and this is what danny boyle is up against.e top display of 15,000 performers with a $100 million budget teaming with extravagance. i was in beijing for the summer olympics four years ago. went to the opening ceremony. i thought to myself, you'd have to be crazy to try to follow this. enter danny boyle. >> well, except that if you view it a different way it's a wonderful way to start again. beijing was beyond compare. it was on a scale that is unimaginable. so you go, fine, all hail beijing. that's the peak. but we've got a great job because we can start again with something a little bit different. >> reporter: and how's this for different? boyle unveiled plans for a bucolic english countryside with a live game of cricket, thatched cottages and clouds that produce fake rain. >> this land, 200 years ago, was a meadow. >> reporter: for inspiration boyle said he turned to british literature, shakespeare, frankenstein, peter pan. it will all figure into the story emphasizing centuries of british history and culture. apart from that

at least be down the middle. >> tomorrow is the birthday of danny boyle's family, frank, who passed awayove to watch the olympics. the athletes won't be the only one emotional tomorrow in those stadiums. >> let's hear a boast. just over the thames here to our side. he's getting ready to push the button >> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am sarah caldwell. let's take a look at your morning commute. still experiencing delays on the inner loop as you make your way towards the j.f.x. a lot of that is left over from an earlier accident. liberty road and brunn brook drive, accident clearing. eastbound i-70, we had a crash on southbound 29 at baltimore national bank. 22 miles per hour on the outer loop. continued closures in the city due to a sinkhole on monument street. let's take a live view of traffic. here is what it looks like on the harrisburg expressway. delays from timonium to the beltway. j.f.x., pretty good shape into account. john has a check and a forecast. >> we are beginning to pick up a few clouds around big area. storms approaching frederick and into the

the young couple exchanging text messages, which brings us right into how danny boyle galvanized the twitter age. the audiences that came to the dress rehearsal behind us this week, to save the surprise. and are we glad they saved it because tonight, we have been delighted by the show. >> it has been quite remarkable. thank you so much for joining me in the studio with our incredible view of the olympic stadium behind us. you are watching "bbc world news america." we will take you to one stall in the shadow of olympic park, which is playing a part in these ceremonies. in 1936, the olympics were the first to be shown on television. it sought a 13-year-old become the youngest female gold medalist -- it saw a 13-year-old become the youngest female gold medalist a libyan, a record which still has not been broken -- gold medalist olympian. >> the 1936 games remain the most remarkable of all of them feared it was allocated to berlin before hitler came to power, but he was determined to outdo los angeles with this magnificent stadium. - than the top tier and the roof, which was added for th

one says danny boyle will get a knighthood. another, the opening ceremony has been amazing. and more than a few, brian, let the games begin. >> well, chris, we are so happy for this host city that as you point out the weather has held at least so far. chris jansing over the olympic village tonight. chris, thanks. here's why you may be hearing of a strong women's theme at these games in the days to come. a couple firsts at work here. it's the first time every nation has women athletes on the team. for the first time on team usa, the women out number the men as they do in the work place and on college campuses in the u.s. so it's fitting the ranking ambassador from the u.s. is first lady michelle obama. here in london as we said leading the delegation and cheering them on, meeting with the leading women around here, the queen and kate middleton and telling the american athletes what watching the olympics on television meant to her growing up in chicago especially for her dad who had m.s. >> my father wasn't able to walk without the assistance of crutches, but he retained his l

the mastermind is danny boyle, best known for his hit movie "slumdog millionaire."cost a staggering $42 million and played out in front of a worldwide audience of a billion people. erica gonzalez is live along 8th treat in d.c. with some of the local watch parties. hey, erica. >> reporter: hi, doreen. just about each and every one of these bars behind us on 8th street had their own olympic viewing party of sorts, and why not? it's an event that comes around just once every four years, so you got to do it up big. >> as a representative of the united kingdom here in america, it's a moment of great pride. >> reporter: british ambassador of the midwest invited us to the start of the 2012 olympic london games. in queenly fashion, there were crystal chandeliers, gold-framed plasmas, and signature cocktails, one for every color olympic ring. now let's pour a pint. on 8th street, a different celebration. less polished, but still packed with a lot of spirit. >> usa! usa! usa! >> reporter: boom box, torch, and all. what's this made out of? >> radiatorcover and foam. >> metal

