Riley Cooper returns, practices

Riley Cooper returns, practices

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper, who returned to practice on Tuesday after a brief stint away from the team, said that he's spoken with each of his teammates individually since a video capturing him using a derogatory racial remark went viral, asking them not to forgive him for his actions, but to judge him by his future.

"I talked to everyone individually," he said following the team's joint practice with the New England Patriots. "I told them, 'I don't want you to forgive me, because that puts the burden on you. I want it all on me.' I told them that and I told them I apologize. They could tell it was from the heart, they know I'm not that kind of person. It feels good to have support from the guys."

He added that he felt that 100 percent of his teammates were in support of him, something he sensed on the field in his return.

"It felt good to be out there with the guys and catching and running and making some plays and them coming up to you, supporting you, high-fiving you, chest-bumping you like Jason Avant did in the end zone when I had that TD," Cooper said. "It just felt good to be back out here with the guys."

The Eagles had excused Cooper on Friday and sent him for sensitivity training after video of his remark, made at a Kenny Chesney concert in June, surfaced last week.

His goal now is to earn the respect back from his teammates that he may have lost since the video surfaced. Running back LeSean McCoy recently said that he had lost respect for Cooper after the remarks.

"Absolutely, just by my actions," Cooper said of gaining respect back. "Don't judge me for the past, more so the future and just watch my daily moves and what I'm doing."

Fellow wide receiver Avant, among the team leaders spotlighted by coach Chip Kelly, said that the Eagles are over the situation as a team.

"I think you guys [the media] need the healing process more than the team," Avant said. "You guys got to cover it, so you keeping going, making the story go, but as far as our team, I think guys are definitely over it and we talked, we've had dialogue, we've accepted his apology. The only thing he can do is apologize. What else can he do? When a situation happens like that, there's not too many things you can do but apologize and be sincere about it. Now you guys have to get over it."

Asked whether or not a situation could arise where the team would part ways with Cooper due to the fallout from the situation, Kelly squashed the notion.

"I don't see that happening," he said. "After talking to our players, I think our players really understand the situation ... I don't envision that happening."

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement Tuesday that Cooper's slur was "totally unacceptable" but that the receiver was working to regain trust with the team and community. Cooper was fined by the Eagles after his slur became known last week.

"His words may have been directed at one person but they hurt everyone. Riley has apologized to the team and community and has made a personal commitment to work hard to try and gain their trust and earn his position on the team," Lurie said in the statement.

Cooper, a fifth-round pick of the team in 2010, remains hopeful that he has a future on the field in Philadelphia.

"I sure do hope, and I'm going to try each and every day to prove that and play as hard as I can and play my game," he said. "I want to stay here."

Regardless of his future with the Eagles, Cooper also understands that this is an incident that he's going to have to live with for the rest of his life.

"It's going to be tough, no doubt about it," he said. "I'm going to live with this every day for the rest of my life. It's one of those things, you can't let it affect your play on the field, and that's what I'm going to strive to do."

Kelly said that the decision for Cooper to return was a mutual one, while Cooper noted that he'll continue to seek guidance on the issue as needed going forward.

"I talked to Chip last night and this morning, and he asked, he said, 'How do you feel? Are you ready to come back?' and I said absolutely," Cooper said. "I love being out here on the field and I love being out there with my guys."

The training, Cooper said, helped him understand the severity of his remarks.

"We just talked about the situation and how big this is," he said of the training. "I realize that, and I realize how many people I've hurt, how many families I've hurt, how many young kids I've hurt, and that's what we talked about, the severity of it. I realize that and I take full responsibility for it."

While Cooper said that all of the players on the field were "great" toward him on Tuesday, he understands that he'll likely continue to hear about this situation from opponents and other players in the future.

"I know people are going to say stuff, but people have always said stuff," he said. "You have to be the bigger man and have to have thick skin, especially in this situation."

The Eagles may have to lean on Cooper more on the field in light on Tuesday's injury to Arrelious Benn.

Benn, acquired by the Eagles in a trade with Tampa Bay, suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during practice. The team also released wide receiver Dave Ball.

