Spice Girls tipped for closing ceremony

The Spice Girls are expected to be among the diverse array of stars performing in Sunday's Olympic Games closing ceremony, entitled "A Symphony of British Music".

George Michael, Muse and Ed Sheeran have broken the ring of silence surrounding the event and confirmed they are among the acts taking part in the spectacle that brings the curtain down on the London 2012 Games.

Spice Girls singer Victoria Beckham last week tweeted a picture of a microphone, saying "Look what I found!", while pictures of the 1990s girl group rehearsing on top of five London taxis have appeared in the British press.

The show at the 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium will feature more than 4,000 performers, including 380 schoolchildren.

"We want it to be the best after-show party there has ever been," its artistic director Kim Gavin said on Saturday. "Any more than that and we would spoil the surprise," Gavin told a press conference.

The ceremony will see London hand over to the Rio 2016 Games, and the Olympic flame -- which has been alight at the east London stadium for two weeks -- will be extinguished.

The ceremony's pre-show entertainment begins at 1900 GMT, with the main ceremony, from 2000 GMT, scheduled to last up to three hours.

Gavin, a choreographer who has produced some of Britain's biggest events in recent years including a concert for the late Princess Diana in 2007 and Take That tours, said the show would be a "mashed-up symphony" of British music.

The ceremony will start with a 20-minute "day in the life of London", the former ballet dancer revealed, with the soundtrack ranging from classical English composer Edward Elgar to "Waterloo Sunset" by 1960s rockers The Kinks.

Kinks frontman Ray Davies has been tipped to perform the song in person.

"It is an extraordinary show. I think it is everything we wanted," said Stephen Daldry, the ceremony's creative director and executive producer.

"The brief was to celebrate the athletes, to celebrate the volunteers, to celebrate London, the country and... the rest of the world that has come together for this extraordinary Games."

Daldry, a film director and producer best known for "Billy Elliot", also praised the show's designer Es Devlin, who has created sets for Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Take That.

The show's musical director is David Arnold, who has written pieces for James Bond films.

Despite her surprise cameo appearance in the opening ceremony when she acted alongside James Bond star Daniel Craig, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II will not be attending, and neither will her husband Prince Philip.

They are at the monarch's private summer residence in Scotland.

"The Queen and Prince Philip are definitely staying at Balmoral," a spokesman at Buckingham Palace told AFP.

  • Rooney Mara muka baru Calvin Klein
    Dzamira Dzafri - Tupai
    Rooney Mara muka baru Calvin Klein Fri, May 24, 2013 11:11 AM MYT
    Rooney Mara muka baru Calvin Klein

    Pelakon Rooney Mara sekali kerja lagi bersama David Fincher untuk iklan minyak wangi Calvin Klein terbaru.

  • Cherry blossom ice cream
    Dzamira Dzafri - ScoopyScoop
    Cherry blossom ice cream Thu, May 23, 2013 5:33 PM MYT
    Cherry blossom ice cream

    It is almost the end of Japan's enviable cherry blossom season, which means there will be no more cherry blossom-related products available at your nearby Japan-themed stores like 100 Yen. But if you hurry you might be able to taste some of the unique cherry blossom treats in Malaysia. One of the yummiest treats with the theme is the cherry-blossom ice cream in Kuala Lumpur's Corus Hotel. Komura's Cherry Blossom ice cream.

  • Redeem fro-yo with an app!
    Dzamira Dzafri - ScoopyScoop
    Redeem fro-yo with an app! Thu, May 23, 2013 11:21 AM MYT
    Redeem fro-yo with an app!

    Carrying around redemption cards for food like pastries or frozen yogurt definitely causes you more stress as it takes up space in your wallet and when you do want to use it you will spend minutes trying to find it at the counter.However, with Moo Cow taking advantage of an app service to keep track of your stamps for redemption, that is one less card to find. ...

  • Oklahoma singer Shelton to headline May 29 tornado relief benefit
    Oklahoma singer Shelton to headline May 29 tornado relief benefit

    LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oklahoma country singer Blake Shelton said on Friday that he will headline a concert to benefit the victims of the Oklahoma tornado that swept through the city of Moore earlier this week, leaving 24 dead and thousands homeless. Shelton, a native of Ada, Oklahoma, which is 75 miles northwest of Moore, said the "Healing in the Heartland: Relief Benefit Concert" will be held on May 29 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, and will be televised live at 9 p.m. EDT

  • Stephanie Firdaus - Yahoo Newsroom
    14 imunisasi wajib untuk anak Wed, May 15, 2013 1:39 PM MYT

    Imunisasi adalah suatu program bagi memenuhi Konvensyen Hak Anak Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu PBB, justeru kerajaan dan ibu bapa harus melakukan yang terbaik demi kesihatan anak-anak, termasuklah dengan memberikan suntikan pelalian atau imunisasi.

Comments on Yahoo! pages are subject to our link to Comments Guidelines. You are responsible for any content that you post. Yahoo! is not responsible or liable in any way for comments posted by its users. Yahoo! does not in any way endorse or support comments made by its users.

  • Kebaikan epal hijau
    Kebaikan epal hijau

    Buah-buahan sememangnya mempunyai banyak khasiat untuk tubuh badan, namun tahukah anda kebaikan epal hijau?

  • Germany 'most popular country' in the world: poll
    Germany 'most popular country' in the world: poll

    Germany is the most popular country in the world despite well-publicised protests against its insistence on austerity measures within the European Union, an annual poll for the BBC World Service revealed on Thursday.

  • 5 small diet tweaks that maximize results
    5 small diet tweaks that maximize results

    The prospect of having a diet overhaul is understandably rather daunting. Often, you want results but you don’t want to have to sacrifice everything in the process. Take note of these five small diet tweaks for maximum results. It doesn’t always have to be all or nothing.

  • 5,000 cave paintings discovered in Mexico
    5,000 cave paintings discovered in Mexico

    Archeologists have found nearly 5,000 cave paintings made by hunter-gatherers in a northeastern Mexico mountain range where pre-Hispanic groups were not known to have existed.

  • Aiskrim untuk sarapan pagi?
    Aiskrim untuk sarapan pagi?

    Nikmatilah sarapan pagi yang sihat tetapi enak dengan kreatif.

  • 'Akademi Fantasia' Musim ke-10 kembali bulan September

    Selepas setia menemui penonton selama sembilan musim, rancangan terbitan Astro Ria itu bakal menemui peminat dengan ‘wajah baru’ pada bulan September.Selepas setia menemui penonton selama sembilan musim, rancangan terbitan Astro Ria itu bakal menemui peminat dengan ‘wajah baru’ pada bulan September.

  • Sheren Tang suspended by TVB
    Sheren Tang suspended by TVB

    Actress has been suspended by company for her constant criticism regarding her working conditions