David Beckham, Leona Lewis and Boris Johnson in Beijing Olympic handover to London 2012 - Telegraph
"Footballer David Beckham is to be the star of the Olympics closing ceremony, arriving on a red double decker bus to mark Beijing's handover to London 2012 ... X Factor 2006 winner Lewis, 23, is said to be singing a duet with Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page for the event...Mr Johnson will be handed the Olympic host flag from Jacques Rogge, chairman of the International Olympic Committee... Hip hop dancers will then join ballerinas to complete London's £2m, eight-minute contribution to the finale"
I suppose it is entirely representative of Britain in that it involves the irrelevant, pseudo celebreties, canny oportunists, a toe curlingly bad attempt to look contempory, and a very good chance of a politician saying something outrageously inapropriate and probably racist.
For that kind of money I could do a much better presentation of london. I could wheel tiny cages into the stadium and cram the audience into them so they get a feel for what it will be like when london transport breaks down stranding them on their way to the games. I could set up an urban obstacle course for the audience to negotiate, involving being mown down by taxis and 18m buses so they experience the joy they will feel crossing london during the inevitable olympic train driver's strike. I could give a bunch of 13 year old savages from a variety of council estates kitchen knives and turn them loose to stab each other for the public to tut over.
Surely the dlist can think of better ways to represent london than driving Beckham round china in a red bus?
