Minggu, 30 Juni 2013

Brazil defeats Spain to win Confederations Cup

Brazil won a heated matchup of past and present soccer powers boosting its confidence as it prepares to host next year's World Cup.

Fred scored two goals Neymar added another and Brazil defeated world champion Spain 3 0 in the Confederations Cup final on Sunday night as protesters clashed with riot police outside Maracana Stadium.

Brazil a five time world champion beat the reigning world and European champion and ended Spain's 29 game three year winning streak in competitive matches.

We beat the world champions today but we know that the tournament that we will be playing next year will be a lot more difficult Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said. Now we have more confidence. That's what we needed.

'We beat the world champions today but we know that the tournament that we will be playing next year will be a lot more difficult. Now we have more confidence. That's what we needed.' Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari

Fred put Brazil ahead in the second minute Neymar doubled the lead in the 44th with his fourth goal of the tournament and Fred added his fifth in the 47th.

Brazil which won its third straight Confederations Cup has not lost a competitive home match since 1975.

Spain which had not lost a competitive game since its 2010 World Cup opener against Switzerland had a miserable night. Sergio Ramos sent a penalty kick wide in the 55th and defender Gerard Pique was ejected by Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers with a straight red card for fouling Neymar in the 68th.

They were superior on every way Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque said. They scored early. This is not an excuse but they had pressure on us all the time.

The champion is back

Eliminated in the quarterfinals of the last two World Cups the Selecao entered the tournament having not played a competitive match since the 2011 Copa America Brazil had slipped to 22nd in the FIFA rankings between Ghana and Mali.

Spain ranked first for the past 20 months is the most accomplished national team of the 21st century winning its first World Cup in 2010 between titles in the 2008 and 2012 European Championships.

But in the stadium that will host the World Cup final on July 14 next year Brazil dominated La Furia Roja.

The champion is back chanted the crowd of more than 73 000 people at the renovated Maracana.

It also didn't take long before the fans in a sea of yellow jerseys started teasing the Spaniards chanting Wanna play wanna play Brazil will teach you.

Spain had been unbeaten in 26 matches overall including friendlies since a 1 0 loss to England in London in 2011 and had outscored opponents 69 11 in competitive matches since the loss to Switzerland in South Africa.

But Spain had not played Brazil since a 1999 exhibition and they hadn't met in a competitive match since the Selecao's 1 0 win in the first round of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

Fred Neymar dominate

Fred opened the scoring after a cross into the area by Hulk in the second minute. The ball bounced off Neymar near the far post and Fred who had fallen while trying to reach for the cross shot with his right foot while still on the ground.

Brazil added to the lead after Neymar exchanged passes with Oscar and then sent a powerful left footed shot over goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

Fred got the final goal from just inside the area sending a low shot to the far corner. Hulk started the move with a pass to Neymar but the striker let it go as Fred came running behind him.

Spain was awarded the penalty kick after Marcelo fouled Jesus Navas inside the area. Ramos who skied a penalty kick for Real Madrid against Bayern Munich in the 2012 Champions League semifinals sent this one wide.

Spain's best chance before the penalty came with Pedro Rodriguez in the 41st when he entered the area clear from defenders on a breakaway. His low shot beat goalkeeper Julio Cesar but David Luiz came rushing in and slid in front of the goal line just in time to deflect the ball over the crossbar.

There were protests outside the stadium during the match with police using rubber bullets and tear gas to keep demonstrators from getting too close. A wave of anti government protests has swept across Brazil in recent weeks and many affected the Confederations Cup host cities as demonstrators complained of the costs of hosting the World Cup.

On the field it was a heated match from the start with players from both teams pushing and shoving each other a few times. Even the substitutes got into a shouting match.

The Associated Press 2013

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Winners list 2013 BET Awards

Kendrick Lamar won both best new artist and male hip hop artist.

Rapper Kendrick Lamar performs onstage during the 2013 BET Awards at Nokia Theatre June 30 2013 in Los Angeles.(Photo Kevin Winter Getty Images for BET)

Winners announced during Sunday's 2013 BET Awards which aired live from Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles

Best male RB/pop artist

Miguel

Best new artist

Kendrick Lamar

Young Stars award

Gabrielle Douglas

Best gospel artist

Mary Mary

MORE Who brought the heat at BET Awards

Subway sportsman of the year

LeBron James

Subway sportswoman of the year

Gabrielle Douglas

Best actor

Jamie Foxx

Best female hip hop artist

Nicki Minaj

Best male hip hop artist

Kendrick Lamar

Lifetime achievement award

Charlie Wilson

Best collaboration

Problems A$AP Rocky featuring Drake 2 Chainz and Kendrick Lamar

Humanitarian award

Dwyane Wade

FANdemonium award

Chris Brown

Coca Cola viewers' choice award

Started From the Bottom Drake

Best movie

Think Like A Man

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Cowboys center Phil Costa gets engaged to Hulk Hogans daughter Brooke

Doug Farrar

Doug Farrar is the editor of Shutdown Corner Yahoo Sports NFL blog.

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Jessica Kordas Classless Mid Round Firing Of Caddie Demands LPGA Tour ...

Golfer Jessica Korda

First I realize that golfers have disputes with their caddies. We recently witnessed 2012 Masters champion Bubba Watson having words with his caddie. And famously years ago at the British Open we had Ian Woosnam throwing clubs out of his bag because his caddie had allowed too many clubs to be placed in Woosnam s bag.

Second I realize as a consequence that golfers can/will fire their caddies.

But during Saturday s third round of the United States Women s Open at Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton NY Jessica Korda fired her caddie Jason Gilroyed at the turn.

Because women s golf doesn t really move the popularity needle this story did not receive the attention it might have if it had happened to Tiger Woods Rory McIlroy or Phil Mickelson.

That said this classless display of brat like behavior deserves a significant fine from either the LPGA Tour or the USGA. This type of behavior cannot become commonplace.

Imagine if Serena Williams after losing a tightly contested tiebreaker turned to her player s box and fired her coach in mid match (which if you believe the rumors would also likely end their personal relationship).

Or if Danica Patrick fired her crew chief after the 100th lap of a 200 lap race.

If I m the commissioner of the women s golf tour I don t want people tuning in every week to see the melodrama associated with the next hissy fit thrown by a spoiled young woman be it Jessica Korda or someone else.

The focus of the weekend should be on current leader and likely winner Inbee Park who with a victory on Sunday will hold the first three women s majors of the season the first time that has been accomplished since Babe Zaharias did so in 1950

Instead people are talking about Jessica Korda.

The lack of professionalism displayed in this matter is truly embarrassing for the tour and USGA while only exhibiting behavior that reinforces some negative stereotypes associated with women s athletics.

Currently ranked 39th in the world as a 20 year old Ms. Korda shows promise. Of course when exhibiting these sorts of theatrics one must wonder how this type of behavior could negatively impact her own marketability should she slowly climb the world rankings.

Patrick is an Economics Professor at the George Herbert Walker School of Business and Technology at Webster University in St Louis MO and the Founder/Director of Sportsimpacts. Follow him on Twitter.

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Marcel Kittel wins first stage of Tour de France

Marcel Kittel of Germany celebrates winning the first stage of the Tour de France.(Photo Christophe Ena AP)

PORTO VECCHIO Corsica (AP) The first stage of the 100th Tour de France ended with a bus stuck under an archway at the finish line until minutes before the first riders arrived.

Shortly after the bus was dislodged German rider Marcel Kittel was first to arrive after dodging all sorts of mayhem to win Saturday's stage on Corsica.

Kittel beat Russian sprinter Alexander Kristoff in a dash to the line after a major crash wiped out some other competitors. Organizers considered moving the finish line up to avoid the bus then changed their minds at the last moment after the bus was freed.

About 20 riders fell close to the end among them two time former champion Alberto Contador and sprinter Peter Sagan. They got back up with Contador's shoulder cut and bruised.

OOPS Bus blocks finish line

British sprinter Mark Cavendish did not crash but was stuck behind those who fell and could not challenge for his 24th stage win. He was hoping to wear the prestigious yellow jersey for the first time in his career.

I saw the crash happen to my right said Kittel who also finished the day with the best sprinter's green jersey. I knew it was serious. I knew that Mark and Andre (Greipel) were no longer in contention and it was a good chance for us.

But Cavendish and Sagan were nowhere to be seen as the main bunch turned for home and Kittel held off Kristoff as they dipped for the line.

I'm lucky I didn't come down Cavendish said. What caused the problems was changing the finish. Like we heard on the radio with literally 5K to go that the sprint was in 2K and then a K later they were like 'No it's at the finish.' It's just carnage.

Francaise Des Jeux team manager Marc Madiot was furious.

The president of the (race jury) didn't do his job he said. When we make a mistake we get a fine. Well he should get a huge fine.

Race events director Jean Francois Pescheux says circumstances forced a quick decision.

We would've preferred a nice finish like the one we'd planned. But in exceptional situations you have to take exceptional decisions Pescheux said by telephone. We're not going to stop the riders and ask (them) what decision we should take.

Organizers considered shortening the stage by two miles after the bus from the Orica Greenedge team got wedged under the structure at the finish but the bus got moved just in time.

