With London Games Six Months Away, Olympic Preparations in Full Swing

On the London Olympics' to-do list: Hire an Oscar-winning director and buy 5,000 toilet brushes.

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DAVE POULTNEY / LOCOG / GETTY IMAGES

Former Olympian Matthew Pinsent helps to prepare the apartments at the Olympic Village. With six months to go until the opening ceremony, there is still a lot to do.

The London Olympic Games are exactly six months away, and organizers marked the occasion by taking control of the Olympic Village and releasing details about the opening ceremonies.

On July 27, athletes and spectators alike will be treated to an opening ceremony called “Isles of Wonder,” dreamed up by director Danny Boyle. Best known for directing the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle is incorporating unexpected elements into the show, from selecting electric pop duo Underworld as musical directors to highlighting nurses from the U.K.’s National Health Service. Boyle told reporters the nurses are something that is unique about Britain, “along with our sense of humor.”

The Olympic Village, located in east London, was officially turned over to organizers Friday morning. Getting the site ready on time was extremely important, as London 2012 CEO Paul Deighton told the BBC, “July 27 is the mother of all immovable deadlines.”

(MORE: London 2012: An Olympic Progress Report)

Making nearly 3,000 apartments move-in-ready is no easy task. Olympic organizers have quite the to-do list before 16,000 athletes and officials can call the village home. Still on the shopping list: 64,000 bed sheets, 11,000 sofas, 170,000 coat hangers and 5,000 toilet brushes.

More than just an apartment complex, Olympians will also enjoy a movie theater, shops, gardens and a 5,000-seat restaurant expected to serve 60,000 meals during each of the 17 days of the Games.

After the closing ceremony, the village, which cost 1.1 billion pounds ($1.73 billion), will be converted into a housing development known as East Village. About half of the units will be used as affordable housing, while the remaining will be sold privately.

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