WATCH: High-speed Los Angeles car chase ends in huge fireball

KTLA video still

A police chase in California ended in flames Wednesday night.

A Los Angeles police chase ended in a fireball Wednesday, with the high-speed pursuit caught on video.

KTLA video shows the chase - which involved a suspected drunken driver, the station reports.

The driver weaved in between cars, eluding authorities along a highway in Boyle Heights, a neighborhood on the east side of Los Angeles.

Eventually the suspect's car spun, crashing into a guardrail and bursting into flames.

As fire engulfed the wreckage, police approached the car and pulled the driver to safety.

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Greenberg Traurig shuffles leadership

Law firm Greenberg Traurig on Tuesday announced a new management lineup that includes naming Hilarie Bass as the first female president in the firm’s history.

Bass, one of the firm’s Miami shareholders, most recently had been global operating shareholder. She will share the presidency with Brian L. Duffy, a Denver shareholder who has been global litigation chair, a position previously held by Bass.

As part of the shuffle, Miami shareholders Cesar L. Alvarez and Matt Gorson move to co-chairs and Larry Hoffman becomes founding chair. Alvarez previously served as executive chair, Gorson as president and Hoffman as chair.

These were just some of the new leadership changes announced by Greenberg’s Chief Executive Richard A. Rosenbaum. The firm began a leadership transition plan in 2010 when Rosenbaum took over the helm of the firm that today includes about 1,750 attorneys in 35 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

“We are pleased to have so many talented leaders and performers, not just those with titles,” Rosenbaum said in a statement. “We have never been about titles or politics, and titles do not create leaders. We and others already in place in our regions, offices and practices form a seamless team focused on respecting and serving our clients and lawyers.”

Rosenbaum, who will remain in his post, also announced four new vice presidents:

• Ernest Greer, Managing Shareholder of the firm’s Atlanta office.

• Brad Kaufman, Co-Chair of the National Securities Litigation Practice, leader of the firm’s Associate Development Program and a Palm Beach County shareholder.

• Patricia Menendez-Cambo, Chair of the Global Practice, Co-Chair of the Infrastructure and Project Finance Practice and a Miami shareholder.

• Keith Shapiro, Chair of the Chicago office and Co-Chair of the Business Reorganization Practice.

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Miami Heat has scholarships for graduation high school seniors

The Miami Heat is offering South Florida high school seniors college scholarships for the 2013-2014 school year.

Four scholarships of $2,500 each will go to seniors who excel in academics and community service.

One of the four scholarships is reserved for a student who plays sports.

Applicants must have at least a 3.2 grade point average by their final semester in high school, attend school in Miami-Dade, Broward or Palm Beach counties, be accepted to an accredited four-year college or university and demonstrate financial need.

Applications are available at nba.com/heat/community/community_education_scholarships.html and must be submitted by April 6.

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Bachelor Recap: Tierra a Victim of the Elements Again

Tonight's episode marks the second time Bachelor contestant Tierra has been in need of rescue from her Prince Charming (and an EMT crew), for those keeping score.

The rugged outdoors was the theme of Tuesday's show, as the girls were split apart into two one-on-one dates and a group date involving the treacherous elements of snowy Alberta, Canada.

Pics: 'The Bachelor' Scorecard (Did the Relationships Sizzle or Fizzle?)

While Catherine's exploratory snow bus outing and Desiree's 400-ft mountain descent made for thrilling excursions, Sean's frozen swim date with the other seven ladies took the cake for the night's most exhilarating adventure.

Only six volunteered (minus Selma) to brave the icy waters and most came out of the plunge feeling a buzz from the frozen feat. That is, everyone except Tierra. The resident bad gal of the group immediately came down with a case of apparent hypothermia and was whisked away by medical crew to Sean's dismay.

He later visited the ailing Tierra back at her hotel, urging her to spend the night recovering rather than attend the party, but she ultimately ignores his advice and crashes cocktail time.

Despite the unexpected intrusion, the girls are less perturbed than would have been expected. Unfortunately, during a private moment with Sarah, Sean comes to realize that he's been forcing a connection and sends her home.

