March 17, 2000

BARRON'S SCRIBE TOES GOVERNMENT LINE ON INFLATION

I FIND myself in a bona fide dissing match with Barron's. Here's how Gene Epstein from that esteemed financial weekly came after me -- and defended the government's handling of...

SEC PROBES ORDER SCAM AT EXCHANGE

The SEC is investigating evidence that at least one regional stock exchange had been failing to display limit orders broadly. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Arthur Levitt did not name...

TIMES MIRROR 'CEREAL KILLER': NO PAPER WILL HIRE ME NOW

With his seven newspapers secretly sold out from under him, Times Mirror chief Mark Willes says no other newspaper company will ever hire him. In the aftermath of the announced...

PEAPOD VEGGES OUT - CEO, INVESTORS FLEE; GROCER SITE MAY FOLD

Web grocer Peapod may be shutting its cyber doors after losing its CEO and a commitment for a $120 million investment. The Illinois-based company said yesterday that CEO Bill Malloy...

DEVIL OF A DEAL: YANKEENETS PAY $175M

And then there were three. George Steinbrenner and the YankeeNets organization, after weeks of speculation, yesterday finally announced they had reached a deal to buy the New Jersey Devils. Terms...

BLUE CHIPS HURRAY! - FIRMS THAT MAKE REAL STUFF POWER DOW UP 499 PTS.

They're baa-aack! Value stocks made a run for the money yesterday, knocking growth stocks out of the way as they pushed the Dow Jones industrial average to its best point...

SALE ON BRINK AS INC. SINKS

Inc. magazine, the bible of small business entrepreneurs, is hanging up a "For Sale" sign. An ailing Bernard Goldhirsh, founder of the Goldhirsh Group, had been planning since late last...

KITTIE COMES ON LIKE A TIGER

ROCK REVIEW WITH brontosauran metal crunch - Kittie - a Canadian quartet of chicks with picks and sticks thundered their way through a set that was refreshingly loud, vulgar and...

'ERIN' GO BRA!

MOVIE REVIEW ERIN BROCKOVICH ½ Julia Roberts is better than ever as a secretary who spearheads a legal assault on a utility she links to a cancer cluster. Director Steven...

SLICK, DEFTLY STAGED & IRISH

THEATER REVIEWRIVERDANCE ON BROADWAY Gershwin Theatre, 222 W. 51st St. (212) 586-6510. THE more some things change, the more they remain the same.Ireland's "Riverdance on Broadway," which opened at the...

REVOLUTIONARY ROAR: PATTI SMITH GETS INTO U.S. HISTORY

PUNK poet Patti Smith is an artist who has kept her credibility by refusing to compromise herself or her music.On Tuesday, the 53-year-old singer, who lives here, releases her eighth...

'BEYOND THE MAT' TAKES ON PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING

MOVIE REVIEW BEYOND THE MAT Writer-director Barry Blaustein's entertaining documentary on professional wrestling -- featuring Mick Foley and Terry Funk -- doesn't shy from the ugly side, though it's far...

JUST PLANE SILLY

MOVIE REVIEW FINAL DESTINATION Teens who leave a departing plane before a Flight 800-type crash are killed off, one by one. OK premise quickly deteriorates into a silly, badly acted...

'LOVE' HURTS BUT ITS MESSAGE IS WORTH THE TEARS

THE Color of Love: Jacey's Story" is a sensitive, caring family movie that my family wouldn't sit through for a minute. Okay, my son is four -- and the babysitter...

AUSTRALIAN SOFT FRUIT JUST SHORT OF ROTTEN

MOVIE REVIEW SOFT FRUIT 1/2 This latest in a series of Aussie movies centering on the reunion of one of those ghastly dysfunctional Australian families is honest but also derivative...

'BUFFALO': WOOLLY RELIC

THEATER REVIEWAMERICAN BUFFALO Atlantic Theater Company, 336 W. 20th St., between Eighth and Ninth avenues; (212) 239-6200. THERE'S two guys from the movie "Magnolia."The production comes from the Donmar Warehouse...

THE STARR REPORT

Tape delay Don't expect to see the home videos of Columbine killers Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris anytime soon. The much-sought-after videos still have at least two civil cases to...

