2012 London Olympics opening ceremony: Queen as Bond Girl, uninvited guest "UFO" moves slowly across sky

Olympic rings lit with pyrotechnics - 2012 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony in London

The Olympic cauldron burns during the Opening Ceremony on July 28.

Sir Steve Redgrave hands off the Olympic torch to seven young athletes representing Britain’s hopes for the future.

A person dressed as Queen Elizabeth II parachutes into the Olympic stadium during the Opening Ceremony.

A blimp or a glowing UFO above the opening ceremony of the London Olympics??

Becks Bond? David Beckham passes under Tower Bridge driving a speedboat named 'Max Power' which carries the Olympic Torch with its torchbearer.

Just plane fun - the Red Arrows fly in formation over the Olympic Stadium as the opening ceremonies take wing.

All fired up - the royal barge Gloriana carries the Olympic flame along the river Thames on Friday morning, heading toward the evening's opening ceremonies.

The stems forming the Olympic Cauldron are lit by 7 young athletes.

Heaven on Earth - fireworks light up the Olympic Stadium.

(quote)

London 2012 Opening Ceremony
All the action from the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics, featuring the lighting of the Olympic flame, cameo appearances by Queen Elizabeth II, Lord Voldemort, James Bond, Paul McCartney and Mary Poppins, a spectacular show from director Danny Boyle, the parade of Olympic athletes and many more surprises...

*Update August 1, 2012*

It was a tough day on the zip wire for London mayor Boris Johnson.
Some are calling it the best moment at the Olympics so far: London Mayor Boris Johnson stuck on a zip wire.
Crowds who gathered at a London park to watch the games on live screens and enjoy a fun fair were delighted Wednesday when the mayor provided a comic sideshow.
Johnson was trying out a zip line that was 45 meters (148 feet) high and 320 meters (1,050 feet) long at east London's Victoria Park. It was an unlucky first time: The portly mayor lost momentum about three-quarters of the way across, leaving him dangling from his harness about 10 meters (33 feet) above ground for a few minutes.
''Can you get me a rope? Get me a rope, okay?'' he was heard shouting good-humoredly in a video posted to the ITV News website. The crowds, happily taking photos with their cameras, responded with loud laughter.
Photographs of the mayor - dressed in a dark suit, a blue helmet and clutching two Union Jack flags while dangling on the wire with his socks showing - quickly spread on online social media networks like Twitter.
Staff at the park eventually pulled him to safety with a rope.

Johnson said he probably got stuck because one of the brakes was left on. ''Anyway it was wonderful, I thoroughly recommend it,'' he told ITV.
A spokeswoman at the mayor's office chuckled about Wednesday's mishap and said Johnson was doing just fine. ''Fortunately, the mayor survived his first zip wire experience,'' a statement from his office said. ''Clearly the judges are likely to mark him down for artistic interpretation, and unlike Team GB, he won't be bagging any gold medals today but he remains unbowed,'' it added.
Prime Minister David Cameron acknowledged the political magic that appears to surround the eccentric but popular mayor. ''If any other politician anywhere in the world was stuck on a zip wire it would be a disaster. For Boris, it's an absolute triumph,'' he said.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, has got stuck dangling in mid-air while riding a zip wire as part of the London 2012 Olympic celebrations.
Mr Johnson was featuring as a “special guest” in Victoria Park, London, to ride the 1,050ft (320m) zip line, donning a hard hat and two Union flags as he attempted to sail down.

Instead, he ground steadily to a halt on the wire about 65ft (20m) from the end as the wire sagged, and was left dangling inelegantly in front of a watching crowd. The Mayor spent around five minutes hanging comically from the drooping line wearing a hard hat, as spectators took video footage and photographs of his misfortune.

When one asked how he was feeling, he replied “very, very well thank you”, before shouting: "Get me a rope, get me a ladder" to bystanders. “It’s very, very well organised,” he assured them. “It’s going well so far. Right.”

(unquote)

Photos courtesy David Goldman / AP Images, AP Photo / Jae C. Hong, Richard Heathcote / Getty Images, Reuters / Pawel Kopczynski, Britain / tags: Olympic sport, Owen Humphreys / Pool / AP Images, Matthew Lloyd / Getty Images, Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times, Eric Gay / AP Images, James McCauley / AP, Ezra Shaw / Getty AP, Fox Sports, and AP Photo / Kirsty Wigglesworth