London Olympics

As his team nursed a double-digit deficit, Kobe Bryant heard the legions of fans chanting his name. They wanted Bryant to come back into the game. They wanted him to lead a comeback victory. They also simply wanted to chant his name because they adore him. This kind of episode happens all the time at Lakers' home games at Staples Center, but the circumstances on Saturday were different. Bryant was in China as part of a weeklong tour sponsored by Nike. He participated in a celebrity charity game that also featured Chinese pop singer Jay Chou.

Tony Scott, who died on Sunday, was primarily known as a feature director, with such films as "Top Gun," "Crimson Tide" and "True Romance" standing out on his lengthy resume. But along with his brother, Ridley, Tony was also a prolific force in TV. Starting in 1997, with a little-seen anthology series based on his debut feature, "The Hunger," Scott served as executive producer on a wide range of projects, including two hit CBS series,"Numb3rs" and"The Good Wife. " PHOTOS: Hollywood reacts to Tony Scott's death While Scott mainly directed high-end action films, his TV productions crossed a wide variety of genres, including thrillers ("The Andromeda Strain," "Coma")

Thank you for not one, but two articles chronicling the U.S. men's basketball team's courageous climb to the gold medal. Such an unexpected and hard-fought victory deserves expanded coverage like this. In a related story, I beat my 3-year-old son at tennis, 6-0,6-0. Matt Duggan Long Beach :: Combine the new-look Lakers with the NBA champion Miami Heat and what do you have? A team that would have a hard time getting past Lithuania in the Olympics. Dave Lazarowitz La Cañada :: I think Bill Plaschke watched too much rhythmic gymnastics .Somehow he paired LeBron James and Mike Krzyzewski as two of basketball's most polarizing figures . He justifies categorizing the coach in this manner with some gibberish about "the message of the power of the student athlete " and 'Duke's holier than thou hubris.

Sparks Saturday AT SEATTLE When: 7. Where: KeyArena. On the air: TV: NBA TV, KDOC. Records: Sparks 15-6, Storm 10-10. Record vs. Storm: 4-0. Update: Before their five-week break for the Olympics, the Sparks had won five games in a row, their best streak of the season. They return to the court against a Seattle team that they have beaten in each of their last four meetings. The Storm is led by Sue Bird, who is averaging 13.3 points, 5.5 assists and 3.4 rebounds.

“The Bachelor” fans take note: Ryan Lochte is still interested in starring in the reality series. In a visit to “The Tonight Show” Thursday, fresh off filming a cameo on “90210,” the gold medal-winning swimmer and not exactly reluctant heartthrob addressed the rumored possibility he could become the first celebrity “Bachelor.”   “If they ask me to do 'The Bachelor' I would consider it, but I would talk with my family first,”...

NBC's much-hyped reality series “Stars Earn Stripes” has been roundly criticized by military veterans and peace activists alike and on Tuesday night, Stephen Colbert added his voice to the chorus of dissenters. In a withering segment broadcast in a week in which Colbert is hosting a concert aboard the aircraft carrier/tourist attraction Intrepid, Colbert argued the show isn't about “honoring the troops” so much as a disingenuous ploy to appeal to males aged 18-34. Colbert likened host Wesley Clark to the great military leaders of the past, such as Dwight Eisenhower and George Patton, but wasn't convinced the former Army general has “what it takes to be a Jeff Probst.” As for former 98 Degrees singer Nick Lachey, who described being on the show as a “once-in-a-lifetime experience for people like myself to step in there and get in the trenches,” Colbert quipped, “Yes, once in a lifetime, other than all the times you could have enlisted.” He also expressed his skepticism over the repeated claim that the challenges "Stars Earn Stripes" simulated an “authentic war experience.” “Yes this is real, with real weapons and real ammunition and real jet skis zipping in at the first sign of trouble,” Colbert said.

One of the big stories of the London Olympics was that the swimming performances didn't do a collective belly flop after the 2010 ban on high-tech, full-body swimsuits. Eight swimming world records were bested in the Olympic pool. That's nowhere near the 25 swimming records surpassed four years ago in Beijing (or the 43 demolished in the 2009 World Championships). Still, it's impressive given the predictions that swim times might not rebound for a decade. In addition to the swimming records, there were three new world records in the track competitions, four in cycling and six in weightlifting - a testament to human potential and to the Olympic creed that we can always go faster, higher, stronger.

The age-old rivalry between Australia and Britain provided one of the more entertaining subplots at the 2012 London Olympics. Before the competition began, Australian diver Matthew Mitcham summed up the animosity between the nations, using slang to describe the British athletes. "I think we always want to stick it to the Poms," he said. But words mean little at the Games; the medal count has the final say. By that tally, the home team won convincingly -- 65-35 -- and Australia ended up as one of several countries that walked away at least slightly disappointed.

The London Olympics have come and gone, leaving us with many memorable moments along the way. Paul McCartney performed in the opening ceremony, while the closing ceremony featured the Spice Girls, the Who and many others. The swimmers were the stars early on, with Ryan Lochte and Missy Franklin's winning smiles - Lochte's enhanced by diamond "grillz," Franklin's backed by boatloads of youthful enthusiasm - and of course Michael Phelps recovering from a slow start to the Games, only to add to his legend.

LONDON - Moments after running the fastest 5,000 meters of her life, Kim Conley stepped off the track at Olympic Stadium with a weary smile and a hint of a wave. "That was hard," she said, still catching her breath. "I didn't expect it to be as fast from the beginning. " For a woman who had barely made the U.S. team this summer, competing in the 2012 London Olympics was almost too much to comprehend. Crouching at the starting line with some of the best runners in the world.