COLD 'WINTER'

WINTER SLEEPERSWhile it displays some of the exuberant filmmaking skill that made his "Run Lola Run" so enjoyable, Tom Tykwer's chilly ensemble piece is much slower. With Florian Daniel, Marie-Lou...

GIMME BACK MY 'CLERKS' -- CREATOR

CLERKS" creator Kevin Smith reportedly wants to yank his animated series from the network and edit the completed episodes into a movie. "It's definitely been talked about," a source close...

GOOD MUSIC CAN'T HELP 'BABYMOTHER'

MOVIE REVIEWS BABYMOTHER IMAGINE "Flashdance" set to reggae music and reset in a London slum with a single mother as the heroine -- and you've got a rough idea of...

TAPING REALLY BURNS GABRIEL

GABRIEL Byrne is definitely not ready for his close-up in the Broadway revival of "Moon for the Misbegotten." In fact, the Irish heartthrob doesn't even want one. Production sources say...

ONE FASHION FAD LIKELY TO 'E'-MERGE

SINCE fashion's recent obsession with white-trash chic has been replaced by a longing for all things ladylike, it's doubtful Julia Roberts' trashy "Erin Brockovich" costumes will set any new trends...

SPRINGER GETS OWN GAME SHOW (THAT'S THE 'WITTY, FUNNY' JERRY)

NOW it's Jerry Springer's turn to host a game show. The outrageous talk-show star will host a "groundbreaking, interactive, high-stakes" game show being developed by Studios USA, which also syndicates...

'FARSCAPE' STILL FAR OUT, BABY

"Farscape" Tonight at 8 p.m. on Sci Fi WHAT can you say about a show featuring a big, blue sex goddess, a lost American astronaut (the alien in this crowd),...

GMA GOES TO WAR; ABC'S BATTLE WITH 'TODAY' FULL OF DIRTY TRICKS

THE "Today" show and "Good Morning America" have long been bitter rivals, but seldom has their rivalry been more intense than right now. The aggressor these days is clearly second-place...

THIN CHARACTERS CAN'T CARRY HEAVY 'FINBAR'

MOVIE REVIEWS THE DISAPPEARANCE OF FINBAR1/2Running time: 103 minutes. Not rated. At the Screening Room, Canal and Varick streets. 'THE Disappearance of Finbar" is supposed to be saying deep, symbolic...

D'LIGHTFUL D'ANGELO IS R&B'S SAVIOR

SOUL REVIEW DESPITE taking the stage looking like the devil's cabana boy in a full nine-yard monk's robes at his Radio City Music Hall headlining debut, D'Angelo positioned himself as...

LITTLE-KNOWN BIZMAN SET TO TAKE ON TEDDY

WASHINGTON - He lives in Connecticut and has no political experience, but a wealthy black entrepreneur plans to run against Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, the Senate's best-known liberal. James...

MA KIMES CAN BARELY CONTAIN HER EXCITEMENT

Accused killer-swindler Sante Kimes is excitedly expecting big news from her Manhattan murder trial today - the revelation of something 50 investigators working almost two years have yet to uncover....

TEACHER PERK'S JUST A FLIGHT OF FANCY: RUDY: SCHOOLS NO PLACE FOR GIMMICKS

Mayor Giuliani yesterday shot down a proposal to give airline tickets to teachers at top-performing summer schools - but the teachers union said the city needs incentives to get enough...

CLINTON VS. THE NRA: SLEAZY SHOOTOUT AT THE DC CORRAL - THE SECRET BEHIND THIS SICKENING SPECTACLE: RAISING MONEY

THE president of the United States and the executive vice president of the National Rifle Association are both using the dead bodies of innocents as weapons and shields for the...

LEO'S 'BROTHER' BUSTED - TRIED TO KILL GAL PAL: COPS

Leonardo DiCaprio's stepbrother is being held in lieu of $1 million bail -- charged with trying to kill his girlfriend, authorities said yesterday. Adam Farrar, 28, was charged with one...

OH, BABY! ZETA-JONES SAYS SHE WANTS SCADS OF 'EM

Michael Douglas probably won't be getting much sleep anytime soon -- his bride-to-be, Catherine Zeta-Jones, says she wants to be a lean, mean baby-making machine. And not only does the...

