Louis Vuitton ad

Michael Phelps is back in the water, sort of. The Speedo-clad superhero of the U.S. Olympic swim team is taking the world's fanciest bath in a new Louis Vuitton ad.

Phelps may have retired from competitive swimming, but that isn't going to stop him from making a living in the water. The new ad has the all-time winningest Olympian sitting in a bathtub wearing nothing but Speedos and goggles. Goggles? You may be able to make the case for wearing something resembling clothing in the tub, but who wears goggles for a few inches of water?

[ Related: Michael Phelps says he and Michael Jordan are the greatest ]

We may have just discovered the secret to Michael's success. Perhaps it wasn't his superhuman physique or his incomparable work ethic. Maybe it was just a pair of lucky goggles. And they seem to be working in and out the pool. If you've had a chance to see who Michael is dating these days, you wouldn't go anywhere without them either.

Phelps apparently, at least in the ad, carries his

4x400 champs (Getty Images)

The United States took over the medal count from China last Wednesday and never looked back.

With some help from hoops, the track and the ladies, the Yanks finished with 46 golds and 104 total medals to easily outdistance second-place China, which tallied 38 golds and 87 total medals. The U.S finished with 29 silvers and 29 bronze to top the list in the second- and third-place columns as well. Women made the biggest impact, claiming 29 of the 46 U.S. gold medals, which would be good enough for a second-place tie in the gold-medal count with Britain if they competed on their own.

[ Video: Did London pass the test? ]

Russia finished third in the total count with 24 gold and 82 total medals, while the host Brits put up an impressive tally of 29 golds and 65 total medals.

Some of the key U.S. medals down the stretch came on the basketball court, where LeBron James led the men's hoops team to a second straight gold with a tight win over Spain on Sunday, while Geno Auriemma's  team claimed

Jessie J, performing with Queen (Getty Images)

The closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympics paid powerful testimony to the most important British musician of all time... Jessie J.

Well, apparently that's what the director, Stephen Daldry, believes, since he not only had the provincially popular songstress singing the Bee Gees' "You Should Be Dancin'" but also reappearing at the big finale to belt out "We Will Rock You." There is no cold shower quite like the one that occurs when the surprise lead singer for a climactic Queen reunion turns out to be Jessie J.

[ Related: Spice Girls stand out at Closing Ceremonies ]

Daldry (whose most recent film was the dud Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) was probably never destined to win the kudos for his musical tastes that the opening ceremony's director, Danny Boyle, did. But his presentation was still greeted with an unexpected degree of virulence in the Twitter-verse, as the artsier first half of the ceremony gave way to an apparently random assortment of once or currently popular British

timothy spallThe Closing Ceremony of the London Summer Olympics was full of music, stars, and culture. Below, a recap of some of the moments that may have had non-Brits saying, "Wait, what just happened?"

Is it Prince Henry or Prince Harry?

When Prince Harry made his grand entrance at the start of the Games, you might have done a double take when his name was announced. "Prince Henry," the announcer said.

Did somebody just make an epic mistake, calling the redheaded prince by the wrong name? Nope. While the English may know this already, for those who don't, the prince's official name is Henry Charles Albert David. Folks call him Harry for short.

Who was the guy playing Winston Churchill?

That was popular character actor Timothy Spall. The London-born actor has appeared in several "Harry Potter" flicks as well as "Sweeney Todd," "Enchanted," and "The King's Speech" (in which he played Churchill).

Spall wasn't quoting Churchill after he emerged from the top of Big Ben. The words were from

The most eagerly anticipated element of the London Games' Closing Ceremony was the reunion of the Spice Girls, and one of them in particular stole the spotlight. Mel B performs at the Closing Ceremony (AP)

Melanie Brown, aka "Mel B," aka "Scary Spice," was front and center for much of the performance, which involved the Spice Girls singing their hits on top of cabs driving around the Olympic Stadium. The cars came together in the center of the stadium stage, and Mel B was in the center of the group when the cabs came to a stop.

She stood out in other ways, as well. She sported a sparkling bodysuit (taking notes, perhaps, from the publicity-savvy Jennifer Lopez during a New Year's bash) and seemed to be injecting more energy into the performance than any other Spice Girl. Mel B even got a little solo moment early in the performance, which included renditions of the hit songs "Wannabe" and "Spice Up Your Life."

The 37-year-old singer looked especially good after giving birth to three kids since the Spice Girls' first "retirement"

Kate MossThe Olympics Closing Ceremony is supposed to be a celebration of the athletes who, for the last 17 days, have shed blood, sweat and tears with the goal of winning glory and bringing pride to their nations (also, it's a giant party).

Still, it was a bit of a head-scratcher when London's ceremony included a segment that put the spotlight on … supermodels.

Rail-thin, slightly unhealthy-looking supermodels, with complicated histories. Great Britain's Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell led the catwalk contingent that paid homage to British designers such as Alexander McQueen and Victoria Beckham.

[ Photos: 2012 London Games' Closing Ceremony ]

The Twitter-verse exploded with disapproval. Moss, who allegedly used drugs in 2005, in particular took some heat.

LONDON — Whatever the Canadian term for "keepin' it real" is, please apply it to the following image:

@brianprice2012Yes, it's the Canadian Tuxedo, khaki pants with a denim jacket, complete with patches that feature the Maple Leaf flag and a beaver.

There's really no judging it on a traditional pass/fail scale — it's just Canada, people.

While your first guess may have been Bryan Adams, the jackets were actually designed by Hudson's Bay Company, the official store of the Canadian Olympic Team. Here's a press release from The Bay, beginning with the six greatest words ever written:

Inspired by Canada's love for denim, the Closing Ceremony Jean Jacket has a classic appeal that is familiar to many Canadians.

Embellished with a variety of Canada-inspired patches, worn to symbolize exploration, adventure, accomplishment and pride in Canada, the jacket is an iconic collector piece for the athletes and all Canadians.  Also included in the Closing Ceremony look are Heather Grey Maple Leaf T-shirts and sweatshirts, tailored khaki pants and sporty white sneakers. Some of the Canadian Olympic Team may also choose to wear Maple Leaf Red summer toques and/or Maple Leaf Red wayfarer -inspired sunglasses as they celebrate this Olympic moment.

"The Closing Ceremonies have typically been a time for celebration and we wanted our athletes to wear something fun and unexpected and that symbolized who they are as Canadians," says Suzanne Timmins, SVP and Fashion Director, Hudson's Bay Company. "The Closing Ceremony Jean Jacket encompasses everything we were trying to embody when designing the collection.  It brings together elements of unity, pride and longevity - making it the perfect choice for our athletes to wear at the Closing Ceremony tonight."

Ah yes, but what did the people say? Glad you asked.

BRAY, IRELAND — Her story seemed to mirror a classic sports storyline I had told before: Athlete comes from humble beginnings. Athlete against all odds. Athlete has the support of the hometown.

But Katie Taylor's story was different. So different. So beyond different.

Hearing her friends and family describing her as just "humble" would be a massive understatement.

You want going against the odds? The sport of female boxing didn't even exist in the Olympics four years ago.

And support of a hometown? How about the weight of an entire nation on your shoulders.

Every night in the Olympic Media Center we met with our editors and photographers to plan out the next day's attack. Storylines discussed ranged from quirky London tidbits to the achieved medal plateaus and usually ended with a comparison over which producer had less sleep the night before. That's one debate if you win you lose.

But last Thursday night was different. Yahoo! Sports columnist Dan Wetzel had just returned from