Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics Games: Live Blog with Yahoo! Canada Sports

After years of preparation, months of elimination and a week of consternation, the 2012 Summer Olympics are finally here. Friday's Opening Ceremony will launch the 2012 Games, when fabled director Danny Boyle unveils a masterpiece that is said to include celebrities, the Queen of England, some goats, and 10,000 performers.

If you're looking for a sneak peek, here's what we think we know:

• The show could start with a special appearance by Her Royal Highness, acting alongside Daniel Craig as James Bond, in footage from within Buckingham Palace;

• The theme is said to represent, well, the entire history of Britain, more or less;

• Boyle could make a subtle play for the inclusion of cricket in a future Olympics;

• "There will be a dance number of nurses celebrating the National Health Service, the country's universal health program";

• Flagbearers will range from tennis star Roger Federer to Japanese wreslter Saori Yoshida;
  Heavy speculation Friday says the ceremony will culminate with Roger Bannister lighting the Olympic Flame;

• The ceremony is unlikely to include a minute of silence in remembrance of the 1972 Munich massacre, to the dismay of many;

• Nor will it feature Gour Marial, the marathoner who is slated to compete under the Olympic flag. He's still waiting for a visa.

Tickets are still available for the spectacle, which will be hard-pressed to outdo China's opening extravaganza in 2008. But they're not cheap; the lowest-priced ducats are going for over $2500.

Instead of spending all your vacation money, join Yahoo! Canada and participate our second-screen live blog as you watch the ceremony on TV or online. Join our Visit Britain blogger Matt Goff and Eh Game bloggers Don Landry and Andrew McKay as we bring you live coverage from inside Olympic Stadium, as well as videos, photos, and information on everything from the show itself to prominent athletes and storylines to watch throughout the Games.

The show starts at 3:45 EST; won't you join us?