Mexico mourns death of singing legend Juan Gabriel

Mexico mourns death of singing legend Juan Gabriel

  

Mexico City (AFP) - Mexico on Monday mourned the death of legendary singer Juan Gabriel, who touched millions with wrenching ballads of love and loneliness as he rose from the rough streets of Ciudad Juarez to a world stage.

The singer, known as the "Divo of Juarez," died of a heart attack Sunday at his home in Santa Monica, California during a break in his latest tour. He was 66.

He wrote hit songs, sold millions of records, received six Grammy nominations, and had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in a barrier-busting career that won him admirers all over the world.

But it was music infused with his own hard-luck beginnings and hard-won success that endeared him to Mexicans who saw themselves mirrored in his work.

His first hit was "No Tengo Dinero," ("I Have No Money"), written while imprisoned in Mexico City's Palacio de Lecumberri prison on an accusation of robbery that was later dropped.

Other hits followed, songs that many Mexicans know by heart -- including "Hasta Que Te Conoci" (Until I Met You), "Asi Fue" (That's How It Was), "Abrazame Fuerte" (Embrace Me Hard) and "Amor Eterno" (Eternal Love).

- 'A prayer, a grudge, a love' -

"With the Mexican song, he made a prayer, a grudge, a love that is out of this world, or a party," said Culture Minister Rafael Tovar y de Teresa on Radio Formula.

The singer's work "reaches the deepest place" in what it means to be a Mexican, he said.

Just Friday, Gabriel gave a packed concert in Los Angeles to a crowd of 17,000 that had fans singing along and dancing for more than two hours.

News of his death brought an outpouring of old songs and remembrance on social media.

Fans hastened to the Mexico City plazas where mariachi musicians perform to ask for favorites like "No Me Vuelvo Enamorar" (I'll Never Fall in Love Again).

Dozens of people gathered outside his home in Ciudad Juarez to pay respects.

And in Hollywood, his star on the Walk of Fame became a focal point for tributes -- admirers left roses and candles, an old photo of the artist in performance and other memorabilia.

- 'The mirror of Mexico' -

His death was top news on the front pages of most Mexican newspapers.

"Juan Gabriel Eterno" ran the headline in El Universal, with a picture of the star.

"He is (and will be) the mirror of Mexico," said the Mexico edition of El Pais.

"His music was his legacy for the world. He left us too soon," Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto said on Twitter.

Juan Gabriel was born Alberto Aguilera Valadez in Paracuaro, Michoacan state on January 7, 1950.

After his father was committed to a mental institution, his mother moved the family to Ciudad Juarez, on Mexico's northern border, and had her son placed in a boarding school.

When he later took his stage name, he chose Juan after a teacher at the school and Gabriel after his father.

He sang in a church choir as a boy, was taken in by nuns, and got his start singing in Juarez bars and on a local TV show, "Noches Rancheras."

But it was a tough climb to stardom, with many rejections, disappointments and a stint of homelessness in Mexico City that ended with him in jail.

With help from the warden he found his way into the music business, however, working as a composer, arranger and producer. His growing fame landed him roles in Mexican movies.

"He was a very simple person, who despite his great popularity, was always very close to the people, to his friends, to his colleagues. He was a very, very much loved personality," said Mexican tenor Fernando de la Mora, speaking on Milenio TV.

Mario Lafontaine, a specialist in Mexican music, said "an artist like him is born only every 500 years. He was the most important figure in Mexican music in the Pop era."

In 2015, Billboard listed him as one of the "30 most influential Latin artists of all time."

He is credited with writing or recording hundreds and hundreds of songs, and sold millions of albums. His songs have been widely performed by other artists.

Beloved across Latin America, they have also had been translated into French, German, Italian and Japanese.

Coincidentally, Juan Gabriel passed away just as the TV Azteca network readied to air the end of a series based on his life.

Reward Increased To $76K In Fatal Shooting Of 8-Year-Old Camden Girl

Reward Increased To $76K In Fatal Shooting Of 8-Year-Old Camden Girl

CAMDEN, N.J. (CBS) — Camden County police are now offering a $76,000 reward to find and convict the people responsible for the shooting death of 8-year-old Gabrielle Hill Carter.

The reward was recently increased to $50,000. Families and businesses have been donating money to help increase the reward for information after Carter was fatally caught in the crossfire of a shooting that took place on August 24.

Carter died from her injuries on August 26.

For full story go to:  http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/

Actor Gene Wilder, star of Mel Brooks movies, dies at 83

Actor Gene Wilder, star of Mel Brooks movies, dies at 83

FILE - In a Dec. 9, 1977 file photo, actor Gene Wilder is shown during an interview with Jean Claude Bouis at his New York City Hotel. Wilder’s nephew said Monday, Aug. 29, 2016, that the actor and writer died late Sunday at his home in Stamford, Connecticut, from complications from Alzheimer’s disease. He was 83.

  

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Gene Wilder, the frizzy-haired actor who brought his deft comedic touch to such unforgettable roles as the neurotic accountant in "The Producers" and the mad scientist of "Young Frankenstein," has died. He was 83.

Wilder's nephew said Monday that the actor and writer died late Sunday at his home in Stamford, Connecticut, from complications from Alzheimer's disease.

Jordan Walker-Pearlman said in a statement that Wilder was diagnosed with the disease three years ago, but kept the condition private so as not to disappoint fans.

"He simply couldn't bear the idea of one less smile in the world," Walker-Pearlman said.

Wilder started his acting career on the stage, but millions knew him from his work in the movies, especially his collaborations with Mel Brooks on "The Producers," ''Blazing Saddles" and "Young Frankenstein." The last film - with Wilder playing a California-born descendant of the mad scientist, insisting that his name is pronounced "Frahn-ken-SHTEEN" - was co-written by Brooks and Wilder.