REEL ERIN'S REAL ENOUGH - BRAINY BEAUTY BROCKOVICH CALLS ROBERTS 'OUTSTANDING'

THE real Erin Brockovich says she's happy to be portrayed on the big screen by Hollywood's $20 million-a-flick Pretty Woman -- even if Julia Roberts' cleavage is shown as Brockovich's...

COLO. GOV: RAMSEYS' BOOK A CON JOB

JonBenet Ramsey's parents are still trying to fool the public into thinking they're victims -- when they're really stymieing the murder probe, Colorado's governor charged yesterday. Gov. Bill Owens' comments...

P.A. BOSS BOYLE DENIES UNLAWFUL REAL-ESTATE DEAL

Embattled Port Authority boss Robert Boyle is firing back in the wake of charges he and a pal illegally made $550,000 off a real-estate deal with an upstate hospital. State...

SIMPLE SALIVA TEST MIGHT DETECT CANCER

Researchers are salivating over simple tests that can detect some cancers. Reporting in today's issue of the journal Science, researchers say it's possible that one day, a routine urine test...

NOW DON'T BE BOTHERING BUSY BUBBA

THE president is too busy for disbarment. He is marking his desktop calendar with big red Xs. Three hundred and nine days to go. Some 43 weeks and counting. Seventy-four...

POL OUTRAGED BY DUMPING OF AIDS FILES AT AGENCY OFFICE

City Councilwoman Christine Quinn said she was shocked yesterday to discover city workers dumping confidential AIDS-patient files into a sidewalk Dumpster. Quinn (D-Manhattan) said she and her aide Moira Keaney...

COHEN WARNS CHINA, TAIWAN TO CHILL

Defense Secretary William Cohen demanded that China tone down its military threats against Taiwan -- warning that the war of words in advance could engulf the region in conflict. As...

HARLEM SALUTES ITS GRAND IRISH SAINT IN BLUE

Meet the most popular cop in Harlem. For more than a quarter of a century, John Patrick Quinn has worked in the 28th Precinct and in all those years made...

IRA REBELS NABBED WITH EXPLOSIVES

Police seized 500 pounds of explosives and prevented IRA renegades from shattering Northern Ireland's fragile peace yesterday as leaders of the troubled province gathered in Washington to try to find...

GROCERY BILLS MAY BE NEXT 'SOAR' POINT

Consumers staggered by rising gas prices may get slapped again at the supermarket in months to come. A convoy of 150 truckers drove their big rigs into Washington, D.C., yesterday...

HILL & RUDY CHIME IN ON CHURCH VANDALS

Senate hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday urged a U.S. task force to investigate attacks on church statues in Brooklyn, as rival Mayor Giuliani took the rampage personally and vowed to...

HILL'S STAFFERS ASSURE MARCH MADNESS

HILLARY Rodham Clinton isn't trusting in the luck of the Irish when she marches today in her first St. Patrick's Day Parade on Fifth Avenue. Clinton's staff has been busy...

FINAL PEACE TODAY FOR BELOVED TENANT LEADER

A beloved tenant-patrol leader and grandmother killed by a stray bullet at her crime-ridden housing project last week will be laid to rest today in Far Rockaway. Mourning relatives and...

'99 SKEETER SCARE A 'WAKE-UP' CALL: EXPERTS

Last summer's deadly brush with the West Nile virus was "a wake-up" call to cities that have let their guard down when it comes to mosquito control -- including spraying...

HIGH PRICES DRIVING 'EM AWAY - HIKES HAVE SOME PEOPLE WALKING

New Yorkers sick of paying through the nozzle for gas are taking their foot off the pedal and moving over to the slow lane. So slow, in fact, that some...

THEY'LL PLAY MISTY AT CHILLY AND WET ST. PAT'S PARADE

Cold, wind, rain and even snow flurries -- that's what the thousands of New Yorkers in the St. Patrick's Day Parade could face today as they march up Fifth Avenue....

