London 2012 Closing Ceremony: Start Time, Live Stream Info, Spoilers and More

Do the Olympics really need to end?

As amazing as these Games have been, I wish they didn't have to come to a close. But all good things must run their course, and the 2012 Summer Olympics are no exception. Which means we have one more thing to look forward to before London says goodbye: the closing ceremony.

I may not be one to get excited for opening and closing ceremonies, but it's hard to argue with some British humor and music to close what was an excellent two weeks of competition. From Usain Bolt to (spoiler alert) The Spice Girls, London will leave us with all sorts of interesting performances.

Below, you'll find info on how and when to watch and a whole lot of spoilers as well. Here's to hoping the closing ceremony does the Games that preceded it some justice. 

When: Sunday, August 12 at 4:00 p.m. ET. 

Television: The closing ceremony will be shown on tape delay on NBC at 7:00 p.m. ET and 7:00 p.m. PT.  

Streaming: The closing ceremony will be shown live on NBCOlympics.com at 4:00 p.m. ET.

Spoilers

If you want a comprehensive list of spoilers, be sure to check out my earlier article on the closing ceremony. If you don't want any spoilers at all, just skip this section entirely.

Here are some of the highlights.

For one, musical acts such as The Spice Girls (can you say reunion?), The Who, Queen, The Pet Shop Boys and George Michael are expected, according to the Daily Mail. Comedian Russell Brand will perform the Sex Pistols’ "Pretty Vacant," Liam Gallagher of Oasis will perform "Wonderwall" and, in my favorite bit of news, Ray Davies of The Kinks will perform "Waterloo Sunset."

Be sure to check out that Daily Mail article for numerous spoilers.

The Associated Press (via ESPN) also reports that Muse, Ed Sheeran, Annie Lennox and Fatboy Slim will make appearances.

Via the Dailly Mail, artistic director Kim Gavin has said the ceremony will be "the best after-show party that's ever been," calling it the "disco after the wedding" and noting his motivation was, "'Let's have a party, I don't want anyone to say 'I don't understand this.'"

According to Tim Jonze of The Guardian, 4100 performers in all will be utilized in this giant British musical.

But it won't just be about the music, as Emily Dugan of The Independent writes:

"

Eric Idle is expected to sing the Monty Python song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" and David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst will reprise their roles of Del Boy and Rodney Trotter, with their Reliant Robin van reportedly being blown up in a sequence in which they pretend to be Batman and Robin.

Famous London landmarks including Tower Bridge, the London Eye, Big Ben and St Paul's Cathedral have been reconstructed for the action. The Spice Girls will reunite to pay homage to their Noughties heyday, standing on top of distinctive London taxis. Footage of highlights from the Games will also be incorporated into the proceedings, as well as the men's marathon medal ceremony and parting speeches from officials.

"

The words "cheeky" and "cheesy" are being thrown about to describe the spectacle. I can't wait.

Other countries and their athletes will be involved as well, obviously. Bryshon Nellum, the sprinter who survived gunshot wounds four years ago, will be the flag-bearer for the United States.

Brazil's Rio, host of the 2016 Summer Olympics, will be given eight minutes of the ceremony.

We turn to Twitter for a few more spoilers.

Michele Tafoya of NBC got a sneak peek at some closing ceremony props:

"

Peek at Closing Ceremony prop.Motorcycle wrapped in newspaper?Take a look.@nbcsports @nbcolympics @london2012 twitter.com/TafoyaNBCSport…

— Michele Tafoya (@TafoyaNBCSports) August 12, 2012"

Alan Abrahamson has a look at Olympic Stadium before the show:

"

Olympic Stadium ready for closing ceremony twitter.com/alanabrahamson…

— Alan Abrahamson (@alanabrahamson) August 12, 2012"

Doug Lesmerises of the Cleveland Plain Dealer has some more flag-bearing info:

"

Among flagbearers for Closing Ceremony: Oscar Pistorius for South Africa, 800 champ David Rudisha for Kenya, Ben Ainslie (saling) for GB

— Doug Lesmerises (@PDBuckeyes) August 12, 2012"

Enjoy the show!

Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets are gold like the Team USA women.