Miami Police Chief John Timoney, an Irish man hailed as “America’s Best Cop’’ by Esquire magazine, has stepped down. Timoney resigned as Tomas Regalado was sworn into office as the city's new mayor.

John Timoney, 61, the Dublin-born four star Miami chief of police may be seeking pastures new soon if the city’s newly elected Republican mayor has his way.

AJ Voelpel: I had to cool off at some point. Does A-Rod hit a home run every time he’s up? I went 3-4 against the spread last week, bringing my season record to 39-23 (20-7 over the last four weeks). Of course, there was the birdie; predicting Oregon to beat USC by double digits, and the bogey; taking VT to smoke UNC on Thursday night.

AJ Voelpel: It’s getting annoying, I know. But I just can’t help the hotness. Last week, your Irishcentral.com college football predictor specialist went 6-1 against the spread, raising his season total to 36-19 (17- 4 against the spread the last three weeks). There were the birdies; Clemson to beat Miami, FSU to win at UNC and the bogey; thinking Notre Dame was going to win by more than four points (which is like missing a tap-in).

Middleweight John Duddy was in upbeat form at a press conference in midtown Manhattan, New York on Thursday, ahead of his Madison Square Garden bout against Michi Munoz on October 10.

How music helped Danny Ellis escape the horrors of an industrial school.

Is it time for football yet? AJ Voelpel is back with his magnificent seven calls ahead of this weekend's college football action.

Hey Hollywood! Irish actor Colin Farrell says he's ready for a blockbuster role. "I love good action films, he said. "I love the spectacle of guns in the cinema, I really do."

AJ Voelpel is back with his take on how seven of this weekend's biggest college football games are going to go. He's even gone for the Irish against Michigan!

U2 frontman Bono and his family had a lucky escape in Jamaica when they came under fire as they were disembarking from a plane. More than 100 rounds of bullets were fired at Bono, his wife Ali and their children Jordan and Eve, then aged just six and

For a quick easy snack (or if you make a lot of them it turns into a meal), what about some wonderful Irish smoked salmon on top of a potato pancake, or a boxty, as we Irish call it?

The Irish hunk topped the poll carried out by the dating website, and can now add the title to the long list of accolades he has received over the years.

Different duo, different ball game. This time we’re asking: Who’s the sexier bad boy? In one corner we have British babe Robert Pattinson. In the other, we’re subbing out Brosnan and subbing in none other than Ireland’s own Colin Farrell.

Dubin lightweight Stephen Ormond (4-0, 1 KO) beat Sergi Ganjelashvili (4-3-1) by unanimous decision at the Capital One Bank Theater in Westbury, Long Island on Friday night.

Investigations are under way into a partnership between the Real IRA and a big-time cigarette smuggling ring in the U.S.

We're now in the official barbecue season! And what better to start us off than Chef Gilligan's Coca-Cola Barbecue Ribs. Fire up the barbie!

Cork-born chef Stephen Hartigan is an A-list chef in New York who cooks for stars and socialites alike. The in-house cook for one of the city’s most prominent couples talks to APRIL DREW about his career path, and his new book.

Celebrity moms-to-be are all over the red carpet in Hollywood, but that won’t protect them from the many secrets and sometimes embarrassing surprises pregnancy holds. “Access Hollywood” host Nancy O’Dell, author of the smart new pregnancy handbook “Full of Life”, reveals the five tips every expectant mother should know.

It's been a while since I acted, and I wondered how it would feel to be back on a movie set. Well, I am happy to report that it's much like riding a bike: It all came back to me in a heartbeat. But after two 15-hour workdays in a row, I crawled exhausted into my hotel bed and asked myself, "Why am I doing this again?"

Unbeaten middleweight John Duddy (26-0, 17 KOs) fights Billy Lyell (18-7, 3 KOs) at the Prudential Center in Newark this Friday night .

Check out IrishCentral's photos of Irish Wolfhounds Edward Albee is one of the most renowned American playwrights of the 20th century. The writer of “Who’s Afraid of

Unbeaten Irish middleweight John Duddy (26-0) will fight Billy Lyell on April 24 at the Prudential Center In Newark.

A U.S businessman has been funding the Real IRA, the dissident republican organization responsible for killing two British soldiers last week, in an elaborate cigarette smuggling operation, federal prosecutors in

A U.S. businessman has been funding the Real IRA, the dissident republican organization responsible for killing two British soldiers last week, in an elaborate cigarette smuggling operation, federal prosecutors in Miami say. Roman Vidal, 57, who runs a freight company, was arraigned March 5 by a federal grand jury in Miami, on charges of smuggling, and of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud.

WHEN I interviewed Roisin Murphy a few years ago, she seemed mildly annoyed that I didn't know her background.

I knew she was born in Arklow, a small town in Co. Wicklow, and was part of the duo known as Moloko, an underground nightclub sensation in the U.

THE first thing you need to know about Cassandra's Dream, the new film by legendary writer/director Woody Allen which opens this Friday, is that Irish actor Colin Farrell is a first rate actor. He does very well with an underwritten role because his talent is considerable, but he's consistently let down by a one-dimensional character and a curiously stilted script.

In recent years Farrell has been opting for parts that have not always played to his strengths as an actor.

IN a revealing British TV interview last week, Colin Farrell confessed that his substance addiction which landed him in rehab in 2005 could well have killed him if he hadn't taken drastic action.

