December 6, 1999

AUTOMATIC PRICE CUTS FOR YULE

There's been no shortage of gimmicks from e-commerce players trying to grab the attention of web shoppers, who have been barraged with .com sales. OutletZoo.com, which sells brand-name closeouts, is...

LOEWS UNLOADS MIDTOWN HOTELS

In a quest to solidify its upscale status, Loews Corp. has unloaded its two downscale Times Square-area hotel properties. Company execs told The Post that Loews has sold the Howard...

FED'S IN FOR A CONFRONTATION

A LAN Greenspan now has a really big problem. The inflation index that the Fed chief monitors closely rose sharply again last month. But since Wall Street knows that Y2K...

DOW JONES EYES SPINOFFS TO FUEL STOCK

Looking to speed up improvement after a 12-year stock slump, Dow Jones is considering spinning off its Internet properties and its chain of 19 small daily newspapers -- for as...

BATTLE TO BUY UPI

It's Black vs. Dobbs in bid for news service Canadian press baron Conrad Black is battling Lou Dobbs, the former CNN kingpin who is now running Space.com, to take over...

'SPACE' IS ALIENATING

'SPACE," a drama about alien abduction at the Public Theater, is a lame, preachy production in which writer-director Tina Landau tries to keep your interest with a snooty intellectual debate...

ROYAL BALLET KICKS OFF COVENT GARDEN OPENING

DANCE REVIEW LONDON -- After a 21/2-year closure marked by politics, disaster and controversy, London's Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, has triumphantly opened its doors, following a $340-million facelift....

PRINCE CANS FLICK ON QUEEN MUM

PRINCE Edward has dropped his controversial plans to produce a TV drama about the Queen Mother for NBC in an effort to repair his damaged reputation. Edward has been under...

IT'S 'TOY' HISTORY ; TIES DISNEY RECORD WITH FAST $100M

THANKSGIVING leftovers stuffed the top four slots in the weekend box office race."Toy Story 2" was not to be toyed with at $28.3 million (with a huge $8,740 per-screen average),...

THE STARR REPORT

A 'Night' in January Lost in the shuffle of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" mania is the fate of "Sports Night" -- which was shelved for November sweeps. An...

ENTER THE 'DRAGON'; CARTOON NET HAS A NEW NO. 1 SHOW

DRAGON Ball Z" -- a violent, Japanese animated show that looks remarkably similar to "Pokemon" -- is now the highest rated show on The Cartoon Network. Based on the show's...

MOTHER'S DOWN BUT NOT OUT: FIRED TALK SHOW STAR IS TALKING BACK

MOTHER Love is down but not out. That's the word from Mother Love herself, who spoke exclusively to The Post about how it felt to be dismissed as host of...

ROCKIN' ROBBINS: THE HARD-WORKING DIRECTOR TACKLES THE TUMULTUOUS POLITICS OF THE 1930S IN HIS NEW FILM 'CRADLE WILL ROCK'

ACCORDING to its director Tim Robbins, the politically charged "Cradle Will Rock," which opens Wednesday, will be the last film we'll see from him for a while. The 41-year-old actor/director...

IS DEADLY CRACK BACK? A VIEW FROM THE STREETS

THE drug-addicted panhandlers on the street called it the "crack hustle." That's the desperate do-or-die search for money, at least $5, to buy two rocks of the crack cocaine. The...

IS CRACK BACK? STATISTICS MAY HIDE THE TRUTH ABOUT CRACK USE

The recent attack on Nicole Barrett, allegedly by Paris Drake, a crack-crazed homeless man, illustrates that violent street crime fueled by the physiological need for the cheap narcotic is often...

GIVE YOUR PACKAGES A PROPER SEND-OFF

Savvy Shopper reveals tips and trends for gift-buying in what is shaping up as the biggest holiday season of the '90s.INTERNET shopping may be quick and easy -- but you'd...

RUDY WILL TAKE LONG ROAD TO GET CONSERVATIVE NOD

MAYOR GIULIANI will aggressively "reach out" for Conservative Party leader Michael Long early next year, top state Republicans predicted yesterday. They also said a more immediate effort would be made...

STAY-AWAY HILLARY LEAVES SHEEP WITHOUT A BELLE

THE least you can expect from someone who has a starring role is that they turn up for the performance. So where was Hillary yesterday, commanding the center stage which...

LOCAL CUBANS: FIDEL'S JUST BLOWING CIGAR SMOKE

Cuban-Americans in New York and New Jersey yesterday roundly blasted Fidel Castro's ultimatum that the United States hand over 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez -- saying the Cuban leader is just blowing...

THE SAIL SURVIVORS OF A SEAFARING AGE

Each day until Jan. 1, The Post will take a look at one of New York's landmarks on the eve of the new millennium. We'll talk to people who work...

SMOOTH SALE-ING AS STORES ENJOY 'ANOTHER BANNER DAY'

It's almost a wrap -- shoppers crammed into stores this weekend, hoping to find everything on their loved ones' Christmas gift lists. At the top of a lot of kids'...

