April 28, 2000

NO MORE MR. NICE (FED) GUY : GREENSPAN WILL HIKE RATES TO COOL OVERHEATING ECONOMY

BE prepared for bigger rate hikes. As I expected, the government yesterday disclosed that inflation is accelerating faster than Wall Street had been hoping. And with two other widely-watched price...

DOW IS BANGED UP, AT&T WIRELESS IPO GAINS

Technology stocks registered their second day of big gains, but new economic statistics unnerved the blue chips, driving them lower. The tech-packed Nasdaq composite index rocketed 143.94, or 3.97 percent,...

CBGB'S ROCKS 'N ROLLS OUT DESIGNER DUDS

CBGB's - the legendary Downtown club that launched the careers of Blondie, the Ramones and Talking Heads - is set to launch a hip, young clothing line. The punk music...

ARNAULT DITCHES WEBVAN'S SHARES

French tycoon Bernard Arnault is abandoning his stalled grocery delivery Webvan.com after it broke down on the old information highway. Arnault's half-billion gamble on the Internet has been plagued -...

MIRABELLA FOLDS: MAG WAS SMART, BUT IT COULDN'T LURE ADS

Struggling Mirabella was finally taken off life support by Hachette Filipacchi Magazines yesterday. Sources close to the situation said the magazine lost about $9 million last year - and losses...

SINKING MIRABELLA GOES UNDER; JUNE ISSUE WILL BE ITS LAST

Struggling Mirabella was finally taken off life support by Hachette Filipacchi Magazines yesterday. Sources close to the situation said the magazine lost about $9 million last year - and losses...

ELLISON WINS TITLE ; ORACLE CHIEF OVERTAKES GATES IN RICHES RUN

Bill Gates has finally lost his title as the world's richest tech czar to his archrival Larry Ellison. Shares of Ellison's Oracle soared more than 7 percent yesterday to push...

HOT BAND PLAYS IT A LITTLE TOO COOL

SHIVAREE SHE wore a tight, tiger-print top that offered a touch of tummy, she tugged at her shoulder-length chestnut hair - and she crooned as if she were snatched from...

SWEET TALKER; ARABIAN TALES ARE TWO TERRIFIC NIGHTS OF ENTERTAINMENT

"Arabian Nights" Sunday at 8 p.m. and Monday at 9 p.m. on WABC/Ch. 7 THE most shocking thing about "Arabian Nights" is that it's really good. Hey, I am not...

THAT SHIVAREE FEELING ; SONGWRITER PARSLEY ON GHOSTS AND SUCH

IT'S no wonder Shivaree is being hailed as one of the top up-and-coming bands of the year.The California trio's debut album - with the unwieldy title "I Oughtta Give You...

PREHISTORIC PLOT STILL OFFERS QUARTZ OF LAUGHS

THE FLINTSTONES IN VIVA ROCK VEGAS 1/2 A cheerful prequel to the 1994 hit has a new, down-market (but better chosen) cast and a story that must have seemed dated...

BACK TO THE FUTURE

FREQUENCYAn NYPD detective (Jim Caviezel) uses an old ham radio to communicate back in time and save his firefighter dad (Dennis Quaid) from being killed in 1969. Quaid's superlative acting...

WHY BEASTIE BOY LOVES 'DRAGON'

DRAGON Tales" is the show most likely to make me want to fold laundry. My 4-year-old loves it. Is this the beginning of the rift that will widen until Trevor...

'IDIOTS' DIMWITTED AND TEDIOUS

THE IDIOTSHalf a star In Danish, with English subtitles. Running time: 115 minutes. Rated R. At the Lincoln Plaza and the Quad.THE most remarkable - and shocking - thing about...

RIO ROMANCE IN BOFFO 'BOSSA NOVA'

BOSSA NOVA In English and Portugese, with English subtitles. Running time: 95 minutes. Rated R. At the Lincoln Plaza, the Union Square. MOVIES about middle-age romance are so scarce that...