When a bus arrives near the finish line the driver must ask the permission to cross it finish line manager Jean Louis Pages said. This bus was late. We deflated the tires so we could move it away as the peloton was fast approaching.

Kittel did not even know about the bus and was lucky enough to avoid the crash to win the flat 132 mile trek from Porto Vecchio to Bastia in just under 5 hours. Kristoff and third place Danny van Poppel clocked the same time.

It feels like I have gold on my shoulders Kittel said about wearing the famed yellow jersey. I didn't know about the bus. I'm glad they were able to move it.

PHOTOS 2013 Tour de France

Last SlideNext Slide

Cavendish's Omega Pharma Quick Step teammate Tony Martin was caught in the fall and later taken to hospital after losing consciousness.

Contador had a bad day too.

Returning from a doping ban after testing positive on the 2010 Tour a title he has been stripped of the Spaniard grimaced in pain as he crossed the line with his clothing torn and his left shoulder grazed.

I am fine I'm OK Contador said through a translator. Someone didn't brake in front of me and then there was a crash. I will have to rest now.

As the stage drew to an end former champion Andy Schleck's RadioShack team pushed to the front as a side wind made it harder for riders then Contador's Saxo Tinkoff team pushed up as the sinewy roads started to thin out.

Johnny Hoogerland who was sent flying off his bike and sustained cuts to his legs on the 2011 Tour after being hit by a Tour car was sent tumbling after hitting a crash barrier near the end. He was helped back onto his bike and able to continue.

Last year's Giro d'Italia winner Ryder Hesjedal was caught in another crash moments later but continued.

ARMSTRONG 'Impossible' to win Tour without doping

With the finish line in sight and as the nerves jangled riders were sent flying from their bikes throwing the stage into chaos.

It was just a complete disaster Greipel said.

It proved to be an eventful day from the outset. Before the stage started French Sports Minister Valerie Fourneyron met with a delegation of riders unhappy about pre race media reports that they thought focused too heavily on doping stories.

The day before Lance Armstrong hogged headlines when he told Le Monde he couldn't have won his seven Tours without doping.

Once the race began tour favorite Chris Froome stopped to get a new rear wheel early on and stopped for a second time to get a new bike.

Sunday's second stage is shorter but features four climbs along the 97 mile ride from Bastia to Ajaccio.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast rewritten or redistributed.

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Anna Nicole Smith Reincarnated In Actress Agnes Bruckner

Anna Nicole Smith left a large mark on a then still developing reality TV and celebutante culture and when she left us in a wave of tragedy it was hard not to feel for what she d endured.

Now Anna Nicole Smith has been reincarnated in actress Agnes Bruckner for a new Lifetime movie on the tragic pin up titled simply Anna Nicole.

Smith had been through many ups and downs in her life but it appeared to be the start of a new chapter for her when she gave birth to baby girl Dannielynn Birkhead. No sooner did Dannielynn make her way in the world Smith lost her son Daniel for whom the new baby was partially named and very clearly the center of Anna Nicole s world.

We all know what happened next and whatever your opinion of Anna Nicole Smith any grieving parent can understand the inability to go on after the loss of a child a child that was by many accounts the only constant in the star s life.

Now Bruckner s turn as Anna Nicole Smith hits Lifetime tonight and the star talks about the challenges of portraying a woman whose life played out in real time in front of viewers for years.

On being Anna Nicole Bruckner says

I was very nervous and anxious about taking the part because she was so iconic and so famous and larger than life. I asked myself Am I going to pull this off and What kind of movie are we making and all those questions We really wanted to tell a different story. All those things gave me the confidence to play the part.

Fans of Smith will also recall that the star s weight fluctuated and even her time shilling a diet supplement. Bruckner says of the costuming for the role

We worked so hard and we had prosthetic boobs and prosthetic cheek and neck pieces for when she was heavier. I bleached my own hair. And we also had wig pieces she had such different looks throughout her journey. The wardrobe team created so many of these beautiful dresses that you see in the movie from scratch working around the clock. The transformation is really a reason alone to see this movie because it s so unbelievable. It gave everyone chills when I showed up to set dressed as her.

Bruckner also said she cried watching Anna Nicole Smith s life play out in the Lifetime version due especially to the circumstances under which the star passed away.

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Sabtu, 29 Juni 2013

NASCAR race at Kentucky postponed until noon Sunday

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Agnes Bruckner on Becoming Anna Nicole The Transformation Is Really a ...

Agnes Bruckner as Anna Nicole Smith in the Lifetime Original Movie Anna Nicole.

How do you play someone so distinctive so famous and so one of a kind as Anna Nicole Smith

Well it takes a village For Lifetime's Anna Nicole movie airing on June 29 a team of people contributed to actress Agnes Bruckner's transformation into the Playboy pinup which included makeup wig pieces and chin to rib prosthetics.

The movie traces the blonde bombshell's life from her modest roots in a small Texas town to gaining the notice of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner to marrying rich octogenarian J. Howard Marshall (played by Martin Landau) to her tragic death from a drug overdose.

Photos Who's Playing Who in Lifetime's 'Anna Nicole'

Bruckner chatted with Yahoo TV about what it was like to step into an icon's shoes Smith's surprising background and how many hours she had to sit in the makeup chair.

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty ImagesAnna Nicole was such an iconic figure. Did you feel any trepidation about taking on the role

Definitely. I was very nervous and anxious about taking the part because she was so iconic and so famous and larger than life. I asked myself Am I going to pull this off and What kind of movie are we making and all those questions. But after meeting Mary Harron the director and producer Judith Verno who I've worked with before on The Craigslist Killer also for Lifetime we really wanted to show people a different side of Anna Nicole. We really wanted to tell a different story. All those things gave me the confidence to play the part.

You had to go through a big physical transformation. What was that like

It was really amazing. We had an amazing team of Emmy Award winning people. We worked so hard and we had prosthetic boobs and prosthetic cheek and neck pieces for when she was heavier. I bleached my own hair. And we also had wig pieces ... she had such different looks throughout her journey. The wardrobe team created so many of these beautiful dresses that you see in the movie from scratch working around the clock. The transformation is really a reason alone to see this movie because it's so unbelievable. It gave everyone chills when I showed up to set dressed as her.

Related Lifetime Working on Lizzie Borden Movie Starring Christina Ricci

We really tried to not make a caricature not make something ridiculous with enormous boobs and stuff. We wanted viewers to really focus on her story more than just the look.

How much time did you have to spend in makeup

Wow The first day I had a 3 AM call time and I was probably in makeup for about three or four hours. It was pretty chaotic. I have pictures of me sitting in the makeup chair with prosthetic boobs and there are six people working on my hair my face my prosthetics my dress my shoes

What about her story drew you in

After doing all the research that I did on her it's just an amazing story. It's an amazing life that she had starting from never having a really good relationship with her mother having a child and getting married at 18 becoming a stripper being found. The chances of somebody going from a strip club to being one of the most famous models in the world are so slim.

Related Whoopi Goldberg to Star in Terry McMillan's 'A Day Late and a Dollar Short' on Lifetime

Also when I was doing the research I saw how she didn't have a strong support system. She didn't have people in her life who were taking care of her protecting her and telling her no. She was always surrounded by enablers which I think led to a lot of the decisions that she made in her personal life and her career. Doing all that research and seeing all the footage and everything was really touching and it made me feel protective over her and really feel for her and her family.

Were you surprised by what you learned

Yeah I was even surprised. I didn't know that she was a stripper. I didn't really know that much about her career because I was very young when she was in her heyday. I was very surprised and so were the makeup artists and the director Mary. We were so shocked to find out some of this stuff backstory like where she came from the small town she came from her husband and all these things. I think people might understand more why she did some of the crazy things that she did and where that might've come from.

Related Anne Nicole's Daughter to Score Big Bucks from Marshall Estate

Is there any particular aspect of Anna Nicole's life that the movie really focuses on

We really wanted to show you where she came from something that people didn't really focus on. People focused on the glitz and the glam but they didn't focus on how she grew up. So we really try to show that side to her. That of course includes her relationship with her son Danny because Danny was her rock. It was such an important relationship to show in the movie.

Judging from the trailer the movie seems to have a darker tragic tone.

I was bawling when I watched it especially the last half hour of the movie was just really touching to me. I became so protective over Anna Nicole and attached to her story. It really is very sad how her life ended. It pulls on your heartstrings.

Have you heard at all from any of her friends or family

No I haven't heard from anyone that was part of her life.

What kind of reaction have you received on Twitter

Everybody's been really excited about it. The people who've seen the trailer and the photos have all been positive about it. I'm really proud of it. I cannot wait until the 29th. I'm going to be excited to watch and interact with my fans on Twitter.

Anna Nicole premieres Saturday 6/29 at 8 PM on Lifetime.

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Opening Sprint on Corsica Culminates in Chaotic Finish In Tour de Frances ...

But as the peloton arrived in Bastia nearly five hours later the race became unglued. A team bus stuck at the finish line threatened the stage s conclusion and then an enormous crash involving overall race contenders like Alberto Contador spoiled a much anticipated sprint finish.

Out of the chaos an up and coming sprinter named Marcel Kittel became the surprise winner on Stage One of the centennial Tour.

