May 28, 1999

RANDOM HOUSEBREAKING - BERTELSMANN SHAKES UP U.S. PUBLISHING ARM

A new troika of top executives has emerged from a sweeping restructuring of publishing giant Random House Inc. Irwyn Applebaum, Sonny Mehta and Stephen Rubin will each oversee one of...

LESSONS TO HELP YOU WEATHER MARKET TURMOIL

AS it turns out, corporate profits do matter. And so do interest rates. Wall Street got clobbered again yesterday, giving bubbleheaded investors a heavy dose of reality and a migraine....

CBS BOSS IS THE KING OF BILLBOARDS

Mel Karmazin now rules the world of billboards, but he's paying a steep price. The head of CBS - who already owns a radio powerhouse - added one of America's...

NASD OK'S LONGER SESSIONS COMING AS SOON AS SEPTEMBER

"There will be extended hours. That's a factor of investor demand. We are calling on the industry to do the right thing and move in unison." FRANK ZARB, NASD chairman...

FEAR OF FED TANKS DOW - INFLATION JITTERS JOLT DOW 235

Investors slammed blue chip stocks, but the technology sector escaped with minor scrapes. The Dow Jones Industrials slid 235.23, or 2.20, percent to 10,466.93 - their fifth decline in six...

BOB SILLERMAN SET TO GRAB LIVENT FOR SONG

Concert mogul Bob Sillerman is about to become a major player on Broadway. The owner of SFX Entertainment, the country's largest producer of concerts and theatrical road shows, is expected...

WHITE-SHOE FIRM 'REGRETS' PAYOFF TO GUMSHOE

Red-faced Morgan Stanley executives "regret" a $10,000 payment made to a mysterious informant now under investigation, along with the Wall Street firm, for arranging a sting operation on a fired...

CHECK COMES DUE; CIPRIANI IN CHAPT. 11

Society mecca Harry Cipriani at the Sherry Netherland hotel on Fifth Avenue has filed for bankruptcy protection. The Chapter 11 filing this week is the latest and strongest indication that...

LVMH ENDS $5B BID FOR GUCCI TAKEOVER

LVMH, the French luxury goods company, last night abandoned plans for a near-$5 billion takeover bid for Gucci, the fashion house. The move came after a Dutch Court upheld Gucci's...

PARSONS EXUDES ITS SEXY EXHUBERANCE

ALL dancers dance, all choreographers choreograph, even if only after a fashion. But to do one, other or both with the utmost theatricality - that is a pure gift, and...

TV TICKER

Beltway bomber NBC's Tim Russert relays this message via his ever-present cell phone: His show, "Meet the Press," had its best margin of victory ever last week over ABC's "This...

'ETERNITY AND A DAY' NOT WORTH A SECOND LOOK

A EUROPEAN import as big, gassy, self-important - and unsuccessful - as Theo Angelopolous's pretentious ''Eternity and a Day'' hasn't hit New York since the Hindenburg last docked. Here is...

HEY, HEY, HERE'S THE NEW 'MONKEY TRIAL' - AND 'INHERIT THE WIND' HAS EVOLVED VERY NICELY

"Inherit the Wind"Tomorrow at 8 on Showtime IN a quainter time, in a quainter land far, far away from the media, political and cultural capitals of the world, a high...

'COMEDY' IS REALLY BURIED BY ITS TRASH

'THE Underground Comedy Movie'' starts with a portentous cautionary statement: ''Warning! Guaranteed to offend!'' Which would be okay if only it were guaranteed to make you laugh. This abysmal ''Kentucky...

'FLOOR' HITS VISUAL HIGH

'THE Thirteenth Floor'' is an ultra-stylish science-fiction thriller that combines elements of film noir, ''The Truman Show'' and cyberpunk without relying on costly special effects. Unfortunately, this mix - and...

ON EVE OF CLEANING UP ITS ACT, 'SPRINGER' RATINGS TAKE PLUNGE

THE Jerry Springer Show" - which this week was told to cut out its trademark brawling - is having ratings trouble. Although he has reclaimed the crown as top-rated talk...