Information from ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter was used in this report.

Source : http://espn.go.com/

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Chris Brown done with ‘F.A.M.E.’? Singer tweets his next album may be his last

Chris Brown done with ‘F.A.M.E.’? Singer tweets his next album may be his last

Chris Brown announced he may retire from music via Twitter on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

Credit: Lester Cohen/Getty Images

In a pair of tweets Tuesday, R&B singer Chris Brown implied that he may quit the music business.

In the first tweet, which was later removed, Brown wrote “Don’t worry mainstream America. After this X album, it’ll probably be my last album.”

A subsequent tweet (also removed) elaborated. “Being famous is amazing when it’s for ur music and talent. I’m tired of being famous for a mistake I made when I was 18. I’m cool & over it!”

In 2009, Brown, 24, pled guilty to felony assault for attacking then-girlfriend Rihanna on the night of the Grammy Awards. He was sentenced to community service and five years of supervised probation, in addition to being ordered to stay away from the “We Found Love” singer.

In the years since the assault, the pop stars have maintained ties, collaborating on two songs in 2012. Earlier this year, the pair made headlines again when Rihanna confirmed to Rolling Stone that they were back together. She defended the reconciliation, telling the magazine, “he’s made a mistake, and he’s paid his dues.”

The public has been less willing to forgive Brown, who confirmed in May that he and Rihanna had broken up again. But the singer has still maintained a loyal fanbase, which he often refers to as “Team Breezy,” and he has seen continued success on the charts, where his 2011 album “F.A.M.E.” debuted at No. 1.

Brown has been known to use Twitter to defend his achievements. In an article last year, Post pop music critic Chris Richards examined the dichotomy between Brown’s fans and his critics, whose rivalry famously played out on the social media network as “F.A.M.E.” won Brown a Grammy for Best R&B album.

He’s given numerous apologies for attacking his then-girlfriend but has just as frequently squandered the world’s goodwill on Twitter. In the realm of social media, Brown doesn’t seem haunted by his past so much as annoyed by it. And he’s rallied his fans — who proudly identify themselves as members of “Team Breezy” — into an us-against-them mentality.

Chris Richards

“X” is scheduled for release on Aug. 20. The album includes the just-released single “Love More,” a collaboration with Nicki Minaj.

On the track, Brown croons “You say all you need is consistent love / When I try I swear it’s never enough — I messed up / Maybe this thing here just ain’t meant for us.”

And if Brown’s Twitter account is any indication, fans may not want to retire his proverbial jersey just yet.

Just last Friday, Brown tweeted, “Today is the first time since ‘run it’ I’ve been mesmerized and at the same time nervous,” referring to his 2005 single.

Brown, retweeted many times over, continued: “Let’s see if I can bring the old me back. Thank you.”

Source : http://www.washingtonpost.com/

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New 'Doctor Who': It's Peter Capaldi

New 'Doctor Who': It's Peter Capaldi

The Scottish-born actor becomes the 12th actor to play the British sci-fi icon.

And the sonic screwdriver goes to Peter Capaldi.

The Scottish actor was named the new star of the British sci-fi franchise Doctor Who on Sunday during a live broadcast on BBC America. He will replace the departing Matt Smith, whose time in the time-traveling police box the TARDIS ends later this year.

"It's so wonderful not to keep this secret any longer," said Capaldi, a lifelong fan of the show. "I haven't played Doctor Who since I was 9 on the playground."

Capaldi, 55, becomes the 12th man to play the Doctor since the cult show debuted in 1963 with star William Hartnell and the fourth Time Lord since executive producer Russell T Davies rebooted Doctor Who in 2005, following Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant and Smith.

Executive producer Steven Moffat had considered Capaldi when they were casting the 11th Doctor. "There comes a right time for the right person to play it," he said.

"We all had the same idea and it was a quite different idea," Moffat added. When he and his team made a video with Capaldi, "everybody saw it and was like, 'That's the Doctor.' "

American audiences most recently saw Capaldi as a World Health Organization doctor in the movie World War Z, and he also has big-screen roles in the upcoming The Fifth Estate this fall and next year's Maleficent.