but this is what danny boyle does.stic movies that always have like a very definite tone. they're magical or scary or intense. and he did that to some extent. but more on a cinematic level instead of a big scale level. which is how one billion people all over the world were watching it. so just like british sense of humor, it ain't for everybody. >> creepy and scary for some of the kids in particular. i was kencouraging my 7-year-ol to watch and then we got to that part and i was like he should probably leave the room. he hung in there, though and he said he wasn't scared. but there were some kind of imaginary creepy scary under the bed kind of stuff. but, hey, it was theater, right? >> it was theater. and i think danny boyle mostly succeeded. as a critic, i feel the responsibility to not only critique what we saw, but sort of what the intention was. and his intention was to seem to be to bring us a very cheeky, very british presentation of the opening ceremonies. and i think he it absolutely achieved that. however, he

danny boyle who won an oscar for slum dog millionaire who brought the world train spotting and 28 days later, this may be his crowning achievement. it began with a lush island villages. transformed by a bit of kenneth bra that shakespeare and industrial revolution. rivers form rings, olympic rings that rise in spark in the london night. and in a sweeping rambling narrative, danny boyle gave tribute to james bond and the queen to harry potter and the national health care system, even mr. bean and the investor of the internet. ♪ >> reporter: and then hours after the history lesson began, the former british colleague known as america entered powerful and beaming. watched as the moving kal dron sculpture was lit by young athletes nominated by british medalist pastd. passing the tor toch a new generation. plenty of locals never thought things would go back this way. but somehow, everybody went up on schedule. still in typical british fashion, when they started to feel good about things r, something embarrassing would happen. not enough security guards. young korean flag at a soccer game. to

at the delight of the royals, danny boyle used music, dance, light and stage craft to pay tribute tothing from james bond and the queen to peter pan and british e. brin's national health care system. a moment of relief for danny boyle who won an oscar for "slumdog millionaire," but this was a challenge unlike any other. >> it's live and one-time only. i'll never do one again, but it's extraordinary to be involved. >> representing the white house, first lady michele obama, who started the day focusing on her get hit campaign. she also indulged in some olympic day dreaming of her own. what would your olympic event be, if you were an athlete? what would you play? >> complete fantasy, i would be a gymnast. but come on, 5'11". i tried. but i'm in awe of what those women and men can do, the strength, combined everything, dance, strength, acrobatics, but that's really a fantasy. if we get to something more realistic, maybe it would be track. >> okay. >> i'd like to think i was fast. >> reporter: and with the games officially under way, focus turns to one of the great rival riz of 2012, not

at least be down the middle. >> tomorrow is the birthday of danny boyle's family, frank, who passed awaympics. the athletes won't be the only one emotional tomorrow in those stadiums. >> let's hear a boast. just over the thames here to our side. he's getting ready to push the button have been retracted and we have two vessels getting ready to come through. >>> good morning. it's 8:26 now on this thursday, july 26th. i'm aaron gilchrist. we could be in for another triple-digit day temperaturewise. tom kierein in weather center 4. >> clouds and some showers that are passing just north of the metro area and little bit of thunder and lightning that was moving earlier is now heading just about due east and it is bringing in some clouds, holding back the heating rays of sun. after that goes by, we have to get the sun back and those areas to our south, likely, up near 100. the d.c. metro area may not do that because of these morning clouds and passing showers. storms that could produce damagic winds, again, tomorrow, too. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] virtual wallet can help you be that person who's

