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J.K. Rowling appears at the London Olympics Opening Ceremonies

By John Thrasher (@jthrasher) at 4:43 pm, July 27, 2012

The Potter author made an unexpected appearance in the Opening Ceremonies of the London Olympics.

During tonight’s Ceremonies, a segment dedicated to children’s literature and its impact on British culture, J.K. Rowling appeared reading an excerpt from Peter Pan to the crowd.

During her segment, a giant puppet-like Voldemort rose above the performers as well as other villains from British literature, including the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

UPDATE: Video of J.K. Rowling reading at the London Olympics Opening Ceremonies.

Having sold 400 million books worldwide, Rowling is one of the most successful British authors in history.

Did you catch Rowling during tonight’s Opening Ceremonies?

View the latest articles in: Books

http://www.facebook.com/people/Ryan-Wilkinson/792210064 Ryan Wilkinson

Yay for Jo, so glad she got to be a part of it! =)
- Effielova
  
  Of course she is a part of it, she is as well known as the Olympics.
http://about.me/dshana Shana Debusschere

Wow. Impressed by how quick you guys are! ;-) Of course I noticed. Immediately turned volume up!
Laurie

I loved it! Such a good idea to celebrate these books!
http://hypable.com John Thrasher

Not to be judgmental, but how AMAZING does Jo look!?
- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=567353755 Erica Jane Ostergar
  
  She always does.
- http://twitter.com/StarkidSims Simone
  
  my queen is beautiful
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=607519910 Catherine Lai

I must be really weird – I was so happy to see her and it was so unexpected, I cried.
http://twitter.com/iamLillyC Ileana aka Lilly

CRYING ‘CAUSE I MISSED IT. NO JOKE.
- http://www.facebook.com/rachel.dodge.14 Rachel Dodge
  
  They might replay it….if you don’t live in the UK to make up for the time difference. I live in the US and they’re replaying it at 7 =)
Mtlss

I loved it! She looks gorgeous! Wow, you guys are quick!
Katie

Jo is perfection okay.
Freedomforjoy

Jo i love you!!
:)
tG

technically shakespeare was the most successful
- SpiritWitch120
  
  Shakespeare was a playwright. ._.
  - http://twitter.com/Snapescape Laura Cain
    
    Erm. What about his sonnets? ;)
    - Andy
      
      well then playwright and poet :)
Emily

Literally jumped out of my seat when Jo appeared – such a great surprise!!
Jelly

“Rowling is arguably the most successful British author in history”… ah, no no.

Also, hardly all that unexpected, really, considering the announced theme. Always good to see her at these things.
- http://twitter.com/StarkidSims Simone
  
  ummmm she is actually, and they did say ‘arguably’
Jeff Dodge

Can anyone tell me how far into the Opening Ceremony the segment with Jo will air?
- SpiritWitch120
  
  Half an hour I think. Although I was too busy watching it to really notice the time. It’ll be in the Children’s Literature section.
- http://about.me/dshana Shana Debusschere
  
  I think it’s well into an hour..
Nicole

When I heard her voice I immediately started crying… she made the ceremony :’)
fhfgh

“arguably the most successful British author…”
NO. THE most successful AUTHOR in history.
- Jess
  
  No.
  - applepie
    
    Yes.
    - Azeem
      
      Not really, because you have to consider J.R.R. Tolkein and C.S. Lewis as well.
      - Bernardotriana
        
        Yes!
      - The507thDoctor
        
        I think that she draws inspiration from both Tolkein and Lewis, but she is far more more successful than they ever were.
      - http://twitter.com/StarkidSims Simone
        
        She didn’t top both of them? ^
      - Elaine
        
        Yeah, she beat them in SALES. Which is what fhfgh was trying to point out. Sales = Success. Not that she is the BEST British author (though shes one of them in my opinion).
      - fhfgh
        
        She beats them both :)
      - Alex
        
        no she didn’t. I love Rowling but without CS lewis or tolkien she wouldn’t have the folklore she used.
        
        plus, she said she got inspired by both so there.
        
        rowling is amazing and she did So much, but Come On.
        
