Powerball dreamers include Miami Heat’s LeBron and Haslem

He may have it all, but LeBron James knows how to dream.

He says he’s buying Powerball tickets for Wednesday night’s $550 million drawing. James makes more than $17 million a year in salary without having to worry about hitting the numbers. But still ...

“Damn right I am,” he said when asked if he’s buying tickets. “And I’m going to make sure to take care of you if I win.”

Udonis Haslem, while not quite in James’ income bracket — he makes a mere $3.7 mil a year — typically plunks down $200 for lottery tickets. He once won $150.

“Basically it was enough to buy more tickets,” he said Wednesday at Miami Heat practice.

Chris Bosh says he’s taking a pass — “but my wife on the other hand...”

For the rest of us, scrounging for enough dollar bills to buy a few tickets, it’s a big day. Dreamers are crowding mini-marts and grocery stores for a chance at becoming a multi-millionaire, just like the Heat stars.

The chances of winning?

One in 175 million.

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Actors' Body Transformations For Roles

Jared Leto

After a major weight gain in the 2007 film Chapter 27, Jared Leto slimmed down drastically in 2012 for his role as a transsexual named Rayon in Dallas Buyers Club, the same movie Matthew McConaughey dropped weight for. "I waxed my entire body, including my eyebrows. I've lost a lot of weight because I'm playing a young person with AIDS," he told ETonline at the IFP Gotham Independent Film Awards. "It's been challenging but really inspiring too." Leto revealed his weight loss in a Terry Richardson photo shoot.

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Ex-cop gets 15 years in prison for selling NYPD guns to drug ring

William Farrington

Nicholas Mina in court today.

A former New York City police officer is going to prison. He admitted to stealing guns from police lockers and selling them to drug dealers to pay for his addiction to the painkiller oxycodone.

The Manhattan district attorney's office said Wednesday that Nicholas Mina was sentenced to 15½ years in prison.

Authorities said Mina sold four stolen NYPD-issued guns to a drug ring. He made a plea deal in October.

Mina, his suspected dealer, and three accomplices were arrested in July.

He was an officer nearly five years and worked in Manhattan's East Village neighborhood.

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Gift ideas for the techie on your list

The holidays are coming fast, and if you’re like me, you’ve probably gotten very little of your gift shopping done.

Here are suggestions for a variety of gifts for the techie and the not-so-techie people on your list.

Some of these items can be found in stores and some are only available online, but you should be able to order them in time for Christmas or Hanukkah.

IOMEGA EZ MEDIA & BACKUP CENTER

What is it? A hard drive that lives on your home network so you can share files, store all your photos and music and back up your home computers. Works on Macintosh, Windows and Linux computers.

The EZ Media & Backup Center is available in 1-, 2- and 3-terabyte capacities. It is simple to set up. It lives next to your home router and plugs into the network via Ethernet.

Major features include a built-in iTunes server so your music is available to all connected computers, Time Machine support for easy Macintosh backups and Iomega’s Personal Cloud to access your data from any Internet connection.

It can also stream your video files to your TV if you’ve got a compatible streaming box or an Internet-connected TV.

Software for backing up Windows PCs is also included.

Who’s it for? Any family that wants central storage for their digital lives. This is a great home for your digital photo, music or video library.

What does it cost? One terabyte for $169.99, two terabytes for $209.99, three terabytes for $279.99.

Where can you get it? Online at www.iomega.com, Amazon, Best Buy, Apple store, Fry’s.

NETATMO URBAN WEATHER STATION

What is it? A wireless indoor/outdoor weather station that displays through an application on your Apple or Android mobile device.

There are two parts, one that lives in your house and one you place outside.

The indoor component plugs into the wall and monitors the temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, carbon dioxide level and even the sound level in decibels.

The outdoor module is battery-powered and measures temperature and humidity.

Once you connect the Netatmo to your home Wi-Fi network, you can download the free app and see your weather stats from anywhere.

Setup was easy enough, and you can set the app to notify you when carbon dioxide rises to levels that you should be warned about — which is great.

Who’s it for? Weather geeks and people who like to know what the temperature is without having to fire up a browser.

What does it cost? $179

Where can you get it? www.netatmo.com

3M LED ADVANCED LIGHT

What is it? 3M’s first foray into the home light bulb market is with the LED Advanced Light, which uses light-emitting diodes (LED) to produce 800 lumens (the light of a 60-watt bulb).