at least be down the middle. >> tomorrow is the birthday of danny boyle's family, frank, who passed awayatch the olympics. the athletes won't be the only one emotional tomorrow in those stadiums. >> let's hear a boast. just over the thames here to our side. he's getting ready to push the button >>> good thursday morning. 8:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >>> an alarming case of animal cruelty uncovered in monterey county. more than a hundred kittens found dead and ashes of 40 more discovered and another 50 cats rescued really in terrible company. look at them smashed in there. a company that managed two properties alerted the police and the spca and they seized 51 adult cats and found the remains of 113 additional kittens. the living cats were taken to the animal shelter to undergo medical exams and receive care. >> it took us about six or seven hours from start-to-finish and didn't include the time that was spent here at the spca triage and all of the cats and getting medication and in safe living quarters. >> the cats are suffering from parasites and the investigation is ongoing and as of

danny boyle was in charge of the $42 million celebration. 31 of the things is they made it look like a queen of england parachuted into the stadium. sooner or when michael phelps barely qualified this morning >> we had someone buy a bag of candy in the got more than she bargained for. what she found would worry anyone. >> >>marty: we will have a warm day today. will the right track cleared -- we will be right back. good morning! wow. want to start the day with something heart healthy and delicious? you're a talking bee... honey nut cheerios has whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol. and it tastes good? sure does! right... ♪ wow. delicious, right? yeah. it's the honey, it makes it taste so... ♪ well, would you look at the time... what's the rush? be happy. be healthy. is not seeking compensation. >> we take you inside a glitzy new casino. >> you can see some foggy conditions this morning. janu [ male announcer ] olympic tennis players bob and mike bryan are always on the move. so they can't get to the bank to deposit a check. instead, they use citibank mobile check deposit.

as the world awaits the opening ceremonies and the lighting of the olympic cauldron, oh, danny boyle.i going to see peter pan, captain hook -- >> yes. >> yes. okay. >> yes. we hope so. yeah. i mean, if they work, yeah. there's always this problem that you might have to cut things because they don't work. it's a live show. >>> foreign faux pas. the brits have a field day with mitt romney's comments on whether london is ready or not. >> mitt romney has turned on the charm during his visit to britain by questioning the country's ability to host the olympic games. >> with a message that he wanted to get out from this trip has been obscured. if he's here to make friends, he's got a funny way of showing it. >> romney tried to take a mulligan today with matt lauer. >> i'm absolutely convinced that the people here are ready for the games and in just a few moments, all the things politicians say will get swept away because the athletes finally take the stage, the games are about the athletes. that's why the games virtually anywhere they've been have been highly successful. >>> who needs london

danny boyle can't tell you, i can't tell you.t really is something which has been kept under wraps but i think it will be a great event and people will be surprised by the originality and how different it is to what people have been used to seeing at an olympic opening ceremonies in the past. >> we saw that there was a bit of kerfuffle over mitt romney's olympic comments. david cameron was inspired to say something about it and boris johnson of course, to 60,000 people. the press have just been brutal. talking about mitt romney's olympic blunder, hands gift to obama and all of the other headlines, really tough. it does seem a little strange that here this good will tour started off with as some say, not much charm and slightly offensive. >> it is tough. as you say, the british media are pretty unforgiving. i think mitt romney went with the best possible intentions. i talked to him just before he went and i know he said to me, said to the prime minister, said to everybody else he saw how thrilled he was to be in london for the oly

