May 26, 1999

BID TO PROOF BUYERS OF VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES

No I.D., No "Doom." In an effort to prevent violent video games from reaching minors, a retail group is proposing store owners require customers to present proof that they're over...

MIRAMAX SCRIPT MAN'S LAST CHAPTER INCLUDES NO TALE OF TINA; EXCLUSIVE

The veteran script chief behind Harvey Weinstein's recent run of classy Oscar hits such as "Good Will Hunting" and "Shakespeare in Love" is resigning, The Post has learned. The departure...

MORT'S FAST COMPANY PRICE TOO HIGH FOR SI

CONDE Nast has broken off talks to buy hi-tech title Fast Company from Daily News owner Mortimer Zuckerman, according to insiders at both companies. Industry sources speculate that Zuckerman was...

NOT ONE FOR THE BOOKS: B&N.COM HAS RESPECTABLE, NOT STELLAR IPO

Barnesandnoble.com made a respectable maiden voyage as a public company yesterday, but failed to take off like many other Internet operations these days. The new stock's 27 percent increase in...

WHO'S THE BOSS AT CNN? IT'S DOBBS VS. KAPLAN IN POWER STRUGGLE

If money talks, Lou Dobbs seems to have the upper hand in a bitter feud with a rival executive who's supposed to be the CNN anchor's boss. Emboldened by the...

TV TICKER

All-too-'Human' "Biography" host Harry Smith reports on his visit to refugee camps in war-torn Macedonia on "Human Tragedy: The Faces of Kosovo," airing Friday (9 p.m.) on A&E. The on-hour...

'EAST' WORTH A VISIT

A patriarchal dad violently imposing the old ways of the culture; a loving and harassed ma keeping the family together in a thousand small ways; five sons and a daughter...

'HOLLOW' DIGS INTO FAMILY LIFE IN APPALACHIA

T HE largely forgotten rural poor of Appalachia are a natural subject for documentary filmmaker Rory Kennedy, whose late father, Bobby, made several visits to the hardscrabble region to drawattention...

TV GIRRRL: BEN & JERRY END SWEET 'LAW' RUN

Memo: Producer Dick Wolf & NBC Re: "Law & Order" season finale THUMBS up on a timely and tangly two-parter about the Russian mob. Thumbs down on reducing the amicable...

HANKS A MILLION: WB SIGNS TOM'S BOY FOR ALIENS SHOW (DAD DIDN'T HELP)

TOM Hanks' 19-year-old son, Colin Hanks, has landed his first TV job - co-starring on "Roswell," next season's teen thriller/romance on The WB. Amazingly, Hanks was cast in "Roswell" without...

NOTHING BUT STAR FLAWS: FANS RUSH CHEW-WACKY TV SHOCKER THAT GEORGE LUCAS WANTS ZAPPED

'If I had the time and a hammer, I would track down every copy of that program and smash it.' - George Lucas HERE'S the secret "Star Wars" episode George...

'BUFFY' NO-SHOW A STAKE IN OUR HEARTS, SAY FANS

OUTRAGED fans of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" yesterday slammed The WB for yanking the cliffhanger season finale. Network officials said Monday that they were postponing last night's finale because some...

CHAMPAGNE & TEARS AT 'ANOTHER WORLD' FINALE

THE cast and crew of "Another World" taped the final episode of the long-running soap opera yesterday - ringing down the curtain after 35 years. The end of "Another World"...

THEY'RE OUT TO GET YOU: FROM 'THE MATRIX' TO 'THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR,' CYBERTHRILLERS ARE 1999'S HOTTEST CINEMATIC TREND

Virtual-reality headsets and all the high-tech stuff that's coming down the pike from Silicon Valley is going to lead to some very bad things, if you believe what they're telling...

ZAGAT RATES WHICH SHOPS ARE TOPS

EVERY diner worth his salt knows a little burgundy paperback called the Zagat Survey of New York Restaurants. But if you're eating in, or throwing a party, it's the slim...

WHEN ICE CREAM BECOMES RELIGION: IF KID DROOL WERE A SOLVENT, CONES WOULD BE OUT OF A DISPLAY CASE

ERIC Griffiths, a Wall Streeter-turned-novelist discovered last Friday that he's been living just around the corner from what may be the best little ice cream shop in the most wonderful...