Related: 'Bachelor' Sean Questions Tierra's Motives

During the night, Sean hits new milestones with AshLee, Lesley and Selma, who finally succumbs to a smooch on national television, despite her disapproving parents.

Apparently, the kiss wasn't enough to keep her in the game. Sean sent Selma home along with Daniella during the rose ceremony.

Catherine and Desiree were safe to date another day as they were both awarded roses during their one-on-ones.

Tune in to The Bachelor next Monday on ABC as Sean and the final six slip on their bikinis and hit the sunny St Croix Virgin Islands.

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Does this make you want a sandwich?

CKE Restaurants/ Splash News

Cod almighty, this makes us hungry for more! Sizzling Sports Illustrated supermodel Nina Agdal seductively wolfs down a Charbroiled Atlantic Cod Fish Sandwich in an ad for Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. Sure hope there were no bones in that thing.

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Miami startup that turns text to video receives $1 million in seed funding

Guide, a new technology startup based in Miami, announced Tuesday it has closed a $1 million round of seed investment from investors including Knight Foundation, Sapient Corp., MTV founder Bob Pitman, actor and producer Omar Epps, and early Google employee Steve Schimmel. Knight is supporting Guide through its new early-stage venture fund, the Knight Enterprise Fund.

Led by CEO and founder Freddie Laker, Guide’s team of seven is focused on turning online news, social streams and blogs into video for users who may be cooking, exercising, commuting or getting ready in the morning. The application offers consumers a selection of about 20 “anchors” — including a dog, a robot and an anime character — that will read the article and present the accompanying photos, pull-out information and video clips in its video presentation.The basic application will be free for the consumer. Revenue drivers for Guide could include in-app purchases, advertising-based anchors and customizations from publishers, said Laker, a former vice president at SapientNitro.

Laker and his team plan to launch a public beta next month, which they plan to do with a splash at the huge technology conference South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas.

Read more about Guide here on the Starting Gate blog.

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Woman gets 30-days in jail for giving the finger to a Miami-Dade judge

A woman facing a drug possession charge was sentenced to 30 days in jail on Monday for giving the finger to a Miami-Dade judge, NBC6 is reporting.

Penelope Soto, 18, had been arrested for possession of Xanax and was brought before Circuit Judge Jorge Rodriguez-Chomat Monday, where she was asked about her assets during a video court hearing, the station said.

During an exchange the judge felt was disrespectful, Soto flipped Rodriguez-Chomat her middle finger and blurted out: "[expletive] you" as she walked away from the camera.

The judge demanded she return to the podium and sentenced her to 30-days in jail for contempt of court

It all began when Soto, sporting orange jail jumpsuit, appeared to make light of the proceedings, laughing when she was asked how much her jewelry was worth.

"It's not a joke, you know, we're not in a club now," Rodriguez-Chomat told her. "We are not in a club, be serious about it."

"I'm serious about it, you just made me laugh," Soto replied. "You just made me laugh, I apologize. It's worth a lot of money."

"Like what?" the judge asked.

"Like Rick Ross. It's worth money," she said.

The judge, not understanding the odd reference to the South Florida rapper who made news last week when his car was fired at on Las Olas Boulevard, asked Soto if she's taken any drugs in the past 24 hours.

"Actually, no," she replied.

Rodriguez-Chomat set her bond at $5,000 and said "bye, bye," and Soto laughed and replied " Adios."

Annoyed, Rodriguez-Chomat summoned her back and reset her bond at $10,000, shocking Soto.

"Are you serious?" she asked.

"I am serious. Adios," he replied.

To watch the video of the exchange on the NBC6 website, click here.

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New BlackBerry to be released in US in mid-March

TORONTO (AP) — The chief executive of Research In Motion said he’s disappointed the new BlackBerry won’t be released in the United States until mid-March, but he said early data suggests sales in the U.K. are above expectations.

Thorsten Heins said in an interview Monday with The Associated Press that he was disappointed in the mid-March U.S. release date. But he said the U.S. and its phone carriers have a rigid testing system.

