Portland Timbers at Sporting Kansas City Three-minute preview

ABOUT PORTLAND (7-7-8, 29 points): The defending Major League Soccer Cup champions are one point out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. They have been saddled by an inability to win away from home, posting a 0-4-6 record in 10 road matches this season. The Timbers are playing better as of late, with points in nine of their past 10 matches. The man in the middle — Diego Valeri — keys the Portland attack, and he leads MLS with 70 chances created this season.

ABOUT SPORTING KC (9-10-4, 31 points): The home woes are seemingly a thing of the past for Sporting KC, which has won four straight games at Children's Mercy Park. It has scored at least three goals in three consecutive games inside the venue. The club will be short-handed Sunday, with Matt Besler (knee), Brad Davis (calf), Nuno Coelho (hamstring), Graham Zusi (hamstring), Jacob Peterson (calf), Paulo Nagamura (quadriceps) and Justin Mapp (calf) all unlikely to play.

BOTTOM LINE: Sporting KC is unbeaten in its last four regular-season matches against Portland, but the Timbers eliminated Sporting KC from the playoffs last October, using a record-setting 11 rounds of penalty kicks. The two teams will meet again next weekend in Portland.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/the-full-90/article92899162.html#storylink=cpy

The Movie - Trailer

In the first episode of the HBO series Looking, Patrick (Jonathan Groff) went out into one of San Francisco’s many public parks to hook up with a guy he met on Grindr. It did not go well, in part because Patrick wasn’t really interested in something so fleeting and illicit. One of the aspects of Looking that made it so frustrating for gay critics in particular — and there were a LOT of things that frustrated many gay critics about Looking — was that it seemed to adopt Patrick’s naiveté about sex, about relationships, about people, about the world. Surely, the one narrative program about gay protagonists on TV wasn’t advancing the notion that Grindr culture was a symptom for  a lack of romantic fulfillment, was it? And yet there was Dom (Murray Bartlett) in the pilot, sexing up a young Grindr trick (Broadway’s Andrew Keenan-Bolger) and feeling glum about it afterwards.

I bring up this remnant of thinkpiece fodder from yesteryear because with Looking: The Movie, Andrew Haigh and Michael Lannan have wrapped up the series in a way that casts those early episodes definitively as first chapters in a story that ends with its characters having learned to chill the hell out and celebrate the myriad of gay relationships available to them. With that comes a sense of generosity, sincerity, and yeah, a little bit of wisdom, too. Not to mention an A+ sex scene that now gives Looking claim to the TWO best rimjob scenes in all of television history. As legacies go, I’d take it.

Warner Bros. Pictures also releases first poster for 'King Arthur

Warner Bros. Pictures has unveiled the first poster for "Kong: Skull Island" ahead of the studio's presentation scheduled to be held at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday, July 23. Discussion about the highly-anticipated film will be held in Hall H at 11:30 A.M.-1:30 P.M. 

The poster for "Kong: Skull Island", which is due March 10, 2017, has been shared via the film's official Twitter page. It gives a first look at the titular beast. Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts recently told EW,http://sh.st/KKORq "Our Kong is by far the biggest Kong that you've seen on screen, and that translates to a lot of different things on the island." 

The director explained, "Peter Jackson's Kong was around 25 feet. The '33s Kong ranged between 25 feet and 50 feet, I want to say he was 50-plus feet when he was on the Empire State Building. He varied in size dramatically! The '70s Kong was somewhere between them

Tom Hiddleston reveals upcoming film ‘Kong: Skull Island’

Tom Hiddleston reveals upcoming film ‘Kong: Skull Island’

From being Loki, actor Tom Hiddleston will star in a new film “Kong:Skull Island” as Captain James Conrad.

Tom excitedly shared a photo of him with John Goodman and actress Brie Larson,  in a mammoth bone yard.

“Here’s the first shot from @kongskullisland. Can’t wait to show you more tomorrow at #SDCC2016,”wrote Tom in his tweet.