Sprinters were supposed to be showcased on a a mostly flat 132.3 mile ride from Porto Vecchio to Bastia but most expected the final yards to feature the first of many battles this Tour between Peter Sagan of Cannondale last year s green jersey winner as the best sprinter and Mark Cavendish of Omega Pharma Quick Step.

But they and a third rival Andr Greipel of Lotto Belisol were caught in a crash about two and a half miles from the finish leaving Kittel a German and his Argos Shimano teammates to take control.

I looked around for Cavendish Sagan Greipel and they weren t there anymore Kittel said. We decided to go now and do a lead out even if it is too early. It worked well.

Kittel 25 had high hopes for sprint wins in his first Tour de France last year but a stomach virus forced him to withdraw in the first week. This year he progressed steadily toward the Tour winning three stages at the Tour of Turkey in April then an overall win at the Tour de Picardie in May. But nothing had prepared him for putting on the yellow jersey Saturday.

It s unbelievable he said. I feel like I have gold on my shoulders.

He might have had Teflon on them during the stage though. The crash that caught his rivals also took down a number of general classification contenders including the young American star Tejay van Garderen of BMC Racing and Alberto Contador.

Contador and his SaxoBank team were seen soft pedaling to the finish but he reassured reporters after the stage that he would continue the race.

I feel O.K. but we ll see he said. The Tour is the Tour you never know what s going to happen.

Others were not as fortunate. Tony Martin Cavendish s teammate sustained a concussion and bruised a lung among other injuries and was seen being taken off by stretcher from his team bus after the stage. Afterward riders and team management attributed the crash to an incident involving the Orica GreenEdge team bus which became stuck at the finish line with riders less than six miles from downtown Bastia. Moments after hitting the metal frame above the line and wedging the bus on the road the team s bus driver was seen holding his head in his hands.

He had to stop and demand authorization to lift the portico said Jean Louis Pag s the Tour s site director who oversees the start and finish of each stage. Clearly he didn t do it.

Race organizers scrambled for a solution to accommodate the charging peloton telling teams that the finish would take place at the banner a little less than two miles from the original line. As they relayed the message though the bus managed to work itself free. Plan A went back into place.

But teams had communicated the new finish line over race radio ear buds that allow riders to hear real time coaching and the bunch had started to organize the final sprint. Brakes were grabbed quickly an Omega Pharma Quick Step rider went down and like dominoes others followed.

What caused the problems was the change to the finish said Cavendish who had hoped to wear the yellow jersey for the first time in his career. We were hearing in the radios with five kilometers to go that the finish was two kilometers away. Then a kilometer later it s at the finish. It was carnage.

The rough finish to the day s stage overshadowed celebrations of the Tour s start in Corsica. Although the Tour owner Amaury Sport Organization holds a three stage race here each March the Crit rium International its flagship event had never before been to the island.

The Tour organizers are doing their best to maximize geographic coverage during the three stages here riders almost traversed the island s entirety Saturday from south to north. On Sunday the Tour s Corsican adventure will take the peloton from northeast to southwest a 96.9 mile stage from Bastia to Ajaccio.

The crowds on Saturday were sparser than on first stages in recent years perhaps due more to the remote location than to lack of intrigue. The stage finish was five hours by ferry from Nice but Corsican fans treated the Tour to their own brand of hospitality.

Finally welcome to our home read one of many banners along the course. The French tricolor was seldom found instead the stark black and white Corsican flag a black moor s head stamped in the center flapped in the wind. Riders sped past cactuses bougainvillea and yacht filled ports not sunflower and wheat fields. As the race got under way just before noon spectators at a roadside bar near Porto Vecchio were not enjoying Kronenbourg but Pietra the Corsican dark lager brewed from chestnut flour.

By the end of the day though only one person Kittel the stage winner seemed to be in a good mood.

I m speechless I m so happy he said. It s by far the biggest victory of my career.

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Duh The Heat is going to be a hit. Now what

Image Credit Gemma La Mana

Many forces have converged to make this the best possible weekend for The Heat the new buddy cop comedy starring two of Hollywood s most game and charming actors Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. There s a record setting swelter across much of the country that ups the draw of some easy laughs with good company in an air conditioned theater. The hunger of a female moviegoing public that s endured a long June of capes and bro jokes. And I d add to this list Tuesday s barn burner thrill ride of watching/tweeting about/bowing down before Texas Senator Wendy Davis who stood for 13 hours in protest of a bill she believed would dangerously undercut women s health. Politics aside it was a bravura performance of a fiercely capable and passionate woman having her most important day at the office ever. Women want to see women on screen they recognize and sometimes aspire to be. And that s part of why it was so fun last night to watch Bullock and McCarthy both operating in top form bring it.

It s great news that The Heat is going to make a ton of money. (Friday s box office estimates has the Paul Feig directed film bringing in $13.6 million nearly $5 million ahead of the new Channing Tatum/Jamie Foxx sweaty action movie White House Down.) Great news for everybody involved. Though I worry how much we the moviegoing public will benefit from the success. I dread the same game changer stories on Monday about the surprise power of female dollars at the box office. The problem is it s always the same surprise the unexpected success of Something s Gotta Give or Sex the City or Bridesmaids or Magic Mike or Pitch Perfect. But the game seems to remain the same because then there follows the same unacceptably long slog in between movies for women to rally around.

So for those of us without the power of green lighting movies what can be done Here are a few ideas

What if we stopped always comparing movies that star funny women to Bridesmaids Granted that movie is near perfect and should be considered one of the gold standards for modern comedies. But you never hear anyone saying I don t know the Internship was okay but it was no Bridesmaids. I remember a particularly infuriating line from Leonard Maltin s review of the underrated Anna Faris comedy What s Your Number As someone who swimming against the tide didn t care for Bridesmaids imagine my surprise to find another female driven female written R rated comedy so entertaining. So he didn t like that one movie by and about women but then he did kinda like another movie by and about women The Heat is a really funny movie that might not be as pristine as Bridesmaids and that s okay. Bridesmaids can t always be the point of reference for films starring women even when that film is made by the same director. Not every one of Judd Apatow s movies is as good as The 40 Year Old Virgin. That doesn t mean Hollywood suddenly gets nervous about putting a male lead in an R rated comedy.

Some guys swear in movies and revel in gags about farts or sex or whatever. Some women likewise embrace the raunch. It s time to stop thinking that if a woman makes a joke about someone s mouse balls she s trying to act like a man or that the screenwriter is trying to go toe to toe with the guys. Women can be crude and in your face it s called choice friends Though I m not yet sure anyone man or woman is as genius at it as Melissa McCarthy. (And one of the reasons her fits of gutter oratory are such a pleasure to behold is that behind every foul blast that comes out of her mouth there is also the sense of deep vulnerability and goodness.)

Treat the material seriously. Mondo released this amazing poster for The Heat last week nailing the best essence of the movie. What it succeeds in doing is gleefully reverently selling The Heat as a genre movie that happens to star a couple of bad ass broads as opposed to pushing a soft sell of two ladies who have oopsy daisy found themselves in a movie with guns and perps. I love a chick flick as much as the next gal. But that doesn t make me a lightweight or a dum dum and I don t want to be treated like one by a marketing campaign.

Finally surely we can rally some smart person in Hollywood to get to work immediately on a movie about Texas Senator Wendy Davis starring Connie Britton. Y all seriously.

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Tim Hardaway Jr. embraces joining Knicks with dad who played and currently ...

Like father like son

Not in the Hardaway household.

Even in a city that cuts former rivals and villains of the past no slack it seems as if Knicks fans everywhere are quick to embrace the arrival of Tim Hardaway Jr. who was selected by the team with the 24th pick in Thursday night s draft.

Those are the same fans who grew up despising his father Tim Sr. a storied Knick killer and future Hall of Famer wh o was a central figure during the Knicks Heat rivalry in the late 90s.

It s ironic but it s not awkward at all Tim Jr. whose father is currently a community liaison and scout for the Miami Heat said at the Knicks practice facility in Greenburgh on Friday. He s happy for me whatever team I went to. That s what a father should do whether it's a rivalry or not.

Tim Hardaway Jr. s arrival in Knickland signals a changing of the guard in the rivalry. It s very ironic the years that I played and the rivalry that we had to know now it s coming full circle my son is going to play for the Knicks Tim Sr. said.

While the elder Hardaway also on hand in Greenburgh admitted Friday Yes I can root for the Knicks even though I work for the Miami Heat he said he s not sure what will happen when the Heat faces his son s new squad.

When they play against us I don t know. That question has been asked many many many times and I don t know he said.

Tim Sr. isn t alone.

RELATED KNICKS TAKING HARDAWAY JR. WITH 24TH PICK MAY SPELL END FOR J.R.

Whether it s in Miami or Manhattan the fan bases of both the Knicks and Heat will have an awkward decision to make when Tim Jr. enters a game this season.

It ll be mixed emotions Tim Sr. admitted. The Heat fans that know him will give him a nice ovation and the Knicks fans that will be there too will give him a nice ovation too. It ll be nice.

Tim Jr. was only 7 when he watched the shot by Knicks guard Allan Houston that beat the Heat in Game 5 of the teams bitter first round series in 1999.

I was sitting across the bench from the Miami Heat and he went down fullcourt shot the floater and hit the front of the rim and back and it went in he said. After that all I see is him running down the court and him pumping his fist. That was the only thing I remember.