CATE EYES B'WAY

OSCAR nominee Cate Blanchett may follow fellow Aussie Nicole Kidman to Broadway in a David Hare play - a revival of his 1978 hit "Plenty." Blanchett has won raves in...

MISSING 'INNOCENCE' IS NO GREAT 'LOSS'

THERE are some good scenes in "The Loss of Sexual Innocence." So it is a shame that Mike Figgis' autobiographical art film is almost comically pretentious - and that his...

'HILL' OF A GOOD TIME: JULIA ROBERTS IS THE BIG STAR WHO PLAYS A BIG STAR, BUT THE CHARMING 'NOTTING HILL' IS HUGH GRANT'S MOVIE

NOTTING HILL Starring Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant. Directed by Roger Michell. Running time: 2 hrs. 4 min. Rated PG-13. Area theaters. 'NOTTING Hill'' is a blatant but worthy attempt by...

LUCCI: I WANNA SING!

BEAMING soap opera star Susan Lucci - who finally won an Emmy after 18 years of heartbreaking losses - may be Broadway bound. The actress - who plays vixenish Erica...

WHAT A COMEBACK! DUMPED DANO TO STAR IN FOUR SOAPS

SOAP star Linda Dano has discovered a wide world of acting opportunities. Dano, who starred on "Another World" for 15 years before it was canceled last month, has signed a...

IT'S MURPHY'S ROAR: ANGRY EDDIE THREATENS TO WALK AFTER FOX PUTS "THE PJS" ON ICE FOR FALL

NeTWORK officials and sources close to Eddie Murphy yesterday denied reports that the movie star is ready to quit his controverisal animated Fox show "The PJs." The series, about the...

KEEPING FAITH: WITH A NEW ALBUM AND A CONCERT TOUR, COUNTRY PHENOM FAITH HILL LETS FANS KNOW SHE'S HERE TO STAY

ABSTRACT: As one of the biggest names in country music, Faith Hill has sold more than 10 million albums, has had seven No. 1 hit singles, burned up the radio...

DEAF KIDS LIVID AT QUEEN'S HUBBY

Queen Elizabeth's big-mouthed hubby is in trouble again for another one of his jawdropping insults - this time taking a shot a deaf kids. Prince Philip - visiting a group...

MCCALL: I'LL RUN FOR GOV OR RETIRE

State Comptroller Carl McCall, the first black elected to statewide office in New York, won't seek another term when his current one expires in 2002. McCall made the surprising announcement...

'SMOKING GUN' EVIDENCE OF ETHNIC CLEANSING

A chilling Serbian Defense Ministry blueprint for the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo has emerged as the "smoking gun evidence" that will be used against Slobodan Milosevic. The "Horseshoe Document," written...

ROCK-A-BYE-BYE, BABY! ADOPTION 'SCAMMERS' BUSTED

They broke hearts. They drained bank accounts. They ruined lives.IT'S about time. Last year, I wrote about a ring of vultures in human clothing, women who made a tidy living...

MOTORISTS PAY THROUGH THE HOSE FOR GAS

Motorists will pay more to fill up their tanks over the Memorial Day weekend - thanks to a whopping 18 percent jump in gasoline prices in the past three months....

H0LY M0SES, D0N'T KILL HIM! - SPIKE: I WAS 'JOKING' ABOUT SHOOTING HESTON

Controversial filmmaker Spike Lee says it's all a big misunderstanding: He doesn't really want someone to shoot National Rifle Association President Charlton Heston. The man behind the critically lauded films...

9,000 PURPLE HEARTS - THAT'S AN ORDER - MEDALS MEAN GROUND TROOPS

LEE GRAVES this week got some good news for his business, but not very good news for soldiers. "On Wednesday, we got the official order to make 9,000 Purple Hearts,"...

RENO STICKS TO HER GUNS IN SPY SCANDAL

WASHINGTON - Attorney General Janet Reno yesterday defended herself against charges she bungled the China spy probe, and vowed she wouldn't resign over it. She said Justice Department and FBI...