KEEPING THE KNOT TIED

COMMITTED 1/2 Heather Graham is funny and adorable in this endearing little romantic comedy about a young woman whose fierce commitment to her marriage vows gets her locked up.Running time:...

'BIG KAHUNA' A PLAY DATE FOR SPACEY AND CO.

THE BIG KAHUNA 1/2 Kevin Spacey produced this filmed play set in a Wichita, Kan., hotel, where three industrial-lubricant salesmen debate the meaning of life while awaiting the arrival of...

THE STARR REPORT

Changes at Ch. 2 There's a blitz of on-air departures over at Ch. 2. Gone are noon weathercaster Linda Church, weekend anchor Dana Adams and her fiancee, lead weathercaster Mark...

A GREAT 'MAN' ; BIERKO A SOUND CHOICE FOR 'MUSIC'

THE MUSIC MAN 1/2 Directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman.Neil Simon Theatre, 250 W. 52nd St., between Broadway and Eighth Avenue; (212) 307-4100. Seen April 25. 'THE Music Man" is...

'KATE' AFRAID TO FACE 'MUSIC'

THE producers of "Kiss Me, Kate" must be feeling the hot blast of 76 trombones on the backs of their necks. How else to explain the extraordinary full page ad...

IRRESISTIBLE PORTMAN IS THE REASON TO TAKE 'HEART'

WHERE THE HEART IS Hard-core chick shlock, weakened by odd shifts in tone and a slack pace, but elevated by a luminous performance by Natalie Portman.Running time: 132 minutes. Rated...

AHEAD OF ITS 'TIME'

TIME CODE Running time: 97 minutes. Rated R. At the Lincoln Square and the Angelika. MIKE Figgis' "Time Code" tells four interlinked stories that take place at the same time....

RUDY: WHERE TO NOW?

I NEVER thought I'd have a good word to say for New York's September primary, but Rudy Giuliani's brave and forthright announcement yesterday that he is in the early stages...

JULIA'S NO. 1 IN PEOPLE'S 'BEAUTIFUL 50'

Julia Roberts tops the list of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" - and she can thank her beaming pearly whites for the honor. "The most profitable...

27 ARE KILLED IN CHECHEN SKIRMISH

Ten Russian troops - including a lieutenant colonel - and at least 17 Chechen guerrillas died in a shootout near the entrance to the region's southern mountains, a senior general...

$10M SUBWAY 'COOLER' CUTS JUST 5 DEGREES OF PERSPIRATION

A $10 million cooling system for the Grand Central Terminal subway station will bring only 5 degrees of relief when it's switched on this summer - not the 10 to...

'OPTIMISTIC' DONNA EXPECTS FULL RECOVERY

Donna Hanover broke a long-held silence about her husband yesterday to say she is "very optimistic" the ailing mayor will get better. "I'm very optimistic about Rudy's recovery. We have...

HYPOCRITE DARVA STEALS SLICK WILLIE'S THUNDER

IT'S a little like taking Bill Clinton seriously when he talks about family values - you know, sort of getting a legion of rabbits to guard your lettuce patch. I'm...

TEARS AS CABBY MAKES FINAL TRIP HOME

Six days before his 38th birthday, Jose Olivares - the eighth livery-car driver murdered this year - was flown home to the Dominican Republic yesterday to be buried. "He was...

BRIT KIDNAPPED IN KY. FOUND DEAD IN JERSEY

The body of a British computer programmer, who disappeared from Kentucky last week, was found yesterday in a New Jersey swamp, and his kidnapper now faces murder charges, authorities said....

PORN STAR'S PAL CONVICTED OF INSIDER TRADING

Square-jawed stock guru James McDermott held his head high in court yesterday as a jury walloped him with convictions for dishing illegal trading tips to his porn-star mistress. McDermott stared...

JESSE: SENDING HAITIANS HOME A 'CRUEL' HYPOCRISY

The Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rep. Major Owens called yesterday on lawmakers in support of the reunification of Elian Gonzalez and his dad to aid Haitians facing deportation and separation...

