On Saturday, Bay of Pigs invasion veterans mark 50 years since their release

In the days before Christmas 50 years ago this weekend, 1,113 Bay of Pigs fighters captured by Fidel Castro’s forces and imprisoned for 20 months were finally released to a heroes’ welcome in Miami.The first planeload of POWs arrived at Homestead Air Force Base on Dec. 23, 1962. Gaunt and betrayed by the John F. Kennedy administration, members of the proud Brigade 2506 were...

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Analysis: Apple’s swoon exposes risk lurking in mutual funds

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The nearly 28 percent decline in shares of Apple Inc since mid-September isn’t just painful to individual shareholders. It’s also being felt by investors who chased hot mutual funds that loaded up on Apple as the stock raced to a record $ 705 per share.Apple makes up 10 percent or more of assets in 117 out of the 1,119 funds that own its shares, according to data from Lipper,...

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Buzzmakers: New X Factor and Miss Universe Winners

What had ET readers buzzing this week?1. 'The X Factor' Crowns A Winner!And the $5 million recording contract goes to…Tate Stevens! The 37-year-old country crooner beat out runner-up 13-year-old Carly Rose Sonenclar for the top prize Thursday night. 35 million votes were cast Wednesday to determine victory for L.A. Reid's mentee.Near tears, the Raymore, Missouri native thanked his fans for their overwhelming...

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Staten Island man killed in early-morning house fire

A Staten Island man was killed when an early-morning fire swept through his home, police and relatives said.Jameek Champagne, 23, died in the third-floor attic of the home on Osgood Avenue in Clifton. His brother and grandfather escaped the blaze uninjured.A neighbor reported the blaze after seeing flames erupt from the house at about 5:40 a.m. He banged on the door in a frantic effort to awaken its...

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Time’s up for holiday shopping procrastinators

Last minute shoppers like Josette Tyne are in luck this year.With a long weekend before Christmas, retailers want to make it easier for procrastinators to finish their gift buying. Macy’s for the first time is keeping all its stores open around the clock from Friday until Sunday at midnight. Toys “R” Us and Walmart Supercenters will be open non-stop until Christmas Eve.Even...

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Stand Your Ground motion denied in Janepsy Carballo case

It will be up to a jury to decide if Janepsy Carballo was justified in the killing of the man she said killed her husband. The Stand Your Ground motion filed by her defense was denied on Friday, based largely on Carballo’s inadvertent confession to a confidential informant who was wearing a police wire to investigate an unrelated drug charge at the pain management clinic...

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The Words Exclusive DVD Bonus Features Clip

Bradley Cooper has built his career on playing men stuck between a rock and a hard place -- from The Hangover to Limitless, audiences simply adore watching the actor wriggle out of sticky situations. RELATED - Bradley Cooper Talks The Words The Words promises to elate his fans once again as Cooper plays Rory Jansen, a struggling writer who finally achieves literary success after publishing what is...

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Gunman shoots 3 dead, wounds trooper before he is killed on rural Pennsylvania road

HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa. — A shooting along a rural road Friday left four people dead, including the gunman, and three state troopers injured, authorities said.The shooting scene "extended over several miles" in Frankstown Township, about 70 miles west of Harrisburg, Blair County District Attorney Rich Consiglio said.The dead were three men and one woman, Consiglio...

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After its sale to South Beach neighbors, Raleigh brand to grow

The Raleigh hotel, an Art Deco gem famous for its curlicue black-framed pool, has sold to new owners with plans to turn the hotel into a national brand.But before Raleigh siblings pop up in locales around the country, new owners David Edelstein and Sam Nazarian will pour $2-$5 million into the 1940 property at 1775 Collins Ave.They certainly have experience in that area....

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Orange Bowl donates thousands of pairs of sneakers to kids in need

Playing youth sports requires having properly fitting shoes. The Orange Bowl organization recently distributed more than 2,300 pairs of new and used sneakers to disadvantaged children who want to participate in sports and exercise. The shoes were collected through the “Kicks for Kids School Challenge” in Miami-Dade and Broward County Schools, and the top four collectors were...