los misterio de la ceremonia que tuvo un costa de mÁs de 43 millones de dÓlares y fue asignada a danny boyle para maent nntener en constante. >> hicieron un juramento para no revelar el menor detalles, pero algunos se filtraron y eso los organizadores dieron 30 segundos del ensayo final. >> en las primeras horas del viernes aÚn habÍan boletos disponibles pero de las dos categorÍas mÁscaras. los organizadores no revelaron cuanto habÍan disponibles >> el titulado "islass de la maravillas" y una maravilla de la mÚsica cierra el espectÁculo e invita a a cantar con los b e beatles. >> un espectÁculo increÍble el que se vive en el estadio olÍmpico y entre las cosas que le podemos adelantar estÁ una entrada impresionante de la reina isabel con el 0007 pero les podemos mostrar una imagen un adelanto de lo que serÁ la ceremonia que verÁ a travÉs de telemundo, la fusiÓn de los aros olÍmpicos recrear la revoluciÓn industrial, es el momento mÁs espectacular que podrÁ observar maÑana. >> no se lo pierda porque hay momentos que son espectaculares, ahÍ lo tienen a las 8 de la maÑana 7 del centro, la ceremo

academy award-winning director danny boyle is in charge of the spectator -- spectacle. he is probably best known for the movie "sun millionaire." -- " slumdog millionaire." british airways flew in apache dancers from arizona to insure nice weather. a british artist wants everybody to get into the spirit of the gains by a ringing bells all over the country. >> it could be a brilliant thing. wherever you are in britain -- you could hear that. that is my idea of it. all over the place -- a piece of music. >> look at this photo. it is not a mug shot. it is the official had shot that michael phelps took for his badge. he says he looks like that because it was taken after a nap. he was afraid that officials would not let him into the village with in that photo as a badge. >> that would be funny if it was. >> it is 76 degrees outside. >> coming up, a reaction to a wild scene at a maryland post office. >> senior citizens -- it went from bad to worse. >> what hap x hageman is in custody after allegedly stabbing another man in a post office. -- >> a man is in custody after allege

but director danny boyle was. telling meredith vieira, he was impressed with the queen, who nailed the part of herself in just one take. >> her and james bond got on very well. and the corgis were fine as well. >> it all sounded bloody fantastic. in addition to the parachuting, we're told the queen was offered body doubles for her beloved corgis. brian, she refused. they played themselves. >> who doesn't love a corgi. chris jansing here in london, thanks. >>> that is our broadcast on a saturday night. i'm brian williams reporting again tonight from london. we'll look for you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> swimming royalty pulled off her throne by her own coach. natalie coughlin may have swam her last olympic race. good evening. i'm diane dwyer. this is day one of the olympic competition. there's already controversy at the pool as well as on the soccer field involving bay area athletes. we'll take you to london behind the scenes as well as recap some of the c

instead, they chose danny boyle.udging from all the ecstatic morning papers, they're thrilled they did. from above, the booming fireworks made it feel like most opening ceremonies. on the ground, it was all so distinctly british. lush island villages met the industrial revolution. mary poppens met with sergeant pepper. the queen met bond. james bond. >> good evening, mr. bond. >> reporter: and then they promptly jumped out of a helicopter together. or at least their stunt doubles did. there were little british cars, david beckham on a speedboat, and mr. bean. on piano. kenneth branagh read shakespeare. j.k. rowling read "peter pan." >> it's not large and sprawling. >> reporter: and then the star attractions entered, from 204 nation. the americans, led by mariel zagunis, a champion fencer as the flag bearer. even the biggest stars, like lebron james, couldn't help but snap mementos throughout. he tweeted these pictures overnight. when the host country entered, the stadium exploded with applause. will, kate, harry, lea

. >> it took oscar-winner danny boyle to plan this show. >> communication, to keep anything a surprise is very difficult. >> that is why he came up with the hashtag #savethesurprise. >> people actually started using the hashtag. they asked angelina jolie not to post links to spoilers. >> it is on much more positive things. >> you want to do like people. >> i'm sure it will be a good show. >> my guess is the world is in for one heck of a surprise. tonight's show will feature instant communication, which seems appropriate given the success of that hashtag. >> all right. and olympic-mania with the swim team and baltimore's own michael phelps. >> we are here were the olympic show gets under way, and the olympics opening ceremony is underway right now in london. baltimore is gearing up for what could be a history making an olympic sport michael phelps. >> it is kind of like a birthday and thanksgiving and christmas all wrapped into one. is an exciting, electric feeling. >> the olympic games in london are bringing out patriotic fans all across baltimore. especially at the pool where michael

