Column: London Calling for Big Olympics David Beckham will be missing and so, likely, will Oscar Pistorius, whose remarkable run on his magical blades came up agonizingly short. They were always going to be sideshows in London anyway, in an Olympics that hardly needs a supporting cast. When London snatched the Olympics out of the hands of Paris a few years back, the British were pretty confident they would score well. But even organizing chief Sebastian Coe couldn't have imagined the spectacle that will play out over 17 days in London. The Queen will be on hand, of course. So will Paul McCartney, leading some 80,000 people in a sing along to open the games this month. The former Beatle will top an opening act that, in contrast to the sterile proceedings in Beijing, features sheep, horses and chickens, among other things. There's even a cloud that produces rain, as if London needs any more of that. Then the real stars take the stage for what could be an Olympics unlike any other. We've gotten a taste of it over the past few weeks as Michael Phelps dueled with Ryan Lochte in the pool, Usain Bolt for a moment found himself the second-best runner in his own country, and American gymnasts showed off the kind of depth that could potentially lead to a bunch of medals. FILE This Wednesday, June 27, 2012 file photo shows the Olympic rings atop the iconic Tower Bridge over the river Thames in London, with one month to go until the start of London 2012 Games. The 2012 Olympics will showcase a much different London and a much different event from the 1948 London Olympics which was hosted amid severe austerity in the aftermath of World War II. This will be a $14.5 billion extravaganza featuring multimillionaire professionals and global stars like Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps, shiny new purpose-built venues and a revitalized east London. Britain's biggest peacetime project also comes with a massive security operation. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis, file) Close But there's more, much more. Always is in an Olympics, even if some of the sports are so arcane they are barely understandable. Swimming is one we do understand, and this could be the swim meet of the century. Phelps might not win eight golds again with Lochte challenging him at almost every turn, but he will win enough to add to his 14 gold medals and stamp himself as perhaps the greatest Olympian ever. Lochte will win his share of gold, too, but the breakout star in the pool could be 17-year-old Missy Franklin, who already has the best nickname in the sport. Missy the Missile has big hands, size 13 feet, and the kind of sprinter's speed that should make her a multiple medalist. Just when everyone gets out of the water and takes a deep breath, track begins, and Bolt takes center stage. But the World's Fastest Man was beaten by countryman Yohan Blake in the 100 meters in Jamaica's Olympic trials and also could be challenged by Justin Gatlin and Tyson Gay in a 100 that brings back hints of the 1988 final in Seoul with Carl Lewis and the soon-to-be-disgraced Ben Johnson. In between the biggest names in tennis will duel on the grass at Wimbledon, and a U.S. basketball team headed by LeBron and Kobe will preen its way to another gold. And then there's Zara Phillips, the 31-year-old granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth, carrying on a family tradition and competing in equestrian. Yes, Beijing was grand and majestic. Everything was new and clean, even if sometimes it seemed the spectators weren't sure what they were watching. But it can't match the flavor of these games, with tennis at Wimbledon, beach volleyball just outside the prime minister's 10 Downing Street residence, and apparently enough barnyard animals on display that you'll think you're lounging in the English countryside.