On the hunt for Italian soccer's match-fixing mastermind

On the hunt for Italian soccer's match-fixing mastermind

Getty Images

Juventus head coach Antonio Conte receives a four-month ban for his role in Italian soccer's match-fixing scandal.

ROME â€" At 5:45 a.m. on Nov. 4, 2011, when early risers would have been sipping espressos and buttering toast, a man dressed in black disembarked at Milan’s Malpensa Airport after a 13-hour trip from Asia aboard a Singapore Airlines flight.

Italian court documents show he stayed in the country just 6 hours and 30 minutes, never left the airport, and then boarded a return flight to Singapore.

Why such a quick hop across the globe?

Italian authorities believe it was to deliver bribe money. They allege the suspected courier, who was under surveillance, delivered information and cash on behalf of a crime syndicate that fixes soccer matches.

â€"â€"â€"

Italy, a four-time World Cup-winning football power, has become so blighted by match-fixing that Premier Mario Monti has even suggested halting the professional game for two to three years to clean it up.

Italian prosecutors investigating dozens of league and cup games they say were fixed have followed a trail back to a figure who is thought to be in Singapore. In documents laying out their findings, prosecutors alleged that 48-year-old Tan Seet Eng is the boss of a crime syndicate that allegedly made millions betting on rigged Italian games between 2008 and late 2011, through bribing players, referees and club officials.

Italian authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Tan and list him as their No. 1 suspect, but they have been unable to take him into custody.

“Tan Seet Eng, nicknamed Dan, surfaces in all the European investigations examined, including the Italian one, so therefore he constitutes a common thread that links each criminal gang together,” prosecutors stated in a 340-page court document detailing their investigation, which has been leaked to Italian news media. “He directs the aforementioned criminal gang.”

Italian authorities have about 150 people under investigation, including Tan, but have yet to indict any of them, prosecutor Roberto Di Martino told The Associated Press last month. Italian arrest warrants cannot be served on Tan while he is in Asia.

Di Martino, who is leading the investigation from Cremona in northern Italy, said Tan will “almost certainly” go on trial in Italy, but likely in absentia. Italy has no extradition treaty with Singapore, but the Italian Justice Ministry said the Asian city-state could still send over a wanted suspect under “friendly terms” if it chooses. Di Martino said relations with Singapore authorities “have not been great. We had hoped for more.”

“At first we actually thought they could be brought to Italy, but that calculation was wrong,” Di Martino said. “If Tan Seet Eng goes somewhere else, he could be extradited, as long as there’s an extradition treaty with that country.”

In Singapore, police spokeswoman Chu Guat Chiew said authorities there are reviewing the information submitted by the Italians before deciding what to do, adding: “So far, Dan Tan Seet Eng has not been charged with any offence in Singapore.”

Alec Baldwin's wife sued for emotionally upsetting yoga class

Alec Baldwin's wife sued for emotionally upsetting yoga class

Noel Vasquez/Getty Images for Extra

Hilaria Thomas Baldwin, who has been instructing yoga since 2005, is being sued by a man who claims one of her classes left him with physical and emotional injuries.

A lower Manhattan man says he was injured while taking a yoga class from Alec Baldwin’s wife.

In papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, Spencer Wolff says he suffered “serious” and “severe” injuries and “emotional upset” during Hilaria Thomas’ Jan. 15 class at Yoga Vida.

RELATED: ALEC BALDWIN AND WIFE EXPECTING

The suit doesn’t specify how Wolff was injured, but it blames the “overcrowded” class and Thomas’ “negligence” as two causes of his alleged accident.

Thomas, who married the actor in June, is pregnant with the couple’s first child. She has been teaching yoga since 2005, according to the University Place studio’s website.

A rep for Yoga Vida did not immediately return an email for comment Friday night.

cboyle@nydailynews.com and dgregorian@nydailynews.com

Relive the week in politics with our favorite pictures

Relive the week in politics with our favorite pictures

Looking for a recap of the week in politics, without all the reading?

Then join us in reliving this week's political news through some of our favorite photos.

In this week's edition, Sen. Marco Rubio got thirsty, Mayor Bloomberg put on a show, Rep. Steve Cohen dropped a bombshell and much more.

Rep. Eliot Engel hogged the aisle:

Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images

Speaker John Boehner was unimpressed:

Charles Dharapak/Via Bloomberg

Sen. Marco Rubio got thirsty:

Gabby Giffords stepped back into the spotlight:

Norman Jean Roy/AP

A confirmation was blocked:

Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images

Mayor Bloomberg put on a show:

Mario Tama/Getty Images

President Obama examined an important issue:

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images

John Boehner blew a kiss:

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Rep. Steve Cohen dropped a bombshell:

Facebook

Sen. Frank Lautenberg bowed out:

Mel Evans/AP

President Obama remembered his worst day:

Susan Walsh/AP

Pistorius weeps during court appearance

Pistorius weeps during court appearance

ANTOINE DE RAS/EPA

South African star sprinter Oscar Pistorius weeps as he appears in the Pretoria magistrates court after spending the night in police custody in Pretoria. Pistorius has been officially charged with murder.

 Olympic hero Oscar Pistorius stood weeping in a South African courtroom Friday as prosecutors charged him with the cold-blooded murder of his model girlfriend.

The double-amputee sprinter, known as the “Blade Runner,” clutched his head in his hands as his shoulders heaved during his first court appearance in the shooting of beautiful blond Reeva Steenkamp.

South African prosecutors, in a move that drew gasps in the crowded courtroom, alleged the Valentine Day’s killing of the internationally known Steenkamp was premeditated murder.

PHOTOS: OSCAR PISTORIUS CHARGED WITH MURDER OF REEVA STEENKAMP

The defendant did not speak or enter a plea during his appearance.

Shortly after the emotional courtroom scene, the Pistorius family released a statement challenging the charges against the inspirational athlete.

“The alleged murder is disputed in the strongest terms,” the seven-paragraph statement said without elaborating.

RELATED: OSCAR PISTORIUS’ FAMILY RELEASES STATEMENT

Pistorius “has made it very clear that he would like to send his deepest sympathies to the family of Reeva ... Our thoughts and prayers today should be for Reeva and her family.”

