May 26, 2000

PROFILING: MORE THAN A FLIP OF A COIN

LET'S play a little game. You'll know if I win in about two months. For better or worse, I'm gonna guess what the stock market will do in the weeks...

TROUBLED JOAN & DAVID CLOSING 12 STORES

Bankrupt Joan & David is shutting 12 of its 67 U.S. stores. Eight Joan & David boutiques - including the Fifth Avenue store, both locations in Connecticut and the pair...

YET ANOTHER VIRUS FEEDS ON SOFTWARE FROM M'SOFT

"You've Got Mail!!!" That's the subject line of the latest e-mail-borne virus, believed to have originated in Malaysia. Discovered early Thursday morning by Long Island-based Computer Associates, the Cybernet virus...

HILFIGER PROFITS CONTINUE SLIDE

Profits at Tommy Hilfiger fell 25 percent in the fourth quarter, as the men's and women's businesses continued to disappoint. Net income fell to $34.8 million in the quarter ended...

GDP FIGURES SCARE MARTS INTO A SELLOFF

Wall Street's rally was cut short yesterday when the government released numbers indicating the economy continues to grow very quickly. The news renewed fears of more interest-rate hikes from the...

MOVIEFONE ELIMINATES FEES FOR WEB USERS

"Hello, and welcome to Moviefone!" is now free for customers who log on to the company's new Web site. Moviefone, a subsidiary of Steve Case's Internet colossus, America Online, said...

M'SOFT BREAKUP SEEN NEXT WEEK

An order from the federal judge overseeing the Microsoft antitrust trial calling for the breakup of the world's most successful and powerful software company is widely believed to be imminent...

TIME-WARNER 'FESSES UP AGAIN

Regrets, they have a few. Barely a fortnight after writing to Congress saying it "deeply regrets" blocking the programs of Walt Disney's ABC from its pipes, Time Warner spent yesterday...

SMELLS LIKE CLUB MED - RESORT TEAMS WITH COTY ON PERFUME

Club Med doesn't want you to have to book a vacation to experience one of its sun-drenched holidays. The French resort company is launching a perfume with Coty, as part...

SI'S BLUE PERIOD - FORCED OFF MOMA BOARD FOR ART COVER-UP

Si Newhouse stunned the art world yesterday by giving up a coveted board seat he held for 27 years on the Museum of Modern Art - all for the love...

GIVE 'EM MORE THAN 'SESAME ST': START WITH THESE THREE ADAMS FAMILY FAVES

I survived two pregnancies, and am raising two rugrats, with the "What to Expect" series as my bible. You know, "What to Expect When You're Expecting," "What to Expect the...

NEW FIRE IN MATCHBOX AT LATEST GIG

matchbox twenty SOMETHING'S happened since matchbox twenty decided to start writing its name in lower case and spelling out "20." The band, and especially lead singer Rob Thomas - who...

GROWING UP KID ROCK ; HIS RISE TO FAME AND FATHERHOOD

A lot of people think Bob Ritchie - better known as Kid Rock - is a street thug. Wrong.This 28-year-old performer, whose career is sizzling with his "Devil Without a...

CINEMAX-NIX OVER WOODY-FLICK FLAP

A Catholic group has condemned a new movie starring Woody Allen - and called for a boycott of Cinemax, which is showing the movie on cable TV beginning tonight. William...

THE STARR REPORT

Total 'Access' "Access Hollywood" is making huge inroads into ratings territory once owned exclusively by "Entertainment Tonight." "AH" beat "ET" in the country's four top markets (New York, Los Angeles,...

GREENAWAY PAINTS A PRETTY UGLY PICTURE IN 'WOMEN'

8½ WOMEN Half a star More prettily photographed pretentious rubbish from the ridiculous Peter Greenaway. Starring John Standing, Matthew Delamere, Polly Walker, Toni Collette and Vivian Wu. Written and directed...

GO WEST, YOUNG CHAN

SHANGHAI NOONA very funny East-meets-Western romp about a Chinese imperial guard who partners up with a laid-back outlaw to rescue a kidnapped princess. It provides a sparkling showcase for Jackie...

STERN CALLED TO PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE

HOWARD Stern has parents at a suburban Philadelphia high school up in arms after the controversial talk jock endorsed an enterprising student for class president. Stern delivered a G-rated speech...