FIDEL'S JUST BACK TO HIS DIRTY OLD TRICKS

Fidel Castro's decision to raise the stakes over 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez is calculated to score propaganda points at home -- and put the Clinton administration on the defensive over immigration,...

BOTH SIDES BLAST BARAK FOR SETTLEMENT PLAN

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak was attacked yesterday for green-lighting 500 more Jewish housing units on the West Bank. Calling it the largest settlement expansion since 1967, Palestinian negotiator Saeb...

JEWS TO HILLARY: TELL YOUR HUBBY TO FREE POLLARD

Nearly 200 rabbis and Jewish community leaders yesterday demanded that Hillary Rodham Clinton use her influence with the president to free convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard. A rally at Clinton's...

O'CONNOR UNABLE TO CELEBRATE MASS

An ailing John Cardinal O'Connor was too weak to celebrate his weekly public Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral yesterday. "His Eminence has been experiencing some weakness in his legs, and...

RUDY HAILS 'UNBIASED' HACKS

Mayor Giuliani says the results on New York City cabbies are in -- and our hacks are as unbiased as they come. In a surprise sting operation during three days...

CASTRO THREATENS 'BATTLE' FOR RAFT BOY ; GIVES U.S. 3 DAYS TO RETURN REFUGEE

Fidel Castro vowed yesterday to wage a "battle for world opinion" over the 6-year-old Cuban boy rescued off the coast of Florida -- threatening massive protests if he isn't returned...

STEVIE: 'I WANNA SEE MY KIDS, MOM & SWEETHEART'

WASHINGTON -- Superstar Stevie Wonder was on higher ground last night as he talked about what life would be like if he gets a high-tech chip implant that can restore...

CASTRO THREATENS 'BATTLE' FOR RAFT BOY: GIVES U.S. 3 DAYS TO RETURN REFUGEE

Fidel Castro vowed yesterday to wage a "battle for world opinion" over the 6-year-old Cuban boy rescued off the coast of Florida -- threatening massive protests if he isn't returned...

MCCAIN EVEN WITH BUSH IN N.H.

Sen. John McCain, who released his medical records this weekend to prove that he is fit to be president, has pulled nearly even in New Hampshire with GOP front-runner George...

TWU FACTION 'STRIKES' BACK

A powerful faction of the Transport Workers Union is urging members today to consider a transit strike if the MTA doesn't offer an acceptable contract by Dec. 15. The New...

COMATOSE BOXER DIES OF HEAD INJURY

Boxer Stephan Johnson lost his fight for life yesterday in the Atlantic City hospital where he had been in a coma since being knocked out in a junior middleweight bout...

DEMO RIPS RUDY ON HOMELESS: FOES VENT ANGER IN UNION SQUARE

More than 1,000 protesters rallied in Union Square yesterday to denounce Mayor Giuliani's policies toward the homeless -- including sweeping them from the streets while insisting they work if they...

BENTLEY DRIVER'S SWEET RENT DEAL

Not many people could wheel around town in a $190,000 Bentley while living in a federally subsidized apartment intended for a low-income family. Perry Criscitelli may be the only one....

HE'S STOCKED UP TO FACE 'DISASTER' WITH FULL STOMACH

Boris Ushumirskiy, a Soviet immigrant now living in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, vows he will never wait in a bread line again. Ushumirskiy has stockpiled hundreds of pounds of food in his...

QUEENS DAD TURNS HIS BASEMENT INTO HIGH-TECH BUNKER ; DAD TURNS BASEMENT INTO BUNKER

If there's a Y2K terrorist attack on New York City -- anthrax, bombs or sabotaged power plants -- there are worse places to be than John Miuta's basement in Queens....

NO WAY THE TREE TOPS THIS TOUR

IT'S getting so bad that you almost wish the crime rate would go back up so the tourists would be too scared to come to New York. Yes, it's Christmas...

SADDAM STOCKPILING KEY NUKE PART: MAG

Saddam Hussein is secretly loading up on special electronic switches that are used to trigger atomic bombs, The New Yorker says. The Iraqi dictator is quietly stockpiling the switches under...

HILFIGER'S ROCK FAVORITES

FROM Elvis(-esq-) blue suede shoes to Debbie Harry(-esq-)s blond shock of hair to Marilyn Manson(-esq-)s freaky contact lenses, rock and style have been playing on the same team for decades...

ALL DRESSED UP WITH SOMEWHERE TO GLOW

So much for surprises. Thanks to a distribution snafu late last week, the winners of the Vogue VH-1Fashion Awards were public property well before they were announced last night during...

ONLY BAD THING ABOUT SHOW: NOTHING STUPID HAPPENED

3 STARS Last night's VH1 Vogue Fashion Awards Show hosted by Healther Locklear and Puff Daddy was near awards-show perfection. It had glamour, good music, near naked ladies, no idiotic...

DAD: HOW CAN AMERICANS JUST PUSH ME ASIDE?

CARDENAS, Cuba. RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ says she has lost the two people she loves the most. Her daughter Elizabeth drowned crossing the dangerous waters between Cuba and the United States. Her...