But the Afrikaans daily newspaper Beeld reported that Steenkamp was cowering behind a bathroom door in her boyfriend’s house when she was shot four times with a 9-mm. handgun.

The 29-year-old victim was struck in the head, chest, pelvis and hand, the newspaper said. The two began dating about four months before the slaying.

RELATED: REEVA STEENKAMP REMEMBERED FOR BEAUTY AND BRAINS

Security guards in Pistorius’ gated Pretoria community found him sitting alongside the bloody body in the bathroom â€" with the bullet holes obvious in the door, according to Beeld.

Pistorius, 26, was returned to his jail cell pending a bail hearing, which was postponed until Tuesday. Prosecutors indicated they will oppose bail in the case, and the murder suspect will remain behind bars at a Pretoria police station.

The six-time Paralympic gold medalist’s attorney said Pistorius was in an “extremely traumatized state” â€" and even the judge tried to soothe the accused killer.

RELATED: THE SCORE: PISTORIUS' GRIPES A CRYING SHAME

“Take it easy,” Magistrate Desmond Nair told the crying Pistorius. “Come take a seat.”

The suspect arrived in court wearing a gray suit and blue tie, initially keeping his composure before breaking down.

His brother Carl and his father, Henke, both tried to console the overwrought Pistorius, reaching out to touch the Olympic runner’s shaking shoulders.

PHOTOS: BEST PHOTOS FROM THE 2012 LONDON OLYMPICS

Pistorius was led away with his head in his hands after the 40-minute hearing, which drew a plethora of reporters and photographers.

Steenkamp, a model and budding reality-TV show participant, was shot and killed at Pistorius' upscale home in a suburb of the South African capital.

The pair were alone in the house at the time of the killing. The suspected murder weapon was recovered at the scene.

RELATED: PROSECUTORS WILL PUSH FOR A PREMEDITATED MURDER CHARGE AGAINST SOUTH AFRICAN OLYMPIAN OSCAR PISTORIUS

The 3 a.m. shooting reverberated across South Africa, where Pistorius is a national hero, and around the globe, where he was a symbol of courage and determination.

Police were reportedly called to the house in the Silver Woods community two hours before the shooting after neighbors complained of a loud argument between Pistorius and Steenkamp.

An ex-girlfriend of Pistorius took to Twitter to defend the sprinter-turned-suspect, insisting he had no history of violence toward women.

RELATED: LUPICA: DIFFERENT GUN, SAME STORY IN OSCAR PISTORIUS CASE

“I would just like to say, I have dated Oscar on/off for 5 YEARS, NOT ONCE has he EVER lifted a finger to me, made me fear for my life,” said Jenna Edkins.

“All I am saying is let him speak, let his side be heard without jumping to conclusions. Love and thoughts to Reeva’s family.”

The runner and the model became close after making their public debut in November 2012. In last weekend's Sunday Independent newspaper, she described Pistorius as having “impeccable” taste.

RELATED: STEENKAMP PLANNED TO SPEAK ON DOMESTIC ABUSE

"His gifts are always thoughtful," she was quoted as saying.

Hours before her death she asked her thousands of Twitter followers what they were planning for Valentines’ Day: "What do you have up your sleeve for your love tomorrow??? #getexcited.”

Pistorius, born without a fibula in both legs, races wearing carbon fiber prosthetic blades. He was the first double amputee to run in the Olympics, and reached the 400 meter semi-finals in London last year.

lmcshane@nydailynews.com

Rapper 2 Chainz arrested on drug charge

Rapper 2 Chainz arrested on drug charge

@hairweavekiller via Instagram

'Locked me up and then Wanted pictures smh,' rapper 2 Chainz captioned a photo of himself with cops during his arrest.

EASTON, Md. -- Rapper 2 Chainz has been arrested on drug charges in Maryland where he was performing at a college homecoming event.

Maryland State Police spokesman Sgt. Marc Black said troopers stopped a van Thursday night about 9:15 p.m. for speeding near Easton, Md., and smelled a strong odor of burnt marijuana in the van. A backpack in the van had a marijuana grinder and trace amounts of marijuana, police said.

The rapper, whose real name is Tauheed Epps, claimed possession of the backpack and was arrested, police said. Epps was cited for having drug paraphernalia and marijuana and was released. The citation carries up to a year in jail and up to a $ 1,000 fine.

RELATED: UP-AND-COMING RAPPER 2 CHAINZ ARRESTED

Agents representing Epps did not respond to requests for comment.

Last year, 2 Chainz released his solo debut, "Based on a T.R.U. Story," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Charts and has achieved gold status. He also has several Top 10 hits on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts as both a lead and featured artist.

After the arrest, 2 Chainz' website tweeted a photograph that appears to show him posing with two police officers. Black said the Maryland State Police could not confirm the authenticity of the photograph but is investigating.

PHOTOS: WORLD'S MOST NOTORIOUS DRUG KINGPENS

"Locked me up and then Wanted pictures smh," read one tweet, using the abbreviation for shaking my head.

Epps was scheduled to perform Thursday evening at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. His website later tweeted a photo from the stage and wrote the "show must go on."

His manager declined to comment or confirm the tweets were from 2 Chainz himself.

Steenkamp planned to speak on domestic abuse

Steenkamp planned to speak on domestic abuse

Lucky Nxumalo/Citypress/AP

Reeva Steenkamp and Oscar Pistorius at an awards ceremony in Johannesburg, South Africa, in November. 

On the day she was shot and killed at the home of her boyfriend, Olympic hero Oscar Pistorius, Reeva Steenkamp had plans to speak to high schoolers in Johannesburg about the dangers of domestic violence.

In the speech, the slain beauty â€" known for her passionate opposition to violence against women â€" was to recount to students at Sandown High School the story of how she fled her childhood hometown to escape an abusive boyfriend, South African newspaper The Star reported.

"I lost a lot of self-worth during my last year in Port Elizabeth before I moved to [Johannesburg]and it took some serious soul searching to remind myself of my value in the world," Steenkamp's speech said, according to the newspaper.

RELATED: OSCAR PISTORIUS’ FAMILY RELEASES STATEMENT

That relationship was apparently not the only time things went sour for the 29-year-old cover girl.