PATAKI GUN-REFORM IDEA A POLITICAL 'PEACEMAKER'

Gov. Pataki yesterday got "attaboys" on gun control from odd-couple allies -- Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), the biggest gun fighter in Congress, and GOP presidential candidate George W. Bush. "I...

NEXT ROUND IN PERELMAN TIFF OPEN TO PUBLIC

The custody battle over 5-year-old billionaire heiress Caleigh Perelman will be open to the public, state appeals judges ruled yesterday. The decision means still more dirty laundry will be aired...

MAC MAN: 'MACHO' BUSH WILL BLOW IT

WASHINGTON -- George W. Bush's split with ex-rival John McCain burst wide open yesterday as the McCain camp warned that Bush's "macho" games could cost him the White House. Bush...

THE TRAGIC CHAIN OF EVENTS

The chain of events that led to the shooting death of Patrick Dorismond began when one undercover cop diverted from a plan that had been set in place before the...

PRICEWISE, OIL'S NOT AS IT MAY FIRST SEEM TO BE

Figuring out how gas prices are set makes calculus look easy. Some of the major oil companies use secret formulas to dictate wholesale prices for gas that vary widely across...

SCHOOLS PROBER STANCIK DETAILS MASSIVE HS ATTENDANCE SCAM

Following up on a Post exposé, Schools Investigator Ed Stancik yesterday confirmed massive attendance fraud and creation of phantom classes at Brandeis HS. The falsification gave the Manhattan school additional...

VICTORIA: I'D WATCH MY BAILED HUSBAND

Telling a Brooklyn federal judge "I run an extremely tight ship," Victoria Gotti yesterday vowed to make sure her reputed mobster husband Carmine Agnello follows the rules if he's let...

HANG ON! STOX ROLLER COASTER'S ROLLING ON

Hold onto your hats -- the rocket that took the Dow on a wild ride to its biggest point gain ever yesterday could get knocked out of orbit by more...

UNARMED MAN SLAIN IN POLICE STRUGGLE - GIULIANI ASKS CALM AS COPS START PROBE

An off-duty security guard -- insulted that an undercover officer thought he was a drug dealer -- threw a punch, triggering a struggle in which a cop's gun went off,...

CITY SCRUBS TEACHER-FLIGHT PLAN - LEVY HIT FOR GOING BEHIND MAYOR'S BACK

City Hall fired a surface-to-air missile at schools boss Harold Levy yesterday -- ordering him to halt talks on incentives for summer-school teachers, including a plan to reward top instructors...

GIRL, 5, GETS THE TERRIBLE NEWS: DAD WAS KILLED

The ex-girlfriend of cop-shooting victim Patrick Dorismond was "hurting from head to toe" after she had to tell her 5-year-old daughter her daddy was dead. "I got a call at...

ST. JOHN'S VICTORY HAS FANS ON RED ALERT

St. John's fans were whooping it up last night after the Johnnie's stormed through the first round of the NCAA basketball tournament, axing the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks in a 61-55...

BILL SEEKS DISBAR-CASE DELAY - FIRST LADY IN THE CLEAR ON FILEGATE

WASHINGTON -- President Clinton yesterday asked to put off his battle to keep his Arkansas law license until he leaves office -- as Whitewater probers cleared his wife of wrongdoing...

LOTTO JACKPOT STANDS AT $35M

Lotto luck, everybody. Lottery fever is rising along with the jackpot because nobody had the winning numbers in Wednesday night's New York Lotto drawing. That added $5 million to the...

IT'S ALL IN THE FAMILY: JOHNNIES LEARN VALUABLE LIFE LESSON

TUCSON - After all is said and done, after the final shot is taken - at the NCAA and on the floor - what will be the most important issue...

TEAM TRANQUILITY: ST. JOHN'S RISES ABOVE CONTROVERSY

TUCSON - The damage has been done. Perhaps not intentionally, but don't try telling that to the St. John's Red Storm. Their reputation has taken a beating and they have...

KIRKSAY'S A DEFINITE GAEL FORCE

MINNEAPOLIS - When Tariq Kirksay stepped off the Iona team bus from the Minneapolis airport earlier this week, one of the first things he said in an interview with The...