FAMOUS SURVIVORS: WE BEAT IT, AND SO CAN RUDY

There is life - and politics - after prostate cancer, survivors of the disease told Mayor Giuliani yesterday. "You roll with the punches and you do the best you can,"...

'SOUTH PARK' MAKES QUICK WORK OF RENO RAID

Oh, my god! They've killed Kenny - and possibly made history, producing a "South Park" episode on the Elian Gonzalez story almost as fast as the raid to seize the...

COMPELLING RUDY STORY IS BREAK-IN NEWS ON TV NATIONWIDE

YOU'D expect local TV stations to break into regularly scheduled programs for an announcement as important as the mayor's prostate-cancer diagnosis. But three national news channels? What gives? Just this:...

LEVY TALKS THE TALK, BUT WILL HE BUCK THE UNION?

HAROLD LEVY does not want to be seen as the pet of the city teachers union, as his foes have branded him. So he makes a remarkable statement, effectively distancing...

HIS ILLNESS STIRS UP BAD MEMORIES OF DAD'S DEATH

As Mayor Giuliani began his battle with prostate cancer yesterday, he was hit with a flood of agonizing memories of his father Harold - who died from the same illness...

ELIAN RUNS UP BIG BILL ON TAXPAYER TAB

WASHINGTON - Taxpayers have spent nearly $600,000 protecting, transporting and entertaining Elian Gonzalez - and are certain to spend a lot more before the drama ends. "These are just preliminary...

IT'LL BE THE FALL OF 'SAIGON' AFTER ; SIXTH-BEST B'WAY RUN

"Miss Saigon" - the British pop opera about the Vietnam War that became a lighting rod in battles over minority casting - will shut down on Dec. 31, producer Cameron...

IT MAY NOT BE AS LIFE-THREATENING AS CAMPAIGN-THREATENING

MAYOR GIULIANI must act quickly to put to rest doubts about his Senate candidacy - or his political health could be in more danger than his physical well-being. Within hours...

BIG REWARD HELPS FETCH LOST PUP

A prominent Manhattan couple who shelled out thousands of dollars trying to find their missing Yorkshire puppy were doggone relieved yesterday - Pee Wee came home. "He's back!" Republican political...

PETS.COM'S SOCK POOCH BARKS: I'M NO RIP-OFF!

Will the real sock puppet please stand up? The Pets.com spokespuppet took the podium yesterday and declared he's the real thing - after a TV comedy writer claimed the talking...

DOCS: CAMPAIGN SHOULDN'T BE A PROBLEM

Getting back into the swing of the Senate race after prostate-cancer treatment may be easier than the mayor thinks, experts said yesterday. "We don't have all the information, but certainly...

OVER-THE-TOP TINA INSURES HER BREASTS

Tina Turner is insuring her breasts for hundreds of thousands of dollars. The sizzling superstar included her ample chest in the insurance policy she took out for her coming European...

BIZ GROUP AWARDING BONUSES TO TEACHERS

Dozens of Brooklyn teachers are getting their first-ever merit bonuses for improving student scores at public schools - and the awards, of up to $2,000, come courtesy of the city's...

FED PANEL'S COP-PROBE PLAN HAS MORGY FUMING

Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau is furious at a federal civil-rights panel for recommending the creation of a special prosecutor to probe serious complaints of police brutality, sources said yesterday....

SHE'S A POSER, BUT SHE'S NO NAKED FAKE

Ex-multimillionaire bride Darva Conger confirmed yesterday she's negotiating a nude photo spread in Playboy magazine - but she insisted her cheesecake shots won't be "cheesy." "It will be very natural,"...

ELIAN'S FLA. KIN WIN ONE, LOSE ONE IN CUSTODY SPAT

A federal court delivered a split decision in the Elian Gonzalez saga yesterday - rejecting his Miami kin's request for visitation rights, but also quashing his father's gambit to quickly...