From the neck down the six foot Tim Sr. and the 6 6 Tim Jr. couldn t look any different the kid has a long lean athletic build while his dad sported a bowling ball like physique and used his body to penetrate against bigger more physical defenders.

When asked if he s more athletic than his father was Tim Jr. kept it blunt Yeah. I am he said. He s short and stubby.

While Tim Sr. specialized in pushing the fast break as a pure point guard and making defenders dizzy with his ballhandling Tim Jr. has the hops his father always wished he had. Tim Jr. s athleticism most notably his vertical leap was evident in the 2013 NCAA title game when he cocked back a one handed slam and posterized Louisville s Gorgui Dieng. Michigan lost the game 82 76 but Hardaway walked away with well deserved bragging rights and an ever rising NBA draft stock.

On draft night however Tim Jr. slid past the Cavaliers at 19 then the Bulls at 20. The Jazz Nets and Pacers all passed on the third year college player despite his being projected to fall between picks 18 21.

Then the Knicks were on the clock. Five minutes later Tim Sr. and Tim Jr. celebrated the pick over dinner with family and friends in Miami. Less than 12 hours

later they were en route to Greenburgh.

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Two Million at Parade for Blackhawks

The Chicago police said more than two million people turned out to celebrate the Blackhawks Stanley Cup win. Fans clad in the team s colors red and black started streaming into the city early Friday and by midmorning were lined up along the parade route. Later fans streamed into Grant Park where a huge throng waited for players to speak.

Commissioner Gary Bettman will try to close a deal Monday allowing N.H.L. players to compete in the Sochi Olympics next winter. He said the league would meet in New York with the players association the International Olympic Committee and International Ice Hockey Federation. (AP)

The Columbus Blue Jackets signed Coach Todd Richards to a one year contract extension through the 2014 15 season. Richards 46 has a record of 42 38 9 in his 99 games with the Blue Jackets. (AP)

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Jumat, 28 Juni 2013

Review The Heat

(EW.com) A comedian who didn't risk looking foolish wouldn't even be in the game.

In The Heat which has the scruffy honor of being the first female buddy cop action comedy Melissa McCarthy does more than risk looking foolish she risks coming off as borderline insane like a dissolute biker turned homeless person like she's royally out of control.

Is it any wonder that she shocks the audience into laughter in more scenes than not With her naughty angel features and her italicized gumption that's so stylized it turns sarcasm into a blunt witted form of sincerity McCarthy plays Shannon Mullins a proudly slobby lethal weapon of a Boston police detective who favors fingerless leather gloves keeps an arsenal of firearms (including a rocket launcher) in her refrigerator and doles out cut to the quick insults the way that most of us say ''Hello ''

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Mullins gets paired with her opposite number Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) an uptight by the book FBI agent in ugly off the rack pants suits. Ashburn may be great at catching criminals but she's so smug about it that she drives even her FBI boss (Demian Bichir) crazy.

The laws of the buddy cop comedy are as basic familiar and inviolable as the rules of checkers. A pair of law enforcers get yoked together and they don't pretend to like each other. One is a tut tutting straight arrow the other a wild card screw up. And no matter how thick the jokes get the gods of gunfire and major vehicular damage must be served.

There's no reason to think that this time honored testosterone formula with two actresses now planted at the center of it would change all that much and in The Heat it doesn't. Except in one crucial way.

The director Paul Feig possesses a highly developed radar for the alternating currents of competition and camaraderie in female relationships. As he proved in Bridesmaids (2011) the one other major film he's directed Feig understands how women who don't like each other express their antipathy in ways both more direct and less direct than what men do.

In The Heat Feig stages scenes like Richard Donner ( Lethal Weapon ) with a touch of George Cukor ( The Women ). He has made a piece of smash and grab policier pulp that through the interplay of Bullock and McCarthy spins to its own snarly/confessional feminine beat.

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There's a very funny scene in which Ashburn and Mullins who have teamed up to nab a drug lord go undercover at a dance club where Mullins tries to transform Ashburn's ''bank teller'' outfit into something halfway clubby. She rips off Ashburn's sleeves then her pant legs revealing a pair of Spanx. Yet even as Mullins is shredding her partner's clothes and shredding her ego even more her hilarious lack of mercy comes off as a version of sisterly compassion. Forget the mid level dealer whose phone they're out to bug. She's trying to save this poor woman from herself.

Ashburn's problem is that she's all head and no instinct a kind of Quantico trained robot she doesn't know how to bond. McCarthy plays Mullins' repugnance at her partner's inhuman professionalism with a cringing spontaneity as when she puts up her hand for a high five and Ashburn has to go and wreck it by slapping and then clasping that hand. (It's far from the only time in the movie when Mullins looks like she wants to throw up a motif you would not see in a male buddy comedy.)

As long as these two are at loggerheads The Heat has a catchy lock and load hostility. It's much more clever than say the two Bad Boys films and less cartoonish than either the Rush Hour movies or the Lethal Weapon sequels (though not Lethal Weapon itself). With Bullock doing a variation on her Miss Congeniality geek tomboy who has to bloom character and McCarthy letting her acidly oddball observations rip the two actresses make their interplay bubble.

When Mullins confuses Ashburn's overly fussy pair of pajamas with a tuxedo it's all wrong yet somehow right. And when the partners go to an old man's bar and do shots all night dancing to Deee Lite's ''Groove Is In the Heart '' the drunken craziness is infectious enough to make you want to join them.

But once these two get to be friends the comic tension dissipates and the film's boilerplate drug dealer plot takes over and goes on and on. The Heat is fresher than a lot of the male centric movies it takes off from because there's little about aggressive guy banter that hasn't been worn to the ground by Hollywood.

You can tell how much the times have changed when Ashburn gets an oyster shucking knife stuck in her thigh then pulled out then shoved back or when she performs a graphic emergency tracheotomy and the blood gushing grossness is in every sense a gag.

It's genuinely jolting (in a way that I suspect may prove highly commercial) to see women go through these motions. But the motions are still market tested and machine tooled. Even when they're channeling the happy madness of Melissa McCarthy.

Grade B

See the original story at EW.com.

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Roland Emmerichs 6 Second Review of White House Down (VIDEO)

Blockbuster director Roland Emmerich ( White House Down 2012 Independence Day ) is Moviefone's Guest Editor from June 24 28. Look for more videos and some White House Down secrets from him throughout the week.Don't get us wrong Mr. Moviefone's 6 Second Reviews are great but one from the film's director That's pretty cool too.

Roland Emmerich has three words to say about his latest action movie White House Down but we're not going to tell you (you have to watch for yourself). While it may seem hard to cram a review into only six seconds for a movie that features a White House invasion a sitting president (Jamie Foxx) kicking butt and tons of explosions Emmerich sums it all up pretty succinctly.

Check out his 6 Second Review. Are you planning to see White House Down this weekend

More From Moviefone Guest Editor Roland Emmerich Why I Love Movies Movies I Wish I'd Made Movies That Shaped My Childhood 5 Things You Don't Know About Me

Gallery 'White House Down' New York Premiere White House Down New York Premiere

NEW YORK NY JUNE 25 Channing Tatum (L) and Roland Emmerich attend the 'White House Down' premiere at the Ziegfeld Theater on June 25 2013 in New York City. (Photo by D Dipasupil/FilmMagic)

White House Down New York Premiere

NEW YORK NY JUNE 25 James Woods (R) and guest attend the 'White House Down' premiere at the Ziegfeld Theater on June 25 2013 in New York City. (Photo by D Dipasupil/FilmMagic)

White House Down New York Premiere

NEW YORK NY JUNE 25 Channing Tatum attends the 'White House Down' premiere at the Ziegfeld Theater on June 25 2013 in New York City. (Photo by D Dipasupil/FilmMagic)

White House Down New York Premiere

NEW YORK NY JUNE 25 Jamie Foxx attends the 'White House Down' premiere at the Ziegfeld Theater on June 25 2013 in New York City. (Photo by D Dipasupil/FilmMagic)

White House Down New York Premiere

NEW YORK NY JUNE 25 Maggie Gyllenhaal attends the 'White House Down' premiere at the Ziegfeld Theater on June 25 2013 in New York City. (Photo by D Dipasupil/FilmMagic)

White House Down New York Premiere

NEW YORK NY JUNE 25 (L R) Joey King Channing Tatum Maggie Gyllenhaal Jamie Foxx and Garcelle Beauvais attend the 'White House Down' premiere at the Ziegfeld Theater on June 25 2013 in New York City. (Photo by D Dipasupil/FilmMagic)

White House Down New York Premiere

NEW YORK NY JUNE 25 Maggie Gyllenhaal attends the 'White House Down' premiere at the Ziegfeld Theater on June 25 2013 in New York City. (Photo by D Dipasupil/FilmMagic)

White House Down New York Premiere

NEW YORK NY JUNE 25 Channing Tatum (L) and Roland Emmerich attend the 'White House Down' premiere at the Ziegfeld Theater on June 25 2013 in New York City. (Photo by D Dipasupil/FilmMagic)

White House Down New York Premiere

NEW YORK NY JUNE 25 Maggie Gyllenhaal (L) and Jamie Foxx attend the 'White House Down' premiere at the Ziegfeld Theater on June 25 2013 in New York City. (Photo by D Dipasupil/FilmMagic)

White House Down New York Premiere

NEW YORK NY JUNE 25 Channing Tatum attends the 'White House Down' premiere at the Ziegfeld Theater on June 25 2013 in New York City. (Photo by D Dipasupil/FilmMagic)

White House Down New York Premiere Arrivals

NEW YORK NY JUNE 25 Actor James Woods (R) attends 'White House Down' New York premiere at Ziegfeld Theater on June 25 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

White House Down New York Premiere

NEW YORK NY JUNE 25 Jamie Foxx attends the 'White House Down' premiere at the Ziegfeld Theater on June 25 2013 in New York City. (Photo by D Dipasupil/FilmMagic)

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Blackhawks parade attracts thousands in Chicago

Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews holds the Stanley Cup during the team's championship celebration in Chicago.(Photo Andrew Weber USA TODAY Sports)

CHICAGO (AP) Showered with confetti and cheered by screaming fans the Blackhawks wound their way through downtown Chicago on open topped buses Friday to celebrate the team's stunning Stanley Cup victory.