SERBS' NEXT LEADER IS LIKELY TO BE EVEN WORSE

If Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic falls, the man mostly likely to succeed him makes him look like a moderate. Vojislav Seselj is an ultranationalist, a former paramilitary leader who is...

MARLA HEEL GOES DOWN TO DE-FEET IN COURT AGAIN

Marla Maples won't have to go toe-to-toe with her foot-fetishist former publicist in a videotaped deposition, an appeals court ruled yesterday. In a unanimous decision, an Appellate Division panel stomped...

PAKISTAN SHOOTS DOWN INDIAN WAR JET

The bad blood between India and Pakistan came to a boil yesterday after Pakistan shot down at least one Indian jet fighter over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. Pakistani...

JURY SHOWN 'THE STICK' AS FEDS REST LOUIMA CASE

Prosecutors in the Abner Louima brutality trial wrapped up their case yesterday by showing the jury what they say is the other half of the broomstick used in the sickening...

APPLE ALBANIANS HAIL SLOBBO INDICTMENT

It's about time. That was the response from ethnic Albanian immigrants and refugees yesterday to news that Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic has been indicted for war crimes. "They should have...

SPITZER: TIX BIZ ROTTEN WITH SCALPER HELPERS

ALBANY - A totally corrupt ticket industry is denying fairly priced tickets to sports, music and theater fans for nearly every popular event, state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer charged yesterday....

ALBRIGHT: WE'LL SEEK DEAL WITH INDICTED SLOBBO

WASHINGTON - Serb strongman Slobodan Milosevic yesterday became the world's Most Wanted Man - but U.S. officials said they're still willing to cut a peace deal with the indicted war...

CHRISTIE ON ENEMY TURF TO LAUNCH TAX WAR

New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman declared war against the New York City commuter tax in the heart of enemy territory yesterday - Midtown Manhattan. Like George Washington crossing the Delaware...

SUN-SOAKED BIG APPLE SET FOR HOLIDAY HEAVEN

Summer season kicks off with warm weather through the Memorial Day weekend.Get ready for some Memorial Day fun in the sun! The festive, three-day weekend that signifies the unofficial beginning...

COP IS CLEARED IN 'RADIO' DEATH

A Manhattan grand jury has refused to indict a cop who threw his radio at a suspect who later died of brain injuries. The panel's vote takes Officer Craig Yokemick...

BEEP MAKES SCHOOL AID A FEDERAL CASE

Manhattan Borough President Virginia Fields called yesterday for a federal probe of state education funding - charging it shortchanges the city's mostly minority schoolkids. This week's disastrous showing by fourth-graders...

SAFIR STICKS UP FOR COP IN TEEN SHOOTING

Police Commissioner Howard Safir and anguished relatives of a Bronx teen traded barbs yesterday over the shooting of the unarmed youth by a cop from the controversial Street Crime Unit....

PEDIATRICIAN BEAT SON: COPS

A Bronx doctor punched his 9-year-old son and beat him with a belt because he brought home a bad report card, police said yesterday. Noel Howell, 35, who treats ailing...

REPORT ON HMOS MAY LEAVE YOU FEELING SICK

A new HMO report card by a state business group shows some of the largest insurers flunked statewide standards for immunizing children on time and treating heart-attack victims with improved...

REPORT ON TOXINS IN PORTABLE CLASSROOMS 'SCARES' CITY PARENTS

Millions of kids who go to school in portable classrooms might be exposed to dangerous levels of formaldehyde and other cancer-causing toxins, a new study warns. A California report, released...

GUILTY IN THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION

THE insults and expletives spewed from the man's mouth at a machine gun's pace. "There he is. There's Volpe's henchman!" the angry and apparently disturbed tall man screamed at Officer...

LATEGANO TAKES FAMILY BREAK

Cristyne Lategano, Mayor Giuliani's longtime communications director and virtual alter ego, is taking an extended leave of absence. Sources said Lategano, who has rarely left the mayor's side in 5...

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND WILL BE A BEAUTY!

Get ready for some Memorial Day fun in the sun! The festive, three-day weekend that signifies the unofficial beginning of summer kicks off tonight. That means beaches, barbecues and beautiful...