CLONED COWS SPARK YOUTH MOO-VEMENT: STUDY

Now there's moo-ving medical evidence of a fountain of youth that not only rewinds the aging clock in cells, but could help cure diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and diabetes. Massachusetts...

SLAIN MOM'S TOT FOUND WITH BEAU

A 23-year-old woman who relatives said lived in fear of an "obsessed" boyfriend was found shot dead in her upper Manhattan apartment yesterday, and her 18-month-old son was missing for...

GOP INSIDERS ADMIT: WE'RE SUNK IF RUDY DOESN'T RUN

ALBANY - New York's GOP will be up a political creek if Mayor Giuliani drops out of the Senate race because of his prostate cancer, insiders agreed yesterday. Senior state...

REPORT: WHITEY FORD HAS CANCER

Yankee pitching great Whitey Ford has cancer, although he's not saying what kind or what the prognosis is. "I've been treated for it," Ford told the New York Times in...

HUBBY TAKES FIRM STAND IN PENILE-IMPLANT TRIAL

The plot thickened yesterday in the Manhattan fraud trial of a woman accused of using her husband's health insurance to buy penile implants for her impotent lover - when the...

NBC LOCKS UP 'ER' FOR THREE MORE YEARS

NBC has renewed its mega-rated cash cow "ER" for another three years - one day after renewing "Law & Order" for the next five seasons. The Peacock Network has now...

CANCER PUTS RUDY SENATE RUN IN DOUBT: MAYOR SAYS HE'LL DECIDE AFTER DETERMINING COURSE OF PROSTATE TREATMENT CANCER PUTS RUDY'S SENATE RUN IN DOUBT

Mayor Giuliani revealed yesterday he has prostate cancer, and said he has "no idea" if he'll be able to continue his U.S. Senate campaign against Hillary Rodham Clinton. The stunning...

IT PAYS TO BRAVE THE ELEMENTS

MACKEREL and flounder fishing is holding up fairly well despite a run of weather that is more suited for Seattle than New York, but those who have braved the conditions...

WORK, WORK, WORK ; VAN GUNDY THINKS OF NOTHING BUT WINNING

He had every reason to be skeptical, and he was. Here was this unproven workaholic, sequestering himself in his hotel room, revealing no outward sign of joy after a victory,...

IT'S SPREE'S TEAM NOW: PATRICK, RIGHTFULLY, TAKING BACK SEAT TO LATRELL

THE Raptors talked about lessons learned after their 84-83 loss to the Knicks Wednesday night, but the truth is it was the Knicks who learned the most valuable lesson of...

JEFF SAYS AIDES DESERVE PROMOTIONS

Selfishly, he would like them to stay, but Jeff Van Gundy, on a personal level, wants to see Don Chaney and Brendan Malone, his two top assistants, leave the Knicks...

CLEMENS-WELLS SWAP IS TOUGH TO STOMACH

QUIZ:Three NL hitters who finished inthe top 15 in batting in 1990 are still withthe same team this season, a decadelater. Name them (answer below). ... * The Yankees acquired...

BUTCH SHOULD BE SUED: FINAL PLAYS PROVE CARTER ONLY IMPERSONATING COACH

IT occurs to me, the Knicks could easily be up 2-0 against the Raptors. Based on the way they played in the first three quarters of Game 2, I'm not...

BYRNE, FOX AGREE TO SUSPENSIONS

Trainer Patrick Byrne and veterinarian Greg Fox have reached a settlement for their involvement in the Nani Rose case. Both men received a 180 day suspension but will have a...

WELCOME TO PARADISE ; BAD CONDUCT MAKES YOU WANNA HOLLER

PACKERS star tight end Mark Chmura, after being booked last week in Waukesha County, Wisc., charged with sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl at a post- prom party, fulfilled autograph requests...