Thousands of fans who ditched work and painted their faces red and black roared as the buses moved past carrying waving players in red jerseys including forward Jonathan Toews who cradled the bar hopping silver trophy.

Before dawn crowds jammed entrances to the rally site in Grant Park along Lake Michigan where the parade was headed. Some die hard fans camped out overnight ready to sprint to the big stage at the front of the park the minute police swung barriers aside.

Some fans hauled homemade versions of the silver Stanley Cup including one fashioned from an empty beer keg.

One supporter along the parade route held a sign that said Thank you guys. Another said Best 17 seconds of my life referring to the pair of goals scored just seconds apart in the final minutes of the Hawks' 3 2 victory over the Boston Bruins on Monday night.

THANK YOU Blackhawks salute Boston with full page ad

Twenty somethings Courtney Baldwin and Meghan O'Kane from the city's suburbs slapped together a homemade Stanley Cup out of a jumble of jugs and plastic bowls painted grey. Early in the morning it was not yet full of frothy beverage.

It will be this afternoon Baldwin said.

The Blackhawks gave the city something to celebrate as the Cubs and White Sox grind through another lost summer and after the Bears failed to make the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.

And fans took note.

We love the Blackhawks. This is history and this is a championship unlike the Cubs O'Kane said taking a shot at a team that hasn't won a World Series since 1908.

PHOTOS CHICAGO CELEBRATES BLACKHAWKS TITLE

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For the Blackhawks it was the second time they have brought the Stanley Cup home in four seasons.

This season's victory was dramatic. Trailing Boston until the final minutes Chicago scored twice in 17 seconds. Delirious fans bolted from bars to celebrate in the streets. Car horns blared.

The party roared overnight and into the next day as the team returned from Boston and making good on an NHL tradition toted the Cup around bars and restaurants to the delight of onlookers and fans who tried to keep up.

Sarah Schmidt 22 who grew up in Chicago and made the pilgrimage to Friday's celebrations from Milwaukee telling her boss she was taking the day off no matter what and hoping she would still have her bar tending job when the party was over.

I can't miss this she said.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast rewritten or redistributed.

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Review White House Down is satisfyingly stupid

(EW.com) Roland Emmerich may never win an Oscar (I'm going out on a limb here) but he gets my vote as the greatest practitioner of good bad movies working in Hollywood today.

I don't mean that as a backhanded compliment. Seriously. It takes a certain kind of genius to crank out blockbusters as spectacularly silly as Independence Day The Day After Tomorrow and 2012. And the main difference between Emmerich and fellow maestros of mayhem like Michael Bay is that he actually seems to be in on the joke. He knows his movies are preposterous nonsense and he embraces it.

John Hodgman explains why men in action movies wear those white tank tops

In his latest big budget excuse to blow up 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue White House Down Emmerich doesn't waste time with anything as conventional as a setup he just dives right in introducing us to Channing Tatum's John Cale a divorced Capitol police officer itching to be a Secret Service agent to impress his daughter (Joey King).

While his job interview in the West Wing is going south right wing mercenaries take over the White House demanding $400 million. Meanwhile Cale's daughter has been taken hostage and the president (Jamie Foxx) is left unguarded. Guess who steps in to protect the POTUS

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Emmerich and screenwriter James Vanderbilt ( The Amazing Spider Man ) rip off Die Hard beat for beat. But when you're having this much fun why quibble The entire film is merely an excuse for Tatum to squeeze off machine gun rounds in a muscle baring tank top Foxx to do his cool cat Obama impression right down to chomping on Nicorette and Emmerich to revel in what he does best blast the sets (and plausibility) to kingdom come.

Comparisons between this and last March's similarly themed Olympus Has Fallen are going to be inevitable so let me just say that Emmerich's is the D.C. disaster flick to see. Skip it and you'll be depriving yourself of one of the summer's most satisfyingly stupid pleasures.

Grade B

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For Celtics trade of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce is end of era

BOSTON Six years ago the fans here celebrated the Celtics' steal of Kevin Garnett. A half dozen years later they were experiencing the other end of the era and the sad feeling that they were the victim now instead of the lucky thieves.

Not only was Garnett leaving the Celtics in the trade that was finalized late Thursday night but Paul Pierce was also going with him. The departure of Pierce is going to be felt most deeply of all here. He was a Celtic for 15 years and 24 021 points the team captain who sobbed as he raised the 17th banner above the parquet court. Dealing him was the next worst thing to trading away Larry Bird.

Danny Ainge the president of the Celtics has often recalled the conversation he had as an All Star shooting guard in the 1980s when he urged his predecessor Red Auerbach to forget sentiment and trade away Bird and Kevin McHale for outstanding offers that were on the table toward the ends of their careers. Auerbach responded a few months later with a stunning trade He sent Ainge to Sacramento.

Now Ainge finds himself making the hard choice that Auerbach didn't make and doing it for much less than the offers for Bird and McHale would have earned three decades ago. Fans are going to look at this deal with disappointment Pierce Garnett and Jason Terry were sent to Brooklyn for three first round picks (in 2014 2016 and 2018) and a bunch of contracts including a year of Kris Humphries at $12 million and three years worth $10.1 million annually for Gerald Wallace who turns 31 next month.

MANNIX Celtics set to send Garnett Pierce to Nets for picks players

In the new collective bargaining agreement first round picks are more valuable and harder to come by than ever. There were few options for trading Garnett who has two years and $24.4 million remaining on a contract with a no trade clause that was negotiated when the Celtics hoped to extend the era around the tight relationship of Garnett and coach Doc Rivers. When Rivers left the plan of employing Garnett as a mentor for young players left with him.

The Celtics realized they were going to endure the pain eventually and so it was best to have the teeth pulled as soon as possible. Don't let it drag on as Ainge counseled Auerbach years ago.

It made no sense to keep Pierce on a losing team especially when he had already said he couldn't muster the inspiration to participate in another rebuilding program and his inclusion might help convince Garnett to assent to this trade. If the Celtics must be bad for a season then at least their timing is good because the draft of 2014 promises to be excellent beginning with projected No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins.

This isn't going to be the last deal the Celtics make to acquire assets and position themselves for a new era. Ainge insisted Thursday that he was planning to rebuild around 27 year old Rajon Rondo an exceptional talent who can do just about everything but lead. The Celtics improved after Rondo suffered a torn ACL in January they were 18 20 in games he started and that was when he was surrounded by Garnett Pierce and Terry. Now he'll be supported by Jeff Green Gerald Wallace and Avery Bradley and who knows who the head coach will be.

The Nets have improved a roster that appeared to have no promising future after losing a Game 7 at home in the first round to the undermanned Bulls. They figure to be impressive in the regular season when healthy. But how at the end of the long year are they going to be able to run with the younger legs of Miami Indiana and Chicago when four of their top half dozen players will be Garnett (who will be 37) Pierce (36) Terry (36) and Joe Johnson (32) They have little depth to support a starting five that is going to demand caution in terms of minutes and their only young contributor is Brook Lopez who isn't athletic.

Rivers was gone on Sunday and by the end of the week the six years of contention had been crated up and packaged off to Brooklyn. Rivers Pierce and Garnett were links to the championship tradition of the 1980s and beyond. Garnett in particular was cited by Celtics majority owner Wyc Grousbeck with elevating the standards of the franchise across the board.

Can they find a coach who believes in the proud traditions and who is capable of developing a new era Will Rondo participate or will he be the next to go There are hard questions left for the Celtics to answer but the most painful week is behind them. They and their fans now have some sense of what it was like to be on the wrong side of that trade for Garnett in 2007. The celebration in Brooklyn is happening at the expense of the Celtics now.

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2013 NBA draft grades Eastern Conference teams

Georgetown's Otto Porter Jr. won't be moving very far to play for the Wizards.(Photo Joe Camporeale USA TODAY Sports)

A wild NBA draft is over after trades galore and one huge move that had nothing to do with the draft and won't even be official for another two weeks. So who won

USA TODAY Sports' draft grades take into account only what happened on draft night that was relevant to the draft itself. They are not weighted for the impact of the players so that a team with only one second round pick could get an A or an F depending on what the team did with its pick even though the selection might not have much impact on the franchise's future.