        She’s not the first greatest british author and she wont be the last
      - Dobby
        
        It says MOST SUCCESSFUL. Last time I checked Narnia and the Lord of the rings didn’t sell over 400 MILLION copies :P
      - Jess
        
        And Agatha Christie etc.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=690341156 Andrew Davies-Land

IT WAS VERY EPIC, I loved how the spot light was mainly on voldy and he was the hugest of the 4-5 villians, it was epic when the Mary Poppins death squad came in and shoo’d him off
Alex

God, Jo’s amazing
http://twitter.com/lookalivesteph Stephanie

Sad I missed it!
potterhead

She is amazing!!!!!!! I catch THE EXACT MOMENT she was reading! Love her <333
http://twitter.com/NatashaPeartree Natasha Pereira

Our Queen! <3
Urooj

when i saw her i did a mini-scream and said “ITS JK ROWLING! ITS JK ROWLING!!!” haha best surprise :)
Coolkidrox123

where can i watch/listen to her? i missed it :’(
Bernardotriana

I missed it :(
Lily Coulstock-Cockeram

I screamed with joy when I saw her :’)
jp

omg, when i saw her on the tv i got sooo excited.
Silverlady1692

did anyone recognize lockhart he was the man on the hill :)
- andy
  
  lol yeah i actually yelled out “THAT’S KENNETH BRANAGH!!!” and my family gave me a weird look.
  - http://www.eigakanthemovietheater.blogspot.com Jenny Leigh
    
    THAT’S WHO HE WAS!
  - http://twitter.com/Snapescape Laura Cain
    
    Oh my goodness! The exact same thing happened to me! I fan girdled even more when Jo came on though.
Rikku

I’m watching it right now. Obviously not live. xD
Matthewhpg

I just starting bowing and yelling, “MY QUEEN, QUEEN!”
LilyLuna

I just saw it in the US, that was fantastic. I squeeled. <3

Giant Voldy is going to haunt my neightmares tonight. :p
Fiel Ramos

OMG! I needed to wake up at around 4 AM Philippine time just to catch a glimpse of this spectacular grand opening of the London Olympics.

JK Rowling was awesome!
Elise

Literally screamed out loud when she came on! Love her so, so much!
Heidi

That was a really epic moment!!
http://hunyumstan.tumblr.com/ hunyum

So no one cares about the fact that VOLDERMORT IS BACK?
- Morsmordre79
  
  He. Is. NOT. Back! -Cornelius Fudge
  - http://hunyumstan.tumblr.com/ hunyum
    
    No offence or anything as such, but weren’t you dismissed Mr. Fudge?
- Sapph
  
  No! Apparently, an army of Mary Poppins defeated him. LOL.
  - http://hunyumstan.tumblr.com/ hunyum
    
    I still doubt it. That man has way too many hidden horcruxes!
http://twitter.com/JCman7 James Donnellon

Who could have thought that Mary Poppins could beat Voldemort
Catkid20

I love J.k Rowling she is my favorite author I have read all the Harry potter books
- Willow
  
  Congratulations.
Daughter of Eve

I loved the inclusion of so many classic British stories though I really feel Roald Dahl should’ve had a presence too…that man had imagination that until Rowling, was unsurpassed.
- http://twitter.com/StarkidSims Simone
  
  ^ TRUTH
- http://www.eigakanthemovietheater.blogspot.com Jenny Leigh
  
  Yes! So agreed.
- Roisin
  
  He wasn’t British, he was Norwegian, although he grew up in Britain. I do think Enid Blyton should’ve been mentioned though, among others!
  - Daughter of Eve
    