FARMHOUSE FIASCO

RESTAURANT REVIEW COLINA 35 E. 18th St. (212) 505-2233 One-half star 'ARE you our waiter?'' we ask one of the smiling bozos at Colina, the preposterously overpriced new 'Tuscan farmhouse''...

LIVELY DEBATE WINS KUDOS FROM BIGWIGS

City movers and shakers had high praise yesterday for the spirited Post Forum on the crisis in the Balkans. "I thought the forum was very valuable, and it made clear...

DAMMIT, BILL, IT'S TIME TO ACT LIKE WE ARE IN CHARGE

IT IS Day 64 over Yugoslavia, and we have about as much chance of coming out of this smelling like roses as I do to read "War and Peace" over...

COPS TRY TO OVERCOME VOLPE'S DEPRAVED ACT

"It's going to take a while to get their [community's] trust again." 70th PRECINCT COP The mood was somber at Justin Volpe's Brooklyn station house yesterday as fellow officers reflected...

WE'RE FACED WITH NOTHING LESS THAN AN EDUCATION EMERGENCY

THE devastating news just keeps on flowing, like a leaky faucet in a decrepit city school. Sixty-seven percent - a full two-thirds - of New York's public-school fourth-graders can't read...

ROAD CLEAR FOR COMMUTER-TAX REPEAL

ALBANY - The last hurdle between a bill repealing the commuter tax for New Yorkers and Gov. Pataki's signature - a special election in Rockland County - vanished yesterday. Voters...

PREZ RUNNING OUT OF TIME IN KOSOVO - PANEL: HE NEEDS DECISIVE STRATEGY TO END THE WAR

President Clinton risks tearing apart NATO and subjecting hundreds of thousands of refugees to a death sentence unless he makes critical policy decisions on Kosovo - very soon. That was...

EXPERTS: LOUIMA SETTLEMENT WILL COST UP TO $15M

Experts said the city remains eager to settle with Louima, who originally sued for $150 million. Justin Volpe's guilty plea will not affect the outcome of Abner Louima's civil suit...

DEMS: 'PAY'BACK TIME FOR GOV

ALBANY - Gov. Pataki won't get his bi-weekly $6,846.92 paycheck on time today - because Assembly Democrats want him to feel their pain. "Our members were in no rush to...

TEARFUL VOLPE CONFESSES - APOLOGIZES TO OWN FAMILY, NOT LOUIMA'S

Disgraced sex-torture cop Justin Volpe wiped away tears as he pleaded guilty yesterday to abusing Abner Louima in a police bathroom - then walked off to jail for what could...

OFFICER SLAYS QUEENS MAN WHO STABBED PARTNER: COPS

A Queens cop yesterday shot and killed a knife-wielding former mental patient who had stabbed his partner three times, police said. Rodney Mason knocked Officer Steve DeLuca to the ground...

COSTUME MAY HAVE DOOMED WRESTLER

Doomed wrestler Owen Hart plunged 90 feet to his death when the release mechanism on his safety harness was triggered - possibly by his costume, investigators said yesterday. "What caused...

SPRINGER SH0W IS LOSING ITS PUNCH - AGAIN

Barry Diller's Studios USA is banning the brawling, bleeped profanity and titillation in favor of a kinder, gentler show.The fight is gone from "The Jerry Springer Show" - again. Barry...

ACES: VOLPE BETRAYED HIS LAWYER WITH HIS SILENCE

Famed lawyer Marvyn Kornberg's defense strategy went down in flames because his client Justin Volpe never told him about the crazed confession he made to another cop, defense lawyers said...

WESTCHESTER TOWNS TOOTH & CLAW TO WOO CLINTONS

IT'S setting up as The Battle of the Tony Towns. A day after reports surfaced that the president and Mrs. Junior Senator intend to buy their dream house in Westchester,...

CANCELED CHECK SAVES WOMAN, 100, FROM EVICTION

A 100-year-old widow narrowly escaped being tossed out of her Brooklyn apartment today by a landlord who charged that she'd missed a rent payment two years ago. Hedy Schattner, who...

WOMEN SOUGHT FOR CANCER STUDY

Researchers are looking for 22,000 postmenopausal women at high risk of breast cancer, to take part in a long-awaited study comparing the effectiveness of two pro-active prevention drugs. The study,...

JUSTICE RAMS STICK INTO A BAD COP

AT EXACTLY 11 a.m., the matador called justice took its lance and plunged it with grace and style into the heart of a bull called Officer Justin Volpe. Volpe, a...