 Hiddleston is referring the San Diego Comic Con 2016, where along with panels, seminars and workshops with comic book professionals, there are previews of upcoming feature films, and portfolio review sessions with top comic book and video game companies.

In an interview reported by Entertainment Weekly, director Vogt-Roberts promised to bring bigger things ahead of the whole story saying “From the size of the skull, you can tell that things on this island are much bigger than audiences are used to with traditional Kong lore.”

“Our Kong is by far the biggest Kong that you’ve seen on screen, and that translates to a lot of different things on the island,” the Kong director added.

 

Ring King Terence Crawford Talks Knocks Outs And Next Moves

Ring King Terence Crawford Talks Knocks Outs And Next Moves

When he’ll know he’s the best fighter in boxing.

Crawford: When I’m univerally labeled #1 Pound 4 Pound. I know I’ve arrived, but I’m not where I want to be yet. That’s why I won’t rate myself #1. The rating has to be a combination of both (fans and media). The people didn’t like Mayweather, but they had to respect he was Pound 4 Pound #1.

On facing Viktor Postol on pay-per-view.

Crawford: Well, it was a surprise. But at the same time, it wasn’t something I was worried about. My main concern is that I got the fight. I don’t feel like I cornered him. He’s a champion that wants to fight the best. I’ve been trying to do the same thing. We have the same promoter so we should have got the job done making this fight.

If unifying junior welterweight is still important over bigger matchups at welterweight.

Crawford: Not at all. I feel the winner of this fight will be labeled the best in the division, hands down. The fans, from New York to here in Vegas, have been receiving me very well. My team has been getting great feedback. As for this being my debut main event at the MGM Grand, it don’t matter where we fight — you still have to perform in that ring. We could fight in Mexico. What matters is what you do in the ring.

On being able to fight orthodox and southpaw against Viktor Postol’s style.

Crawford: It doesn’t matter that he’s taller — I have no preference on height. I got the ability to adjust to any fighter. I make my adjustments on the fly and am working on becoming one of greatest fighters of all time.

Freddie Roach will win $9,000 if Viktor Postol knocks out Terence Crawford

The famous trainer has put money on his fighter to come out on top in the fight between the two unbeaten super-lightweight stars in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Roach is so confident that he put his money where his mouth is and will win $9,000 from his $100 bet if his fighter, Postol (28-0-KO12), can win by knockout.

The Ukrainian WBC title holder is the underdog and was booed onto the stage for the weigh-in and final stare-down at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas.

WBO boss, Crawford (28-0-KO20), weighed in at exactly 140lbs with Postol coming in half-a-pound lighter, before claiming he has the psychological advantage.

Wonder Woman looks like it will deliver on its promise of female empowerment

The first Wonder Woman trailer premiered exclusively at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday. The movie looks like it will deliver on female empowerment.

In the trailer, Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) finds a passed out Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) on the beach. “You’re a man?” the warrior who has never seen the opposite sex before asks.

We see shots of Wonder Woman carrying a sword in a ballgown, fighting on horseback, blocking bullets in the World War I trenches with her shield and wielding her golden lasso of truth. Hammering home the message that Diana Prince is an independent woman, when Steve Trevor tells her, “I can’t let you do this,” she replies: “What I do is not up to you.”

“I wanted to portray this character in a way that everyone could relate too. Not only girls, not only boys, but men and women too,” said Gal Gadot.

“The world needs love and forgiveness in such a huge way. It’s not about who’s right anymore,” director Patty Jenkins said during the panel. “We need heroes who are strong enough to be loving and forgiving…That’s what wonder woman in particular stands for.”

The trailer also included a few gag lines, like when Diana Prince asks what a secretary is and, after being told, says, “Where I come from we call that slavery

MasterCard to buy 92.4 percent of UK-based VocaLink for $920 million

MasterCard Inc (MA.N) said it had agreed to buy 92.4 percent of the UK-based VocaLink Holdings Ltd for about $920 million (700 million pounds), after adjusting for cash and certain estimated liabilities.