    Actually, he was born in Wales to Norwegian parents. He was definitely British. But I agree, Enid Blyton should’ve been there too.
http://twitter.com/DainaChaviano Daína Chaviano

A great ceremony–beautiful, imaginative, book loving….
SquibPerson

i still have nightmares of the child catcher and seeing him on there i about had a heart attack.
TheDarkJack

I literally cried when she started speaking. I haven’t cried like that since she spoke at the Deathly Hallows premiere in London… :(
Rayeofsunshine

Mary Poppins Defeats Lord Voldemort! I almost cried, and I was watching it in a Pizza buffet!
VoldyBored

OMG. Two Queens were present that night: Queen Rowling and Queen Elizabeth.
http://www.eigakanthemovietheater.blogspot.com Jenny Leigh

I totally said “I bet she’s there.” And then an hour later she showed up! Reading! Of course! I love her.
Mags

I was watching with my 9 year old son, who is reading the first Harry Potter book for the first time right now. I loved pointing out who JK Rowling was, what Voldemort looked like (I refuse to let him see the movies until he’s read the books!), and telling him that the actor who played Ron Weasley ran the torch leading up to the opening ceremonies. I wanted to point out Lockhart as well, but he isn’t far enough into the series yet!!!
Alex

I just realized— WHY didn’t they showed Rupert carrying the torch?!
- http://hunyumstan.tumblr.com/ hunyum
  
  Yea, i was expecting them to show him with all the big people.
- Belac889
  
  Why didn’t they show the Rupert/Emma kiss during the montage of movie kisses?!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1683360003 Paige Barton

that voldemort was CREEPY
Emma

Alex- Rupert carried the torch a few days ago, not at tonight’s ceremony.
- Alex
  
  yeah I know- but they showed glimpses of the torches from greece to the stadium- so Why No Rupert?!
BlueBronze

I think that Voldemort scared me more than Ralph Fiennes. Holy crud.
- LotusCalm
  
  Eh, I don’t think anything can beat Ralph Fiennes. He was amazing. But it was really good!
Boosh101

Was that Noel Fielding as the Child Catcher?
- The507thDoctor
  
  I was thinking that!
Guest

Voldemort in the opening ceremony – now THAT, is just EPIC
Ande Anderson

I missed it by 5 minutes apparently. Will this show up on the internet anytime soon?
- Belac889
  
  Go to a friends house who has a DVR
Cornelius Fudge

He’s back.
WeasleyWrock

I was watching this at a party and unsuccessfully tried to shush everybody so that I could hear her.
Mad

So happy that HP had a role in the Olympics. You know you’ve made it big as an author when you are involved in something as monumental as this!
Mad

Also great that Kenneth made an appearance!
Olanow20

in Poland ‘Voldemort’ was pronounced as ‘Valdemort’ and ‘Voldemart’. the commentator must be an ignoramus Muggle.
Pixie

If Voldemort could be defeated by a flying nanny, why did the trio take the trouble of destroying all those horcruxes? I didn’t think much of this opening ceremony, to be honest, mainly because I’m not British (heck, I’m not even European). Compared to the superhuman spectacle given by Beijing four years ago, this was a total fizzle-out. It was a known fact that the Brits would NEVER be able to keep up with the fire-breathing dragon of China, so they put up what THEY thought was a good effort. Unfortunately, it’s just not good enough.
- Bob
  
  So your not British… Well yeah, the whole world is not made up of British people, and I bet you most of the people watching all over the world aren’t British because that’s only a certain percent of the population. I’m not British, but I understood the opening ceremonies very well because not all that stuff was mainly British. Half of the stuff on the screen last night, you should already know about because we had it was either a part of history, famous music, or amazing literature and film. It might not be as good as beijing, but saying this was a total fizz-out is completely untrue. I thought it was completely amazing and stunning. All of those people volunteered to help with the amazing demonstration of different eras, the retelling of children’s nightmares bringing FAMOUS literature and movies into it, and the forging of the great rings was just…. Magnificent. So it isn’t as good a Beijing… That may be true… But it was most certainly good enough for the Olympics.
  
