2 Chinese 'Songbirds' May Close Games Together

Yang Peiyi, the 7-year-old songstress whom Chinese officials deemed better heard than seen during the Olympic opening ceremonies, may appear alongside her lip-syncing counterpart during Sunday’s closing ceremonies, the Hong Kong Standard reports. Organizers who claimed that the decision to replace Yang with a cuter girl was “in the national interest” are said to have bowed to public pressure to let her share the spotlight.

"Now that everybody knows about it, they should both appear on stage,” one Hong Kong resident said. “It will also help end the controversy and the negative sentiments." The closing ceremonies will also feature Chinese folk singer Song Zuying with Spanish tenor Placido Domingo and a 350-person kung fu group. Eight minutes will be devoted to 2012 host city, London, during which Gordon Brown will receive the Olympic flag and David Beckham will kick a soccer ball into the crowd. (More 2008 Beijing Olympics stories.)