NATO ENVOYS OK SENDING 50,000 TROOPS TO KOSOVO

WASHINGTON - Egged on by the Clinton administration, NATO said yesterday it plans to dispatch 50,000 troops to the Kosovo border to fight the Serbs, if needed. "This is what...

ARMEY: AX BILL'S SECURITY CHIEF OVER SPY SCANDAL

WASHINGTON - A top Republican yesterday demanded the ouster of President Clinton's national security adviser, Sandy Berger, as Americans got their first look at the China spy scandal report. The...

THIS WAR'S STRANGE BEDFELLOWS

IT was my honor yesterday to moderate a New York Post Forum on the crisis in the Balkans, which featured Sen. Charles Schumer, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and...

TRAIN KILLS 'DESPERATE' MOTHER AND THREE SONS

A 6-year-old "Angel" clung to life in a Connecticut hospital last night - the miracle survivor of a tragic train accident that killed his mother and three brothers. Angel Toledo...

KINKY ART DEALER CHARGED IN THREATENED KIDNAP

Art dealer Andrew Crispo - once implicated in the sadomasochistic murder of a fashion student - was charged yesterday with threatening to kidnap a 4-year-old child in a bankruptcy dispute....

READ IT AND WEEP: 67% OF CITY 4TH-GRADERS FAIL TEST

Two out of three city fourth-graders failed to meet strict new reading and writing standards, startling new test results show. Sixty-seven percent of the city's 75,400 kids who took the...

STARR GIVES UP ON MCDOUGAL AS PROBES NEAR END

WASHINGTON - Independent counsel Kenneth Starr took a big step yesterday toward ending his investigation, announcing he won't retry Whitewater witness Susan McDougal or Sexgate figure Julie Hiatt Steele. That...

NIKITA'S SON TO BECOME A YANK

The son of the late Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev is becoming an American citizen. Sergei Khrushchev, 63, who teaches at Brown University and lives in Providence, R.I., said he and...

RUDY RAISES RECORD $2.1M

Mayor Giuliani set a personal fund-raising record last night as he picked up $2.1 million in contributions. Giuliani and featured speaker Jeb Bush, Republican governor of Florida, drew 1,745 people...

DEMS FREEZE GOV'S CHECK SO HE'LL FEEL THEIR PAY-N

ALBANY - Gov. Pataki won't get his bi-weekly $6,846.92 paycheck on time today - because Assembly Democrats want him to feel their pain. "Our members were in no rush to...

STREET CRIME COPS SHOOT YOUTH IN THE BRONX

A young man was shot and wounded early today in a struggle with members of the controversial Street Crime Unit in The Bronx, authorities said. The shooting occurred in the...

MANCHESTER'S GRAIL AWAITS IN CUP FINAL

LONDON - Just as the Dallas Cowboys infuriated rival fans jealous of their success when they were "America's Team," so has Manchester United become tediously unbeatable, and the best team...

STARS-AVS HEATING UP

DENVER - The Red Wings couldn't compete, so Detroit-Colorado was a disappointment. The Blues played very well, but really, did anyone believe St. Louis-Dallas could be a showcase? Pitts-burgh's story...

OH, SHEA, CAN YOU SEE? CUBAN'S AMERICAN DREAM TAKING SHAPE IN MINORS

Cuban star Toca eyes Shea dream BINGHAMTON - Two men stand under umbrellas on a sidewalk and watch an earth mover do its thing in a vacant lot across the...

DEC ANSWERS THE CALL TO NAB MORE POACHERS

THE Foundation for Safe Boating and Marine Information has provided selected New York State Conservation officers with cell phones that, it is hoped, will help curtail the taking of illegal...

TEAM TUNA OPENS MINICAMP

Bill Parcells officially welcomes Vinny Testaverde and the rest of the Jet veterans today for the first time this offseason to begin a three-day minicamp that will also include the...

PACERS EXPECTING SAME OLD PATRICK

No, he does not move nearly as well as "The Hoya Destroya" or with the fluidity as the center who came roaring in for an offensive rebound score against Indiana...

IT'S UP TO BASEBALL AND BOSS AFTER STRAW'S PLEA DEAL TODAY

Sometime today, Darryl Strawberry will have cleared one high hurdle on his way back to the big leagues. According to sources familiar with the case, The Post has learned that...