“We need to respect that. Am I a bit disappointed? Yeah, I would be lying saying no. But it is what it is and we’re working with all our carrier partners to speed it up as much as we can,” Heins said in an interview at the Ritz Carlton in Toronto.

RIM unveiled new BlackBerrys last week after excruciating delays allowed Apple, Samsung and others to build commanding leads in the industry. The stock fell 12 percent after Wednesday’s kickoff, despite positive reviews about the new BlackBerry 10 operating system. There’s concern the phone isn’t coming out sooner after RIM announced a March U.S. release date last week.

Heins told the AP that it will be mid-March.

The first device in the new crop of the much-delayed revamped BlackBerrys will be the touchscreen Z10. Black and white versions were released in the U.K. last Thursday and will be released in Canada on Tuesday.

Heins said a substantial number of U.K. users are moving from other platforms to BlackBerry and said that’s an encouraging sign because they first targeted longtime BlackBerry users.

“It’s beyond expectations,” Heins said. “White is sold out already. The black is hard to stock up again. It’s very encouraging. I won’t share the number because I need to verify it, but we are getting a substantial number of users moving from other platforms to BlackBerry. That is an interesting data point.”

Shares of RIM closed up 15 percent Monday on initial reports of strong U.K. sales and after an analyst upgraded the stock.

Heins said they have to retake market share in the U.S. for BlackBerry to be successful. The U.S. has been one market in which RIM has been particularly hurting, even as the company is doing well in many places overseas. According to research firm IDC, shipments of BlackBerry phones plummeted from 46 percent of the U.S. market in 2008 to 2 percent in 2012. The iPhone and Android now dominate.

Heins, who one year ago replaced longtime executives who had presided over BlackBerry’s fall, said he’s confident BlackBerry can become the third ecosystem behind Apple and phones running Google’s Android operating system.

“We need to win back market share to be relevant,” Heins said. “We have to be aggressive in the U.S. market.”

The new BlackBerrys are a make-or-break product lineup after the pioneering brand lost its cachet not long after Apple’s 2007 release of the iPhone, which reset expectations for what a smartphone should do.

RIM promised a new system to catch up, using technology it got through its 2010 purchase of QNX Software Systems. But it has taken more than two years to unveil new phones that are redesigned for the new multimedia, Internet browsing and apps experience that customers are now demanding. RIM initially said the new BlackBerry with the revamped software would come by early 2012, but then the company changed that to late 2012. A few months later, that date was pushed back further, to early 2013, missing the lucrative holiday season. The holdup helped wipe out more than $ 70 billion in shareholder wealth and 5,000 jobs.

As RIM previously disclosed, the first phone will have only a touch-screen keyboard, like Apple Inc.‘s trend-setting iPhone and most phones running Android, including Samsung Electronic Co.’s popular Galaxy line.

The Q10 will follow and will have a physical keyboard, a feature that has kept BlackBerry users loyal over the years because it makes typing easier. RIM said last week the Q10 will start going on sale on some global carriers in April, but didn’t say when U.S. carriers will have it.

Heins told the AP it depends on the carriers, but said keyboard versions will likely be released eight to 10 weeks after a carrier releases the touch version.

That could mean the Q10 keyboard version might not be released in the U.S. until much later than mid-March or April.

Some analysts have questioned RIM for releasing a touch version first considering its most loyal users love the physical keyboard for typing.

Heins said the full touch screen was more complicated and they needed to focus on releasing that first. He has also acknowledged that RIM failed to quickly adapt to the emerging “bring your own device” trend, in which employees bring their personal touch-screen iPhones or Android devices to work instead of relying on BlackBerrys issued by their employers

Heins said they want to participate in that trend by releasing a touch version first.

Heins also addressed possible interest other companies might have in RIM should BlackBerry 10 prove successful and whether the Canadian government might block a foreign takeover.

“The recognition for BlackBerry 10 and what we built is pretty high. We got good reviews,” he said. “That moves you into the middle of the radar screen so I expect some activity around it but we’ll look at it one by one. We’ll assess it and we’ll make decisions with the board on what make sense.”