In an interview given just days before her death, Steenkamp recalled how she once got a restraining order against a "psycho" suitor who stalked her after a single date.

As the date wound down, the man lured the leggy bombshell back to his place with a story about how he needed to take his dogs out, Steenkamp told celebrity website Zalebs.

RELATED: PROSECUTORS WILL PUSH FOR A PREMEDITATED MURDER CHARGE AGAINST SOUTH AFRICAN OLYMPIAN OSCAR PISTORIUS

"He didn't own any pets and after I told him there wouldn't be a second date, he moved back home with his parents because 'his house smelled of my perfume.' Psycho," she said.

Steenkamp’s rocky relationship history appeared to help forge her Valentine's Day message to the teens: cherish yourself, and your loved ones.

"I hope that you have the most amazing Valentine's Day and that you are spoiled with love, roses and chocolates," Steenkamp was to say in her speech.

RELATED: REEVA STEENKAMP REMEMBERED FOR BEAUTY AND BRAINS

"Go home and tell your neighbors, parents, siblings that they are appreciated. You will go to bed with a happy heart and an open mind for the future."

She never got the chance to deliver the message.

Four shots fired through a bathroom door â€" reportedly striking her in the head, chest, hand and pelvis â€" ended Steenkamp's life shortly before dawn at Pistorius' gated Pretoria home.

PHOTOS: OSCAR PISTORIUS CHARGED WITH MURDER OF REEVA STEENKAMP

Pistorius, the Olympic hero known as “Blade Runner,” was formally charged with the brutal slaying on Friday.

The 26-year-old runner wept in court as prosecutors told a magistrate they intended to argue that the cover model's murder was premeditated.

The killing sent shockwaves through the South African public, who adored Pistorius for his inspirational rise to Olympic and Paralympic stardom.

RELATED: LUPICA: DIFFERENT GUN, SAME STORY IN OSCAR PISTORIUS CASE

And although the world-class runner and double amputee had been investigated for domestic violence in the past, to friends, family and a worshipful public, the pair appeared happy.

Just hours before she was shot, Steenkamp was overjoyed while picking up a Valentine's Day gift for her "boo," as she often referred to Pistorius on her Twitter account.

It was a photo framed with four photographs of the couple â€" coincidentally, one for each month of their budding courtship.

"She was smiling and laughing when she arrived," a shopkeeper at the gift store, Party Box Goodies, told South Africa's Mail and Guardian newspaper. "She walked out smiling too."

Steenkamp told staffers, "This is a surprise for him. He loves surprises."

Topless tweets, crashing NBA games: Week's best celeb pics!

Topless tweets, crashing NBA games: Week's best celeb pics!

Brooklyn Decker is abs-olutely hot! Andy Roddick's stunning wife was spotted at a Valentine's Day event on Feb. 14, 2013.

• 

  Can you stand the glare? Stars show us their blinding bling.

• 

  Who looked hot and whose look fell flat on the Grammy red carpet on Feb. 10, 2013?!

• 

  The fun didn't stop after the 2013 Grammy Awards. Check out where all the stars partied after the big show.

• 

  Take your front row seat next to the celebrities inside the 2013 Grammy Awards on Feb. 10, 2013.

• 

  Oscar Pistorius, the South African paralympic and Olympic star who stunned the world when he became the first double-amputee runner to compete track at the London Olympics, has been charged with the m...

• 

  It's that time of year again. Meet the stunning class of 2013 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue models.

• 

  From models eating to designers taking a load off, she what really happened behind-the-scenes at New York Fashion Week.

1 of 24

WATCH: Falling meteor prompts panic in central Russia

WATCH: Falling meteor prompts panic in central Russia

Chelyabinsk.ru/AP

Hundreds of people were injured in central Russia after a meteor slammed into the region.

MOSCOW  â€" A meteor that scientists estimate weighed 11 tons streaked at supersonic speed over Russia's Ural Mountains on Friday, setting off blasts that injured nearly 1,000 people and frightened countless more.

The Russian Academy of Sciences said in a statement that the meteor over the Chelyabinsk region entered the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of at least 33,000 mph and shattered about 18-32 miles above ground.

PHOTOS: FALLING METEORS HIT RUSSIA

The fall caused explosions that broke glass over a wide area. Russian health official Marina Moskvicheva, said Friday that 985 people in her city had asked for medical assistance and 43 were hospitalized.

"There was panic. People had no idea what was happening. Everyone was going around to people's houses to check if they were OK," said Sergey Hametov, a resident of Chelyabinsk, about 930 miles east of Moscow, the biggest city in the affected region.

RELATED: ASTEROID TO PASS CLOSE TO EARTH SURFACE

"We saw a big burst of light then went outside to see what it was and we heard a really loud thundering sound," he told The Associated Press by telephone.

Another Chelyabinsk resident, Valya Kazakov, said some elderly women in his neighborhood started crying out that the world was ending.

RELATED: 2012 DA14 TO COME CLOSER THAN ANY OTHER ONE ON RECORD TO ACTUALLY MISS EARTH

Some fragments fell in a reservoir outside the town of Cherbakul, the regional governor's office said, according to the ITAR-Tass news agency. It was not immediately clear if any people were struck by fragments.

The agency also cited military spokesman Yarslavl Roshupkin as saying that a 20-foot-wide crater was found in the same area which could be the result of fragments striking the ground.

RELATED: CONN. DOCTOR CREATES GALAXIES IN SPARE TIME

Meteors typically cause sizeable sonic booms when they enter the atmosphere because they are traveling much faster than the speed of sound. Injuries on the scale reported Friday, however, are extraordinarily rare.

Interior Ministry spokesman Vadim Kolesnikov said that about 6000 square feet of a roof at a zinc factory had collapsed. There was no immediate clarification of whether the collapse was caused by meteorites or by a shock wave from one of the explosions.

RELATED: IRANIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD SAID HE WANTS TO BE LAUNCHED INTO SPACE

Reports conflicted on what exactly happened in the clear skies. A spokeswoman for the Emergency Ministry, Irina Rossius, told The Associated Press that there was a meteor shower, but another ministry spokeswoman, Elena Smirnikh, was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying it was a single meteor.

Amateur video broadcast on Russian television showed an object speeding across the sky about 9:20 a.m. local time (0320 GMT), leaving a thick white contrail and an intense flash.