REPORT RIPS HMOS - BUT CONSUMERS ARE HAPPY

A new HMO report card by a state business group shows some of the largest insurers flunked statewide standards for immunizing children on time and treating heart-attack victims with improved...

GUT-CHECK MONTH FOR METS: YANKS, BRAVES BIG JUNE TESTS

NEXT weekend, the first one in June, the Mets get the Yankees. The last weekend in June they get the Braves. By month's end we will see what this team...

NO PLACE LIKE HOME:JACKSON'S KNICK DAYS REMAIN SPECIAL

"My job from the day I found out I was traded was to make them regret it."MARK JACKSON INDIANAPOLIS - Once, he was among the most celebrated athletes in New...

NEW GAME NOT SUITABLE FOR ANYBODY

AS kids grow more desensitized to violence, video-game manufacturers, like TV execs, spend more time engaged in anguished public-relations appearances than actually doing something about it. This week, "Bloody Roar...

APOLOGY ACCEPTED: UNLIKE MOST LIARS, CHECKETTS HAD GUTS TO ADMIT IT

DAVE CHECKETTS took quite a bashing this week. And he deserved every word of it. But there was something oddly pleasing - extraordinarily decent, even - about the entire episode....

MET, MASSCAP ON TAP

It seems like light years ago when horses like Kelso, Gun Bow, Buckpasser and Forego carried 130 pounds or more to victory in the Metropolitan Handicap, one of the most...

BACK INJURY WON'T STOP PORT BAYOU

Port Bayou, the Irish horse who hopes to follow in the footsteps of 1990 Belmont Stakes winner Go and Go, looks as if he'll make the trip after all despite...

DEVILS PLANNING TO SLASH PAYROLL

The implications are obvious for a team with nine free agents to sign. Devils owner John McMullen told The Post yesterday that he expects his team's payroll to actually decrease...

TUNA HOPES 'F' CAN ADD OOMPH

JET NOTES A significant focus of this Jet minicamp and the upcoming training camp is work on the F-back position, where former Jet tight end Johnny Mitchell is expected to...

KNICKS AND LJ NEED TO STALL OL' PRO MULLIN

When Larry Johnson heads home in the offseason, meets up with his buddies and talks hoops, the chatter leads to instant analyses of opponents. When the name of Chris Mullin...

ISLE DEAL OR NO, NASSAU EYEING MINOR BASEBALL

Nassau County officials, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and the Islanders yesterday set up a mid-June meeting to restart new-arena talks that broke off 3 months ago. However, The Post has...

GREAT WEEKEND TO DROP A LINE

THE MEMORIAL Day weekend should be an enjoyable one for saltwater anglers in the metropolitan area as the weather and fishing ap-pear to be in their favor. While offshore fishing...

PHILLY BETTOR BAGS $147G PICK 6

Despite the fact that yesterday's Pick Six started with longshot One Run Baby defeating 2-5 favorite Conformal, one lucky bettor was able to solve the mystery and hit a big...

LOW-KEY EWING REFUSES TO GUARANTEE VICTORY

For the second straight day, Patrick Ewing declined to stop for a moment for interviews yesterday following Knicks practice at Purchase College, but on the way out he said he'd...

SMITS' SHOT WORRIES VAN

Anyone who's been around Jeff Van Gundy for any length of time knows he cannot find enough glowing words when it comes to praising Patrick Ewing. It's a mutual admiration...

NO BUTTS ABOUT IT: MARK MUST BE STOPPED

IF the Knicks rebound and they effectively guard the perimeter, the key to the Eastern Conference Finals will be Mark Jackson's butt. We have a point to make about the...

ROY: LANCHE NEED MORE UP MIDDLE

DENVER - The World According to Patrick Roy. Or, how an elite athlete is unafraid to fill our notebook with interesting observations on the day between Games 3 and 4...

BIRD: OPPORTUNITY IS KNOCKING

INDIANAPOLIS - Opportunity does not always knock, does not always present itself. It can be as short-lived as a Hollywood marriage. So when it presents itself, jump on it and...