VocaLink operates payments technology platforms on behalf of UK payment schemes.

A majority of VocaLinks shareholders will retain a 7.6 percent stake in the firm for at least three years, according to the terms of the deal, MasterCard said.

VocaLink's existing shareholders could get an additional $220 million, if certain performance targets are met, MasterCard said.

(Reporting by Sruthi Shankar in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza)

MasterCard jumps into UK payments technologies, buys VocaLink for up to $1.14B

For those keeping tabs, one more big tech company built and operating in the UK has been snapped up by another company from abroad. Today, MasterCard Inc. announced that it has agreed to acquire 92.4% of VocaLink — the tech giant behind the UK’s ATM, direct debit, and major mobile payments networks — for $1.14 billion in an all-cash deal: £700 million ($920 million) initially, with the potential for an earn-out of up to an additional £169 million (approximately US$220 million), also in cash, if performance targets are met.

The remaining 7.6% of the company will continue to be owned by VocaLink’s shareholders for a period of at least three years, said MasterCard in its announcement.

In 2015, VocaLink had revenues of £182 million ($240 million) and processed more than 11 billion transactions.

The deal is the second major exit for a British company this week, after Softbank announced on Monday that it was acquiring chip reference design maker ARM Holdings for $32 billion.

Many have raised the issue of whether more deals will get made now because of the lower value of the British pound in the wake of the “Brexit” vote for the UK to leave the European Union. Softbank’s CEO Masayoshi Son denied this was the case. MasterCard says the same applies here.

“As you can imagine it has been worked on for many months,” a spokesperson told us about the deal. “MasterCard has been keen to acquire VocaLink for many months before the Brexit vote even took place. Brexit isn’t a factor in this transaction.”

For now, MasterCard says that it is buying the company to fill out its strategy to be an “active participant in all types of electronic payments and payment flows and to enhance its services for the benefit of customers and partners.” It also says it wants to play a more strategic role in the UK payments ecosystem.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to play a bigger role in payments in the UK, a very strategic market for us,” Ajay Banga, president and CEO, MasterCard, said in a statement. “VocaLink is a unique company with outstanding technology, assets and people. We look forward to investing in and maximizing the technology, and embedding it in our products and solutions, both in the UK and around the world.”

The deal comes as more companies from abroad are looking to tap into payments and the UK’s general embrace of consumerism and spending money. Yesterday we reported that there is evidence that Square is also gearing up to finally open for business here, too.

In addition to operating those three major payments networks of ATMs, BAC-based direct debits and Faster Payments (the mobile tech), which cover transactions made by just about every British resident, VocaLink, which was founded in 2007 and appeared to have no venture backing, also has built other services and for other markets outside of its home country.

They include ZAPP, a mobile payments app that leverages Fast ACH technology; and it also licenses its software and provides services to support ACH activities in Sweden, Singapore, Thailand and the United States.

That gives you a sign of how MasterCard may hope to develop its business going forward, too, although it will continue to keep the UK as its focus.

Actress Shannen Doherty through the years

CNN) -

Shannen Doherty documented shaving her head as she battles breast cancer.

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The actress went public with her diagnosis last August when she filed a lawsuit against her former business manager. In the claim, the "Charmed" and "90210" star accused her manager of not paying health insurance premiums, causing coverage for the actress to lapse.

On Wednesday, Doherty posted images on her Instagram account. In one, she is being hugged by her mother, Rosa Doherty. In another, friend and model Anne Marie Kortright takes a photo as the actress cuts her hair.

Doherty had earlier Instagrammed a photo with the caption "Cupcake pan, chocolates and a razor.... Stay tuned. @annemkortright has got this. #cancersucks #thankgodforfriends," to tease that she would be shaving her head.