RELATED: IRAN SPACE MONKEY PIC SWITCH RAISES EYEBROWS

Donald Yeomans, manager of U.S. Near Earth Object Program in California, said he thought the event was probably "an exploding fireball event."

"If the reports of ground damage can be verified, it might suggest an object whose original size was several meters in extent before entering the atmosphere, fragmenting and exploding due to the unequal pressure on the leading side vs. the trailing side (it pancaked and exploded)," Yeoman said in an email to The Associated Press.

RELATED: IRANIAN SPACE MONKEY FLIGHT MAY BE FAKE

"It is far too early to provide estimates of the energy released or provide a reliable estimate of the original size," Yeomans added.

Russian news reports noted that the meteor hit less than a day before the asteroid 2012 DA14 is to make the closest recorded pass of an asteroid -- about 17,150 miles.

RELATED: AMAZING 1970S ARTWORK ENVISIONS A COLONIZED SPACE

But the European Space Agency, in a post on its Twitter account, said its experts had determined there was no connection.

Small pieces of space debris - usually parts of comets or asteroids - that are on a collision course with the Earth are called meteoroids. When meteoroids enter the Earth's atmosphere they are called meteors. Most meteors burn up in the atmosphere, but if they survive the frictional heating and strike the surface of the Earth they are called meteorites.

RELATED: ASTROUNAUT GIVES STUDENTS A LESSON IN CLEANLINESS FROM SPACE

The dramatic events prompted an array of reactions from prominent Russian political figures. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, speaking at an economic forum in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, said the meteor could be a symbol for the forum, showing that "not only the economy is vulnerable, but the whole planet."

Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the nationalist leader noted for vehement statements, said "It's not meteors falling, it's the test of a new weapon by the Americans," the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

RELATED: NEW NASA CRAFT GOING TO MARS IN 2016

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said the incident showed the need for leading world powers to develop a system to intercept objects falling from space.

"At the moment, neither we nor the Americans have such technologies" to shoot down meteors or asteroids, he said, according to the Interfax news agency.

Regis Philbin is 'hurt' and wants to work, says source

Regis Philbin is 'hurt' and wants to work, says source

Charles Sykes/AP

Regis Philbin, seen here on his farewell "Live!'' in November 2011, hasn't been on the show since.

Michael Strahan is officially a TV darling â€" and Regis Philbin isn’t happy about it. Following an extremely flattering profile in The New York Times, the former footballer has now landed the cover of Men’s Health, where he calls himself “the luckiest motherfâ€"er in the world.” But Philbin’s feeling pretty down these days about being shoved aside, a source tells Confidenti@l.

The 81-year-old TV personality is having a hard time dealing with seeing his replacement not only on “Live! With Kelly and Michael,” but creeping into his circle in New York. Reege also desperately wants to get back to work himself.

“Of course, it hurts him; of course, it affects him,” a source close to Reege tells Confidenti@l. “Has he ever been on the show since he’s left? No. That’s it for him. He can’t be too happy about that since leaving.”

Our source says that in New York, Regis and Strahan are now often invited to the same VIP parties.

“This guy’s got better ratings than Regis ever got,” our source says. “It’s upsetting for him, he’s the greatest guy. He just wants to work. He doesn’t like (his wife) Joy looking at him all day.”

Philbin has been clamoring to get back into a regular TV gig and is in advanced talks to land a daily afternoon talk show on Fox’s new all-sports network that is expected to launch this summer, network insiders say.

Meanwhile, Strahan, 41. is looking buff on the cover of the magazine, where he says television is unlike anything he’s ever experienced. “They don’t tell you how to be on TV - they put the camera on you and they turn it on, and you sink or swim,” he tells the mag.

“For the first three weeks, I swear I was sinking, and I remember thinking, ‘I should’ve gone back for that one year and played football. I should’ve played as long as I could, because I don’t know about this.’”

Neither a rep for “Live!” nor Philbin’s rep would comment.

STILL RAVIN’ ABOUT THEIR WIN

The Baltimore Ravens are still celebrating the Super Bowl. More than a week after winning the big game, offensive lineman Bryant McKinnie hosted a victory party at SoHo club Greenhouse Tuesday morning â€" despite concerns the Ravens might not shell out money to bring him back next season. In front of a crowd that included Lil’ Kim and basketballer Ty Lawson, our insider says Ravens standout and New Rochelle native Ray Rice took the club mic and joked, “I will give you $ 5 million from my pay to stay.”

JAMIE DESERVES A TOAST IN L.A.

Meadow Soprano is adding to la famiglia. Jamie Lynn-Sigler, her baby bump and Cutter Dykstra, her 23-year-old, baseball-playing fiancé, stepped out for a bite Wednesday at Toast in Los Angeles. Sigler, 31, stars in NBC’s “Guys With Kids.” Dykstra, the son of former Met Lenny (Nails) Dykstra, is a third baseman in the Washington Nationals' organization.

POSEN’S CLOSIN’ ON A NEW PAD

Bondy: In life, Blade Runner far from heroic

Bondy: In life, Blade Runner far from heroic

If we learned anything from the O.J. Simpson affair, it is that sports heroes are not easily separated from their past, epic deeds. Their trials become public arenas, tortuous affairs, and not everyone is willing to believe the worst of them.

Even under such a soft, glowing light, however, it does not look good right now for Oscar Pistorius. The Blade Runner is charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, and will appear in court on Friday. Steenkamp, 30, a model for the Capacity Relations agency, was shot four times sometime before dawn in Pistorius house in a gated Pretoria, South Africa, community. In the past on Twitter, Steenkamp had spoken out against assaults on women. There had been previous domestic incidents involving Pistorius.

RELATED: PISTORIUS CASE IS ‘SHOCKING’ TO TRACK WORLD

“There is no other suspect involved,” police spokeswoman Denise Beukes said. “We are talking about neighbors and people that heard things that happened earlier in the evening and when the shooting took place. There are witnesses and there have also been interviews this morning.”