2 DEMIS DON'T MAKE A WHOLE

DEMI Moore plays two roles in the stilted romantic thriller "Passion of Mind" - and it's definitely a case of Moore is less. Her first release since 1997's "G.I. Jane"...

'BEAT' TOO SLOW IN 'KIKUJIRO'

LOOKING around me during a screening of "Kikujiro," I discovered I had plenty of company - lots of people were stifling yawns and watching their wristwatches. True, the latest effort...

REFRESHING EXERCISE IN 'BAROCCO' PERFECTION

CONCERTO BAROCCO City Ballet, State Theater at Lincoln Center, 65th Street at Columbus Avenue, (212) 870-5570. Season runs through June 25. SOMEONE once suggested that watching George Balanchine's sharp, spartan...

'FEVER' GETTING WORSE ; 'OKLAHOMA!' HAS EYE ON ITS THEATER

STAYING alive is rapidly becoming a big challenge for "Saturday Night Fever." Brandishing $14 million worth of advance ticket sales, the British-born musical boogied onto Broadway last fall amid talk...

IRANIAN EGG SCRAMBLE - EATERIES VIE FOR COUNTRY'S CAVIAR

HERE'S some egg-cellent news for foodies: What some call the world's best caviar has just become available in the United States, now that a 21-year trade embargo on luxury goods...

HERO LOOKED DEATH IN FACE AND KEPT HIS COOL

The hero survivor of the Wendy's massacre thought his number was up after he was shot in the head and left in a blood-splattered, corpse-littered refrigerator. "After I was shot,...

TRAGIC LIST OF BLOOD BATHS

The mass murder at a Wendy's restaurant in Queens ranks among the worst multiple shootings in recent New York City history. Here are some of the other deadly tragedies: April...

MUSICIAN NABBED IN NEWSWOMAN'S SLAY

A jobless musician was arrested yesterday in the coldblooded execution murder of British newswoman Jill Dando, Scotland Yard said. Cops swooped down on 40-year-old Barry Bulsara at his west London...

MY INDY-PENDENCE DAY WITH KNICK FOES

INDIANAPOLIS - In Tuesday's edition of The Post, I basically called Indianapolis a city of losers. Bad move. Nobody was taking that stuff lightly in the racing capital of the...

ISRAEL POLS VISIT NORTH TO REASSURE BORDER FOLK

JERUSALEM - Israel's political leaders made a symbolic trip to the nation's northernmost city yesterday to reassure residents they'll be safe, despite their army's retreat from Lebanon. But Prime Minister...

NEW LAW TARGETS NAZI-STOLEN ART

ALBANY - Gov. Pataki yesterday signed into law a controversial new measure making it easier for prosecutors to seize works of art allegedly stolen by the Nazis. The measure, strongly...

'CHUTING BANDIT GETS JUMP ON LAW

A sobbing gunman skyjacked an Airbus 330 jet headed for Manila yesterday, robbed the 291 passengers aboard - then leaped from the plane wearing a homemade parachute. The weird midair...

RISING STAR LAZIO CATCHES HILLARY IN N.Y. MINUTE: POLL

It's a race! In the blink of an eye, Rep. Rick Lazio has zoomed to within two points of Hillary Clinton in New York's Senate race - nearly wiping out...

A TAX CUT FOR THE POOR: DEMOCRATS' USUAL ATTACK SCHEME WON'T WORK AGAINST THE BUSH PLAN

ABSTRACT: Palo Alto, Calif. Republican policy wonks love to draw charts on pieces of napkins - that was how supply-side economics was born. Martin Anderson, a scholar at the Hoover...

BRINGS BACK GRISLY MEMORIES OF PALM SUNDAY MASSACRE

BO DIETL can see April 15, 1984 at 1080 Liberty Ave. in Brooklyn as if it was today. "It looked like a wax museum," he was saying. "Bodies everywhere. And...

PATAKI EXTINGUISHES BILL TO BAN SMOLDERING SMOKES

ALBANY - Gov. Pataki yesterday snuffed out a bill that would have required all cigarettes sold in the state to be self-extinguishing by 2002. In vetoing the measure, Pataki said...

'PRO-CHOICE' GOP CANDIDATE IS A MASTER OF AMBIGUITY

THE nervous e-mails started crisscrossing the state, from Buffalo to Bay Shore, at noon last Friday. By the end of the day, the conference calls began. At one point, at...