NBA DRAFT Pick by pick breakdown

BIG FALL Noel vows to make teams pay

With that said here are the 15 Eastern Conference teams listed alphabetically

ATLANTA HAWKS

New faces No. 16 C Lucas Nogueira No. 17 PG Dennis Schroeder No. 44 C Mike Muscala No. 47 PG Raul Neto SG Jared Cunningham

No team has more rebuilding to do this offseason than the Hawks who entered the offseason with three players locked into contracts for next year. Nogueira and Schroeder were the top two foreign prospects in the draft. Both have tremendous athleticism and could play next year at least in limited roles. Muscala is one of the most skilled big men in the draft. Neto is a starter in Spain's top league. Cunningham the No. 24 pick in last year's draft was more or less handed to them by the cost cutting Mavericks and could be useful. All five of these players could be solid bench players for years to come. That's impressive something no other team came away from this draft able to say.

Grade A

GALLERY NBA draft first round

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BOSTON CELTICS

New faces No. 13 C Kelly Olynyk No. 53 C Colton Iverson

While the grade below won't be based on the Celtics' massive trade with the Brooklyn Nets the moves need to be taken together. Boston is starting over. Are Olynyk and Iverson the type of players to build around Both would have been nice fits on last year's Celtics but neither has much upside. Olynyk has a nice jump shot but so do starting forwards Brandon Bass and Jeff Green. In the aftermath of the night's biggest trade the Celtics' draft choices feel flat.

Grade C

BROOKLYN NETS

New face No. 22 C Mason Plumlee

Again the trade with the Celtics is important context for the draft pick. The Nets needed a power forward and Plumlee can play both forward spots. He's also full of athleticism and energy which will be good alongside aging Kevin Garnett and skilled but soft Brook Lopez. The Nets did the right thing with this pick which is good because they need youth now that they've tacked on three of the oldest players in the NBA to their already past its prime core.

Grade A

CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

New face No. 4 C Cody Zeller

Zeller wasn't expected to go quite so high but he really is a great fit for the Bobcats. His athleticism will pair well with Bismack Biyombo in a pairing the Bobcats hope will emerge over the next few years as one of the NBA's best. Zeller is more developed offensively Nerlens Noel or Alex Len and the Bobcats were challenged there. They will need Biyombo and Michael Kidd Gilchrist to develop on defense though because they were as bad on that end and Zeller won't be much help. He may not have a tremendous upside and probably would have been available a few spots lower but Zeller makes sense. And kudos to the Bobcats for recognizing their already young roster didn't need any extra rookies.

Grade B

VIDEO Zeller talks Bobcats

Cody Zeller believes he will fit in nicely in Charlotte with up and comers Kemba Walker and Michael Kidd Gilchrist.

CHICAGO BULLS

New faces No. 20 SG Tony Snell No. 49 PF Erik Murphy

The Bulls came out of this draft with exactly what they needed. Snell is a shooter who can defend both wing positions. Murphy is a tough big man who can hit three pointers from the corner a la fellow Florida product Matt Bonner of the San Antonio Spurs. Both players came at good values and should be ready to contribute to a team that expects to contend next season with Derrick Rose back. There was no overthinking no scheming. The Bulls had two picks and used them on two good players and good fits.

Grade A

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

New faces No. 1 PF Anthony Bennett No. 19 SF Sergey Karasev No. 33 SG Carrick Felix

No one expected this. That said it's not bad. Bennett ranks right behind Noel for most upside in this draft and he gives the Cavaliers a scoring complement to Tristan Thompson. They should be able to play together either in small lineups with Thompson manning center or big ones with Bennett sliding to small forward. Noel is much more similar to Thompson than Bennett is. Karasev may be the best shooter in the draft and Felix may be the best one on one wing defender. Neither was a great pick but they could both have roles off the bench next season. The Cavs also came out with two future second round picks in a trade of the No. 31 pick. This wasn't a great draft for the Cavaliers but they were in a tough spot and came out OK.

Grade B

VIDEO Bennett surprised to go No. 1

UNLV forward didn't know he would be draft's biggest surprise.

DETROIT PISTONS

New faces No. 8 SG Kentavious Caldwell Pope No. 37 F Tony Mitchell No. 56 PG Peyton Siva

The Pistons had an excellent second round which isn't much of a consolation for all the Michiganders hoping for Trey Burke in the first. Burke made a lot of sense for the Pistons who haven't had a good point guard since Chauncey Billups. But Caldwell Pope should fill the starting shooting guard role admirably. He has all the tools for the trade. Given the pick the Pistons probably were hoping Ben McLemore a better prototypical shooting guard would fall to them. Mitchell is very athletic and can play both forward spots and Siva is a hardened winner who could be a solid backup. He's not Burke though.

Grade B

VIDEO Caldwell Pope eager to start with Pistons

Georgia guard looks to make immediate impact in NBA.

INDIANA PACERS

New face No. 23 SF Solomon Hill

The Pacers needed to find another perimeter player but a combo guard would have made more sense. Hill is a power forward in a small forward's body and though he could make an impact as a bruising athletic defender and rebounder he also might have been available 15 spots lower. The Pacers then traded their second round pick to the Celtics meaning they didn't pad their thin backcourt at all. Adding Hill could help if they trade Danny Granger though.

Grade C

MIAMI HEAT

New face No. 50 SF James Ennis

The Heat bought their way into this wild draft seemingly on a whim picking up a pick for cash considerations. Ennis is a player at the position the Heat need least who doesn't play to their style at all so the choice was curious. There were so many good centers in this draft who could have helped Miami had it went after an earlier second rounder.

Grade C

MILWAUKEE BUCKS

New faces No. 15 SF Giannis Antetokounmpo No. 43 SG Ricky Ledo

No team swung for the fences quite like the Bucks. In five years Antetokounmpo and Ledo may be two of the 10 best players from this draft. Antetokounmpo has huge upside as much as anyone outside the top seven. He also was the youngest player in the draft and probably is two or three years away from coming to the NBA. The Bucks may have drafted him with the intent of keeping cap space open for free agency but for a 2013 playoff team with big holes to fill the choice seemed strange. Ledo could be a contributor next season though. He's mostly an unknown because he was ineligible to play last season. Look back at these picks in five years when a clearer picture is formed.

Grade B

NEW YORK KNICKS

New face No. 24 SG Tim Hardaway Jr.

The Knicks took the head on approach to this draft. They picked one of the best players available and left making no other moves on the night. Hardaway definitely clashes with sixth man J.R. Smith so his selection could mean Smith won't be re signing with the Knicks after all. That only makes sense if the Knicks had made up their minds on Smith before the draft because Smith is better than Hardaway at this stage. They had bigger needs but Hardaway was a good value.

Grade B

ORLANDO MAGIC

New faces No. 2 SG Victor Oladipo No. 51 PF Romero Osby

Credit goes to the team that doesn't veer off its plan even as all chaos breaks out. The Magic went into the draft targeting Oladipo and didn't blink after the Cavaliers selected Bennett first. Noel and McLemore had more upside at No. 2 but Oladipo makes sense for a franchise trying to turn itself around. He's a high character high energy player who also was the most exciting player in college basketball last season. He and Osby who has a shot to make the team show the Magic are taking defense seriously. But they may have played it too safe in the process.

Grade B

VIDEO Oladipo opens up on Magic

New Magic guard Victor Oladipo is ready to join a cast of young up and coming players in Orlando.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

New faces No. 6 C Nerlens Noel No. 11 PG Michael Carter Williams No. 38 PG Nate Wolters No. 54 PF Arsalan Kazemi

Jrue Holiday is an All Star. He represented the 76ers last season in the midseason showcase. He's a young talented hard working point guard a commodity in the NBA. So was Noel worth it That all hinges on how he recovers from knee surgery and how well the New Orleans Pelicans do with Holiday as their 2014 first round pick could be very valuable. The Sixers addressed the hole at point guard very quickly then again. Carter Williams and Wolters are both big and will struggle to defend faster points. There are going to be big chemistry questions for Carter Williams and swingman Evan Turner. But the Sixers obviously were willing to blow things up and be bad for a year in hopes of winning the Andrew Wiggins sweepstakes (with their own pick as the Pelicans' pick is protected next year).

Grade C

VIDEO Nerlens Noel's whirlwind draft night

TORONTO RAPTORS

New faces None

The Raptors took in a mediocre draft from the sidelines. They have a decent roster in progress and some free agency options to weigh. That probably was the right move for them.

Grade B

WASHINGTON WIZARDS

New faces No. 3 SF Otto Porter Jr. No. 36 SF Glen Rice Jr.

The Wizards made the smart pick then they made the smart trade. Porter is the perfect fit for this team even though he lacks the upside of many of the available options. He will step in and start from Day One. And Rice will be the team's top backup wing if not this year then soon. They dealt the Nos. 38 and 54 picks for Rice who arguably was the best player in the NBA Development League last year but slipped for off the court issues.

Grade A

VIDEO Otto Porter happy to stay in D.C.

Georgetown star will stick around Washington D.C. after being drafted No. 3 by Wizards.

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Kamis, 27 Juni 2013

Fewer Waves at Wimbledon as Talk Turns to Return of Serve and Volley

But there was nothing no plaque being hammered onto a green wall to commemorate a wild Wednesday no upset shocked victims receiving treatment no orange soled shoes visible inside what the British call a dustbin.