The Advanced Light has a life span of 25 years and costs just $1.63 per year if it’s turned on for three hours per day.

The bulb lights instantly and is dimmable.

It’s a little intimidating to start buying light bulbs that might outlive me, but my wallet approves.

Who’s it for? Anyone who wants to save money or wants a bulb that might not have to be changed until 2035.

What does it cost? $25

Where can you get it? Select Wal-Mart stores. For more information, go to www.3mlighting.com/LED.

STEM IZON 2.0 WI-FI VIDEO MONITOR

What is it? A small, wireless video camera that you can monitor remotely with an iOS device.

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Miami police: Crime down after year-long Operation Resilience

Violent criminals are not the only threat to neighborhoods, Miami police say. Prostitutes, drug users, and even motorists who disobey the rules of the road can jeopardize the safety of residents.

That’s why Miami police cast a broad net with Operation Resilience, a citywide crackdown that launched in December 2011 and concluded in November with more than 1,000 arrests made for crimes ranging from suspected murder and drug trafficking to prostitution and robbery.

Maj. David Magnusson, commander of tactical operations for Miami police, said the broad sweep has helped reduce violent crime in the city’s north, south and central districts.

“Homicides are lower at the same point now than they were last year,’’ he said, “and [the numbers of] people shot are lower than they were at the same time last year.’’

Tapping officers from several divisions within Miami’s police department — including gang units, narcotics investigators, robbery detectives and traffic cops — Operation Resilience flooded the city’s streets with police during crackdowns, Magnusson said.

Police conducted 12 separate sweeps over the year with each operation taking place over two, nonconsecutive days, he said.

During those sweeps, police made 380 felony arrests, including 83 for drug possession, 93 for drug trafficking, 156 for drug purchasing, 10 for gun possession, and 19 for battery.

While the operation’s primary mission was to reduce drug-related violent crime, officers also targeted “quality of life’’ crimes such as public intoxication, indecent exposure, gambling, prostitution and traffic infractions.

Magnusson said residents frequently complained of drivers speeding or running stop signs in their neighborhoods, and vagrants pushing carts on public streets in the middle of the night.

“We have found, and there is scientific proof, if you let these things go on unchecked, it just gives that atmosphere that anything goes,’’ Magnusson said, “and after a while anything does go.’’

Police reported making 259 “quality of life’’ arrests and 110 traffic arrests during the course of the operation. They also issued 4,832 traffic citations.

While traffic infractions are not considered serious crimes, Magnusson said they act as a deterrent in crime-ridden neighborhoods.

“People aren’t going to be up to their tricks when cars are being stopped by police,’’ he said.

Magnusson said Miami police are aware of the criticism that such sweeps provide only a respite from crime, and that the criminals return once the operations are completed. He estimated that each sweep was followed by a period of seven to 10 days of relative quiet in the affected neighborhoods.

“We have to find new ways to deal with these issues,’’ he said, “but at the end of the day it’s putting the officers out there.’’

Now that Operation Resilience is complete, Magnusson said, Miami police will launch Operation Throw In the Towel, which will target drug traffickers who work out of homes and businesses.

Police plan to use forfeiture, liens and fines to pressure those drug dealers or their landlords to “throw in the towel,’’ Magnusson said.

“We’re going after the sellers,’’ he said, “and after the structures they sell from.’’

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Alex O'Loughlin's Baby Blues

If Alex O'Loughlin seems a bit frazzled or incoherent, it's because the Aussie hunk just became a new dad and is not getting much sleep -- and the Hawaii Five-O star doesn't mince words about the realities of fatherhood.

Video: Does 'Five-0' Cast Enjoy Working in Hawaii?

"Why do people say congratulations when you have a child? It's awful," he says with amusing candor to ET Canada. "You don't sleep, you're covered in poop and vomit all the time."

Alex and girlfriend Malia Jones delivered their newborn son in late October, and in the video he reveals just what expectations he has for a kid named Lion.

Video: 'Hawaii Five-0' Hottie Scott Caan Goes Shirtless for Photo Shoot

Also, watch the video to see how Alex also likes to "cuddle" up with Hawaii Five-O co-star Scott Caan!