Farrell, fresh from filming Miami Vice with Jamie Foxx, said he was living a "fairly drunken life" since his teenage years.

"(Rehab) was a tough life change, but I was dying and I'm one of the lucky ones in that so far I'm out of it," he told interviewer Jonathan Ross.

Is Colin Farrell ready to settle down? Seems one of Ireland's hottest bachelors has finally found his dreamgirl, if Internet reports are accurate.

According to the contactmusic.com site, and repeated elsewhere, Colin, 30, is head over heels in love with Irish medical student Muireann McDonnell, 22 years of age and naturally gorgeous.

THE U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) reported lots of good news in a press release last week, including the fact that more than one million immigrants became naturalized U.

An Irish soldier killed in Afghanistan while serving in the British Army on September 4 grew up in Miami with his Irish parents.

Justin Cupples, 29, was on foot patrol in the Northern Helmand province of Afghanistan, a strong Taliban occupied region, last Thursday morning, September 4, when he stepped on a tripwire trap laid by the Taliban, according to the U.K.

OKTOBERFEST The Oktoberfest is a two-week festival held each year in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, during late September and early October. It is one of the most famous events in the city and the world's largest fair, with some six million people attending every year. The event traditionally takes place during the 16 days up to and including the first Sunday in October.

When I first came to America three years ago, I wasn't impressed. Everything seemed familiar from the movies, and nothing was beautiful in the European sense that I had become accustomed to. I had a fun vacation traveling around with my friend, from New York to Miami to San Diego to Chicago, but decided I'd never waste spare holidays by coming here again.

Derry middleweight John Duddy (25-0) will resume his boxing career this Saturday night against Matt Vanda (39-8) in the main arena at Madison Square Garden on the undercard of the Miguel Cotto/Michael Jennings fight for the vacant WBO welterweight title. In doing so, Duddy will hope to end a frustrating year.

Derry boxer John Duddy (25-0, 17 KOs) will make his ring return against Matt Vanda (39-8, 22 KOs) at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, February 21 on the undercard of the Miguel Cotto/Michael Jennings fight for the vacant WBO welterweight title. Two days short of one year since he saw his million dollar-plus payday against Kelly Pavlik vanish after cuts sustained in an unconvincing win against Walid Smichet at the same venue, Duddy will attempt to exorcise the ghost of that night in what will also be the first bout of his post-Irish Ropes career. On Friday January 16, Irish Ropes, who promoted Duddy until he hired a lawyer in November to end the relationship, withdrew its opposition to Duddy fighting, contingent on a percentage of profits from future bouts being put in escrow until Duddy's court action against Irish Ropes, Eddie McLoughlin and Tony McLoughlin for monetary damages is decided.

JOHN Duddy (25-0) will fight on November 6 in Long Island and, all going to plan, will take on Ronald Hearns (19-0) in January 2009 in New York City.

Irish Ropes supremo Eddie McLoughlin has been in negotiations with Hearns' promoter Lou DiBella of DiBella Entertainment about the January match. The 29-year-old Hearns, son of the legendary Tommy, will fight two times before this proposed bout; this Wednesday in New Hampshire against Alexander Pacheo Quiroz and on October 24 against Paul Clavette in Montreal.

THOUGH a proposed November 6 fight in Westbury, Long Island is off, undefeated Derry native John Duddy (25-0, 17 KOs) is slated to fight Michi Munoz (21-2, 14 KOs) at the Roseland Ballroom on either November 13 or November 21.

"The November 6 date is dead and buried. We are not going ahead with that," Duddy's promoter Eddie McLoughlin of Irish Ropes told the Irish Voice.

AS John Duddy (25-0) prepares for his November 21 fight against Sam Hill in Miami with trainer Pat Burns, his prospective January opponent, Ronald Hearns, fights this Friday against Paul Clavette in Montreal.

If Hearns, a perfect 20-0, overcomes the 14-1 Canadian and Duddy beats Hill, the two will meet on January 17 at the Theater in Madison Square Garden. The deals are contingent on the fighters keeping their unbeaten records, so Hearns will aim to keep his part of the deal this week.

THE gloves are off in more than one sense between John Duddy and Irish Ropes Promotions. Late last Tuesday a release was circulated stating that Irish Ropes could not deliver the services of Co. Derry native Duddy for the November 21 fight against Sam Hill at the Roseland Ballroom and that the card had been cancelled.

It's been snowing these harsh winter days in merry olde England in more ways than one. Just ask poor Dwina Gibb, the Northern Irish-born bisexual - yes, bisexual - wife of Bee Gee crooner Robin Gibb. Dwina found out that her famous hubby fathered a baby girl named Snow Evelyn Robin Juliet Gibb with the couple's housekeeper who, at 33, is young enough to be 59-year-old Robin's daughter herself.

Irish Eye on Hollywood

Irish-American hunk George Clooney recently said that he plans to return to his ancestral home for a summer of motorcycling. "I am doing a motorbike ride in Ireland this summer," he recently told Dublin radio station FM104. "I hear it rains a lot but I've got the perfect outfit!"

Clooney's last film Leatherheads was a bit of a dud, but he may soon be back in the Oscar nomination form he flashed in Michael Clayton.

Ciaran Hinds is set to appear with Paris Hilton in a (for now untitled) comedy-drama about family and war. As far as we know, everyone will be keeping their clothes on. Allison Janney and Charlotte Rampling will join them in this new film from critics' darling Todd Solondz, best known for "Happiness.