RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- The Latest on the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro (all times local):

6:25 a.m.
As the Olympic torch makes its way through Rio de Janeiro, the big question is: Will Pele show up?
The former soccer star -- Brazil's most famous athlete -- said this week he was invited to take part in the opening ceremonies for the 2016 Summer Olympics, but business deals were stopping him from doing it.

Millions of television viewers from around the world are expected to watch the three-hour ceremony in Rio de Janeiro on Friday night, which culminates in the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.

American sculptor Anthony Howe told The Associated Press that his cauldron design was inspired by life in the tropics. There will be two cauldrons in Rio, one at the Maracana soccer stadium that is hosting the opening ceremony and another open to the public in downtown Rio.

Howe says the cauldron in central Rio will be lit by a runner after the opening ceremony ends.
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6 a.m.
There's going to be no shortage of samba, culture or diversity in the opening ceremony for the 2016 Summer Olympics as Brazil proudly showcases its traditions and environmental wonders.
Millions of television viewers from around the world are expected to watch the three-hour ceremony in Rio de Janeiro on Friday night, which comes as the country is reeling from political and economic turmoil.

Organizers are making sure that global warming and the environment, especially the country's magnificent Amazon rainforest, are important parts of the ceremony.

In all, 4,800 performers and volunteers will be involved in the show at Rio's Maracana stadium. NBC will broadcast the opening ceremony on a one-hour tape delay because it wants the extravaganza to be shown completely in U.S. prime time.

Samba and pop music singers are expected to perform, including Grammy award winners Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil. Supermodel Gisele Bundchen will also be on hand to promote her native Brazil.

source:WBT

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama is rejecting the idea that a $400 million cash payment to Iran was ransom to secure the release of four Americans jailed in Tehran. Obama told reporters at the Pentagon, "This wasn't some nefarious deal." Last January's payment was part of a decades-old dispute over a failed military equipment deal dating to the 1970s, before the Islamic revolution in 1979.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A new survey says most young Americans feel the Republican and Democratic parties don't represent them. The GenForward poll also finds that this disconnect holds true across racial and ethnic groups. Just 28 percent of young adults overall said the two parties do a good job of representing the American people.

BONITA, Calif. (AP) -- A San Diego police officer who was fatally shot in the driver's seat of his patrol car after his partner approached a man on the street will be buried Friday. Jonathan De Guzman was a 16-year veteran of the force. His partner was shot in the throat but is expected to recover. A suspect has pleaded not guilty to murder and attempted murder.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- The opening ceremony for the 2016 Summer Olympics takes place tonight in Rio de Janeiro. Millions of television viewers from around the world are expected to tune in. NBC will carry the three-hour ceremony on a one-hour delay because it wants the entertainment spectacle to be shown completely in U.S. prime time.

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Character actor David Huddleston has died in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He's remembered for such roles as the mayor in "Blazing Saddles" and the blustery millionaire in "The Big Lebowski." His wife says Huddleston died Tuesday of advanced heart and kidney disease. He was 85.

Source:wtb

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Serena Williams is still all about that twerking life!

A few months after her appearance in Beyonce‘s ‘Sorry’ where she twerked like a pro, she proves to us once again that she’s not just the queen of tennis, but also great at working that booty!

‘Everyone should at some point, do a twerk’, she says.

We sure do agree, beautiful!

Source: thenetsng

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Tiger Woods looked like he had a bunch of fun with Rory McIlroy and Jimmy Fallon on Monday, but for all the Ryder Cup-junkies out there, the 14-time major champ did take a moment to explain why he decided to withdraw his name from consideration for Tom Watson's three captain's picks.

Here's what he said about it in an interview with Sky Sports, where you can watch the full video:

        "Physically I just couldn't do it. I wouldn't be ready and not being ready for my teammates, for the captain, assistant captains and everyone who's involved in the event, I just wouldn't be ready and I just couldn't help the team. Every time your name's called -- and when you're on that team your name could be called five times and trust me, I've played all five sessions, some guys have played one -- but when your name's called, your name's called and you need to be able to go out there and get a point. And I just didn't feel like I could be ready enough where I could get a point, and with that being said, it was time to shut it down, get stronger and get more explosive again and get back for next year."

It's a somewhat surprising admission from Woods, who is usually pretty guarded about his health with the media. But in most people's mind, it seems he's come to the right decision for all parties.

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The young Nigerian International soccer star is having a very good year so far.

He was loaned out from Chelsea to Liverpool, which he thought was a disappointment, but apparently Liverpool is doing way better than Chelsea this season.

Victor Moses also just bagged a Globacom Ambassadorship deal days back, the next day; he also celebrated his son, Brentley’s 1 year birthday.
Wow, now that’s a big year.

Congratulations to father and son.