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Nintendo’s amazing triumph in Japan may doom the company internationally

According to Japanese gaming bible Famitsu, Nintendo (NTDOY) 3DS sold 333,000 units in the week ending December 16, while Sony’s (SNE) PS Vita limped along at 13,000 units, the new Wii U did an okay 130,000 units and the PlayStation 3 managed to sell 46,000 units.  The utter hardware domination of the 3DS is reshaping the Japanese software market. Franchises that were thought to be fading have...

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Oscars Flashback: Russell Crowe 2001

At the 2001 Academy Awards, Russell Crowe won his first Oscar for Gladiator, a film that created a significant appetite for epic dramas that still exists today. However, Crowe wasn't exactly on cloud nine after winning the award, as he is unyieldingly sarcastic and standoffish in his pressroom session.Crowe, who had been nominated for an Oscar for The Insider prior to his portrayal of "Maximus," sets...

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Helicopter that crashed into East River was too heavy: report

APThis photo provided by the National Transportation and Safety Board shows the helicopter that crashed into the East River last October.A federal report says a helicopter that crashed into the East River off New York City on a sightseeing tour last year was carrying too much weight.Thursday's report from the National Transportation Safety Board doesn't...

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Carnival fourth-quarter profits tumble

MIAMI (AP) – Cruise operator Carnival Corp. said Thursday that its fiscal fourth-quarter net income tumbled 57 percent, hurt by lower ticket prices and higher fuel costs. Despite the drop, the results beat Wall Street predictions. But the Miami-based company issued a lower-than-expected profit prediction for the full year, and its shares fell 6 percent in morning trading....

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New poll: Many Florida voters say they wouldn’t re-elect Scott as governor

TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Rick Scott continues to suffer from poor approval ratings despite an improving economy and lowering unemployment, and a majority of voters say they wouldn’t vote to re-elect him, a new poll shows.The poll found, among other things, that many voters are crediting the Obama administration with an improving economy, rather than Scott. A Quinnipiac University...

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ET Flashback: Defending 'The Dark Crystal'

Thirty years ago Jim Henson and Frank Oz debuted The Dark Crystal, a groundbreaking, live-action sci-fi fantasy populated completely by imaginative, highly detailed puppets. Back in 1982, ET sat down with the visionary family filmmakers to preview the film, its myriad creatures -- and differentiate it from the inevitable comparisons of the time to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Star Wars.Video: Cee...

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Robin Hood starts distributing $50M from Superstorm Sandy concert

The Robin Hood Foundation says it is beginning to distribute $50 million in proceeds from last week's benefit concert to organizations helping victims of Superstorm Sandy.Madison Square Garden spokeswoman Michelle Isaacs said Wednesday the money was raised through ticket sales, merchandising and charitable auctions at the Dec. 12 show, which featured Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and the Rolling...

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Stone-crab season suffers in the Keys

Despite rocketing prices for stone-crab claws, many Florida Keys commercial fishermen have nearly given up on the season only 2 months old."We may see record prices but also record pain," said Gary Graves, general manager of Keys Fisheries in Marathon. "Prices don't mean anything if you can't catch anything."Harvests since shortly after the season opening Oct. 15 have been...

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Florida unveils new license tag — and yes, there’s an orange

TALLAHASSEE -- Florida voters have selected their next license tag.The green-rimmed, leafed-orange winner in a poll of about 50,000 online voters could be released as soon as 2014. It is scheduled to be phased in over two years on Florida’s 15 million vehicles. “Sunshine State” is at the plate’s bottom edge, and the center is stamped with seven characters instead of the...

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Merry Christmas, America-Haters?

When TNT was preparing its annual special “Christmas in Washington” with the president of the United States, you’d think the last star musician they would consider to join the official caroling would be Psy, the South Korean rapper. What on Earth is Christmasy about this man’s invisible-horse-riding dance to his dorky disco-rap hit “Gangnam Style”? It’s not exactly the natural flip-side to “O Holy...