Long before Pistorius, 26, became the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics when he sprinted at the 2012 London Games, he was a local hero in and around South Africa. Here was a pioneer spirit, a man who would accept neither the rude setbacks of nature nor the archaic rules of the International Olympic Committee. He came across as an eternally positive thinker. After he had raced in the Olympic 400-meter semifinals and relays, he was a charming interview, a man who accepted defeat as if it was an enormous triumph â€" which, of course, it was.

RELATED: OLYMPIAN 'BLADE RUNNER' ARRESTED FOR MURDER AFTER GIRLFRIEND SHOT DEAD IN HIS HOME

“The whole experience is mind-blowing,” he said then. “It’s a dream come true.”

And so when Pistorius contends, as he reportedly has done, that he shot Steenkamp in a case of mistaken identity, some portion of the South African population likely will embrace that explanation. They may well ignore the four bullets and the previous incidents at Pistorius’ home. In this instance, a culture of crime and paranoia, of guns and barbed wire, may become the Blade Runner’s best and only defense.

PHOTOS: OSCAR PISTORIUS CHARGED WITH MURDER OF REEVA STEENKAMP

If you traveled around South Africa during the 2010 World Cup, you didn’t directly see or experience violent crimes. But the lifestyle appeared desperately skewed by security concerns and perhaps a degree of paranoia. The upscale suburban homes â€" the same sort of houses you might spot in Montclair or Bronxville â€" were surrounded by high, cement walls, security cameras and electrical wire. Neighborhoods were carefully cloistered. A flock of security guards protected gated communities like the one where Pistorius lived.

There are a lot of guns in South Africa, as there are in America, both legal and illegal. Activist organizations such as Gun Free South Africa are hoping to change the rules and regulations, but have run into resistance in part because of survivalist attitudes and enduring racial divisions.

RELATED: REEVA STEENKAMP REMEMBERED FOR BEAUTY AND BRAINS

Against this violent backdrop, the case against Pistorius was still evolving on Thursday, as police opposed his application for bail. He was said to be cooperating. A handgun, the alleged weapon, was found. Steenkamp and Pistorius had been a high-visibility couple. Steenkamp’s personal publicist, Sarit Tomlinson, told Sky News the pair had a “healthy, fabulous relationship.”

According to South African media outlets, Pistorius told police he had mistaken Steenkamp for an intruder, and that perhaps she had tried to surprise him, tragically and romantically, on Valentine’s Day. But Beukes said there had been those previous incidents at the home, which apparently contributed to the charge.

“This is a very quiet area and this is a secure estate,” Beukes said, downplaying the notion that Pistorius would feel the need to defend himself against an intruder.

There may or may not be tape from security cameras to bolster the case, to render events clearer. We only know that heroes in sports are not necessarily heroes in life. Pistorius was unquestionably a sports hero, a Paralympic champion, an unlikely Olympic competitor. He was born without a fibula in either leg, and then both legs were amputated between his knees and ankles at the age of 11 months. He had overcome all of that, and then overcame the bureaucrats of the IOC to gain admission into the London Games.

He performed well there, reaching the semifinal heats. He presented himself in London as a true sportsman, though he was bitter later about a Paralympics defeat to a competitor he thought had stretched the rules. Now he is charged with murder.

South Africans are reeling. From what we remember of O.J. Simpson, this won’t get any easier for them.

Kim Kardashian sells Beverly Hills home

Kim Kardashian sells Beverly Hills home

Trulia.com

The Tuscan villa-style home has Italian accents like doric columns and a Mediterranean roof.

A pregnant Kim Kardashian quietly sold her Beverly Hills home to an unknown buyer for an undisclosed price. Reported by Trulia.com, the off-market transaction was confirmed by a West Coast source after Kardashian transferred the home to a limited liability corporation.

The five-bedroom, 4,000-square-foot house has a swimming pool, spa, waterfall, fireplaces and a warm, country feel. Kardashian shopped her home around without listing it after her and boyfriend Kanye West bought a 14,000-square-foot Bel Air Italian villa-style mansion for $ 11 million last month. The couple, who just returned from a vacation in Brazil, reportedly looked at other homes in London, Miami and Paris.

RELATED: KIM KARDASHIAN AND KANYE WEST BUY $ 11M MANSION

Kardashian lived at the Beverly Hills house while engaged and married to Brooklyn Nets forward Kris Humphries. The two have not yet officially divorced. Kardashian paid $ 4.8 million for the home in March 2010.

jsheftell@nydailynews.com

Mount's Fraher wants Gilvary back on Holy Cross bench

Mount's Fraher wants Gilvary back on Holy Cross bench

New York Daily News

Mount St. Michael coach Tom Fraher is glad Paul Gilvary has been cleared by the Queens DA, but he thinks the Holy Cross coach should get his job back, too.

At least one of Paul Gilvary’s fellow CHSAA basketball coaches believes he should get his jobs back at Holy Cross now that he has been cleared of any wrongdoing by the Queens DA’s office, which had been investigating accusations of ‘potential improprieties’ against the longtime Knights coach. 

Mount St. Michael boys basketball coach Tom Fraher â€" who spoke out in support of Gilvary after Gilvary was stripped of his duties in November -  believes Gilvary should be allowed to return to the Knights’ bench and to his role as director of admissions at Holy Cross.

“I’m glad it worked out for him, and I’m glad the investigation proved what the findings were,” Fraher said. “Now Holy Cross should sit down with Paul, close the door, discuss it and give him his jobs back.”

Fraher thinks the school should wait until next season to put Gilvary back on the bench since league playoffs are set to begin on Sunday. Through his attorney, Joseph Tock, Gilvary made it clear that he would prefer to resume coaching next season. 

“He was put on leave because of the investigation,” Fraher said. “Well, now the investigation hasn’t come up with any wrongdoings, so hopefully Paul and Holy Cross can work out a situation that’s good for both of them.”

Fraher, who told The News in November that he felt Gilvary’s once stellar reputation had been “ruined” by the investigation, didn’t see Gilvary for much of the season, running into him during a Fordham men’s basketball game on Jan.9 in the Bronx. Fraher next saw Gilvary at a CHSAA playoff meeting on Monday, which Gilvary ran after being “kind of away from it a little bit” over the past three months. 

Fraher said Gilvary has been more active in his responsibilities as the CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens chairman over the past three weeks and that he’s also been open about what it’s been like to be away from work for so long.