The half-hour live special on BBC America, hosted by British TV personality Zoe Ball, also featured past Who stars, including Peter Davison, the fifth Doctor (1981-84).

"In a way it's the longest job in television. It's a whirlwind time when you do it, and it keeps on going after," said Davison, whose daughter is married to the 10th Doctor, Tennant.

Smith recalled that people initially met his casting with backlash, but fans ultimately came around for him as the Doctor.

"There are no parts like this," he said. "I loved it, I'll miss it, but when you gotta go, you gotta go."

Doctor Who has long been a hit in the U.K., but more recently the Doctor has gained a huge following in the USA, with the show becoming the highest-rated series on BBC America.

Capaldi will make his first appearance in the Doctor Who Christmas Special at the end of 2013, and it marks Smith's final jaunt as the Doctor. Fans get to see him one more time, though, when Smith stars with Jenna Coleman, John Hurt and Tennant in the 50th anniversary special airing on Nov. 23.

The main reason the series is still a fixture in global pop culture is because of anybody who's ever watched it, Capaldi said. "Doctor Who belongs to all of us. Everybody makes Doctor Who."

Source : http://www.usatoday.com/

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Raven-Symone says she 'can finally get married.'

'Cosby' kid comes out with a tweet?

Raven-Symone says she 'can finally get married.'

HasCosbykid andThat's So Ravenstar Raven-Symone, 27, just made a special announcement?

She just shared with her Twitter followers a short message: "I can finally get married! Yay government! So proud of you."

Everyone is pretty much assuming she is making a reference to the Supreme Court's striking down of the Defense of Marriage Act earlier this summer.

Last year, buzz bubbled about the actress being gay when a National Enquirer story said she was living with an openly gay America's Next Top Model contestant.

At the time, she tweeted: "My sexual orientation is mine, and the person I'm datings to know. I'm not 

one for a public display of my life."

Source : http://www.usatoday.com/

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Greg Oden returning to the NBA with Miami Heat

Greg Oden returning to the NBA with Miami Heat

Free-agent big man Greg Oden, who hasn't played since the 2009-10 season because of debilitating injuries to both knees, wants to give it another shot, and the two-time defending champion Miami Heat are willing to give him that chance.

Oden reached a two-year deal with the Heat, a person familiar with Oden's decision told USA TODAY Sports. The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the deal until it was officially announced. The deal is for the veteran's minimum, and the second year is a player option.

MORE: What to expect from Oden in return

Oden had a conference call on Thursday with his agent, Mike Conley Sr., and a team of advisors, including Bill Duffy, the chairman and CEO of BDA Sports, the agency for which Conley works. He reached a decision sometime after that.

In the last few weeks, Oden met with or talked with the Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs.

It's a minimum investment with a potentially decent return. Oden is strong around the rim, and even if he provided a solid 10-12 minutes per game, he will be a worthwhile signing. At 7-0, 280 pounds, Oden gives Miami size and strength inside, if healthy.

One person who watched Oden work out told USA TODAY Sports that Oden was further along than expected when it came to agility, conditioning and jumping exercises. But the person also said Oden was limited in on-court basketball drills.

ANOTHER RETURN: When could Derrick Rose be back for Bulls?

The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the workout.

Oden, who has played in just 82 games, was the No. 1 pick in 2007 draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, but missed the entire 2007-08 season after undergoing microfracture surgery on his right knee. Oden played in 61 games in 2008-09 and averaged 8.9 points and 7.0 rebounds.

But injury struck again early in the 2009-10 season. In his 21st game, Oden sustained a fractured left patella (kneecap) and missed the rest of the season. He hasn't played since. He was off to a strong start, too, averaging 11.1 points and 8.5 rebounds in 23.9 minutes per game.

Oden underwent microfracture surgery on his left knee in November 2010 and has rehabbed and worked out to get himself in this position — for another shot, perhaps his last, at playing in the NBA.