"Gene Wilder, one of the truly great talents of our time, is gone," Brooks wrote in a statement Monday. "He blessed every film we did together with his special magic and he blessed my life with his friendship. He will be so missed."

With his unkempt hair and big, buggy eyes, Wilder was a master at playing panicked characters caught up in schemes that only a madman such as Brooks could devise, whether reviving a monster in "Young Frankenstein" or bilking Broadway in "The Producers." Brooks would call him "God's perfect prey, the victim in all of us."

But he also knew how to keep it cool as the boozing gunslinger in "Blazing Saddles" or the charming candy man in the children's favorite "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." His craziest role: the therapist having an affair with a sheep in Woody Allen's "Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex."

"The greatest comedic mind of my childhood is now gone," actor Josh Gad wrote on Twitter. "#RIP #GeneWilder & thank you 4 your pure imagination. This one hits hard."

Tweeted Jim Carrey: "Gene Wilder was one of the funniest and sweetest energies ever to take a human form. If there's a heaven he has a Golden Ticket."

Wilder was close friends with Richard Pryor and their contrasting personas - Wilder uptight, Pryor loose - were ideal for comedy. They co-starred in four films: "Silver Streak," ''Stir Crazy," ''See No Evil, Hear No Evil" and "Another You." And they created several memorable scenes, particularly when Pryor provided Wilder with directions on how to "act black" as they tried to avoid police in "Silver Streak."

But Wilder would insist in a 2013 interview that he was no comedian. He told interviewer Robert Osborne it was the biggest misconception about him.

"What a comic, what a funny guy, all that stuff! And I'm not. I'm really not. Except in a comedy in films," 

Wilder said. "But I make my wife laugh once or twice in the house, but nothing special. But when people see me in a movie and it's funny then they stop and say things to me about 'how funny you were.' But I don't think I'm that funny. I think I can be in the movies."

In 1968, Wilder received an Oscar nomination for his work in Brooks' "The Producers." He played the introverted Leo Bloom, an accountant who discovers the liberating joys of greed and corruption as he and Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) conceive a Broadway flop titled "Springtime For Hitler" and plan to flee with the money raised for the show's production. Matthew Broderick played Wilder's role in the 2001 Broadway stage revival of the show.

Though they collaborated on film, Wilder and Brooks met through the theater. Wilder was in a play with Brooks' then-future wife, Anne Bancroft, who introduced the pair backstage in 1963.

Wilder, a Milwaukee native, was born Jerome Silberman on June 11, 1933. His father was a Russian emigre, his mother was of Polish descent. When he was 6, Wilder's mother suffered a heart attack that left her a semi-invalid. He soon began improvising comedy skits to entertain her, the first indication of his future career.

He started taking acting classes at age 12 and continued performing and taking lesson through college. In 1961, Wilder became a member of Lee Strasberg's prestigious Actor's Studio in Manhattan.

That same year, he made both his off-Broadway and Broadway debuts. He won the Clarence Derwent Award, given to promising newcomers, for the Broadway work in Graham Greene's comedy "The Complaisant Lover."

He used his new name, Gene Wilder, for the off-Broadway and Broadway roles. He lifted the first name from the character Eugene Gant in Thomas Wolfe's "Look Back, Homeward Angel," while the last name was clipped from playwright Thornton Wilder. A key break came when he co-starred with Bancroft in Bertolt Brecht's "Mother Courage," and met Brooks, her future husband.

"I was having trouble with one little section of the play, and he gave me tips on how to act. He said, 'That's a song and dance. He's proselytizing about communism. Just skip over it, sing and dance over it, and get on to the good stuff.' And he was right," Wilder later explained.

Before starring in "The Producers," he had a small role as the hostage of gangsters in the 1967 classic "Bonnie and Clyde." He peaked in the mid-1970s with the twin Brooks hits "Blazing Saddles" and "Young Frankenstein."

He went on to write several screenplays and direct several films. In 1982, while making the generally forgettable "Hanky-Panky," he fell in love with co-star Gilda Radner. They were married in 1984, and co-starred in two Wilder-penned films: "The Woman in Red" and "Haunted Honeymoon."

After Radner died of ovarian cancer in 1989, Wilder spent much of his time after promoting cancer research and opened a support facility for cancer patients. In 1991, he testified before Congress about the need for increased testing for cancer.

That same year, he appeared in his final film role: "Another You" with Pryor.

Wilder worked mostly in television in recent years, including appearances on "Will & Grace" - including one that earned him an Emmy Award for outstanding guest actor - and a starring role in the short-lived sitcom "Something Wilder." In 2015, he was among the voices in the animated "The Yo Gabba Gabba! Movie 2."

As for why he stopped appearing on the big screen, Wilder said in 2013 he was turned off by the noise and foul language in modern movies.

"I didn't want to do the kind of junk I was seeing," he said in an interview. "I didn't want to do 3D for instance. I didn't want to do ones where there's just bombing and loud and swearing, so much swearing... can't they just stop and talk instead of swearing?"

Wilder is survived by his wife, Karen, whom he married in 1991, and his daughter from a previous marriage, Katherine, from whom he was estranged.

---

This story has been corrected to show that Gene Wilder was born in 1933, not 1935. Also Gilda Radner and Wilder co-starred in "The Woman in Red," not "The Lady in Red."

is Weekend at Jones Beach! Tickets Still Available! De La Soul Confirms Appearance on Gorillaz Album, Along With Snoop Dogg

De La Soul Confirms Appearance on Gorillaz Album, Along With Snoop Dogg

  

De La Soul perform on day two of the Governors Ball Music Festival 

on June 4, 2016 in New York City.