ALL THINGS AREN'T EQUAL IN JESSE'S SPORTS WORLD

IF all things were equal, the Rev. Jesse Jackson would have by now issued a statement denouncing J.R. Rider as another African-American athlete to have undermined an African-American coach, in...

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: THOUGH NOT THE MAN, HOUSTON STILL MADE IMPACT IN GAME 2

By the fourth quarter Wednesday night, Allan Houston had softly blended into the Garden background, as if he were visiting his old neighborhood with the Knicks. As noticeable as a...

YOUNG GUNS MAKE MARLINS LIVE BAIT

A YOUNGSTER finally brought attention to the Marlins this week. It was fitting for this organization that it was not one of its youngsters and rather than bringing people to...

THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KEY

When Jets' third-round draft choice Laveranues Coles steps onto the practice field at Weeb Ewbank Hall for the first time at today's opening of rookie minicamp, there'll be the kind...

FUSAICHI ACTS UP; CHIEF SEATTLE OUT

Next Saturday's Kentucky Derby lost a potential starter yesterday when Chief Seattle was withdrawn because of a fever. But the big news from Churchill Downs was that the Derby nearly...

THOMAS IN VAN GUNDY'S DOGHOUSE

Kurt Thomas' quick-trigger temper got him in trouble again Wednesday night. Getting tangled up with Toronto's muscle-bound Kevin Willis on the low-post, Thomas, the defender on the play, was called...

CONE MUST FIND A WAY VS. JAYS

While George Steinbrenner reminds his Inner Circle that Jim Edmonds would have looked nice in a stale Yankee lineup and that they should have signed Chuck Finley to bolster a...

BIG FIGHT, SMALL EXPECTATIONS

THERE is a big fight at the Garden tomorrow night, with the operative word being "big." As in BIG. It is a fight that is not being sold on the...

OLSEN 'HOMES' IN ON OLYMPIC BID

HERSHEY, Pa. - Accomplishing great things on soccer fields close to his hometown is nothing new to Ben Olsen. The 22-year-old from Pennsylvania starred at the University of Virginia and...

ONE SAD SENDOFF ; AMAZIN'S FINISH HOMESTAND WITH 2ND STRAIGHT LOSS

12 INNINGS Reds 2 Mets 1 Set to embark on a grueling road trip that would send a travel agent into a panic, the last thing the Mets needed yesterday...

MALONEY FEARS JUDGES' DAY

You can't blame Frank Maloney for being just a bit nervous. The last time his fighter, Lennox Lewis, performed in Madison Square Garden his fight with Evander Holyfield was ruled...

BOBBY V WON'T WHINE ABOUT TRIP

MET NOTES The trip from hell begins today for the Mets. Make that the first trip. After completing a 10-game homestand with a 12-inning, 2-1 loss to the Red yesterday,...

BENITEZ READY TO TURN THE PAGE

On Tuesday, Armando Benitez had closed the Mets' dramatic 6-5 win over the Reds by striking out the side in the ninth, including Ken Griffey Jr. for the final out....

HAGGERTY AWARD GOES TO CLAXTON

Last we last heard from Speedy Claxton, the senior point guard was leading Cinderella Hofstra into the NCAA Tournament. Last night, Claxton could have gotten away with wearing another pair...

DEVILS FAIL TO BURN LEAFS ; OFFENSE LACKING IN FIRST PLAYOFF LOSS

GAME 1 Maple Leafs 2 Devils 1 TORONTO - The Devils' magic has gone poof, vanishing in one game. It wasn't without warning, since their offense had already disappeared and...

FOR MORE PIZZAZZ, GO WITH SYKORA'S LINE

TORONTO - They are playing against a Maple Leaf team that is willing to trade chances all night every night, not only because Pat Quinn enjoys coaching a wide-open style,...

KELLY MIGHT BE ELBOWED TO DL: O'NEILL EXPECTED BACK TONIGHT

Having already gone nine days without him, there is a chance the Yankees will put outfielder Roberto Kelly on the DL due to a bothersome right elbow. "It's possible," GM...