Source : http://www.usatoday.com/

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Huppke: A (largely fabricated) guide to Lollapalooza

Huppke: A (largely fabricated) guide to Lollapalooza

I've been appointed by my newspaper -- which, for those of you who don't know, is like a very retro blog -- to guide you through the history and highlights of this annual lakeshore musicgasm.

Welcome, everyone, to Lollapalooza, a three-day summer music festival that draws throngs of young people who are cool and throngs of older people who think they are cool but are mistaken to Chicago's iconic Grant Park for a weekend of intense perspiration and regret.

Because I am "in my 40s" and "have a job," I don't technically fit into the Lolla demographic. Nonetheless, I've been appointed by my newspaper — which, for those of you who don't know, is like a very retro blog — to guide you through the history and highlights of this annual lakeshore musicgasm.

Unfortunately, I got to this assignment a bit late because I was busy disliking the band Mumford & Sons. So I'll have to rely on my keen knowledge of pop culture, some educated guesses and what we in the journalism biz call "outright fabrications."

Let's begin with some history. The word "Lollapalooza" is actually a fusion of two Greek words — "lollagopolous," which means "standing uncomfortably close to," and "paloozaklava," which means "people who have dreadful facial hair."

The first event was held in 1936, when a group of Depression-era hobos with unkempt beards gathered in Grant Park to share a surprisingly pristine potato they had found in a trash bin on Michigan Avenue. It's said that one of the men, known as Grizzly Bear Thompson, was so pleased with the meal that he broke into a long, guttural, drunken moan, and Lollapalooza was born. (In Thompson's honor, a band called Grizzly Bear is playing at this weekend's festival.)

Hobos carried on the event for many decades, but it was slowly taken over by concert organizers eager to bring music to the masses with the help of independent mom-and-pop businesses like Toyota, Red Bull, Bud Light and Samsung.

The annual gathering now draws about 18 billion people to Grant Park and attracts hugely popular bands like The Lumineers, Kendrick Lamar, Vampire Weekend and the 237-member alt-country/belching fusion band Uncle Constantine & the Fraggled Yardslaws.

But Lollapalooza has become more than just music. It's an immersive experience that includes food, fun and seeing a side of that guy from the IT department you'll never be able to un-see.

You can grab some earthy grub at Chow Town North or Chow Town South, choosing from a wide array of eco-friendly vegan dishes like "bacon sausage on a stick" and "rib eye steak sandwich." Or saunter over to the Farmers Market, because nothing amps up the fun at an hourslong music festival like carrying around a bag of fresh-cut kale.

Once your belly's full, head to Lolla Cares and check out booth after booth of grass-roots organizations. You'll be inspired to end poverty or raise political consciousness for at least five to 10 minutes, after which you can race over to Green Street — Lollapalooza's shopping district — for a little cleansing capitalism.

If you've got the kids in tow, don't miss Kidzapalooza, a fun-filled area where impressionable youths can engage in faux-risky behavior like getting a tattoo at Tattooz or a pink mohawk at Funky Hairdooz or a candy-filled bong at Doobeeeeeez.

But, of course, music is the centerpiece, and it will be pouring from speakers on stages scattered across Grant Park. There's the Petrillo Stage, the Lake Shore Stage, the National Association for Premature Hearing Loss Stage.

Between sets, fans can get autographs from their favorite bands, including Frightened Rabbit, Terrified Antelope and Extremely Worried Badger.

Other perks that come with the three-day pass, which costs $235 and prohibits holders from wearing deodorant, are:

•Complimentary skateboard parking.

•Access to a hipsters-only eye-rolling section.

•Free workshops, including "How to Hone Your Dreadful, Self-Absorbed Poetry" and "Sulking: Why You Should Do It More."

•Souvenir Lollapalooza hand towel, perfect for drying off the sweaty, shirtless guy dancing frenetically next to you throughout the entire Nine Inch Nails set.

For those of you unable to get tickets, the best way to create your own Lollapalooza is to put on a good pair of headphones, cue up an album by The Killers, go out in the sun and wedge yourself between two large steaks heated to about 99 degrees. Then stand there for eight hours and wish you were somewhere else.

Happy Lollapalooza, everyone! Rock on!

Source : http://articles.chicagotribune.com/

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