press-news

Flanked by his wife and two daughters, Kobeu2009Bryant gried wide Wednesday as the Losu2009Angeles City Council declared Aug.u200924 to be Kobeu2009Bryant Day. Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, is pregnant with the couple’s third daughter, and the retired Lakers superstar told his other two girls, Natalia and Giaa, they would need to help explain to their sister why Bryant had a day named in his honor. • PHOTOS: City of LA celebrates Kobe Bryant Day in council chambers “She’s going to have no idea that I was actually an OK basketball player,” he joked. Bryant retired from the Lakers in April, after 20u2009seasons, five championships and rising to No.u20093 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Aug.u200...

Ryan Lochte lost two major sponsors when Speedo USA and Ralph Lauren aounced Monday they were dumping the swimmer over a drunken incident during the Rio Olympics that he initially described as an armed robbery. Speedo USA also said it would donate $50,000 of Lochte’s fee to Save The Children to benefit needy youngsters in Brazil. “While we have enjoyed a wiing relationship with Ryan for over a decade and he has been an important member of the Speedo team, we caot condone behavior that is counter to the values this brand has long stood for,” the swimsuit giant said in a brief statement. “We appreciate his many achievements and hope he moves forward and leas from this experience.” Shortly aft...

NEW YORK >> American swimmer Ryan Lochte said he over-exaggerated what happened at a Rio de Janeiro gas station and acknowledged it was his “immature behavior” that got him and three teammates into a mess that consumed the final days of the Olympics. Lochte, in a portion of an interview with NBC’s Matt Lauer that aired Saturday, continued backtracking from a story that he initially described as an armed robbery. Police have said the swimmers vandalized a bathroom after a night of partying and armed guards confronted them and asked them to pay for the damage. “It’s how you want to make it look like,” Lochte said. “Whether you call it a robbery or whether you call it extortion or us jus...

RIO DE JANEIRO — Three American Olympic swimmers plaed to meet with Brazilian law enforcement Thursday to discuss a reported robbery targeting 12-time medalist Ryan Lochte and his teammates, a U.S. Olympic Committee official said. USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky said late Thursday moing that Jack Conger, Guar Bentz and Jimmy Feigen were scheduling a time and place to meet with authorities. “All are represented by counsel and being appropriately supported by the USOC and the U.S. Consulate in Rio,” Sandusky said. Conger and Bentz were released by local authorities early Thursday after being pulled from a flight at the Rio de Janeiro airport amid uncertainty over what truly took place during ...

RIO DE JANEIRO >> A Brazilian judge ordered Wednesday that the passports of American swimmers Ryan Lochte and Jimmy Feigen be seized, confining them to the country as authorities investigate their claim they were robbed at gunpoint during the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. It was not immediately clear whether the swimmers were still in Brazil. The office of Judge Keyla Blank confirmed the order Wednesday in a statement. The U.S. Olympic Committee said police went to the athletes village Wednesday moing to try to collect the passports, but the swim team had already moved out. Spokesman Patrick Sandusky declined to say whether Lochte and Feigen were still in the country. “As part of our stand...

RIO DE JANEIRO >> Ryan Lochte and three other American swimmers were robbed at gunpoint early Sunday by thieves posing as police officers who stopped their taxi and took their money and belongings, the U.S. Olympic Committee said. In the latest security incident to hit the Rio de Janeiro Games, Lochte told NBC that one of the robbers put a gun to his forehead before taking his wallet. No one was injured. Lochte and his teammates were retuing to the athletes village by taxi after a night out at the French Olympic team’s hospitality house in the Rodrigo de Freitas area in the upscale south zone of the city. The outing was several hours after Olympic swimming ended Saturday night at the R...

If you’re a “Game of Thrones” fan, you’ve noticed that everyone who’s anyone is talking about some secret surprise “Game of Thrones” thing happening in LA on Monday. So, what is it? Well, we’re not totally sure yet, but we’ll be there to find out. For now, we know a few details, thanks to a press release sent by the event organizers. Here’s what we can tell you: Music is coming That’s what the 12-second trailer posted to YouTube by the show says, anyway. The composer of that epic GoT music Ramin Djawadi will be at the Hollywood Palladium along with a full orchestra to play the show’s rousing music. Bran is coming too Bran Stark, errr Isaac Hempstead Wright, will be there, probably on stage ...

The number of teenagers finding summer jobs surged in June to a three-year high, according to a new report from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Employment among teens ages 16 to 19 increased by 691,000, the report said. That was up 13 percent from the 609,000 teen jobs that were added in June of 2015, and it was the biggest boost for that month since 779,000 teens secured summer work in June 2013. Teen hiring for May and June — the first two months of the three-month summer hiring period — outpaced hiring for the same period last year. A total of 847,000 teens were hired in May and June of this year, a 7.1 percent increase over the 791,000 who were hired during the same t...

