On Monday, it was announced by English news source The Guardian that Jennifer Lopez had pulled out of the opening ceremony due to “production issues”. The singer’s team decided to not comment further on the decision but fresh reports indicate that J. LO will perform in Brazil this Thursday.
According to People magazine, one of Lopez’s representatives explained:
“She will be there. Jennifer has always wanted to participate in the World Cup opening ceremonies.
“We have been trying to work out scheduling and logistics. Any statements to the contrary were premature. Jennifer would not want to disappoint her fans or fans of futbol.”
The superstar, whose appearance at the 2012 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Azerbaijan was greeted with immense enthusiasm, is set to light up the crowd in Sao Paulo on Thursday, just like Shakira did four years ago in South Africa.
Shakira’s ‘Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)’ tune rocketed to the top of the charts in over 20 countries worldwide. ‘We are One (Ole, Ola), meanwhile, is yet to top the chart in a single country. Brazilian football and music fans are reportedly disappointed at the fact that the song is mostly in Spanish and English instead of Portuguese mainly.
Jennifer Lopez will join rapper Pitbull and Brazil’s Claudia Leitte to sing the 2014 FIFA World Cup’s official anthem, ‘We are One’. The opening ceremony could be the perfect platform for the trio to finally amuse the majority of viewers and listeners.
There will be over 600 dancers to promote the Brazilian culture theme of the opening ceremony. Last month, Daphne Cornez, the artistic director from Belgium, told FIFA.com:
“The Opening Ceremony is a tribute to Brazil and its treasures: nature, people football. The sense of excitement here is amazing and everyone is very motivated.
“It doesn’t matter whether they’re feeling tired or hot sometimes or if they have to go through routines again and again: they just keep on smiling. It’s amazing.”
Football fans must expect a dancing show in daytime – unlike Olympic ceremonies where darkness and flashing lights play an immense role in creating spectacular effects.
Anti-racism and anti-discrimination will also be promoted through performers of capoeira, a universal symbol originating from Africa and African slaves in Brazil with indigenous Brazilian influences. All the acrobatics and other scripted events of the feast will precede the live performance of the 2014 FIFA World Cup anthem by Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte.
Where to watch the event – live stream, start time, TV channels, live updates
Watch the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony live on Thursday, June 12, 2014:
In USA at 14:15 ET:
| United States | ESPN3 |
In UK at 19:15 BST:
| United Kingdom | ITV 1, ITV Player |
In Canada at 14:15 ET:
| Canada | Radio Canada - CBC, CBC |
In Brazil at 15:15 local time:
| Brazil | ESPN Brasil |
Internationally (LIVE online stream) at 18:15 GMT:
| International | FIFA.com |
LiveSoccerTV will provide live updates of the 2014 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.
The event will be massively broadcast around the world. For channel information in your country, visit the World Cup 2014 Opening Ceremony page.
Roughly two hours later, host nation Brazil will kick-off the football tournament with a clash against European side Croatia. Stay tuned to LiveSoccerTV for exclusive compilations of live broadcast information for each of the 64 World Cup 2014 matches.