Instead order had been restored at Wimbledon even if Roger Federer Jo Wilfried Tsonga and Victoria Azarenka were no longer around to appreciate the amenities and even if Maria Sharapova was hanging around only to watch her boyfriend Grigor Dimitrov dig deep into a fifth set before rain ended the suspense for the night.

Thud Thursday still featured a few more slips on the slick grass as well as two more retirements from the veteran Frenchmen Michael Llodra and Paul Henri Mathieu that brought the tournament total to 12 after two rounds.

But there was no sign of Wednesday s electricity the sense of possibility that made stars feel vulnerable and outsiders feel as if this day simply had to be the day they could crash the party.

By early afternoon Thursday it became apparent that for all the upsets and the superlatives the 81 year old coach Nick Bollettieri called Wednesday easily the craziest day of tennis I have ever seen Wimbledon had not been kicked that far off the rails after all.

Although Rafael Nadal and the defending champion Federer are out after two rounds the No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic and No. 2 Andy Murray have yet to lose a set. Djokovic advanced on Thursday with a 7 6 (2) 6 3 6 1 victory over Bobby Reynolds a 30 year old American qualifier whose departure left the United States with no men in the third round in singles for the first time since 1912 (when no American men played at all).

As for the women s draw Serena Williams the overwhelming favorite and defending champion remains hale and hearty. She underscored the pecking order with a 6 3 6 2 victory over Caroline Garcia 19 of France who confessed that Wednesday had given her however briefly a little more zip in her step.

It does give you ideas she said.

But Williams had other ones and she said she followed the tumult closely.

The first thing I do is I m like O.K. Serena stay focused she said. This happened before. I don t know when. I want to say it was the U.S. Open though. A lot of players were losing. I thought definitely want to stay focused and stay serious. So that s what I did again yesterday.

Garcia lifts her eyes to the sky well before she tosses up the ball to serve and it ultimately seemed like a fine idea to seek help from above in light of Williams s current form. Williams rolled to her 33rd straight victory and has also won 28 straight sets which meant that after all the drama tinged news conferences and pretournament public apologies she could settle into a much more lighthearted vein on Thursday.

It included a debate about a would be battle of the sexes with Murray.

Opening question Andy Murray has challenged you to a showdown in Las Vegas. What is your answer

Williams He s challenged me

That led to discussion of Williams s long ago match (and defeat) against the cigarette smoking German journeyman Karsten Braasch in Australia in 1998.

I was really young I m a lot more experienced now Williams said before considering Murray.

He s probably one of the top three people I definitely don t want to play she said. But yeah maybe we can have a little bit of a showdown. That would be fine. I get alleys. He gets no serves. I get alleys on my serves too. He gets no legs. Yeah.

Williams will get the chance to feel young again in her next match when she faces Kimiko Date Krumm the enduring Japanese player who at nearly 43 is the oldest woman in the Open era to advance to Wimbledon s third round in singles.

The two have never played and if anyone can throw Williams off rhythm it is Date Krumm who once almost chopped and changed tactics enough to knock the other five time Wimbledon champion in the Williams family (Venus) out of the singles.

I did see that match I think I lost four years of my life watching that match so I will definitely be talking to Venus Serena Williams said.

But even as Williams talked about the future there was still plenty of talk about the past (as in Wednesday) about Federer s increasingly evident fade and about the revival (even if ephemeral) of the serve and volley style that has most of the middle age former stars on the grounds licking their chops with something that could be called nostalgic anticipation.

We all want to see serve and volley back said Mats Wilander 48 a former world No. 1 from Sweden.

It was back in full risk taking flow on Wednesday on Centre Court as 116th ranked Sergiy Stakhovsky decided that the only way to nudge the odds in his favor was to deprive Federer of time by following his serve to net preferably after delivering a serve to his weaker backhand wing.

Such clarity can help a tennis player. If you have just one legitimate option sticking by that option is the easiest path to take. The enormous surprise was that Federer even in his diminished 2013 state could not find a way to solve the riddle and he will drop to No. 5 or worse in the rankings after the tournament.

His chances of winning an 18th Grand Slam singles title are not over but his days of doing it as the favorite certainly seem to be done. Federer a seven time Wimbledon champion still hit some brilliant shots but he also hit too many shaky ones to avoid putting an exclamation point on the long flowing Fitzgeraldian sentence that was Wednesday.

Thursday was much more suited to Hemingway even if it ended in typical English fashion under umbrellas.

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NBA Draft 2013 LIVE UPDATES Who Did Your Team Pick

The Cleveland Cavaliers will be the first team on the clock during the 2013 NBA Draft provided they don't trade the pick at the last minute.

Even with the 2013 NBA Draft just hours away there was no clear cut choice at the top spot and trade rumors swirled around many of the teams with lottery selections. Maryland's Alex Len one of the players in the mix at the top of the draft sensed that the Class of 2013 was particularly volatile.

This draft is really unpredictable a lot of guys with injuries and you don't have any like LeBron James Len said the day before the draft via the Associated Press.

Will there be any surprise picks or blockbuster trades Scroll down for live updates on the NBA Draft.

Janis Timma from Latvia has been drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies with the final pick of the 2013 NBA Draft.

Scroll down to check out the selections.

With the penultimate pick in the 2013 NBA Draft the Wolves grab a long Serbian named Bojan Dubljevic.

With the 58th pick in the NBADraft the San Antonio Spurs select DeShaun Thomas from Ohio State. GoSpursGo

San Antonio Spurs ( spurs) 4 years ago

With the 57th pick in the NBA Draft the Phoenix Suns select forward Alex Oriakhi. SunsDraft

Phoenix Suns ( Suns) 4 years ago

With the 56th pick in the 2013 NBA draft the Pistons select Peyton Siva guard from Louisville

Detroit Pistons ( detroitpistons) 4 years ago

I can't root for the Grizzlies. They took Joffrey.

Greg Rosenstein ( grosenstein) 4 years ago

The Wizards select Oregon Ducks power forward Arsalan Kazemi.

Pacers trade their second round pick No. 53 for cash to Boston who selected Colton Iverson from Colorado State.

Scott Agness ( ScottAgness) 4 years ago

Boston has just confirmed it got No. 53 from Indiana for cash and will select Colton Iverson from Colorado State.

Andy Katz ( ESPNAndyKatz) 3 years ago

Congratulations to Lorenzo Brown ( Zo_Brown) the 52nd overall pick of the 2013 NBADraft to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

NC State MensBball ( PackMensBball) 4 years ago

With the No. 51 in the 2013 NBA Draft the Orlando_Magic select Romero Osby. MagicDraft

Orlando Magic ( Orlando_Magic) 4 years ago

We have selected forward James Ennis from Long Beach State with the 50th overall pick.

Atlanta Hawks ( ATLHawks) 4 years ago

Bulls select Erik Murphy a 6 10 230 pound forward out of Florida with 49th pick in 2013 NBADraft

Chicago Bulls ( chicagobulls) 4 years ago

The Lakers make their first selection of the night and take Ryan Kelly of Duke.

We have selected Raul Neto from Brazil with the 47th overall pick.

Atlanta Hawks ( ATLHawks) 4 years ago

The Jazz tap Va. Tech scorer Erik Green.

Jackrabbit on the move. Nate Wolters is now going to Milwaukee per Bucks. He was picked by Washington for Philadelphia.

Andy Katz ( ESPNAndyKatz) 3 years ago

With the 45th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft the Portland Trail Blazers select Marko Todorovic FC Barcelona RipCityDraft

Trail Blazers ( pdxtrailblazers) 6 years ago

The Mavericks tap Mike Muscala out of Bucknell eliciting more Patriot League enthusiasm from Bill Simmons ESPN crew.

With the 43rd pick in the 2013 NBA Draft the Milwaukee Bucks select Ricky Ledo. BucksDraft

Milwaukee Bucks ( Bucks) 4 years ago

Pierre Jackson out of Balyor is heading for the 76ers.

Memphis has selected Jamaal Franklin a shooting guard out of San Diego State.

With the 40th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft the Portland Trail Blazers select Grant Jerrett from the University of Arizona RipCityDraft

Trail Blazers ( pdxtrailblazers) 6 years ago

Back2BackPicks

Trail Blazers ( pdxtrailblazers) 6 years ago

With the 39th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft the Portland Trail Blazers select Jeff Withey from the University of Kansas RipCityDraft

Trail Blazers ( pdxtrailblazers) 6 years ago

The Wiz selected Nate Wolters but he is reportedly not heading to DC. A trade is reportedly sending him the 76ers.

With the 37th overall pick the Pistons select Tony Mitchell small forward from the University of North Texas

Detroit Pistons ( detroitpistons) 4 years ago

With the 36th pick the Kings select Ray McCallum. KingsAllDay

Sacramento Kings ( SacramentoKings) 6 years ago

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NBA Draft Buzz 6.27 Cavs picking between Len and Noel

The latest news and updates about the NBA Draft including trade rumors pick trends and more.