EIGHT JUMP INTO TOBOGGAN

Eight veteran sprinters were entered for Saturday's $75,000 Toboggan Handicap, the Big A's first seven-furlong stakes of the year. Unreal Madness is the 115-pound highweight under Aaron Gryder, but Watchman's...

MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL ; BOOMER SHOULD REFLECT ON WHO REALLY GOT HIM AXED

WITHIN his media blitz exit interviews, Boomer Esiason hasn't yet blamed Hank Williams, Jr., for his dismissal from ABC's Monday Night Football. But there's still time. And he has shown...

NOTHING'S EASY IN THE LOADED NL

PORT ST. LUCIE -- The competition is better. Are the Mets? NL can stand for No Laggards this season. The senior circuit now has Junior and much more. A steady...

CHAMBLISS MANAGES TO STAY PATIENT

CLEARWATER -- If you went by what you read last fall, Chris Chambliss was either close to getting his first managerial job in the major leagues or losing his job...

PAYTON, BENNY DUEL

MET NOTES PORT ST. LUCIE -- As Japan looms, the tension for the No. 25 spot on the Mets' roster continues. Jon Nunnally, who played second base yesterday, appears to...

VAN GUNDY GETS SERIOUS

KNICK NOTES CHARLOTTE -- Jeff Van Gundy said he was "concerned" when he read an Allan Houston remark that the Knicks didn't have the same "seriousness" prior to Tuesday's Rockets...

TEAMMATES IN SHOCK AFTER JAYSON'S INJURED

For Jayson Williams this season was just not meant to be. The heart and soul of the Nets, preparing to come back from knee surgery in September, was hoping to...

HANDICAPPING HALL OF FAME FIELD

JULIE Krone is a no-brainer. So is Sonny Hine, but he wasn't even nominated. And since when do A.P. Indy, Unbridled and Precisionist belong with the likes of Citation, Secretariat...

PULSE REMAINS IN HUNT FOR TOP FIVE

Orioles 9 Mets 3 PORT ST. LUCIE -- As Bill Pulsipher left the mound in the first inning yesterday, he joined the 3,456 at Thomas J. White Stadium. Using his...

RAGIN' CAJUNS FULL OF SPUNK & SPICE

EAST NOTES BIRMINGHAM -- What is it about all this rampant confidence coming out of these lesser-known teams with high seeds and low profiles? At the bottom of nearly every...

FLOUNDER SEASON OPENS

IF YOU can recover enough from the wee drop of whiskey that you no doubt will be taking today in the celebration of the green, then maybe a little sea...

UCONN: WE'RE STILL DEFENDING CHAMPS

BIRMINGHAM -- Khalid El-Amin glanced around the small locker room yesterday afternoon, searching for a television, hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the first-round tournament games. He could...

TIGERS ALMOST PAY FOR CALLING OFF DOGS

MIDWEST Auburn 72 Creighton 69 MINNEAPOLIS -- From the look of Auburn's flawless first-half performance in its 72-69 win over Creighton in a Midwest Regional first-round matchup yesterday at the...

CONE'S GETTING ON FAST TRACK

Yankees 8 Phillies 4 CLEARWATER -- David Cone's velocity was up from the previous outing and the numbers were better. But due to a miscommunication snafu, Cone left Jack Russell...

NEDVED COULD MISS TWO CRUCIAL WEEKS

The Rangers' season might be facing Czech-mate. Center Petr Nedved, who suffered bruised ribs during the Blueshirts' frustrating 4-4 tie with the dreadful Lightning Wednesday, will miss at least the...

DEVILS IN FOR A SHOCK TONIGHT

With a odorous 3-4-1 mark in their last eight games, the Devils have the perfect freshener for tonight: the Lightning. Coming into the Meadowlands, Tampa Bay (16-45-8-7) has the second...

TINSLEY'S SHOTS SAVE CYCLONES

MIDWEST Iowa State 88 C. Conn. St. 78 MINNEAPOLIS -- Iowa State's Marcus Fizer, arguably the best player in the country, insisted he knew exactly what his heavily favored Cyclones...

DEAL FOR EDMONDS COULD HAPPEN TODAY

CLEARWATER -- The last time George Steinbrenner called a spring training sit-down with his inner circle at Malio's in Tampa, Roger Clemens came with the check, an after-dinner mint wrapped...

