of spectacle and pride and, unfortunately, some not-so-good television commentary. Support for LAist comes from.

OLYMPIC URBAN LEGEND: A billion people watched the opening ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics. This past Friday, viewers were given a treat for their eyes and ears with the sensational opening ...

STORY: London 2012: Inside the Olympics Opening Ceremonies The first Hollywood star then showed up. Kenneth Branagh , dressed in a top hat, recited a part of William Shakespeare ‘s The Tempest .

Beijing’s Opening Ceremonies were heralded by 2,008 drummers walloping their instruments with stunning, militaristic precision. London’s started on a pasture with livestock.

The opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games has begun. The show is kicking off with a film about the River Thames, followed by a countdown and the release of four balloons carrying the five ...

PHOTOS: London Olympics opening ceremony. For many years, the parade of competing athletes was the spectacle -- thematically, it’s still the heart of the show, a many-colored cavalcade of ...

The London Olympics are in full swing, after an opening ceremony Friday that was chock-full of historic and cultural imagery drawn from Britain's past. Critics are gushing over Queen Elizabeth's ...

Well aware it would be a tough slog to match Beijing in terms of glitz and sheer spectacle, filmmaker Danny Boyle has decided to keep it real during the London Olympic opening ceremony. Boyle, the ...