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Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan

This Feb. 8, 2012 photo shows former football player Michael Strahan, right, and host Kelly Ripa during Strahan's guest-host appearance on "Live! with Kelly," in New York. Strahan is getting a permanent job in morning television as Kelly Ripa's co-host. Strahan replaces Regis Philbin on the syndicated "Live! With Kelly" show, adding his name to the title. The gap-toothed former New York Giant is currently a host of "Fox NFL Sunday." He was one of several men to get tryouts with Ripa as the show rotated several potential replacements since Philbin left last November. (AP Photo/Disney-ABC Domestic TV, Sandy SooHoo)

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How the beach-front mansion looked in March 2011 after Tiger Woods' ex-wife Elin Nordegren payed $11.7m for the house

Nordegren has just demolished the $11.7 million pad - so she can build a better home on the same plot, TMZ  reports.

Nordegren bought the North Palm Beach home in March, eight months after she finalised her divorce from her cheating husband and received a whopping $97.5 million settlement.

It was thought that the Swedish former model would move into the sprawling six-bedroom, eight-bathroom property with her two children by Woods, but instead she knocked the whole place down.

She has hired a top architect to help build her a new dream home, and every worker involved in the project is required to sign a confidentiality agreement, according to TMZ.

It was not known when the 32 year old's new pad will be completed, and in the meantime, she is living in a nearby mansion inside the private community.

How the same property looked in January 2012, after Elin Nordegren demolished the house to build her own dream home.

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Happy Birthday to:

Actress Anna Faris (1976)

Welsh TV star Imogen Thomas (1982)

Actor Lucas Black (1982)

Jackass Ehren McGhehey (1976)

Actor Brian Baumgartner (1972)

Baywatch babe Gena Lee Nolin (1971)

New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera (1969)

Saturday Night Live alum Ellen Cleghorne (1965)

Actor Tom Sizemore (1964)

Hotel Rwanda star Don Cheadle (1964)

Brat packer Andrew McCarthy (1963)

Actress Kim Delaney (1961)

Actress Cathy Moriarty (1960)

Canadian comedian Howie Mandel (1955)

Director Joel Coen (1954)

Comedian/actor Garry Shandling (1949)

American trumpeter Chuck Mangione (1940)

British bluesman John Mayall (1933)

Actress Diane Ladd (1932)

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Olympic champion skier Lindsey Vonn  is single again after her husband of four years, Thomas Vonn, filed for divorce.

Olympic gold metal skier Lindsey Vonn is divorcing her husband of four years, Thomas Vonn.

"This is an extremely difficult time in my personal life and I hope the media and my fans can respect my need for privacy on this matter," she said in a statement to the AP. Thomas reportedly filed last Monday.

The couple wed in Utah in 2007 and he soon took the place of her father as her close confidant and coach. The transition led to strife between Lindsay and her father, Alan Kildow — he wasn’t even invited to her wedding.

Thomas also gained a reputation as a camera-loving Svengali during his years with Lindsey, earning him the nickname "TV."

"He's the one that's like, 'OK, really? That's enough. You need to take a break, take a rest,'" Lindsay said of her husband. "Most of the time I'm like, 'I'm good.' He knows me really well, knows when I've had enough."

He was also known to be her harshest critic, though she swore they were able to turn it off while at home.

"We learned you can hash out a lot in confined spaces. ...As husband and wife we know that sometimes we have to flip the switch and be a normal couple, not a coach and athlete. We don't talk about racing as much as you might think," she told the New York Times last year.

Maybe now she can repair her relationship with her father. It sounds like he wants to — the proud father still follows her competitions and even watched her Olympic win on the web.

"It was terrific skiing," Kildow told The Associated Press after she won in Whistler, British Columbia. "Absolutely terrific."

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Football legend Lawrence Taylor has been slapped with a lawsuit by the teenage prostitute he was convicted of sleeping with.

The former New York Giants superstar was arrested in May, 2010, and charged with sexual misconduct and soliciting a prostitute after he was accused of bedding then-16-year-old runaway Christina Fierro in a Ramapo, New York hotel.

He pleaded guilty to the counts and was sentenced to six months of probation in March as part of a plea deal with prosecutors, who also required Lawrence to register as a sex offender.

But the case is refusing to go away - on Monday, Fierro and her lawyer Gloria Allred revealed they had filed suit against Taylor for assault and battery.

Fierro, now 18, claims she had "repeatedly tried to push Taylor off of her" during their encounter, but to no avail.

She is suing for unspecified damages.

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Child sex abuse survivor Tyler Perry  has penned an open letter to the former 11-year-old who recently came out as an alleged victim of disgraced football coach Jerry Sandusky.

Sandusky has been indicted on 40 counts of sex crimes against young boys following a three-year investigation sparked by allegations the Penn State coach had had inappropriate contact with a 15-year-old boy over the course of four years.