THEO CAN'T WAIT TO BURN FLAMES

Into tonight's Garden match against the Flames, with the Rangers having the opportunity to go three straight without a defeat for the first time in nearly two months, since an...

HASSELL'S THE DIFFERENCE

PSAL CHAMPIONSHIPCurtis26Wagner22 For four years, George Hassell has guided Curtis' offense. So it came as no surprise when the senior quarterback led the Warriors to victory in their 26-22 win...

JET SECONDARY A PRIMARY WOE

Yesterday's Giant-Jet game ended at the Giant 45-yard line with less than six minutes to go in the first quarter and the Giants already up 10-0. Amani Toomer caught a...

GOOD/BAD ANALYSIS WAY OUT OF PROPORTION

I'M always wary of people who use certain expressions. For example, when people say, "To make a long story short," they're usually too late. Then there are those who are...

MARVIN SHINES ON DISGRACED DEFENSE

JET NOTES It's difficult to praise anyone in such a lopsided loss as the Jets were involved in against the Giants, but it's difficult to overlook the way Marvin Jones...

STATS NO BALM AS DEFEAT STINGS RAY

Ray Lucas had just finished his career-best performance as a pro, shattering his previous bests statistically. And yet he was distraught. This is a classic lesson in how statistics can...

SHAME ON GANG GREEN ; LIFELESS JETS QUIT ON SEASON

Giants41Jets28 J-E-T-S. Quit, quit, quit. There was resignation and concession -- adorned in green and white -- strewn like the tailgaters' garbage in the parking lots all over Giants Stadium...

THE WONDER OF IT ALL ; MONTGOMERY'S REMARKABLE DAY

EVEN without any embellishment, the Joe Montgomery Story is remarkable, even if it turns out to be nothing more than a one-week's wonder. From the pre-game exchange with his head...

KERRY SAVORS HIS BEST DAY WITH GIANTS

Of course Kerry Collins was aware that he had become the first Giant quarterback since Phil Simms to throw for over 300 yards. Six long years. Ninety-six long games. "Certainly...

YOUNG-GUN COLTS WIN DUEL WITH DAN

Colts37Dolphins34 MIAMI -- Time stood still, Peyton Manning said, as Mike Vanderjagt's kick hung in the air. Maybe that was only because it takes a while for a football to...

STOPPED-COLD CURTIS: IT'S EMBARRASSING

Curtis Martin is going to be a Pro Bowler this year. Yesterday, the Giants made him look like New York's favorite bowler. That's Bobby Bonilla for those who turn off...

FASSEL TOUCHED BY PLAYERS' GESTURE

Jim Fassel has been awarded game balls by his players several times in his nine-year NFL coaching career, but only one of those balls holds a place of prominence in...

BIG BLUE RULES BIG APPLE:JINTS THROTTLE JETS IN BATTLE OF N.Y.

At the finish, Jessie Armstead handed a football to Jim Fassel, which was the only way this remarkable afternoon should end. There were so many giants among the Giants on...

QB COACH PAYTON MAKES ALL THE RIGHT CALLS

There were so many key factors in the rare and impressive pyrotechnics from of the Giants and their suddenly-combustible offense, and somehow, a little-known assistant coach named Sean Payton has...

SEHORN INJURY LEAVES SECONDARY DEPLETED

GIANT NOTES When the euphoria of their 41-28 victory over the Jets fades, the Giants will be left with a sobering thought: Just as their offense is getting its act...

CONE DECIDES TO STAY: OKS BOMBERS' ONE-YEAR $12 MILLION OFFER

Faced with signing a one-year deal to stay in The Bronx or continuing to seek a two-year deal, perhaps elsewhere, David Cone will return to the Yankees under Plan A....

12 SECONDS OF AGONY ; HOUSTON'S WOES COME AT CRUCIAL TIME

THE last 12 seconds of last night's game at the Garden was about as horrible as it has ever gotten for Allan Houston. Even in the days when people were...

HOUSTON & KNICKS SUFFER MELTDOWN

Nuggets80Knicks78 Media friendly Latrell Sprewell refused to speak after last night's game, even though his favorite subject, the Golden State Warriors, had already flown into town for tomorrow's game. Larry...

JOHNSON RETURNS, BUT NOT AS A STARTER

The Knicks welcomed back Larry Johnson to the lineup last night but welcomed him back in a new role -- as a reserve and at small forward. As expected, Johnson...

VG RESERVES SPOT FOR LJ

The Knicks welcomed back Larry Johnson to the lineup last night but welcomed him back in a new role - as a reserve. As expected, Johnson was activated off the...

WARD'S MOST IMPORTANT ASSIST

CHARLIE Ward was passing around some flyers in the Knicks' locker room again recently, and this one had nothing do with objecting to the presence of women in the players'...

STARKS WON'T DARE MISS HOMECOMING

KNICK NOTES John Starks got to the Garden two nights early. Starks was expected to be in attendance last night as a spectator when the Knicks faced the Nuggets. Tomorrow,...