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Advocate: Soldiers got 'wrist slap' in Chen hazing case

The family and friends of an Army private who committed suicide after being hazed by fellow soldiers say their punishment is only "a slap on the wrist."That's what attorney Elizabeth OuYang told a news conference in Chinatown on Tuesday.Military officials say Danny Chen killed himself last year in Afghanistan after being harassed by other soldiers.On Monday,...

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Pipeline Brickell, a new co-working space, reaches 70% occupancy

Pipeline Brickell, the shared workspace at 1101 Brickell Avenue that opened last month, announced it has reached 70 percent occupancy and is now home to dozens of startups, established companies and professionals. Company founders Todd Oretsky and Philippe Houdard said members of the 14,000-square-foot high-design co-working center include The Founder’s Institute, the world's...

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Narcy Novack gets life in prison for killing her hotel heir husband

An epic family murder saga ended Monday when Narcy Novack, wife of Fontainebleau hotel heir Ben Novack Jr., was sentenced to life in prison.Three years after she and her brother, Cristobal Veliz, planned and helped execute Ben Novack and his mother Bernice, the convicted killers, who had remained loyal to each other throughout the trial, made it clear their family ties would...

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RIM begins BlackBerry 10 tests with business, government clients

TORONTO (Reuters) – Research In Motion Ltd said on Monday that it had begun a “beta testing” program that allows 120 companies and government departments to try out its new BlackBerry 10 smartphones before their global launch on January 30.The Canadian company, which is trying to reverse a sharp decline in market share for the BlackBerry, said the program would enable so-called enterprise customers...

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Les Miserables Stars

Given his strong song and dance background (plus, those two Tony Awards), it's no surprise Hugh Jackman's name gets bandied about for every big screen musical. But, in a new interview during The LA Times' Envelope Screening Series, Jackman reveals his latest stab at cinematic singing scared the life out of him. VIDEO - Amanda Seyfried on Getting a Lap Dance From JackmanAfter equating Jean Valjean...

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Judge rules Coney Island wooden boardwalk to be replaced with plastic planks

REUTERSThe boardwalk at Coney Island before the arrival of Sandy.Plastic is the new wood, a Brooklyn judge has decided — at least when it comes to Coney island’s famous boardwalk.Judge Martin Solomon ruled that the city may move forward with its plan to replace five blocks of the iconic – and rickety — wooden boardwalk with plastic and concrete planks,...

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Ryder CEO Greg Swienton retiring, COO getting promoted

Trucking giant Ryder will get a new CEO in two weeks, as the Miami-Dade company announces the retirement of Gregory Swienton and the promotion of current COO Robert Sanchez to the top job. Ryder, which leases commercial trucks and manages supply operations for companies around the world, saw revenues and profits increase this year, but has also been cutting costs and selling...

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Child dies from injuries after being hit by car

A 7-year-old struck by a vehicle in a Lauderhill neighborhood street Saturday night has died, police said on Sunday.The child was struck at around 7 p.m. on the 5700 block of Northwest 27th Court.No names have been released. The driver has been identified only as a 20-year-old female. The cause of the accident is still under investigation, said police spokesman...

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Riveting Details Emerge from CT School Rampage

As morning turned to afternoon on Friday, further details continued to emerge from Newtown, CT, a tight-knit community shaken by a massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School that took the lives of innocent students and teachers, in addition to the gunman, reportedly identified as Adam Lanza.RELATED: President Fights Tears as He Addresses NationAs President Barack Obama touched on in his tear-jerking...

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Fuel spill in Staten Island waters confined: Coast Guard

The US Coast Guard says a fuel spill from a cargo tank on a barge has been "pretty much confined" to the Staten Island waters where it originally occurred.Spokesman Charles Rowe says cleanup of the spill is continuing, with thousands of gallons of oil-tainted water removed.The spill from a leaking tank occurred Friday at about 11:20 p.m. It's unclear how...

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Miami in spotlight at AVCC, other entrepreneurship events

Entrepreneurs from around the world took the stage during this packed week of entrepreneurship events in Miami: Florida International University’s Americas Venture Capital Conference (known as AVCC), HackDay, Wayra’s Global DemoDay and Endeavor’s International Selection Panel.The events, all part of the first Innovate MIA week, also put the spotlight on Miami as it continues...

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