“His life was taken away from him for about three months,” Fraher said. “That’s natural for anyone to go through days where you get up and you don’t know what you’re doing. 'I’m not going to work - I’m not dealing with my side job [with the league].’ So what do you do? You get up, take a shower, have breakfast, read the paper and then you say, ‘Now what?’ He had some days there, he told me, where you’re kind of watching the clock a little bit, just getting through.”

Mabramson@nydailynews.com

Movies: 'Like Someone in Love,' 'The Berlin File'

Movies: 'Like Someone in Love,' 'The Berlin File'

Akiko (Rin Takanashi) is a collegiate call girl in Abbas Kiarostami’s 'Like Someone in Love.'

LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE â€" 3 stars

An aged widower and a call girl connect in Tokyo (1:49). Not rated: Sexuality, violence. In Japanese with subtitles. Sunshine, Lincoln Center.

Newcomers may be disappointed by such a slender effort, but fans of revered Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami will find plenty to appreciate in his observant followup to 2010’s acclaimed “Certified Copy.”

Like that film, this one deals with issues of identity and connection. There are other, structural similarities, too, in the Tokyo tale of a collegiate call girl named Akiko (Rin Takanashi). She is sent to visit an elderly professor (Tadashi Okuno), who is then mistaken for her grandfather by her violent boyfriend (Ryo Kase).

This mixup provides some unexpected revelations â€" and a cruelly abrupt finale â€" while the greatest pleasure comes from watching Okuno, a stage actor who wholly embraces the biggest film role of his 81 years.

THE BERLIN FILE â€" 2 stars

Thriller about threatened North Korean spies (2:00). Not rated: Violence. In Korean with subtitles. Empire 25.

Popular South Korean actors Ha Jung-woo and Jun Ji-hyun star in Ryu Seung-wan’s blockbuster about married North Korean spies.

Their loyalty is questioned when an international arms deal goes awry. The more they come under suspicion, the more suspicious of their own leaders they become.

The story feels fairly perfunctory â€" not to mention unnecessarily knotty â€" but the well-connected leads do their best to ground it. And while this one falls far short of the “Bourne” films that serve as an influence, the intense action scenes consistently deliver some solid genre jolts.

Movies: 'Like Someone in Love,' 'The Berlin File'

Movies: 'Like Someone in Love,' 'The Berlin File'

Akiko (Rin Takanashi) is a collegiate call girl in Abbas Kiarostami’s 'Like Someone in Love.'

LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE â€" 3 stars

An aged widower and a call girl connect in Tokyo (1:49). Not rated: Sexuality, violence. In Japanese with subtitles. Sunshine, Lincoln Center.

Newcomers may be disappointed by such a slender effort, but fans of revered Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami will find plenty to appreciate in his observant followup to 2010’s acclaimed “Certified Copy.”

Like that film, this one deals with issues of identity and connection. There are other, structural similarities, too, in the Tokyo tale of a collegiate call girl named Akiko (Rin Takanashi). She is sent to visit an elderly professor (Tadashi Okuno), who is then mistaken for her grandfather by her violent boyfriend (Ryo Kase).

This mixup provides some unexpected revelations â€" and a cruelly abrupt finale â€" while the greatest pleasure comes from watching Okuno, a stage actor who wholly embraces the biggest film role of his 81 years.

THE BERLIN FILE â€" 2 stars

Thriller about threatened North Korean spies (2:00). Not rated: Violence. In Korean with subtitles. Empire 25.

Popular South Korean actors Ha Jung-woo and Jun Ji-hyun star in Ryu Seung-wan’s blockbuster about married North Korean spies.

Their loyalty is questioned when an international arms deal goes awry. The more they come under suspicion, the more suspicious of their own leaders they become.

The story feels fairly perfunctory â€" not to mention unnecessarily knotty â€" but the well-connected leads do their best to ground it. And while this one falls far short of the “Bourne” films that serve as an influence, the intense action scenes consistently deliver some solid genre jolts.

Sumatran tiger gives birth to cub at San Franciso Zoo

Sumatran tiger gives birth to cub at San Franciso Zoo

@sfzoo via Twitter

A Sumatran tiger with her new cub at the San Francisco Zoo.

It's a ... cub!

A Sumatran tiger gave birth at the San Francisco Zoo on Sunday, a big lift to a species that was classified as critically endangered in 2008.

Officials at the zoo won't know the sex of the baby for two more weeks, but say "Junior" is active and healthy. The zoo posted a photo of the tiger caring for her new cub on both Twitter and Facebook.

PHOTOS: BABY ANIMALS

"Congrats to our Sumatran tigers Leanne and Larry on the birth of their cub last Sunday!!," the zoo tweeted.

Junior gestated in 9-year-old Leanne's womb for 109 days before being born at 1:29 p.m. on Sunday, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Larry, the 6-year-old dad, had been flown in from a New Orleans zoo.

"Mom is really attentive; she's grooming, she's paying attention to the infant," the zoo's Corinne MacDonald told the newspaper.

PHOTOS: ANIMAL ODD COUPLES

"The infant makes sounds, it coos. It'll scream and screech and cry when it gets real hungry. We can really see (Leanne) choosing to get up only when the infant is really sound asleep, so she's a great mother."

Junior was just the second tiger born at the San Francisco Zoo since 1976. Zoo visitors will have to wait at least a month to see "Junior," but many people are flocking to Twitter and Facebook to check out photos and updates.

"We are thrilled with this birth," head of the zoo Tanya Peterson told the Chronicle. "Sumatran tigers are a critically endangered species ... which makes every birth so impactful for these beautiful animals."

dboroff@nydailynews.com

USING MOBILE? CLICK FOR VIDEO

Michelle Williams flashes underwear at 'Oz' premiere

Michelle Williams flashes underwear at 'Oz' premiere

Steve Granitz/WireImage

Michelle Williams flashes alot of leg at the 'OZ The Great And Powerful' Los Angeles premiere.

Michelle Williams played peek-a-boo in Prada at the "Oz the Great and Powerful" premiere Wednesday night in Hollywood.

The 32-year-old actress showed up donning a very conservative white designer floral frock in the front and racy on the right with a slit so high it exposed her black underwear.