danny boyle said he wanted to create a live movie here in london.ce tag, if you believe what you read, about $42 million u.s. dollars. and danny boyle said it will be a celebration of all that is british. david cameron, the prime minister, promised a spine tingling experience, richard. i think one of the real questions that everyone has in their mind, of course, who is going to be lighting the calderon. the oddsmakers today quit taking bets on roger banister, the famed track star who broke the 4 44-minute time barrier. he's a rock star of british athletics. he would be a popular choice but it's a well guarded secret. >> thank you. you can find the opening ceremonies on nbc tonight at 7:30 eastern time. coming up, the republican national convention goes to tampa in one month and trip clubs are looking to cash in. it's just one of the things we thought you show no. be sure to check out the news tumblr page. i don't spend money on gasoline. it's been 4,000 miles since my last trip to the gas station. it's pretty great. i get a bunch of kids waving at m

(laughter) the director of the ceremony academy award winner danny boyle answered beijing's majesty with his salute to landscaping. (laughter) i did not know the british had so many mexicans. i tell you t is time to build a bridge in the chunnel. for one part of the show really twisted my tea bags. a song and dance number celebrating the nhs, britain's socialist national health service. look at that. that kid's not even six. he's faking it to get free health care. get ready for obamacare, folks. instead of taking you to a hospital, they throw you on a rolling disco bed and cram you a thousand at a time into a stadium while spectatorser. >> when your colonoscopy gets thrown up on the cam. it's coming. don't kid yourself. (cheers and applause) >> stephen: that's what's coming. kiss, i can! (laughter) but you know what, that's over. the games are on and america is doing great. right now the united states and china are tied in total medals. naturally the u.s. trails in gold because every time we win one, we hand it over on the podium to pay off our national debt. (laughter) but of course, fo

director danny boyle 70 millions of dollars pulling the spectacular together.es a cast of 15,000 and there are reports that beatles legend paul mccartney will close the ceremony. >> trying to save the surprise, not because we want it to be a secret just because we want the delight of the evening to be best on discovery. >> good stuff. >> 60,000 will pack the olympic stadium for the ceremony and american fence r mariel zanunis will be there. >> t-shirts, festivities and outfits for the podium. the americans will be well dressed. >> absolutely. and this olympics could be one for the record books. >> u.s. swimmer michael phelps has a chance to become the winningest olympian of all time. new 4's dan hellie has more. >> reporter: the opening ceremony, of course, coming up tonight and for the fourth time michael phelps will not be taking part. he wants to rest up. it's same thing he did in his previous three olympics. he has his 400 meter im coming up tomorrow. that, of course, the first of two races against his u.s. rival bryan lochte. it's going to be the phelps an

. >> reporter: beckham's week reaches its pinnacle in two nights as a star and director of danny boyle'spiece opening ceremonies, a role so secret olympic sources say no one could guess. how did you feel when they asked you to be a part of the opening ceremonies and were you surprised when they asked you what role you were doing? >> i was surprised, because i kind of didn't expect it and, you know, i'm very, very honored to be a part of what actually i'm doing -- >> reporter: which you can't say. >> which i can't say. like i said, i'd love to. but you know, it is a surprise. >> reporter: so, will you be nervous when it actually happens? >> very, of course. >> reporter: could you mess it up? >> there's one or two people watching, obviously. >> reporter: is there a chance you could screw it up? >> of course, of course. which is worrying. thank you for reminding me. >> beckham could raise the roof here with a goal. >> reporter: but he's no stranger to high pressure situations, having played in a record 115 games for his country and winning a european soccer championship with manchester unit