 

Pos of De La Soul just outed his group and Snoop Dogg as collaborators on the new Gorillaz album.
He told The Guardian all about coming into the studio with the cartoon crew's musical mastermind Damon Albarn. The album sounds great, unsurprisingly, but what is news is that Pos saw Snoop Dogg hanging out, laying down raps.

Snoop and De La join previously reported features from Vic Mensa, Liam Bailey, and Jean Michel-Jarre. The album is due for release in 2017. Read the full interview in The Guardian.

Muhammed Ali and Floyd Smith Sr. Friends By Early Morning Jogging And Martial Arts

Muhammed Ali and Floyd Smith Sr. Friends By Early Morning Jogging And Martial Arts

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania. (Philadelphia Front Page News-Magazine) — 77-year-old Floyd Smith Sr. loved Muhammad Ali as a good brother and dear friend.
Many people may not understand that Muhammad Ali experienced Japanese Martial Arts as a fan and an eye witness because there were close friendships between Ali and martial arts Sensei’s such as Floyd Smith Jr., Grand Master, Karate.

No one has to take Floyd Smith Sr. to a boxing museum or show him a piece of memorabilia that features Muhammed Ali. Smith Sr. knows the story that may go along with these types of things.

Floyd Smith and Muhammed Ali met early hours of the morning as jogging partners when Ali boxed before the George Foreman bout.

Smith Sr. has a few young Ali and young Smith collection of sports and personal friendship memorabilia in his home.

“I have a few pictures, an autograph here and there, and a lot of good Ali and me memories to share,” said Smith.

Floyd Smith Sr. had known Ali since Smith Sr. trained for martial arts competition fights and taught martial arts school students.

Fights from Ali's career after his return in 1970 were just as endearing to Smith Sr. as they were to Ali’s very close family and long list of personal friends.

The Ali fight period from 1971 up until 1974 was a special time in Smith Jr’s life to be an associate with the sports legends who knew the “greatest fighter of all time.”

“When I was in Ali’s company during our early morning running routines I talked with him for hours at a time,” said Smith Sr.

Smith Jr. will tell anyone that they shared some quiet moments. Smith Jr says he shared thoughts and exchanged ideas with Ali, and even attended several meets with the Ali family.

With Ali’s passing it’s very easy for Smith Jr. to say wonderful and endearing things about Ali. He feels that there is always a good time to talk praise about the Ali the man who watched martial arts up and close.

Floyd Smith Sr. is the founder of several self-defense activities and martial arts schooling in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Most recently Smith Sr. can be found at the Marian Anderson Recreation Center, 17th and Catherine Street continuing Black Martial Artist education.

If interested in Sensei Floyd Smith’s style of schooling, sponsored by the United Karate Association, contact him calling (267) 770-6635 or inquire at dojo or the recreation office.

Making The Cover: Black Lives Matter-Pastors Helping Others Not To Have To Hurt Anymore Floyd Smith Jr., Martial Artist and Karate Media Correspondent taking a break from writing martial arts news supports his Pastor

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Beyonce's Formation World Tour Reaches $210 Million in Ticket Sales (So Far)

Beyonce's Formation World Tour Reaches $210 Million in Ticket Sales (So Far)

  

Beyoncé performs during the Formation World Tour at Esprit Arena 

on July 12, 2016, in Dusseldorf, Germany.

 

Beyonce’s Formation World Tour has now grossed $210 million (and counting). The first two legs of the tour -- through North America in the spring followed by a five-week trek in Europe that wrapped Aug. 3 -- generated 1.8 million tickets sold at 40 performances.
After a brief hiatus, the Formation World Tour will resume on Sept. 7 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.: the first stop on a final nine-city jaunt through North American markets that will wrap in Nashville on Oct. 2.

The Formation World Tour launched on April 27 in Miami, and concluded its first North American leg on June 14 after playing 23 shows on the continent. The tour headed to Europe and kicked off with a June 28 stadium show in Sunderland, England. The European segment included 17 concerts at 16 venues, with box office sales reaching $86.9 million.
 
Reported this week by tour promoter Live Nation, revenue from the European leg earns Beyoncé the No. 1 slot on Billboard’s weekly tally of Hot Tours (see list below).

Each of the venues on the European schedule hosted the tour for a single night except for London’s Wembley Stadium that drew 142,500 fans on July 2 and 3. The two-night stint earned $15.3 million, the sixth-highest gross of the year based on reported Boxscores from touring artists of all genres.

The best-attended show so far on the Formation World Tour occurred at her July 21 show at the Stade de France in Paris. A total of 75,106 tickets were sold to the concert. (That beats the 55,736 tickets sold to her May 14 Rose Bowl show in Pasadena, Calif. -- which had been the tour’s best-attended show.)