Eight boys have since been identified as victims of sexual advances or sexual assaults by Sandusky.

The scandal has rocked the U.S. sports world and Perry has heaped praise on the boy who kickstarted the investigation by coming forward.

In his letter, printed in Newsweek magazine, the director and star writes, "What you have done is so courageous. The strength that it must have taken for your 11-year-old voice to speak out about such a horrible act is something that I didn't have the strength or courage to do at that age."

Perry opened up about his own sexual abuse as a child in 2009 following the release of "Precious."

He added, "I knew what was happening to me, but unlike you, I couldn't speak about it because no one saw me. I was invisible and my voice was inaudible. So to think that you, when you were only 11 years old, spoke up - you are my hero! I'm so proud of you."

He is now urging the unnamed teenager to testify against Sandusky in court: "You may have to go through with that trial, and you may feel all alone when you're on that witness stand, but just know that there are millions of young boys and grown men who are standing with you - including me."

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Evelyn Lozada was all set to leave "Basketball Wives" and not return for the show's fourth season -- until the show offered her a deal she just couldn't turn down ... which includes her own spin-off show.

As previously reported, Evelyn had made up her mind that she was done with the show for good after VH1 posted a blog insinuating she cheated on her husband, NFL star Chad Ochocinco.

Once Evelyn let producers know she was out, that's when we're told they really made a push to keep her.

According to our sources, her new arrangement with the show has her shooting about half as often (but with a raise) and that she can work around her daughter's school schedule. We're also told Evelyn has made it clear ... she will not miss any of Chad's games.

But according to our sources, the final carrot that sealed the deal ... was that VH1 promised to spin off Evelyn and Chad into their own show. We're told that show would document the months leading up to their wedding ... but so far no deal to shoot the wedding has been made.

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Jason Taylor has made a living out of chasing down quarterbacks -- now the NFL star is trying to chase down the man he says bilked him out of more than a quarter of a million dollars!

According to a lawsuit filed back in August, Taylor claims he gave $500,000 to a man named Eric Kim, who told Taylor he was an experienced securities investor. Taylor alleges Kim promised to invest the money on Taylor's behalf, and would do so without charging any fees ... except for 10% of whatever profits he made.

But alas ... Taylor says from August 2009 until March 2011, Kim "misappropriated" $275,269.10 of the money Taylor gave him. According to Taylor, Kim wrote 37 checks from the account he set up with Taylor's money ... 32 of which were either made out to Kim himself or to his good friend "cash."

Taylor is suing for fraud, among other things, and is looking for his money back, plus costs.

Calls to Kim's lawyers were not returned.

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Shaquille O'Neal couldn't power his way through the lane at a New York nightclub this weekend -- getting TURNED AWAY at the door ... all because he was dressed like a lumberjack.

ET has learned ... Shaq rolled up to nightclub/restaurant Mars 2112 on Saturday night wearing jeans, a sweatshirt, tennis shoes and a beanie (pictured above with random fan).

But according to the club promoter, Mike Mogul, Shaq's attire wasn't up to club standards ... so security politely informed the retired NBA star that he would not be allowed inside.

Sources at the club tell us Shaq calmly replied, "Are you serious?" ... then shrugged his shoulders and walked down the street to another place that welcomed The Diesel with open arms.

The move is pretty damn shocking, considering TONS of clubs would pay some serious jack to get Shaq to stop by, no matter what he was wearing!!

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Boxing great Muhammad Ali leaves the funeral of boxer Joe Frazier in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Boxing legend and sporting icon Muhammad Ali recently spent some time resting in the hospital for five days.

The 69 year-old legend, according to reports from US online publication Radaronline.com was rushed to the hospital on Saturday, November 19, 2011.

Reports say Ali who was admitted to the Healthcare Osborn Medical Centre in Arizona. Paramedics and Arizona Police reportedly confirmed a 911 call was placed to the station indicating an elderly man was unconscious. Ali has been battling Parkinson’s disease for 30 years

‘The victim started to pass out in the car and when they got him into the house he fell unconscious’, a spokesperson for the Medical Centre said.

It’s unclear what Muhammad was treated for at the hospital or how much time he spent there. He’s recovered and spent Thanksgiving with his family in Las Vegas.

Interestingly, Ali’s hospitalization actually happened five days after he appeared at the funeral of former heavyweight champ Joe Frazier.

‘It’s a progressive disease and it’s something we both have to deal with. But he still gets out and he loves people. He has a lot of grandkids and he adores them’, his daughter and retired professional boxer Laila Ali told Star Magazine.

Till date, Ali is the first and only three-time Lineal World Heavyweight Champion.