THIS TIME, STARS SHINE WITH NIEU APPROACH

DENVER - A year ago, the regular-season champion Stars went into the Western finals against Detroit, only to lose in six. A year ago, however, the Stars were playing without...

MARVIN CAN HARDLY WAIT

It's time we credit Marvin Jones for his perseverance rather than tag him as him as injury-prone and a guy who steers clear of strength and conditioning. Jones, the Jets'...

CLASSIC SHEA BATTLE SHAPIN' UP

The Diamondbacks are coming to Shea to play the hot Mets and with them comes the potential for one of the most intriguing matchups of the season. Randy Johnson, probablythe...

SPREWELL'S AMERICAN DREAM: LATRELL'S GOT SCRIPT FOR FAIRY-TALE SEASON

BEFORE we get so carried away with debating what Latrell Sprewell's future with the Knicks should be, let's not overlook how far he has come in these last hectic five...

SORE TOE KEEPS RIK GROUNDED

INDIANAPOLIS - Rik Smits was finally able to perform some activities again without pain. Real complicated stuff. Like walking. Through the work of an orthopedic therapist that Larry Bird credited...

'IT' S OUR TIME' VAN GUNDY SAYS KNICKS ARE READY FOR PACER WAR

The Knicks have two days left to prepare for Indiana but Jeff Van Gundy made it clear yesterday that his team is ready to rock and roll. Van Gundy knows...

STRAWBERRY PENALTY MIGHT NOT BE HARSH

YANKEE NOTES A decision by Major League Baseball on Darryl Strawberry's status probably won't come forth until Tuesday at the earliest and his punishment is expected to be "light," according...

SPREWELL CREDITS MULLIN'S INFLUENCE

KNICK NOTES During his days in Golden State, Latrell Sprewell grew close to a New York gym rat, Chris Mullin. Now the two will go at each other in the...

VAN GUNDY DESERVES AX: KNICKS BENCH BOSS GUILTY OF STABBING GRUNFELD IN BACK

[Van Gundy] wantonly manipulated an obviously ignorant faction of the media to submarine his boss and denounce Camby, Latrell Sprewell and Chris Dudley. REGARDLESS of whether the Knicks defeat the...

MILLER'S TONGUE BUSTS LOOSE

INDIANAPOLIS - The bait was placed before him and every opportunity presented him, but Reggie Miller wouldn't bite. What's a good Pacer-Knicks series without some kind of ''Reggie Rips Knick''...

JEFF KNOWS WHO TO VOTE FOR IN POST'S KNICK COACH POLL

"I saw the guys who are coming off the bench ... They had a stack of Posts. I didn't know what it was until I saw them checking, you know,...

REED FEARS SHEA DAYS NEAR AN END

MET NOTES Rick Reed has been the best pitcher for the Mets and yet he is being paid less than any other starter in the rotation. Perhaps that is why...

TO HARTER, VAN GUNDY AIMS TRUE

INDIANAPOLIS - It was obvious Jeff Van Gundy was meant to coach. Dick Harter saw it years back, he sees it now. "Jeff was very thorough. He worked very hard,...

CLEMENS DOMINATES HIS OLD CLUB

Yankees 4 Red Sox 1 Since the Feb. 18 announcement that Roger Clemens had become a Yankee, the Red Sox knew this humbling night would come eventually. Perhaps best it...

STRAWBERRY PENALTY EXPECTED TO BE LIGHT

A suspension imposed by Major League Baseball on Darryl Strawberry is expected to be "light" and probably won't be issued until Tuesday, at the earliest, according to a league insider....

RACE FOR 3,000 COULD TURN INTO PHOTO FINISH

QUIZ: Who holds the record for most homers in a season by a designated hitter? (answer below). Suddenly, the race for 3,000 hits is a race again. Earlier this season,...

TOP JOB BY TORRE: PATIENCE PAYS OFF AS HITTERS END SLUMP

ABSTRACT: Strike one up for Yankee manager Joe Torre's well-documented patience. He had contemplated shaking up the top five of the order - specifically, moving Paul from the three slot...