	HOT TOURS - AUGUST 9, 2016
	Ranked by Gross.  Compiled from Boxscores reported Aug. 2-8
Rank	ACT
	Total Gross
	Show Date Range
	Show Venue/City (Shows/Sellouts)
	Total Attendance (Capacity)
1	BEYONCÉ
	$86,947,147
	June 28-Aug. 3
	Stadium of Light, Sunderland, U.K. (1/1)
	Principality Stadium, Cardiff, U.K. (1/1)
	Wembley Stadium, London (2/2)
	Old Trafford, Manchester, U.K. (1/1)
	Hampden Park, Glasgow, U.K. (1/1)
	Croke Park, Dublin (1/1)
	Esprit Arena, Düsseldorf (1/1)
	Stadion Letzigrund, Zürich (1/1)
	Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam (1/1)
	Stadio San Siro, Milan (1/1)
	Stade de France, Paris (1/1)
	Telia Parken, Copenhagen (1/1)
	Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden (1/1)
	Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt (1/1)
	King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels (1/1)
	Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona (1/1)
	867,025 (867,025)
2	BILLY JOEL
	$4,031,634
	July 30
	Nationals Park, Washington, D.C. (1/1)
	37,807 (37,807)
3	SHAWN MENDES
	$2,338,620
	July 15-31
	Mizner Park Amphitheater, Boca Raton, Fla. (1/1)
	St. Augustine Amphitheater, St. Augustine, Fla. (1/1)
	Fox Theatre, Atlanta (1/1)
	Comerica Theatre, Phoenix (1/1)
	Open Air Theatre, San Diego (1/1)
	SJSU Event Center Arena, San Jose, Calif. (1/1)
	WaMu Theater, Seattle (1/1)
	Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio (1/1)
	Verizon Theatre, Grand Prairie, Texas (1/1)
	Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver (1/1)
	The Great Saltair, Magna, Utah (1/1)
	Roy Wilkins Auditorium, St. Paul, Minn. (1/1)
	1st Bank Center, Broomfield, Colo. (1/1)
	60,990 (60,990)
4	MUMFORD & SONS
	$2,296,100
	May 13-17
	Barclaycard Arena, Hamburg (1/0)
	ISS Dome, Düsseldorf (1/0)
	Olympiahalle, Munich (1/0)
	34,527 (35,045)
5	MAROON 5
	$1,687,568
	July 15
	Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot, San Juan (1/1)
	14,481 (14,481)
6	KISS
	$1,438,799
	Aug. 1-5
	Verizon Wireless Center, Mankato, Minn. (1/0)
	AMSOIL Arena, Duluth, Minn. (1/0)
	La Crosse Center, La Crosse, Wis. (1/0)
	i wireless center, Moline, Ill. (1/0)
	21,760 (27,944)
7	BRAD PAISLEY
	$1,183,737
	July 30-31
	Klipsch Music Center, Noblesville, Ind. (1/0)
	DTE Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston, Mich. (1/1)
	32,271 (36,315)
8	DOLLY PARTON
	$853,310
	July 19-Aug. 6
	U.S. Cellular Center, Cedar Rapids, Iowa (1/0)
	Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Mich. (1/0)
	9,741 (11,112)
9	PJ HARVEY
	$422,702
	June 20
	Zitadelle, Berlin (1/0)
	6,814 (9,500)
10	TWENTY ONE PILOTS
	$324,178
	Aug. 5
	Amphitheater at the Wharf, Orange Beach, Ala. (1/1)
	9,573 (9,573)

Super Simone! Biles soars to Olympic all-around title

Super Simone! Biles soars to Olympic all-around title
 

United States' Simone Biles bites her gold medal for the artistic gymnastics women's individual all-around final at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016.

  

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- Simone Biles and Aly Raisman stood side by side in Rio Olympic Arena, clutching each other while waiting for the inevitable coronation.

When the floor exercise judges validated what Raisman and every other gymnast has known for years - that Biles is the greatest of her generation and perhaps of all time - the U.S. Olympic team captain let her good friend go.

Suddenly Biles was alone in the spotlight, the normally giggly teenager fighting back tears as she waved to the family that raised her, the coaches that molded her and the sport she is redefining.

The secret out. The pressure is gone. Biles belongs to the world now.

And history too.

Dynamic on vault. Effortless on beam. Jaw-dropping on floor. Brilliant as ever. And now, finally, an Olympic champion.

Biles soared to the all-around title on Thursday night, putting the gap between herself and everyone else on full display for the whole world to see. Her total of 62.198 was well clear of Raisman, who finished her remarkable comeback with a silver medal, and Russia's Aliya Mustafina.

"It doesn't even feel real," Biles said. "To me I'm just the same Simone ... But I feel the same. I just feel like I 

did my job tonight."

One that she does better than anyone else.

Biles became the fourth straight American woman to capture the all-around and fifth overall. She and Raisman joined Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson in 2008 as the only U.S. gymnasts to win gold and silver in the same Olympic final.

"I told her before today, I want you to win and I want second," Raisman said.

Something that seemed far from certain last fall. A three-time Olympic medalist in London, Raisman appeared to be on the outside of the picture looking in after a shaky performance at the world championships that left her "devastated."

Yet there she was 10 months later, standing on the podium with her fifth Olympic medal around her neck, the 22-year-old called "grandma" by her teammates having the last laugh and getting a measure of revenge after losing bronze in the 2012 all-around final to Mustafina on a tiebreaker.

"It made me not think about things too much and made me more confident," Raisman said. "I knew going into tonight I was going to get the silver medal because I was going to hit four events."

That's because gold has been out of reach for everyone but Biles for three years and counting. She arrived in Brazil with 14 world championship medals - 10 of them gold - with routines astonishing in their mix of ambition and precision.

One last test awaited in Rio, a contest not so much between Biles and the rest of the field but between herself and the outsized expectations her dominance has created.

Anything less than heading back to her family's home in Spring, Texas, with a fistful of golds would be seen as a disappointment. Biles earned the first one on Tuesday while serving as the exclamation point to retiring national team coordinator Martha Karolyi's going away party.

While Biles insisted she's never looked ahead during her long run at the top, that's not exactly true.

A portion of her floor exercise routine - the one that includes her signature tumbling pass - is set to Brazilian music that would fit right at home in the street right outside Olympic Park. It's not a coincidence.

The girl adopted along with her younger sister by their grandparents as toddlers and discovered by coach Aimee Boorman's mother during a field trip to the gym is a wonder, even if it always didn't seem that way.