Heins recently chatted with top Canadian government ministers, including the industry minister, at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

“These guys are reasonable, rational people. At the end of the day it’s about employment, it’s about economic health, it’s about Canada playing a major role,” Heins said. “If the right logic and rational applies I don’t think they will just block it for their own sake. They could have done it with Nortel and the patents.”

Several months ago RIM’s decline evoked memories of Nortel, a former Canadian tech giant, which declared bankruptcy in 2009 and was picked over for its patents.

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Nancy O'Dell Makes Oscar Nominee and Les Miserables Star Hugh Jackman Blush

Hugh Jackman has been known to induce swooning at the removal of his shirt, but the Oscar nominee tells our Nancy O'Dell that he's far from runway ready, even blushing at the mere suggestion.

PICS: Hot Looks of the Oscar Luncheon

Nancy caught up with the Les Miserables star after the Motion Picture Academy's Nominees Luncheon, where he named Tom Ford as the designer he'll be wearing on the Oscars red carpet.

"I'm one of those guys who when people say, 'Sir, would you like to taste the wine?' I say, 'Oh, it's amazing!' and it could be six dollars," said Hugh, fashioning himself as a man of simpler tastes. "And I'm kind of the same with tuxedoes, but with Tom -- I just know him as a person and everything I wear of his feels good."

Nancy was quick to point out Hugh's model physique that probably doesn't hurt in helping make the clothes look good.

"Way too much hair on my body for a runway," Hugh nervously joked while blushing. "They're all hairless."

During today's Oscar luncheon, Hugh congregated with other nominees, which included newcomer Quvenzahane Wallis, Anne Hathaway, Bradley Cooper, Ben Affleck, Denzel Washington, Jessica Chastain, Daniel Day-Lewis, Joaquin Phoenix and more.

VIDEO: Fielding Fashion & Fun Times at Oscars Luncheon

Hugh described the event as "amazing."

"This is one I'll always remember," said Hugh. "You take in the history of it and you take in the enormity of the moment and everyone is standing there and squishing in, and it kind of felt like being back at school all at the same time."

Click the video to see Hugh's quick one-on-one with an inquisitive fan.

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NYPD releases stop-frisk numbers: Most used in Brooklyn & Queens, nearly all stopped are black or Hispanic

The NYPD for the first time publicly released a report last night on its controversial stop-and-frisk procedure that breaks down by city precinct — and by race — those targeted.

The figures, all from 2011, show that the precinct with the most stops by sheer numbers was Brooklyn’s 75th, which includes East New York and Cypress Hills.

More than 31,000 people were stopped, 97 percent of them either black or Hispanic.

The 73 Precinct, covering Brownsville in Brooklyn, was the next highest with 25,167 stops. About 98 percent involved minorities.

In Queens, the 115th Precinct — which includes East Elmhurst, Corona and Jackson Heights — ranked third with 18,156 stops. Nearly 93 percent of those involved minorities, the figures show.

The 40th Precinct in The Bronx, which covers Mott Haven and Melrose, racked up the next highest number — 17,690 — with 98.5 percent of them involving minorities.

And at No. 5 was the 90th Precinct in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where there were 17,566 stops, with 88.6 percent involving minorities.

The New York Civil Liberties Union had fought for release of the stats last year.

After getting them, the civil-rights group published the figures on their Web site in May, saying they show a pattern of racial profiling — a charge that the NYPD denies.

The Police Department said it had no comment on why it was releasing the figures itself now.

As has been reported, the statistics show that overall, nearly 90 percent of those targeted by NYPD stop-and-frisks in the city in 2011 were either black or Hispanic.

Meanwhile, blacks and Hispanics together make up less than 53 percent of the population.

A total 685,724 people — 8.6 percent of the city’s population — were detained by cops for “reasonable suspicion.”

That was the highest number since the NYPD started recording stop-and-frisk figures in 2002.

Of that number, 9 percent also were white, and 4 percent were Asian, the figures showed.

The No. 1 reason for stop-and-frisks that year was possible weapons possession, the report said.

The statistics did not say how many of those stops resulted in arrests.

natasha.velez@nypost.com

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