UGLY BOILERMAKERS TURN BACK DAYTON

Purdue 62 Dayton 61 TUCSON -- Purdue will never be accused of being the prettiest team in the NCAA Tournament. But if you like winning ugly, you would have loved...

SPREE'S BECOME THE IDEAL KNICK

LATRELL Sprewell has been a disappointment this season. A big one. So much for Spree carrying on his rep as a controversial lightning rod. Oh, he's had his moments. In...

KAUKENAS KEEPS GAMES IN PERSPECTIVE

BUFFALO -- Ever wonder why Seton Hall co-captain Rimas Kaukenas seems so grateful to be playing college basketball when so many athletes feel their colleges should be grateful to them?...

KY. SURVIVES ST. BON-ADVENTURE

MIDWEST / 2 OT Kentucky 85 St. Bonaventure 80 CLEVELAND -- The dunce caps worn by Kentucky were bulletproof. The Wildcats frittered away a 13-point second-half lead yesterday, missed six...

WELL-RESTED PIRATES READY TO WAGE WAR

BUFFALO -- Seton Hall's Shaheen Holloway leaned over the railing in Marine Midland Arena yesterday, signing enough autographs to wear out his shooting hand. His Pirates had just finished practicing...

ORANGEMEN PROVE THEIR POINT

MIDWEST Syracuse 79 Samford 65 CLEVELAND -- Syracuse finished the season flatter than Jim Boeheim's voice, its effort against Georgetown in a Big East tournament quarterfinal loss more hollow than...

DUTCHMEN PREPARED TO TILT AT WINDMILLS:HOFSTRA NOT AFRAID OF NO. 3 COWBOYS

BUFFALO -- Jay Wright stood in the middle of the locker room and barked final instructions for Hofstra's shootaround. "Guys, let's go. This is what you do, you gotta run...

STORM PROBE CONTINUES AS GAMES BEGIN

TUCSON -- While St. John's began its quest to get to the Final Four last night against Northern Arizona, the NCAA continued its investigation into the Red Storm basketball program....

ONLINE BRACKETEERS STILL ALIVE -- BARELY

That huge sigh of relief you heard shortly before 3 p.m. yesterday was likely made by the 567,384 college hoop fans who picked Kentucky in the $10 million on-line March...

KNIGHT FIRES BACK AT ACCUSERS

BUFFALO -- Two days after former player Neil Reed alleged that Bob Knight had choked him three years ago, the Indiana coach took advantage of the national stage of the...

LENNY WILL GO GRACEFULLY

YOU had to love Tuesday's Spurs-Hawks matchup, whose magnitude was partially eclipsed by the Sean Elliott's return: One team flaunting the first guy ever to play in the pros with...

TEXAS 2-STEP EARNS DIGGS BIG DANCE TIX

In the fall of 1996, Trevor Diggs was sitting at home in Brooklyn. That's not where most college basketball stars are four months after they get out of high school....

SPUNKY GONZAGA PULLS OFF SHOCKER

Gonzaga 77 Louisville 66 TUCSON -- They were living a dream last year. This year they are living up to expectations. Gonzaga, the team from Spokane, Wash., that put itself...

TOUGH TERPS KNOCK WIND OUT OF GAELS

Maryland 74 Iona 59 MINNEAPOLIS -- They arrived to the Twin Cities believing. Their brash coach, Jeff Ruland, who has no fear and backs down from nobody, said a team...

SPARTANS ROUGH UP OVERMATCHED VALPO

Utah 48 St. Louis 45 CLEVELAND -- Michigan State's rebounding margin of 13.7 per game is first in the nation. The Spartans have been outboarded exactly once all season. Coming...

THE GREAT ESCAPE: STORM NIPS NO. ARIZONA TO AVOID 1ST-ROUND FLOP

St. John's 61 No. Ariz. 56 TUCSON -- The first round of the NCAA Tournament is about survival. And that's about all St. John's did last night in its opening-round...

BARKLEY & CO. STICK TOGETHER

TUCSON -- A family sticks together. Whether it's Erick Barkley fighting the NCAA or an underdog opponent with the heart the size of the Grand Canyon who had their own...