Biles' talent is unmistakable, but it took time to harness. At one point Boorman pulled Biles aside and gave her a choice. Biles could continue to work out 20 hours a week, attend high school and eventually become a college gymnast or she could explore the elite level, a move that included more intensive training and being home schooled.

Boorman asked more than once. And every time the answer came back the same: let's go for it.

"I wanted to see how far I could go in this sport," she said.

A decision that led to years of sacrifices and ultimately, the biggest night of her life.

Though Mustafina led through two rotations, it was a mirage. Balance beam and floor exercise - where Biles is the defending world champion - lay in wait. She went back in front with a 15.433 on beam - and capped it with a 15.933 on floor that Karolyi called "very close to perfection."

Only the judges don't hand out perfect scores anymore. Maybe one day Biles will make them reconsider. She'll have her chance next week when she can add three more golds during the event finals.

Five trips to the top of the podium in one games is something gymnastics has never seen.

Then again, doing things gymnastics has never seen is what Biles does best.

US women gymnasts golden again; Serena Williams loses

US women gymnasts golden again; Serena Williams loses

U.S. gymnasts, left to right, Gabrielle Douglas, Aly Raisman, Simone Biles, Madison Kocian, and Lauren Hernandez pose for the camera at the end of the artistic gymnastics women's team final at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016.

  

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- The U.S. women's gymnastics team is golden once more.

Tennis star Serena Williams is headed home.

The top-seeded player in the women's tennis tournament at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics got upset on Tuesday by Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, deprived of a chance to defend the gold medal she won four years ago in London.

Simone Biles and her acrobatic teammates had a much better day in gymnastics.

The Americans' second straight Olympic triumph was never in doubt, their score of 184.897 at the Rio Games more than eight points clear of the field. Their day was capped by fan favorite Biles with a boundary-pushing floor exercise that showed just how far ahead they are of everyone else.

Biles, Lauren Hernandez, Gabby Douglas, Madison Kocian and Aly Raisman also gave retiring national team coordinator Martha Karolyi a fitting send off with powerful performances on all the apparatuses.

The golden girls dubbed themselves "The Final Five" in honor of Karolyi's retirement at the end of the Olympics and the fact that the format is changing for Tokyo in 2020 so that only four team members will take part in the team competition.

The normally stern Karolyi broke down in tears when she was told of the nickname the team adopted.

"I think at this moment we can say that that the United States dominates the world of gymnastics," Karolyi said.

Russia took the silver medal and China earned bronze.

There is more on tap Tuesday night with Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky and Ryan Lochte in the pool, and the Brazilian women's soccer team trying to atone for their underwhelming men against South Africa.

At Maria Lenk Aquatics Center, there was more buzz over the color of the water than the diving competition. It had turned a murky green since Monday night's events.

Chen Ruolin and Liu Huixia didn't seem to care what color it was. They won the women's 10-meter synchronized platform title to make China 3-for-3 in the competition so far.

Lochte swam the anchor leg of the 4x200-meter relay, helping the U.S. to a comfortable win in its preliminary heat. Defending Olympic champion Nathan Adrian had a tougher time in the 100-meter freestyle, grabbing the 16th and final spot for Tuesday night's semifinals.

Phelps will be trying to win his 20th gold medal when he swims in the 200-meter butterfly against South African Chad le Clos, who beat Phelps in London. It may be Phelps's best event, but he mistimed his finish in London and that allowed le Clos to beat him at the line.

It didn't sit well with the American superstar, who got off to a rousing start at the Rio Games by leading his 4x100 freestyle team to the gold medal.

"Should be a fun race," Phelps said.

Williams wasn't as amused.

The top-seeded American looked out of sorts and irritated, shanking shots from side to side. Williams had five double-faults in one game alone in the 6-4, 6-3 loss to the 20th-ranked Svitolina.

Williams wiped her forehead, picked up her rackets and headed back quickly to the locker room. Svitolina, who had never before played in an Olympics, smiled and stuck her arms out in front of her, palms up, as if waking up from a dream.

Svitolina had won 63 points, but just nine from clean winners. The others came thanks to Williams' 37 unforced errors and 17 forced errors.

Other highlights from Day 4 at the Rio Games:

MEDAL STRIPPED : A Ukrainian javelin thrower was stripped of his silver medal from the 2012 London Olympics, becoming the latest athlete disqualified after the retesting of stored doping samples. Oleksandr Pyatnytsya tested positive for the steroid turinabol and was retroactively disqualified from the London Games and ordered to return his medal, the International Olympic Committee said.

GRIEVING COACH LEADS US : Adam Krikorian returned to the pool deck for his first game since his brother's sudden death last week to coach the U.S. to an 11-4 win over Spain in water polo. Maggie Steffens, Courtney Mathewson and Kiley Neushul scored two goals apiece, and Ashleigh Johnson had 11 saves while becoming the first black woman to play water polo for the U.S. in the Olympics.

RUGBY STUNNER : Sonny Bill Williams was helped off with an ankle injury during New Zealand's shocking 14-12 loss to Japan in its first game of rugby sevens. New Zealand is a 12-time world series champion and one of the top contenders for the first rugby medals awarded at an Olympics in 92 years.

JUDO HISTORY : Hungarian-born Szandra Szogedi made history when she stepped onto the judo mat to become the first judoka to represent Ghana - she obtained citizenship through her husband. But facing Brazilian Mariana Silva in the first round, Szogedi had to deal with a crowd shouting support for her opponent. After less than two minutes, the fight was over: Silva took Szogedi down and caught her in a stranglehold. Afterward, a tearful Szogedi said she was "gutted."