4 30 p.m. ET

According to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com the Kings are interested in moving up to draft guard Ben McLemore. The Kings are picking at No. 7 and are discussing a deal with the Suns (No. 5) who are keen on moving back. Berger reports the Wizards are keeping their pick at No. 3. Indications are they're picking between Otto Porter and Anthony Bennett. The Knicks reportedly are enamored with German guard Dennis Schroeder. Other teams are confident the Magic are selecting Victor Oladipo with the No. 2 overall pick according to Yahoo Sports.

1 45 p.m. ET

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com has a bunch of updates here including which way the Magic are leaning. According to Berger if Nerlens Noel is on the board when they pick it'll be a choice between him and Ben McLemore. They also like Victor Oladipo and Berger says if that's the direction they go they may pull the trigger on dealing Arron Afflalo. Per ESPN.com the Thunder are among a few teams working the hardest to move up. They're said to like Alex Len and Nerlens Noel. The Jazz are always reportedly working to move up from 14 to draft C.J. McCollum. The Timberwolves like Ben McLemore and Victor Oladipo and are trying to get in the top five for one of them. According to Sheridan Hoops the Wizards have Anthony Bennett at the top of their board.

11 30 a.m. ET

According to Yahoo Sports the Cavaliers are choosing between Nerlens Noel and Alex Len for the No. 1 overall pick. Though there still is talk the Cavs could move completely out of the No. 1 spot as well. Per ESPN.com the Cavs could also make a selection at No. 1 overall and continue to shop that player following the draft. Oh joy. The Thunder like Russian Sergey Karasev potentially at No. 12 per Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. A team executive to Ken Berger on Shabazz Muhammad Whoever gets him is going to be really happy. Berger says most see him going 13 20. There has been some concern over Alex Len's ankle injury but according to ESPN.com it's not a significant fracture and is something he will recover easily from. The Bucks have discussed swapping the No. 15 pick with Dallas and the No. 13 pick to select Karasev according to Yahoo Sports. Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to play in the NBA now rather than wait a year and according to ESPN.com that's scaring teams away in the lottery. Cody Zeller could go as high as No. 4 to Charlotte according to Yahoo Sports.

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Wimbledon updates Serena Djokovic roll into third round

Djokovic is into third round 7 6 6 3 6 1 over Reynolds. Faces the winner of Struff Chardy match next. Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/B7PHTD5Dmi

Wimbledon ( Wimbledon) June 27 2013

Top seeded Novak Djokovic cruised into the third round at Wimbledon on Thursday after he knocked out American Bobby Reynolds 7 6 6 3 6 1 on Centre Court.

Reynolds was the last American standing and his ouster marks the first time in over a century that no one from the USA advanced to the third round.

Although ranked 156th in the world Reynolds acquitted himself well against Djokovic routinely fighting off break points and testing the Serbian in the first set.

Djokovic the 2011 Wimbledon champion avoided the fate of high seeds Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer and he remains the last former Wimbledon winner in the men's portion of the bracket.

It is a bit strange that so many top players lost in one or two days but as I said it is a Grand Slam and all the lower ranked players have an extra motivation to perform their best. They have nothing to lose he said to ESPN.

Serena Williams has won a career high 33 straight matches. (USATSI)

Serena advances

Defending champion Serena Williams rolled into Wimbledon's third round with a 6 3 6 2 win over French teenager Caroline Garcia on Thursday. The match took an hour and seven minutes.

Williams won her 33rd straight match as she aims for a sixth Wimbledon singles crown. She'll next face Japan's Kimiko Date Krumm who at 42 is the oldest woman in Wimbledon's third round since the open era began in 1969 according to BBC Sport.

Williams lost just three points on serve in the first set but Garcia made her work hard throughout.

I think Caroline's a really good player Williams said via BBC Sport. I played her at the French Open and she played really well so it was good to get another win today.

I really love these moments when I'm out there. I live and die for these moments and it's really fun.

Also Thursday American teenager Madison Keys beat 30th seeded Mona Barthel of Germany 6 4 6 2 to reach the third round in her Wimbledon debut. She'll face 2012 Wimbledon runner up Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland next.

Rain forces tourney to close Centre Court roof

Showers caused the tournament's first rain delay prompting officials to close the retractable Centre Court roof installed in 2009.

Radwanska was beating Mathilde Johansson of France 6 1 4 2 when the match was stopped to close the roof. After a half hour delay Radwanska closed out the second set 6 3.

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Nelson Mandela in a critical but stable condition

27 June 2013 Last updated at 07 55 ET

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Ndileka Mandela A lot of comfort in messages of support

Former South African leader Nelson Mandela is in a stable condition his granddaughter says though he remains critical.

Ndileka Mandela said the 94 year old's family were taking comfort from messages of support from the public.

Meanwhile his daughter Makaziwe said he was still there and responding to touch.

South Africa's first black president has been in hospital in Pretoria since 8 June with a lung infection.

His health has worsened in recent days prompting current President Jacob Zuma to cancel a foreign visit. He has now arrived back at the hospital.

Continue reading the main story At the scene Gabriel Gatehouse BBC News Pretoria

The gate outside the hospital is festooned with flowers cards and placards. Get well soon Tata Madiba many of them say as they gather to pay tribute to a man who changed the face of a nation.

A group of children from a nearby township squealed with delight as they released dozens of balloons into the air. Members of the ANC Youth League arrived singing songs dressed in yellow T shirts emblazoned with the words There is no born free without a liberator.

Members of Nelson Mandela's family continue to visit his bedside as they have done for the past 20 days. A granddaughter emerged from the hospital to thank well wishers for their messages of support.

They have given us strength to carry on she said and to give him positive energy. But as she gathered a bunch of flowers from the pavement she spoke of her anxiety at her grandfather's critical condition.

Emotional crowds have gathered outside adding messages of support for Mr Mandela known by his clan name Madiba.

Children released 94 balloons into the air in his honour.

Correspondents say South Africans now seem resigned to the prospect of his death.

We don't like seeing Mandela going through so much pain he has had a tough time in his life and he's gone through a lot of struggle. I think this struggle should get over sooner Khulile Mlondleni told Reuters news agency.

We are all going to feel bad when he passes away but at the same time we will be celebrating his life. He has done so many great things for this country said 25 year old John Ndlovu quoted by the agency.

US President Barack Obama who is in Senegal described Mr Mandela as a hero for the world .

His legacy will linger on through the ages he said.

Speculation warning

After visiting her grandfather in hospital Mdileka Mandela said it was an anxious time for the family.

He's stable and we'd like to say that we thank everybody for giving their support and praying with us... we are anxious as you know that he is critical but he's in a stable condition right now she said.

It's been hard especially because of all of this that we have to do everything in the public eye.

Continue reading the main story Nelson Mandela Key dates 1918 Born in the Eastern Cape 1944 Joins African National Congress 1956 Charged with high treason but charges dropped 1962 Arrested convicted of sabotage sentenced to five years in prison 1964 Charged again sentenced to life 1990 Freed from prison 1993 Wins Nobel Peace Prize 1994 Elected first black president 1999 Steps down as leader BBC History Mandela's defiant freedom speech

Later Mr Mandela's daughter Makaziwe said that while the situation was serious he was still responsive.

He doesn't look good I'm not going to lie. But as I say if we speak to him he responds and tries to open his eyes. He's still there. He might be waning off but he's still there she told public broadcaster SABC.

She was also highly critical of the behaviour of the international media.

There is a racist element with many of the international media where they cross boundaries truly vultures waiting for when the lion has devoured the buffalo it has gone overboard Ms Mandela said.

Mr Zuma's spokesman Mac Maharaj said on Wednesday evening that Mr Mandela's condition had deteriorated over the weekend.

After consultations with doctors Mr Zuma said he was cancelling his trip to a regional summit in the Mozambican capital Maputo.

The statement from his office said he reiterated his gratitude on behalf of government to all South Africans who continue to support the Madiba family .

The decision will only reinforce the impression that Mr Mandela's life is slipping away the BBC's Mike Wooldridge reports from Johannesburg.

But later Mr Zuma's office warned against speculation about Mr Mandela's health saying that announcements about his condition would come from the president himself or Mr Maharaj.

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The BBC's Karen Allen says there is a mixture of emotions outside the hospital

Mr Maharaj criticised some media outlets for broadcasting unverified information as rumours spread on social media sites.

Meanwhile media reports say the bodies of three of Mr Mandela's children are to be moved from his birthplace to his home in Qunu where he himself has said he wants to be buried.

They include his son Makgatho who died of an Aids related illness in 2005.

Mr Mandela is revered for leading the fight against white minority rule in South Africa and then preaching reconciliation despite being imprisoned for 27 years.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and was elected president the following year. He left office in 1999 after a single term.

Continue reading the main story For days South Africans have been arriving outside the Pretoria hospital to express their support for Nelson Mandela. As part of the efforts of well wishers children let off 94 white balloons each one representing a year in Mr Mandela's life Some lit candles as they prayed for the revered former leader. The iconic leader has been in hospital since 8 June but his condition is said to be worsening. Many are now resigned to the fact that Mr Mandela may not recover. Continue reading the main story

Mr Mandela retired from public life in 2004 and has rarely been seen at official events since.

He has a long history of lung problems and was diagnosed with tuberculosis in the 1980s while he was a prisoner on Robben Island off Cape Town.

After his release Mr Mandela said that the tuberculosis was probably caused by dampness in his prison cell.

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