African Olympians seek asylum in UK: Athletes who competed in the London Olympics are allowed to stay in the United Kingdom through November, but at least one has already announced that he plans to seek political asylum and remain there indefinitely. There's speculation that competitors from Cameroon, Eritrea, Guinea and the Ivory Coast who "disappeared" from the Olympic Village may do the same.
Is Zoe Saldana a terrible choice to play Nina Simone? A petition titled "Replace Zoe Saldana With an Actress Who Actually Looks Like Nina Simone" circulating online calls Saldana's casting in the biopic "bulls—" and accuses organizers of trying to "whitewash" the film, Rolling Out reports.
Oprah talks to Rihanna: Discussing her assault at the hands of Chris Brown, the singer told Winfrey, "I just felt like he made that mistake because he needed help … and who's going to help him?" Watch a clip of the Oprah's Next Chapter episode at the Huffington Post.
The Rev. Al Sharpton announces "Occupy the Corners" campaign: On Friday, Aug. 17, Sharpton and his National Action Network will commence execution of its “Occupy the Corners” initiative in New York City. The effort is designed to curb gun violence in metropolitan areas. NAN announced the specific corners to be occupied on Thursday.