PELE IMPROVING: Pele tweeted that he hopes to appear at the closing ceremony after missing the opening because of his health. The soccer great was the organizers' preferred choice to light the cauldron, but first cited sponsorship commitments and later health concerns for staying away.

WORLD-RECORD LIFT: Deng Wei won Olympic gold and set a world record in women's weightlifting, hoisting 147 kilograms in the clean and jerk and 115 in the snatch for a total of 262. Her clean and jerk lift also broke her world record by 1 kilogram.

Fast feet: Bolt says sub-19 seconds in 200 still a goal

Fast feet: Bolt says sub-19 seconds in 200 still a goal

FILE - In this July 27, 2016 file photo, Jamaican Olympic runner Usain Bolt, center, gestures while arriving at Rio de Janeiro International Airport in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Bolt made his first major appearance Monday, Aug. 8 in Rio de Janeiro leading up to the Olympics, talking about his desire to break 19 seconds in the 200 meters, then ending his engaging news conference by boogieing offstage, accompanied by more than a dozen near-naked Samba dancers.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- The "Usain Bolt Variety Hour" hit Brazil, big time, on Monday.

The closing number said it all: After talking about life, sprinting and the Olympics - and yes, Bolt insisted the Rio de Janeiro Games will be his last - the 6-foot-5 Jamaican pulled out his cell phone and started taking selfies while he shimmied off stage, surrounded by more than a dozen thong-and-headdress-wearing Samba dancers.

The evening with Bolt also included his now-immortalized "To The World" pose, a few serious questions about racing and doping, along with one reporter who said he had no question, but pronounced: "I really love you, man," then poetry slammed the following: "I hope you win. I hope it's your day. I hope you will go even though you get hit by a Segway."

The now-famous Segway incident occurred after Bolt's victory in the 200 meters last year at the world championships. While taking a victory lap, a multitasking photographer slammed into the back of Bolt's legs with his scooter. Bolt bounced up and was no worse for wear.

In the lead up to the Rio Olympics, his legs haven't fared as well. He pulled out of his national championships last month with a sore hamstring, which he has been trying to rehabilitate in time to put on a show in Brazil.

Bolt takes to the track Saturday for the early rounds of the 100 meters. If he wins the 100, 200 and 4x100 relay, the way he has at the last two Olympics, he'll close his Olympic career with nine gold medals.

By now, though, it's as much about the show as the results, and Bolt said as much Monday night.

"I'm definitely a sprinter first, but I like to entertain," he said. "That's what people come out to see. They like it when I do crazy stuff. I try to entertain and make it different, help people enjoy it."

By doing that, he has obliterated the decades-old image of the sullen, skulking sprinter - and has also offered a much-needed breath of fresh air in a sport devoured by doping scandals that have dominated the lead-up to the Olympics.

"I think we're going in the right direction," Bolt said. "I must say, we're weeding out the bad ones. I think people should have faith. We have to go through the rough times before we get to the good times."

Speaking of which, Bolt hasn't ruled out a goal he set a long time ago - to better his record of 19.19 seconds in his favorite race, the 200.

He has long said he'd like to take the record, which stood at 19.32 for 12 years before he first broke it at the Beijing Olympics, into the 18-second range. But the leg injury leading up to the Olympics made it a less-manageable goal to pursue. Then, after his only Olympic tune-up run - a 200 late last month in London - he met with coach Glen Mills, who told him, "That's one of the worst races you've ever run," according to Bolt.

Still, why not aim high?

"I really, really, really want that one," Bolt said.

And going after dreams is the main message he wants people to take away from his career.

"For me, it's always to work toward your goal," he said. "It's a hard road. Never let anyone tell you you can't do it."

But as much as sending messages, Bolt pretty much laughed his way through 30 minutes of dance, drama and jokes. He said the only problem he's encountered during his stay in Rio had to do with TV. The apartment he's sharing with teammate Asafa Powell didn't have one.

"Somebody told us they were going to get it," Bolt said. "After two days, I was just, 'Buy a TV.' I'm a good teammate. So I got him a TV."

As always, keeping the people entertained.

The Latest: Serena Williams breaks racket, gets past Cornet

The Latest: Serena Williams breaks racket, gets past Cornet

Serena Williams of the United States screams after winning a point in the match against France's Alize Cornet in the women's tennis competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Aug. 8, 2016.

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

8:50 p.m.

One destroyed racket - and one poor set - later, Serena Williams is safely into the third round of the Rio Olympics as she bids for a second consecutive singles gold medal.

The No. 1-seeded American struggled for quite a while Monday night before emerging with a 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory over France's Alize Cornet.

Williams started off by taking the first three games, but then dropped five of the following six. During that troublesome stretch, Williams reacted to losing two games in a row by mangling her equipment, slamming it against the back of her sideline chair.

Later, she was forced to erase a pair of set points for Cornet, who had won four of their previous seven matchups.

But Williams claimed the last three points of the tiebreaker, raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set and was on her way.

No tennis player ever has won two Olympic singles golds - let alone two in a row.

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8:45 p.m.

There's another Savon in the boxing tournament with the hope of fighting for Olympic gold.

Erislandy Savon, the nephew of three-time Olympic gold medalist Felix Savon, opened with a unanimous decision victory in a heavyweight bout.

Felix Savon won gold medals in 1992, 1996 and 2000, one of only three fighters to accomplish the feat. He's one of the all-time great Cuban amateur fighters.

Erislandy Savon said he was proud to represent his family and Cuba in the Olympics.

There's no gold around his neck yet, just in his mouth - he had gold-capped bottom teeth that weren't hit very much by British fighter Lawrence Okolie. Savon won 30-27 on the scorecards.