  (And by the way, voldemort fighting Mary popping was being portrayed within a child’s dream last night, it doesn’t change what happened in the books.)
- Guest
  
  This is the best Olympics ceremony I’ve ever seen. 100 times better than hightec fireworks or drills. Who would have thought comedy, farting and snort would be in an Olympics ceremony? :-p James Bond, Mr. Bean and the appearance of Rowling was fantastic. This is art, creativity at its best!
- Mrs_Badcrumble
  
  I don’t agree. Beijing was about the show, London was about the soul. In Beijing they even switched the singing girl for a prettier one, for god’s sake… Not everything is about the looks.
- Helen Beddis
  
  What is your problem? You seem to be determined to hate the ceremony, you were complaining about it before it even happened! Yes it was different to Beijing because it wasn’t in Beijing, this amazing event showcased some of the many wonderful things that make Great Britain great and right now I’m very proud to be British. If you want to criticise at least make it constructive criticisim rather than the whining messages you have been posting.
- http://twitter.com/taylie27 Taylore Thompson
  
  I thought it was brilliant! And I’m not British. The opening ceremonies of the Olympics are designed by the host nation to best represent the history or aspects of the host nation. Frankly I think they did a wonderful job at it.
  No it’s not like Beijing, but the director took it in stride and created a wonderful show. It was interesting and told a different aspect of British history. I, as an American, had no idea that British healthcare was so acclaimed and I thought it was nice they touched on it.
  
  As far as cinematic quality goes, which i’m inferring is what disappointed you the most, has any Olympic opening ceremony created as big a thematic spectacle as Beijing? No, and I will admit that I felt personally London wasn’t as stunning as Beijing. However just because something isn’t as flashy or stunning doesn’t mean it wasn’t heartfelt and beautiful.
  
  Also you’re welcome to your own opinion of the matter, if you think it sucked that’s fine, I have my own opinion, which i’ve given. But you shouldn’t slam the country for your own opinion. No one will ever take your opinion seriously and it will only cause more people to view you with scorn.
- Ycul_okpoh
  
  Also at Beijing, they inserted fireworks digitally so half the fireworks on tv weren’t even seen in real life. That’s kind of a let down in my opinion…
Hayley

This is the Voldemort I used to have nightmares about as a child.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1079491656 Brigitte Janaud

She was great….. She reads just as well as she writes, I loved hearing her, it was too short though and the giant Voldemort, just amazing, great, great show
Han

I was getting really excited because Voldemort was making an appearance, let alone JK Rowling herself. Slight break down of composure…
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000918686388 Peaceful Pearce

If you’re from Great Britain, can you please tell me why you people create the best books? Because many of the American authors are dry as far as literature.
- http://twitter.com/StarkidSims Simone
  
  Not to mention their amazing entertainment industry
Katie

Now we can all say that JK Rowling had read us a story :’)
- LotusCalm
  
  Heeheehee, YAYYY!
Michael Magpuyo

I screamed at the television. Oh my gosh.
iTuneUOut

The moment Jo appeared on screen was the moment the neighbor kids decided to make a ruckus outside, my little brother decided to bring the golden retriever inside, and my mom wanted to ask me a bazillion questions about supper.

So yeah. Thanks Hypable for providing footage for me to watch again.
VideoKilledSeverusSnape

I saw her and I screamed. That was and is the best part of the whole freaking Olympics. Queen Rowling!
akacj7

I was up at a family cabin in northern MN where we don’t usually watch TV or have internet, but we got it just for the Olympics and in the middle of dinner I just about jumped out of my seat and ran across the cabin to hear her wonderful voice. =) I was gently scolded for paying more attention to the tv than to my extended family. =P

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J.K. Rowling appears at the London Olympics Opening Ceremonies

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