danny boyle was the creative mind behind the $42 million show. what got everyone talking is this skit. >> boyle used his movie magic to show the queen parachuting into the stadium with actor daniel craig who plays the spy in the franchise but stunt doubles were used. don't worry, the queen was not parachuting in herself. >>> now onto the biggest competition at the olympics today, michael phelps hoping to be the first male swimmer to win the same individual event at three consecutive olympics. he is competing against another member of team usa, ryan lochte. they're going for the gold in the 400 individual medley. piers morgan spoke with fepds last month about representing the usa. >> i think to be for me to be an american is one of the greatest things in the world, for me just because i have been able to grow up with everything, the freedom, the greatest country in the world, and throughout my career i have been able to travel overseas and to represent my country the best way that i could and being able to wear the stars and stripes when you step

acclaimed danny boyle will be conducting all of this and producing this. danny boyle, you might have seen slum dog millionaire, a huge star here, what's the budget for the opening ceremony they are going to spend about $27 millio pounds. that's more than 40 million u.s. dollars. there is a heavy shakespearean theme and david beckham will be here as well. so we've got a lot to cover in the next day ahead of us. it's going to be very fun. guys, back to you in the bay area. >> it already is and it's great to have our local tie there. you've been doing a great job sending out fun tweets as well. looked like the olympic village was the place to be judging by your last tweet. >> no, it's not just the olympic village. that was the nbc commissary where we go to eat our meals while we're working and we bumped into, well, team usa. the u.s. gymnastic team was there hang out with ryan seacrest and savannah guthrie. you have to be on your toes when you hang out. we see v.i.p.s walking around. about 20 hours from where i am now is the "today" show set and we bumped int

now that the games are in full swing, one person who can rest able easier is danny boyle, the man behind the ceremonies. they were talking about parachuting into the stadium. it will become part of the olympic history. 25 years after a los angeles hosted the games with a man flying across in a jet pack, which wowed the crowd. he relived that memory. >> i am willie to my friends, and i guess a lot of people know me as the rocket man. the inventor of the rocket belt was our neighbor, wendell, and i used to cut his lawn, said nepotism is an absolutely wonderful thing. i was hoping to become an architect. ok, this is a rear view of a typical rocket belt. you have two tanks on the outside. it will totally hold about 6 gallons. i knew that was not going to be it for me, so i joined the army, and i ran into wendell in the grocery store, and he said, "what are you doing?" and i said i was going to quit school and joined the army, and he said no, no, no. i worked at bell from 1964 until 1970 as a rocket built pilot. i did the flight for the opening ceremonies for the los angeles olympics. it was

i didn't know at the time it was danny boyle that was the creative director. >> right. >> so i sat inies. >> name droppers. >> then they said, danny's on his way. when he walked in the door it was like, gary! danny! how you doing? >> you rehearsed the stunt a number of times at an airfield and at least a couple of times over the stadium. >> we did, i think, four rehearsals in the dead of night. >> did you ever rehearse it wearing a dress? >> no. >> the first time was the night of the opening ceremony? >> i have worn my own dresses. but in terms of the jump, that was the first time. >> why didn't they get a female skydiver? that's what i was wondering. >> good question. i think they liked my legs. >> you have the queen's legs? >> queen-style legs. >> what about weather? there were reports it would rain heavily. would that have killed that? >> the rain wouldn't be an issue. we have had problems with the weather. we have had the wettest may and june on record. >> right. >> fortunately for us the weather reports changed and the weather itself changed. it's real good. >> in the end, how do

how will slum dog millionaire danny boyle entertain billions of viewers around the world? >> not because we want it to be a secret, just because we want the delight of the evening to be discovery. >> reporter: even though we can show you some video from the rehearsals, the cast of 15,000 are sworn to secrecy. "the daily mail" reports paul mccartney will play "hey jude." >> it's absolutely incredible. so speechless. i'm probably going to cry. >> reporter: around olympic park there's so much to see and do. >> go under. >> reporter: workers are putting the finishing touches on the park. archery is the only sporting event happening here today. security is tight. fbi agents are helping british soldiers keeping the olympics secure. this 265 pound wrestler jokes, maybe he should be on the security team. >> usually i'm my own security. i don't know. all these guys should feel safe because i'm here. >> reporter: the olympic torch is here welcomed by the royals thursday. it arrived at the stadium tonight. tracie potts, nbc news, london. >>> don't miss the coverage of tonight's histo