He had knocked out Okolie three months ago in the World Series of Boxing final. Okolie was proud he went from a tough defeat to a competitive bout against the same fighter in just six weeks.

"I faced those demons and I knew millions of people were going to watch that," he said.

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8:25 p.m.

The International Judo Federation says Kosovo's first Olympic judo champion, Majlinda Kelmendi, may be facing sanctions in France for failing to comply with a drug test in June.

During her training ahead of the Rio Games, Kelmendi apparently refused to comply when asked by the French anti-doping agency to provide an out-of-competition sample.

The IJF says in a statement that the procedure is being contested by Kelmendi and her coach but "looks questionable at the level of the IJF." In an email, judo's governing body said that if there were to be sanctions leveled against Kelmendi - who won her country's first ever Olympic medal on Sunday - they would only apply in France.

The Kosovo Olympic team could not immediately be reached for comment.

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7:35 p.m.

MEDAL ALERT: Australia has won the first gold medal for rugby sevens at the Olympics, beating archrival New Zealand 24-17 in the women's final Monday night.

The women's world series champions conceded an early try to Kayla McAlister but rallied with two tries before halftime and another two after the break to take a 24-5 lead.

Emma Tonegato's early equalizer for Australia was contentious after she appeared to fumble as she crashed over in the corner but referee Alhambra Nievas awarded it after checking with both assistant referees.

Evania Pelite scored in the corner on the stroke of halftime, moments after New Zealand star Portia Woodman was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on.

Ellia Green and Charlotte Caslick scored for the Australians before New Zealand cut the margin with late tries from McAlister and Woodman.

Ghislaine Landry led Canada to the bronze medal, scoring two tries and landing four conversions in a 33-10 win over Britain.

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7:30 p.m.

Japan is off to its best start in women's basketball in 20 years after routing host Brazil 82-66 Monday night for a second straight victory.

The Japanese didn't qualify in 2008 or 2012 and won only once in 2004. Now they are a win from matching their three victories in Atlanta when Japan went 3-5 and finished seventh.

Japan led 47-33 at halftime. The Japanese built that lead to as much as 27 in the third before Brazil went on a 12-4 run to get within 66-47, giving the home fans a reason to roar and stomp their feet. Mika Kurihara ended the run with her 3 with 1:15 left in the quarter.

Brazil never got closer than 16 the rest of the way, though fans stuck around and cheered to the final seconds.

Ramu Tokashiki, who plays for the WNBA's Seattle Storm, led Japan with 23.

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7:20 p.m.

Beach volleyball has been one of the top tickets at the Olympics, but the venue at Copacabana beach has been sprinkled liberally with empty seats.

With four matches per session, fans are apparently coming to see their favorite team and then leaving. Never was that more clear than Monday, following Brazil's three-set loss to Austria. With fans streaming out of the 12,000-seat venue, the public address announcer invited those staying behind to move down to better seats.

Another problem has been the late matches. Saturday's match featuring defending champion Kerri Walsh Jennings and her partner April Ross began at 12:34 a.m. Sunday morning. The times are set to draw maximum viewership in the United States, but the empty white seats look bad on TV.

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6:50 p.m.

MEDAL ALERT: The Japanese men's gymnastics team is back on top at the Olympics.

Led by defending Olympic champion Kohei Uchimura, Japan topped Russia for gold in the men's team final on Monday afternoon. It's Japan's seventh Olympic title and first since 2004. The victory fills in on the one hole on Uchimura's resume. The six-time world champion has said for years an Olympic gold for his homeland is the only medal that matters to him.

Uchimura finished Japan's golden run with a supremely elegant set on floor exercise. He was visibly spent following his dismount, bending over and gasping for breath after saluting the crowd.

Russia edged two-time defending Olympic champion China for silver. Great Britain took fourth.

The U.S. team, which was second in qualifying, struggled early on floor exercise and a late rally wasn't enough as the Americans finished fifth.

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6:45 p.m.

Russia's Yana Egorian scored the final two points to stun teammate Sofya Velikaya 15-14 on Monday and win the gold medal in women's sabre fencing, the first such meeting between two Russians in 20 years.

Egorian's winning last touch left Velikaya, a two-time world champion, with back-to-back silver medals in the Olympics.

Ukraine's Olga Kharlan took bronze.

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6:30 p.m.

Ana Paula Rodrigues just can't stop scoring.

The star center-back for Brazil's women's handball team scored 12 goals in the opening win Saturday over Olympic champion Norway - something no women's player had done at the Olympics since 2004 - and added eight more Monday as Brazil doubled up Romania 26-13.

The Brazilians are top of Group A with two wins after a game in which Romania was made to look nothing like the team which won bronze at last year's world championship. After Brazil wrapped up the win, Rodrigues danced in front of the crowd at the Future Arena.

Earlier Monday, Norway bounced back from the opening loss to Brazil in a 27-24 win over Spain but struggled with discipline, giving up seven power-plays.

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6 p.m.

China is 2-for-2 in Olympic diving, winning the men's 10-meter synchronized platform title.

Chen Aisen and Lin Yue dominated the event Monday, totaling 496.98 points.

Americans David Boudia and Steele Johnson earned silver with 457.11. Tom Daley and Daniel Goodfellow of Britain took bronze with 445.45, rallying from fifth place after the fourth of six rounds.

The Chinese have won 10-meter synchro in every Olympics since 2004 in Athens. Chen won gold in Beijing at age 17, but wasn't selected for the event four years ago in London.

China won its first diving gold of these games a day earlier in women's 3-meter synchro.

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6 p.m.