JETS WORTH MORE GREEN : 'SKINS SALE UPS PRICE

The sale of one of the National Football League's most storied franchises yesterday marked the end of a tumultuous, four-week period for the team and the unofficial opening of the...

A DASH OF TARASCO YANKS CALL UP OLD PAL TONY FOR FILL-IN DUTY

"I want to make an impact and earn a ring."TONY TARASCO When Joe Torre went to sleep Monday night, he still was contemplating moving a reeling Paul O'Neill out of...

CHILDS: DEFENSE CAN'T REST VS. PACERS

Knicks need special d-livery vs. Indy There may be a moment early in the Eastern Conference finals when the Knicks curse the fate that sent them the lifeless and offensively-challenged...

VG STAYS ABOVE THE FRAY: DESPITE CHAOS, JEFF KEEPS ORDER

"Jeff's future and the team's future is between Jeff and I at the end of the season ... Frankly, I don't think the players are affected by this."DAVE CHECKETTS There...

CAMBY HOPES THE FUN'S ONLY JUST BEGUN

KNICK NOTES The satisfaction was in his smile. Marcus Camby, the young man who wasn't tough enough to play for the Knicks earlier this season, is thrilled with the Knicks'...

EWING GOING ALONG FOR RIDE LATEST TITLE RUN CASTS BIG MAN IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT

IT was Monday morning, long before Game 4 against the Hawks at the Garden when Herb Williams watched his friend Patrick Ewing limp around the Knicks shoot-around at Purchase College....

BAD CHICKEN, GOOD CURTIS BENCH SHANE

YANKEE NOTES Shane Spencer won't be eating chicken at a certain New Jersey restaurant anymore. Not after the Yankees' outfielder came down with salmonella after dining there on May 16....

CASHING IN ON SHORE THING

Saratoga South, otherwise known as Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., opens Saturday for its 72-day summer stand that runs through Sept. 5. The highlights of the meet are the $1...

DON'T PITY VAN GUNDY: LITTLE JEFF'S DOING JUST FINE IN MSG WAR

No need to pity Van Gundy JEFF VAN GUNDYHardly innocent. "WHAT does this have to do with Indiana?" That was Jeff Van Gundy's reaction yesterday when his attorney - don't...

'BULLET' OWNER: ALL SYSTEMS GO

Mike Pegram, owner of champion Silverbulletday, said "all systems are go" for the June 5 Belmont Stakes after his superfilly worked six furlongs in a sensational 1:10.4 yesterday at Churchill...

CLINTON STAYS ALIVE

PSAL PLAYOFFS Clinton 10 GW 4 It was an improbable comeback that Clinton head coach Bob Spector didn't think was possible. Down 4-2 and two outs away from elimination, two...

MARK JAX TO COACH: GET OUT!

Mark Jackson knows the New York scene all too well. One day on top, the next day on the bottom - until of course you are back in favor for...

NETS MUM ON BIG JOHN, COACH CHASE

In the eyes of the Nets, there is Phil Jackson. Then there is Don Casey. And then there is everybody else. And so while reports continue of meetings here and...

YANKS ADD DASH OF TARASCO

When Joe Torre went to sleep Monday night, he still was contemplating moving a reeling Paul O'Neill out of the No. 3 spot in the Yankee lineup. However, when Torre...

FANS JILT IRA-BOO: STANLEY 3-RUN HR TURNS CHEERS TO JEERS IN LOSS

Red Sox 5 Yanks 2 In the span of seven Red Sox batters, Hideki Irabu went from winning over a Yankee Stadium crowd by covering first base to getting booed...

YOSHII COMES UP ACES AGAIN: THREE HRS BACK UNLIKELY HERO

Mets 8 Pirates 3 PITTSBURGH - If Game 7 were being planned for today, the Mets would want Masato Yoshii on the mound. As incredible as that may sound, it...

REHABBING BONILLA: I WANNA BE LIKE MIKE

MET NOTES PITTSBURGH - A potential conflict is brewing between Bobby Bonilla and the Mets over how the right fielder comes off the disabled list. The Mets would probably like...

A FORK IN THE TOAD: STANLEY 3-RUN HR FOILS IRABU AS SOX GO UP 2½ IN EAST

"I thought he pitched fine. He just made a fastball hittable to a fastball hitter and the three-run banger crushed us."JOE TORRE on HIDEKI IRABU Welcome to the Season Of...