"I'm comfortable with Scott on my shoulder, a bowl of popcorn, watching The Notebook," he jokes. "Pretty much that's a weekend in for me."

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Batty blond Baldwin 'stalker' back behind bars

Alec Baldwin's perky, unhinged accused stalker was hauled in cuffs out of Manhattan Criminal Court this afternoon — charged with violating the order of protection barring her from any contact with the actor or his yoga instructor wife.

"Why am I being arrested! " Genevieve Sabourin, a shapely French Canadian blonde, sobbed. "Tell me why I am being arrested!" the handcuffed hottie huffed as detectives with the Upper West side's 20th precinct led her down a courthouse hallway and out to a waiting car.

As first reported in The Post, Sabourin, an aspiring actress, has been angrily tweeting about Baldwin throughout of the month, including the Nov. 8 posting that got her in hot water today.

Alec' Baldwin's perky blonde alleged stalker, Genevieve Sabourin, in court today.

"How Hilaria Baldwin beZEN, peaceful yogi, Alec Baldwin keep my INJUSTICE+break my life?" Sabourin wrote in that posting, signed "@hilariabaldwin." Using wife Hilaria Baldwin's Twitter name after the @ sign would have automatically activated a notification in Hilaria's Twitter queue, and possibly her e-mail.

The arrest immediately followed Sabourin's latest court appearance on more than two dozen harassment charges against the love-lorn lovely, all involving creepy e-mails to Baldwin, who Sabourin has hinted she'd had a romance with.

On March 20 alone, Baldwin received some 10 emails from her, according to his own signed affidavit submitted in the misdemeanor case in July. In the emails, Sabourin threatens to launch "a massive destructive war" to win back Baldwin's affections.

In another e-mail, subject lined, "Defcon 1," the would-be actress tells the 30 Rock star that either he should either call her or the FBI -- because they'd need to put her in jail to prevent a "war."

Baldwin has insisted that all he did was take the aspiring actress to dinner as a favor for a mutual friend; Sabourin has said in court papers that the dinner date also included seeing a show and Baldwin accompanying her back to her hotel.

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Case-Shiller: Miami, U.S. home prices up again

The good news keeps coming for housing.

Miami area home prices rose 7.4 percent in September from a year earlier, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices.

Home prices in Miami inched up 0.1 percent in September from August, the report, issued by S&P Dow Jones Indices, said. Seasonally adjusted, Miami posted a 0.3 percent gain in home prices in September from August.

Miami, which was among the hardest hit areas in the nation in the housing downturn, has shown price increases for 11 consecutive months, while nationally prices have been on a six-month streak of increases.

The national index showed a 3.6 percent gain in home prices for the third quarter compared with a year earlier.

Seventeen of 20 Metropolitan Statistical Areas, or MSAs, and both the 10-city composite and 20-city composite issued by S&P/Case-Shiller showed higher prices.

The report said Phoenix continues to be the top performer, with a 20.4 percent annual increase in home prices. Atlanta broke a 26-month streak of annual price declines, posting a 0.1 percent annual increase in home prices September, according to the Case-Shiller data.

Case-Shiller indexes are designed to show the price change of typical single-family homes in an area and nationally. Each index tracks matched price pairs for thousands of homes.

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Man who died during roach-eating contest choked on bug parts, autopsy says

A man who collapsed during a roach-eating contest last month at a a Broward pet shop died from choking on insect parts, according to the Broward medical examiner.

The death of Edward Archbold, 32, of West Palm Beach, has been ruled an accident, Medical Examiner Craig Mallak said Monday in an advisory. An autopsy tested negative for toxic substances.

Archbold’s airway became obstructed with “arthropod body parts” and he died of asphyxia, according to the medical examiner.

This article will be updated as more information becomes available.

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Larry Hagman's Manager Reveals Funeral Details

Larry Hagman's manager is opening up about funeral arrangements for the Dallas star who passed away on Friday at age 81. 

RELATED: Dallas Star Larry Hagman Dies

John Castonia confirms exclusively to ET that the Hagman family will hold two private invitation-only memorial services this week, one in Texas and another in California.

RELATED: Barbara Eden Mourns Death of Larry Hagman

Castonia also revealed that Hagman's son, Preston, plans to spread Larry's ashes all over the world, per the late actor's wishes. 

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