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Members of Africa’s largest mobile social network GUINNESS VIP™ are getting an exclusive once in a lifetime opportunity to get up close and personal with former Manchester United and Republic of Ireland Captain Roy Keane and former Chelsea and French International Marcel Desailly at GUINNESS VIP™ ‘An Evening With…’ event which will take place on Monday 19th September 2011 – Tuesday 20th September 2011 in Lagos & Ibadan for one night only.

With a known on field rivalry and over 35 years playing experience between them, time spent at some of the top clubs in Europe and a multitude of titles and trophies, these two football idols will be sharing stories and experiences and answering questions exclusively with GUINNESS VIP™ members only.  Access to the players will be both online through live chat question sessions and face to face for members who win tickets on GUINNESS VIP™ to be in the audience at the events.

Guinness® Marketing Manager, Adebola Adenike, commented that “We understand the nation’s passion for football and are always looking for ways to provide the millions of football fans across the country with great football experiences.  Through GUINNESS VIP™, our mobile social network, we give fans across Nigeria real VIP benefits and access to exclusive events and competitions as well as the chance to chat to friends and other passionate football fans and football greats like Victor Ikpeba and Jay Jay Okocha and more to come”.“Once again in a way that only Guinness can, we are providing a series of incredible, once in a lifetime opportunities to interact with World Class football heroes in person at the GUINNESS VIP™ ‘An Evening With…’events which will bring football fans even closer to even more football greats. 

Here is what the two football legends said about the upcoming event:

Roy Keane:
I am really looking forward to coming to Nigeria and meeting some of the nation’s amazing football fans at the Guinness VIP™ An Evening With… event.  This will be my first visit to Nigeria and I have heard that this is a country where the football fans are just as passionate as the loyal fans I had for many years at Manchester United.  I can’t wait to share my love of football and stories of my time on the pitch with such an enthusiastic audience, i’m sure they will have a whole range of interesting questions prepared for me!I am also looking forward to being reunited with my old on field rival, Marcel Desailly and working together again.

Marcel Desailly:
I understand the passion Africa has for football and how the game unites and inspires us.  I have been lucky enough to travel the world playing football and to meet people from many nations.  But it is the support from the fans that really makes the difference for me as a player. They are legendary!.
It will be great to spend an evening with some of them at the GUINNESS VIP™ event and share stories from my days at Chelsea and playing for France as well as answering the questions they have for me about my football career.  No doubt we will also be sharing our views on the forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations tournament and the teams we are tipping for the honours.I think myself, Roy and the fans are going to be in for a very special evening.

The opportunity is only available to members of GUINNESS VIP™, for a chance of winning exclusive tickets to be in the up close and personal audience at ‘An Evening With…’ or to put a question to Roy Keane and Marcel Desailly football fans must be a GUINNESS VIP™ member. You can register at m.guinnessvip.com on your phone or computer or simply text yes and your date of birth to 1759.  SMS cost is N10 or log on to www.facebook.com/guinnessvip.

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Ashley Cole and Jay Z

England and Chelsea football star Ashley Cole and US rapper Sean ‘Jay Z’ Carter are teaming up to open a new restaurant and bar in Central London next year.

The deal which was brokered by entertainment group NVA will see Cole and the Roc Nation boss launch a set of businesses, ‘The 40/40 London’ being the first.

This follows the other 40/40 clubs owned and run by Jay Z in New York, Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

Jay Z who is a sports enthusiast himself and co-owner of NBA basketball team New Jersey Nets will be looking forward to working with Cole as they create ‘a high class standard and lifestyle hangout for urban and trendy folks’.

‘London is one of the most vibrant and exciting cities in the world and the perfect location for our new venue. I’m excited about working with Ashley and NVA Entertainment Group on a range of new projects and The 40/40 London is going to be the hottest place in town’, Jay Z says.

The restaurant will be offering an American-themed menu to its guests and the bar will feature top music acts and DJs. A final decision is to be made in August on where the restaurant/bar will be located as three sites are already under construction.

‘I am delighted to be working with Jay Z. I have grown up listening to his music and now to be doing business with him is amazing and the projects we do will be delivering much needed funds back into sport and music on a local community level as well as helping talented young people get back to work’, Cole says.

NVA has a high profile track-record in sport and entertainment working with the likes of John Terry, Robinho, Usain Bolt and Antonio Valencia

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The Morale Entertainment Foundation says ESPN will televise the Carrier Classic game between Michigan State and North Carolina on the deck of an aircraft carrier in San Diego Bay on Veterans Day.

Mike Whalen of Morale Entertainment Foundation says ESPN also will televise a halftime show and postgame concert.

A basketball court with seating for approximately 7,000 fans will be built on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier for the rematch of the 2009 NCAA championship game, won by North Carolina. Organizers won't know until much closer to the Nov. 11 game which aircraft carrier will serve as host. Whalen has said it probably will be the USS Ronald Reagan or the USS Carl Vinson.

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