Americans Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson have lost to Austria 21-18, 21-18 in their second match of the Rio Olympics. Gibb is a two-time Olympian, finishing fifth at the last two Summer Games. The Americans fell to 1-1 in Rio with one match left in beach volleyball pool play.

In previous matches, the Austrian team of Clemens Doppler and Alexander Horst beat Brazil's Alison and Bruno in three sets 23-21, 16-21, 15-13. The Qatari men beat Spain in three sets, Brazil's Agatha and Barbara beat Argentina in straight sets, and the Swiss women beat Australia in three sets.

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Japan's Shohei Ono has won the judo gold medal in the men's 73-kilogram division, defeating Azerbaijan's Rustam Orujov.

Ono is a two-time world champion and threw Orujov twice during their tightly contested final, including a match-ending ippon throw that finished the fight with more than one minute left on the clock.

It is Japan's first judo gold of the Rio Olympics after taking four bronze medals in the first two days of the competition.

Ono is a protege of 1984 Olympic champion Shinji Hosokawa and often favors a very traditional yet rarely seen style of judo, where he throws opponents from an upright standing position.

The two bronze medals were won by Belgium's Dirk Van Tichelt and Georgia's Lasha Shavdatuashvili, who was the Olympic champion in the 66-kilogram category before moving up a weight division.

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6 p.m.

Sukanya Srisurat and Pimsiri Sirikaew gave Thailand its first gold and silver medals in an Olympic event by going 1-2 on Monday in the women's 58-kilogram class at the Rio de Janeiro Games.

Srisurat gave Thailand its second gold medal in women's weightlifting of the games. Sopita Tanasan opened 

the games with a gold in the women's 48-kilogram on Saturday, and Sinphet Kruaithong of Thailand became the first Thai male to win an Olympic weightlifting medal when he won bronze Sunday in the 53-kilogram.

Thailand has now won 11 medals in women's weightlifting.

In taking silver, Sirikaew became the third lifter to take multiple medals in the 58-kg. She also won silver in London four years ago.

Kuo Hsing-Chun of Taiwan won bronze - giving Taiwan its first Olympic medal in this class.

Srisurat set an Olympic record of 110-kilograms in the snatch on her way to the win. She lifted 130 kilos in clean and jerk for a total score of 240 kilograms.

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6 p.m.

Russia's biggest track and field star can't add to her two Olympic gold medals, but Yelena Isinbayeva is still heading to Rio.

After her latest attempt to overturn Russia's track and field doping ban was denied by a Swiss court Monday, the pole vaulter says she's given up on competing and is switching her attention to a bid to get elected to the International Olympic Committee.

Isinbayeva says on Instagram her "last hope to perform at the Olympic Games has disappeared" following the Swiss ruling, but she plans to travel to Rio anyway on Sunday to stand as an athletes' representative on the IOC.

If Isinbayeva fails to be elected by Olympic athletes, Russia would lose one of its three IOC spots, since current athletes' representative Alexander Popov's term ends in Rio.

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5:40 p.m

Australian rider Melissa Hoskins was taken from the Rio Olympics velodrome on a stretcher after her pursuit team crashed hard while doing a training effort at race speed.

The team of Hoskins, Ashlee Ankudinoff, Georgia Baker, Amy Cure and Annette Edmondson were at the end of the back straight when the crash occurred. Edmondson stayed on her bike as the other three riders fell hard onto the banked wooden track.

Cycling Australia spokeswoman Gennie Sheer tells The Associated Press that Hoskins was put in a back brace as a precaution and taken to a Rio de Janeiro hospital for further examination.

Ankudinoff, Baker and Cure walked off the track and were being treated for bruises and burns.

The team pursuit competition begins with qualifying on Thursday.

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5:40 p.m.

No elevator ride for Juan Martin del Potro this time, understandably. Just another victory in Olympic tennis.

A day after getting stuck for 40 minutes in an athletes' village elevator before upsetting No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the Rio de Janeiro Games tournament's first round, del Potro was back on court Monday and produced a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 victory over Portugal's Joao Sousa with the help of 16 forehand winners.

That match started 15½ hours after del Potro finished beating Djokovic in straight sets Sunday night. Earlier that day, the 6-foot-6 Argentine found himself trapped while trying to get from one floor to another - until getting rescued by countrymen competing in handball in Brazil.

Asked if he took an elevator before facing Sousa, del Potro replied with a laugh: "Not today."

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5:25 p.m.

Brazilian Robert Scheidt has won the second race in the Laser class on the opening day of the Olympic sailing regatta after finishing a disappointing 23rd in the opening race.

The 43-year-old Scheidt is trying to become the first Olympic sailor - and first Brazilian - to win six Olympic medals. He has two golds, two silvers and a bronze.

Scheidt is seventh overall. Charlie Buckingham of Newport Beach, California, is 12th after finishes of 20th and seventh.

Scheidt's wife, Gintare, who represents Croatia, won the second race in the women's Laser Radial and is 21st overall.

Paige Railey of Clearwater, Florida, is seventh after finishes of 15th and second.

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5:20 p.m.

Rafaela Silva has won Brazil's first gold medal of the Rio Olympics.

In the final of the women's 57-kilogram division, Silva delivered what her judo compatriots on the first two 

days of competition could not: victory.

Silva is the country's first female world judo champion.

Fighting against Mongolia's top-ranked Sumiya Dorjsuren, Silva flipped Dorjsuren just over a minute into the contest. It was ultimately enough to win.

Silva left the mat in tears as she embraced her coach.

Silva was in top form for much of the day, including a quick 46-second win over her first opponent in which she managed to throw her twice.

She is from Brazil's largest slum, or favela, and trained at a judo dojo founded by former Olympic bronze medalist Flavio Canto.