PHOTOS: CRAZIEST OUTFITS IN GRAMMYS HISTORY

Williams, who plays Glinda the good witch in the flick, certainly went a little bad girl for the affair where she posed alongside co-stars Mila Kunis and Rachel Weisz.

Kunis, 29, went true to films theme by going the fairy princess route with her Dolce & Gabbana dress choice. The two gals both arrived solo without their famous funnyman boyfriends Ashton Kutcher and Jason Segal.

RELATED: MICHELLE WILLIAMS DIDN'T KNOW WHO JASON SEGEL WAS BEFORE THEY DATED

Williams wasn't the only cast member that made an eye-catching entrance, actor James Franco was spotted taking flight off the carpet in a hot air balloon.

"Oz the Great and Powerful," which is a prequel tale to the famous" Wizard of Oz," hits the big screen March 8.

Bloomy offers big Sandy money to best ideas

Bloomy offers big Sandy money to best ideas

RICHARD DREW/AP

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will open up competition for $ 145 million in Hurricane Sandy relief funds for best ideas in storm-resistant technologies, innovations in spurring economic activity and new infrastructure protections.

Mike Bloomberg? More like Ryan Seacrest.

New York City’s billionaire mayor is increasingly bringing private-sector-style competition into the city budget process, with a growing reliance on contests to help allocate funds.

Last week, Bloomberg became the first mayor in the country to use a competition to distribute a portion of federal disaster relief funds.

Roughly $ 145 million of the first $ 1.77 billion in federal Hurricane Sandy funds will go to the winners of three contests: $ 5 million for new technologies to make businesses more resistant to storms, $ 100 million to spur economic activity in hard-hit neighborhoods and $ 40 million for utility companies that make their infrastructure less vulnerable.

RELATED: 'GENIUS' SCHOOL WILL LURE BRAINY WORKERS

Bloomberg used a competition to select Cornell University to build the city’s next “genius school.” And he also created a design contest for the best tiny “micro-unit” apartments.

Government watchdogs are mostly impressed, saying Bloomberg is at the vanguard of the trend in government.

“[It’s] shoot me your best ideas, let’s see what comes to the top,” said Adie Tomer, an associate fellow at the Brookings Institution. “There’s an elegance that seems to be effective.”

The mayor, who brings a free-enterprise sensibility to government, has employed the tool for years.

RELATED: MAYOR HANDS OUT PRIZES TO LOCAL SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS WHO TURN NYC DATA INTO EASY-TO-USE APPS 

The city offered up $ 100 million for the best applied-sciences graduate school â€" and ended up making deals not only with Cornell for a large campus on Roosevelt Island, but with NYU and Columbia for smaller ones as well.

The “BigApps” contest has invited developers to create smartphone programs that use city data. Other contests have invited contestants to write apps for middle school math, to redesign the city’s website, to build environmentally friendly housing, to create 3-D printing technologies and to grow businesses in lower Manhattan.

“It’s worked in terms of developing ideas that we never would have thought of on our own,” said Seth Pinsky, president of the city’s Economic Development Corp.

“As policymakers, we have a good perspective on the needs that the city faces,” he said. “We’re less effective in knowing what all the answers to those challenges are. The best way for us to determine the answers to those challenges is by asking the private sector.”

RELATED: BLOOMBERG REVEALS WINNING DESIGN FOR MICRO-MINI APARTMENTS

Bloomberg also is trying to spread the competitive spirit to other cities. His foundation launched a $ 9 million contest inviting mayors to come up with the best ideas to tackle urban problems and win cash.

The trend comes out of a new openness by government-types to the free market, Tomer said.

“The idea is competition no matter what’s on the line,” he said.

It also embraces the “democratic” spirit that comes out of the growing tech sector, added Jonathan Bowles of the Center for an Urban Future.

“There’s a realization that the best ideas can come from anywhere,” he said. “(Ideas) aren’t limited to 15 people in the mayor’s office.”

edurkin@nydailynews.com

SEE IT: Galifianakis' 'Between Two Ferns' Oscar special ends in brawl

SEE IT: Galifianakis' 'Between Two Ferns' Oscar special ends in brawl

via funny or DIE

Zach Galifianakis interviews Anne Hathaway on 'Between Two Ferns.'

It’s the kind of insight that Academy Awards watchers never get from Barbara Walters.

A who’s who of Oscar-nominated actors submitted to questioning from Zach Galifianakis for a two-part special on his Funny or Die show, “Between Two Ferns.”

The “Hangover” star â€" who plays a hyper version of himself in the popular online series â€" welcomed Jennifer Lawrence, Anne Hathaway, Naomi Watts, Christoph Waltz, Amy Adams, Sally Field, Jessica Chastain and Bradley Cooper for a progression of uncomfortable interviews.

He opened with Lawrence â€" favored by many industry insiders to talk home he Best Actress Academy Award for her turn in “Silver Linings” playbook â€" and began to talk about her career-making film, “The Hunger Games.”

“Isn’t that your life story,” she snickers.

“You shouldn’t say that, it’s off putting,” responds Galifianakis.

“You should be off pudding, because you’re fat,” says Lawrence.

Galifiankis quickly segued into a question about her “Silver Linins Playbook” character â€" but then cut her off immediately by playing music over her answer.

“Are you seriously playing me off right now,” said Lawrence as she was escorted off by a tall model, whose head was just out of the camera frame. “Oh my God.”

But there were still plenty of celebrity cameos to cram into the segment.

He asked Waltz (“Christ of Waltz” in the on-screen lower-third) if he “uses the N-word more in ‘Django Unchained’ or in real life?”

Immediately afterwards, “Les Miserables” star Anne Hathaway lumbers on screen, seemingly drunk, and sits in Galifianakis’ lap.

“You’re funny,” she slurs. “I like you.”

Galifianakis left plenty for the second part of his Oscar edition episode.

Calling the star of “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Jessica Chestain,” he goes on to offend the red-headed bombshell by suggesting that no one is interested in a film about the killing of Osama bin Laden.

“So you’re just playing the person who actually caught him,” he says. “It would’ve been nice to get the actual person who caught him.”

“Well, she’s undercover in the CIA, so no one can know what she looks like,” she answers.

“Well doesn’t she look like you,” he says. “So she looks like an average looking redhead in a red dress.”

