(27 Jul 2012) BOYLE READY TO TAKE OLYMPICS ON A MUSICAL TRIP
The director of the London 2012 opening ceremony on Friday (27 JULY 2012) said the show would would have an "innate modesty" in the wake of the 2008 Beijing spectacular.
Speaking at the Olympic Park hours before the start of the eagerly awaited event, the Oscar-winning director of "Slumdog Millionaire" said it would be a mistake to try and top Beijing.
"You can't get bigger than Beijing, you know? So that in a way kind of liberated us," Boyle explained.
"We don't have as many resources and that's fine and that's a good thing really. And the world has changed as well, certainly in terms of Europe since then, you know? You have to be sensible about that," he said.
Still, Boyle admitted the opening ceremony won't lack spectacle.
"It's not unspectacular, unambitious, quite the reverse, but there's a sense of modesty about it," Boyle told reporters. "You have to learn your place in the world, you know? And that's a good thing."
While giving little away about what audiences could expect to see, Boyle said British music would play a big part in the ceremony.
"We've been pretty good in the music we've produced for such a small country. The amount of popular music we've produced has been spectacular, really," he added.
Among the 60,000 spectators in the Olympic Stadium will be Queen Elizabeth II - who as British head of state will officially open the games - along with royals including Prince William and his wife Kate, and Prince Harry.
There's sure to be a sprinkling of showbiz royalty, too, with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, recently filming in Britain, the most often-cited names.
The British government says more than 80 heads of state and government will be in the audience, including royalty from Brunei, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.
The US will be represented by first lady Michelle Obama and Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.
David Beckham, who helped bring the Games to London and is widely rumoured to have a role in the ceremony, will be there, and British newspapers have speculated that boxing great Muhammad Ali may also be involved.
The 27 million pound ($42 million) show, titled "Isles of Wonder," will end with a performance by Sir Paul McCartney.
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