torch will arrive during theopening ceremony and academy award winning director danny boyle is in charge of the spectacular which we hear will have dancing and farm animals. [ music ] >> reporter: boyle is probably best known for the mega hit movie "slumdog millioinaire." london is not known for the sunny days, so british airways flew in apache rain dancers from arizona to perform a rainbow dance to ensure nice weather. a british artist want everyone to get into the spirit of the gam by ringing bells all over the country. >> it could be a brilliant sound you know if wherever you are in britain you could hear that. that's my idea as kind of all over the place piece of music. >> reporter: andrew spencer, abc2 news. >>> it's topping selling suv in the u.s. last month but why ford is recalling nearly half a million escape suvs and what you need to do if you behind the wheel of one. they are negotiating contracts but friends of -- fans of modern family will not lose their show. details on the fall season coming up in a bit. >> okay. dew points are high again for today and what is a dew point?

i'm with you on danny boyle, too. >> i'm a beckham fan but you can't let him light the torch. >> i thinkis we make everything political so david brooks, the "new york times," weighed in on why our country likes the olympics so much. he said quote, in sum, the olympic games appeal to our desire for fellowship and our desire for status. the dreams of community and also supremacy. and of course, these desires are intention but the world is, too. the world is in a jigsaw puzzle that fits neatly together. it is a clash of waves that can never be fully reconciled. is there something that appeals to the better nature of our humanity with these games that we are all one world family for two weeks? >> at least for two weeks. david gets at that in his piece. one of the most wonderful moments of the olympics is in the opening ceremonies when you have the parade of nations and people cheering for their own nations but then you have people from around the world cheering for nations that they have either visited or where they have relatives and so it is that one moment where we can all come together b

the three hour event is being produced by academy award winning danny boyle of slum dog millionaire.paul mccartney will perform and queen elizabeth will open the games. first lady michelle obama is leading the u.s. delegations to the olympics. this is video of the first lady meeting with the u.s. team. she is combining the olympics with her push to fight childhood obesity. she is hosting an olympic theme let's move today for 1,000 american military children in london. mitt romney's visit to london to watch the opening of the olympics is off to a rough start. >> there is a guy called mitt romney that wants to know whether we are ready. he wants to know whether we are ready. are we ready? are we ready? yes, we are. >> romney ruffledfelters in britain. when he called the british preparation disconcerting and questioned whether londoners would support the game. >> do they come together and celebrate the olympic moment? >> romney said everything he has seen in london indicates the games will be highly successful. >>> 4:44 is the time. let's go back to sal for a look at traffic. >> all rig

. >> danny boyle, best known as the director of slumdog millionaire is the artistic master mind betweens opening ceremony. >> whatever comes our way, comes our way. it is live and it's a one-time only. so i'll never do one again. it's extraordinary to be involved. >> some 80 heads of state are joining britain. more than 1 million people are expected to watch the opening ceremony. i'm melissa reporting. >> organizers hope the games go off without a hitch. for the third time, london cab drivers stage add protest today. some lanes have been dedicated solely to olympic traffic. that means trips take longer and they have to do a lot of weaving to get where they want to go. >> if i was a cab, i would want the driver to let me out. >> those olympic lanes are reserved for athletes and the ip. >> you would think leading up to the games, the athletes would be stressed out, concerned with their various races and matches and events. that appears to be anything but the case for the u.s. swim team. ♪ [ music ] >> what fun. pretty much the entire team gets in on it from michael phelps and bethesda. we