NEW YORK >> Roger Ailes is out as chief executive at Fox News Chael, his career at the network he built from scratch and ran with an iron hand for nearly 20 years over with stuing swiftness following allegations that he forced out a former anchor after she spued his sexual advances. • PHOTOS: Roger Ailes is out at Fox News Network parent 21st Century Fox said that Rupert Murdoch, the company’s executive chairman, would run Fox News and its sister Fox Business Network, which Ailes had also led, until a successor could be found. Murdoch and 21st Century Fox and Murdoch did not address the widening scandal in the statement on the resignation but lauded Ailes for his contributions. Ailes ...

SAN DIEGO >> Comic-Con Inteational is about to unleash a smorgasbord of entertainment news on the world. The four-day pop-culture phenomenon will draw hundreds of thousands to the San Diego Convention Center and the Gaslamp Quarter Thursday, July 21 through Sunday, July 24. There are hundreds of panels that Comic-Con badge holders can attend — with some waiting in line for up to 24 hours to get into the bigger panels in the massive Hall H. Hall H is the maker of nerdy dreams for a lucky 6,500 people. For those able to get into the convention center’s largest room, there will be stars aplenty, exclusive footage shown and maybe a chance to hang out with the cast of “Star Wars” at a surpr...

LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant will be keeping busy with daddy duties in retirement. The former Lakers superstar has aounced on Instagram that he and his wife, Vanessa, are expecting their third child, another daughter. Bryant, also known by his self-given nickname “Black Mamba,” posted a picture Tuesday of a onesie with “Baby Mamba” written on it alongside a baby pair of his signature Nike shoes. In the caption he writes, “Beyond blessed and excited to share that we are expecting our third baby girl!!!” Bryant’s other daughters, Natalia and Giaa, are 13 and 10, respectively. The five-time NBA champion retired in April after 19 seasons in Los Angeles. Advertisement This entry passed through the...

How do you actually take care of yourself in traumatic situations? And how do you take care of yourself when you are being bombarded with gruesome images? There's a program at Drexel University in Philadelphia that answers those questions daily. It's called Healing Hurt People. It's an organization that works to undue the impacts of violence on young people. It helps victims of gunshot, stab, or assault wounds receive counseling for emotional and social stress related to violence and PTSD. Healing Hurt People was the subject of aThis American Life feature back in 2013. We reached out to Dr. John Rich, a co-director of the program, for advice. He gave us five suggestions. 1. Understand that y...

See the sweet Lakers-themed car that Snoop Dogg gave Kobe Bryant Snoop Dogg gave basketball great Kobe Bryant this purple-and-gold Lakers-themed car as a retirement gift. Bryant released this picture on Twitter. By Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant has received a one-of-a-kind retirement gift from rapper Snoop Dogg: a Los Angeles Lakers-themed convertible. Bryant retired from the Lakers in April after 20 seasons in L.A. He posted a picture on Twitter of him and Snoop standing by the purple and gold car Wednesday. Snoop Dogg put up some shots of the car on Instagram. Its hood features pictures of Bryant alongside other Lakers greats like Magic Johnson, James Worthy...

Joe Jares, a former Los Angeles Daily News sports editor and columnist in the 1980s and ’90s who spent more than 15 years at Sports Illustrated, died Saturday night in Los Angeles. He was 78. A general-assignment reporter at the Los Angeles Times as well as a writer for United Press Inteational and the Los Angeles Herald-Express before joining SI, Jares covered more than 20 sports, specializing in teis and college basketball. He authored nine sports-related books during his career, topped off by the 1974 “Whatever Happened to Gorgeous George,” an affectionate history of pro wrestling from the 1940s to the ’60s. Sports Illustrated ranked it at No. 76 on its list of the “Top 100 Sports Books o...

OMAHA, Neb. >> Matching each other stroke for stroke, Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte surged to the wall in almost perfect sync. Phelps got there first, just ahead of the guy who’s pushed him hard for more than a decade. It was like so many races they’ve had before. There’s one more to go in Rio. In the latest epic of their longtime rivalry — and billed as the last showdown in their home country — Phelps edged Lochte in the 200-meter individual medley at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials Friday night. “Ryan and I always have a great race with one another,” said Phelps, who plans to retire again after his fifth Olympics. “When we race each other, we bring each other to a different level....

Buddy Ryan, the pugnacious coach who masterminded two fierce defenses that won Super Bowl titles and whose twin sons have been successful NFL coaches, died Tuesday. He was 82. His death was confirmed by the Buffalo Bills, who are coached by Rex Ryan. James Solano, Buddy Ryan’s agent, said he died in Kentucky but did not give a cause. Ryan lived on a ranch in Shelbyville. “Buddy was a legend in our league in so many ways,” the Bills said in a statement. “His defenses were iovative and he was a master at putting his talented and tough players in a position to succeed. He was a real game changer, and much of his philosophies and defensive tactics are still utilized effectively by teams today.” ...