Doherty's social media followers responded with well wishes.

Donald Trump Sets Conditions for Defending NATO Allies Against Attack

CLEVELAND — Donald J. Trump, on the eve of accepting the Republican nomination for president, said Wednesday that if he were elected, he would not pressure Turkey or other authoritarian allies about conducting purges of their political adversaries or cracking down on civil liberties. The United States, he said, has to “fix our own mess” before trying to alter the behavior of other nations.

“I don’t think we have a right to lecture,” Mr. Trump said in a wide-ranging interview in his suite in a downtown hotel here while keeping an eye on television broadcasts from the Republican National Convention. “Look at what is happening in our country,” he said. “How are we going to lecture when people are shooting policemen in cold blood?”

During a 45-minute conversation, he explicitly raised new questions about his commitment to automatically defend NATO allies if they are attacked, saying he would first look at their contributions to the alliance. Mr. Trump re-emphasized the hard-line nationalist approach that has marked his improbable candidacy, describing how he would force allies to shoulder defense costs that the United States has borne for decades, cancel longstanding treaties he views as unfavorable, and redefine what it means to be a partner of the United States.

He said the rest of the world would learn to adjust to his approach. “I would prefer to be able to continue” existing agreements, he said, but only if allies stopped taking advantage of what he called an era of American largess that was no longer affordable.

Giving a preview of his address to the convention on Thursday night, he said that he would press the theme of “America First,” his rallying cry for the past four months, and that he was prepared to scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada if he could not negotiate radically better terms.

He even called into question whether, as president, he would automatically extend the security guarantees that give the 28 members of NATO the assurance that the full force of the United States military has their back.

For example, asked about Russia’s threatening activities that have unnerved the small Baltic States that are among the more recent entrants into NATO, Mr. Trump said that if Russia attacked them, he would decide whether to come to their aid only after reviewing whether those nations “have fulfilled their obligations to us.”

Trump appears to put conditions on aiding NATO allies

Donald Trump appeared in an interview to set conditions on coming to the aid of NATO allies while touting a foreign policy approach that would see the United States "fix our own mess" before intervening to help solve problems in other countries.

Trump said that if Russia were to attack the Baltic States — new NATO members whose friendly relations with the West Moscow views as a threat — he would decide on coming to their aid only after assessing how those nations "have fulfilled their obligations to us." He characterized these obligations in mostly economic terms.

He spoke to the New York Times ahead of his acceptance of the Republican nomination for president on Thursday. He told the publication how he would make international partners contribute more to defense costs, pull out of treaties such as the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada if they don't meet U.S. interests and redraw the terms of long-held global cooperation.

He said he would "prefer to be able to continue" with existing agreements but on specific terms: “We are going to take care of this country first before we worry about everyone else in the world.”

First lady, James Corden hit the road for 'Carpool Karaoke'

The first lady and Corden didn't go far — security demanded that they stick to the driveway on the White House property. But that didn't mean they couldn't belt out Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" and Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)."

Then it was time for "This Is For My Girls," a "girl power anthem" intended to promote full access to education worldwide. And to join them for it, up popped Missy Elliott in Corden's backseat.

Michelle Obama's Carpool Karaoke With James Corden

The FLOTUS just got her Carpool Karaoke on!

Michelle Obama joined forces with James Corden on tonight's must-see The Late Late Show skit and the two sure didn't disappoint. 

The First Lady of the United States of America danced along to none other than Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" as she chatted with the Brit star.

But easily the most memorable moment of the night was when Missy Elliott herself dropped by to sing along to "This Is for My Girls" with Obama and Corden. 

Shortly after the show aired, the Secret Service tweeted the following message: "Thank you @JKCorden and the @thelatelateshow for bringing @FLOTUS home safe and sound after#CarpoolKaraoke. We were watching."

The late-night host took Barack Obama's better half on a ride around Washington D.C. as the two caught up and discussed what it's really like living in the White House.