For Hollywood icon Sally Field of “Linkin Park” (or “Lincoln” as the rest of the world calls it), he began the interview by saying, “I read that you gained 25 pounds for the role.”

“Yes I did,” she answers.

“How did you do that, did you eat Anne Hathaway,” he quips.

After inadvertently bringing out Emmanuel Lewis instead of Daniel Day Lewis, Galifianakis wrapped the skit with his pal Bradley Cooper, who’s apparently nominated for Best Actor for “Silver Lining Cookbook.”

It all ends badly, with Galfianakis getting hit in the head with a potted fern launched by his “Hanover” co-star and “Between Two Ferns” regular after giving Cooper a speech to read at the Feb. 24 Oscars.

“Thank you. I’ve just called to congratulate Daniel Day Lewis on his victory,” it began. “So I wish I had been able to fulfill my dream of being a talented, respected actor, but the Academy has chosen someone better.”

Movie review: ‘Safe Haven’

Movie review: ‘Safe Haven’

A woman and a widower are drawn together in a sleepy North Carolina town. Director: Lasse Hallström (1:56). PG-13. Area theaters.

Well timed for Valentine’s Day, this film based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks (“The Notebook,” “The Lucky One,” “Dear John”) is another take on fateful love amid rustic settings in a Southern coastal burg. Yet “Safe Haven” begins as off-kilter suspense, shot with jagged rough cuts and some mystery thrown in. But don’t despair. Boat rides, hand-written letters and declarations of love are on the horizon.

Julianne Hough plays Katie, a mysterious â€" but spunky â€" woman who picks a small town in North Carolina at random to begin her life anew. She rents a rustic cabin deep in the woods to hide from the world, meeting the endearing grade-schooler Lexie (Mimi Kirkland) at the town’s general store.

Lexie’s dad, Alex (Josh Duhamel, whose admirable torso should get a co-starring credit), also notices Katie, pursuing her arduously yet clumsily. Katie, however, after experiencing or perhaps causing some heinous crime in the past, is a tough nut to crack.

The suspense â€" rare in a Sparks story â€" actually enhances the loss-of-boundaries fear some have when beginning a relationship, while heightening the dramatic stakes.

Duhamel is goofy and harmless, but unlike Ryan Gosling in “Notebook,” adds no texture or subtlety. Hough (“Footloose”), while photogenic, is similarly bland.

Director Lasse Hallström (“Chocolat”) films the mystery in a disjointed and harrowing way. The problem is that most of the pieces to the shoddy puzzle ultimately don’t fit, making things less believable and successful. There’s too much of a detour from the romance, which is the safe part of the story â€" and what most of the audience will cling to.

Movie review: ‘Beautiful Creatures’

Movie review: ‘Beautiful Creatures’

Who could have predicted that one day we would long for the relative subtlety of “Twilight”? Richard LaGravenese’s “Beautiful Creatures” is so outrageously florid, Bella and Edward’s baroque courtship looks understated by comparison.

This time, it’s mortal outsider Ethan (Alden Ehrenreich) who pines for his supernatural beloved, Lena (Alice Englert), in a small South Carolina town. Lena is a witch (or “Caster,” as they’re called), and on her 16th birthday she will be claimed by either the Light or the Dark. She desperately wants to stay in the light, but she’s being pulled to the dark by her evil mother (Emma Thompson, overdoing it).

Love between mortals and Casters is forbidden, but Ethan won’t be denied. His sensible guardian (Viola Davis) and Lena’s uncle (Jeremy Irons) are equally determined to help Lena save herself.

The young-adult series of books on which the film is based is basically a more enlightened version of “Twilight.” The heroine has her own powers, plus a boyfriend who staunchly supports, rather than moodily stalks, her.

But LaGravenese, who wrote the script, doesn’t get it. This is a story about the frightening, uncontrollable changes of adolescence, not a mid-century Tennessee Williams melodrama.

He lays the Southern soapiness on so thick, we can barely find the characters under the kudzu. And are there no working actors actually from the South? Only someone with an authentic accent might have been able to sell this broadly drawled dialogue.

Wide-eyed and goofy, Ehrenreich plays Ethan more like Forrest Gump than a kid who’d be into Bukowski and fall for the class witch. Englert (daughter of director Jane Campion) is better, but she doesn’t make the impact a more experienced actress might. What’s missing â€" from the entire movie â€" is that magical spark that can turn a film into a franchise.

MOVIE REVIEW: ‘Beautiful Creatures’ fails the spelling test

MOVIE REVIEW: ‘Beautiful Creatures’ fails the spelling test

Who could have predicted that one day we would long for the relative subtlety of “Twilight”? Richard LaGravenese’s “Beautiful Creatures” is so outrageously florid, Bella and Edward’s baroque courtship looks understated by comparison.

This time, it’s mortal outsider Ethan (Alden Ehrenreich) who pines for his supernatural beloved, Lena (Alice Englert), in a small South Carolina town. Lena is a witch (or “Caster,” as they’re called), and on her 16th birthday she will be claimed by either the Light or the Dark. She desperately wants to stay in the light, but she’s being pulled to the dark by her evil mother (Emma Thompson, overdoing it).

Love between mortals and Casters is forbidden, but Ethan won’t be denied. His sensible guardian (Viola Davis) and Lena’s uncle (Jeremy Irons) are equally determined to help Lena save herself.

The young-adult series of books on which the film is based is basically a more enlightened version of “Twilight.” The heroine has her own powers, plus a boyfriend who staunchly supports, rather than moodily stalks, her.

But LaGravenese, who wrote the script, doesn’t get it. This is a story about the frightening, uncontrollable changes of adolescence, not a mid-century Tennessee Williams melodrama.

He lays the Southern soapiness on so thick, we can barely find the characters under the kudzu. And are there no working actors actually from the South? Only someone with an authentic accent might have been able to sell this broadly drawled dialogue.

Wide-eyed and goofy, Ehrenreich plays Ethan more like Forrest Gump than a kid who’d be into Bukowski and fall for the class witch. Englert (daughter of director Jane Campion) is better, but she doesn’t make the impact a more experienced actress might. What’s missing â€" from the entire movie â€" is that magical spark that can turn a film into a franchise.