FEAR STALKS FLUSHING'S MAIN STREET - FAST-FOOD WORKER: IT COULD HAVE BEEN ME

Fast-food restaurant workers near the site of a Queens bloodbath yesterday said the violence was both sickening - and frightening. At a McDonald's just two doors from the shooting scene...

SCHOOL COPS ARE KEEPING PRINCIPALS OUT OF LOOP: LEVY

Schools Chancellor Harold Levy wants safety officers to report to the principal's office. Levy, saying that principals are ultimately in charge of school security in their buildings, complained that some...

RATS MAKING THE PEST OF A BAD SITUATION

Rats in the city are out of control, and New Yorkers yesterday pleaded with officials to do something - fast. "We may not be taking this as the crisis that...

RUDY ASKS CAMPAIGN DONORS TO $UPPORT RICK

Thousands of contributors to Mayor Giuliani's aborted U.S. Senate race will begin receiving $2.8 million in refunds next week - along with a plea from the mayor to re-direct their...

THE STORMY CAREERS OF FORECASTING FOLKS

Mark Danon is not the first TV weather forecaster to get caught in a storm. There was nothing but sunshine for Tex Antoine for nearly three decades, starting in 1949...

HIS ODDS GET BETTER IF HE DUMPS THE DAY JOB

RICK LAZIO should strongly consider quitting Congress to be a full-time candidate. It's the only way the four-term Long Island Republican can run the near-perfect campaign it will take to...

HEAT'S ON ROSIE OVER BODYGUARD'S GUN PERMIT

Rosie O'Donnell has sparked a furor in the tony town of Greenwich because she wants a bodyguard to accompany her 4-year-old son, Parker, to kindergarten every day. Parents whose kids...

BUSTED PORN QUEEN BLOWS KISSES

Fugitive porn queen Marylin Star blew extravagant kisses in a Canadian courtroom yesterday after her long cat-and-mouse game with the law ended with her arrest in a posh Vancouver penthouse....

DEATH OF STEPSISTER TAKES LIFE OUT OF BOY

THE face of 12-year-old Michael Smith had the look of the living dead. Living because he was breathing, and his blinking eyes were feverishly trying to hold back the tears...

THE BIG HOLIDAY WEEKEND MAY WIND UP SOGGY

This Memorial Day weekend ushers in the unofficial start of summer - but someone forgot to e-mail Mother Nature and remind her. You may need an umbrella even if you...

TV WEATHERMAN TAKES A HARD HIT

STORM CLOUDS gathered over Channel 2 weatherman Mark Danon yesterday as he forfeited his clean arrest record and his job - all for about four teaspoons of powdered cocaine, authorities...

EX-WORKER HUNTED IN MASSACRE

A police manhunt was under way last night for a fugitive bandit who used to work at the Wendy's restaurant in Queens where five employees were slaughtered for a thousand...

LOFTY DREAMS SHATTERED BY HORROR - FUNERAL BELLS WILL REPLACE WEDDING CHIMES FOR VICTIMS

The bullets fired in the Wendy's massacre shattered lives and dreams far beyond the basement of a Queens fast-food restaurant. Two of the young men killed were engaged and planning...

MOTHER TERESA STATUE DEEMED U.N.-SUITABLE

There's no room for Mother Teresa at the United Nations. The world body has turned away a 6-foot bronze statue of the "saint of the gutters" because its sculptor isn't...

JAMMED APPLE TOURS BUS SMASHES INTO MAIL TRUCK

A New York Apple Tours double-decker bus slammed into a mail truck in Manhattan yesterday - just an hour before the city asked a judge to yank the company's license....

EX-WORKER HUNTED IN MASSACRE - 60G REWARD OFFERED AS COPS ZERO IN ]]ON SUSPECTS

A police manhunt was under way last night for a fugitive bandit who used to work at the Wendy's restaurant in Queens where five employees were slaughtered for less than...

PLANE BANDIT 'CHUTES SELF TO DEATH

A sobbing gunman skyjacked an Airbus 330 jet headed for Manila yesterday, robbed the 291 passengers aboard - then leaped to his death from the plane wearing a homemade parachute....

VAN T'S UP NBA ON REF STANCE

INDIANAPOLIS - Next time you want to yell at a referee and tell him he's not only bad, he's got a cheating heart, go ahead. No big deal. So what...

INJURED EWING LOST EARLY; PACERS RALLY FOR WIN AT END

GAME 2 Pacers 88 Knicks 84 INDIANAPOLIS - Larry Johnson and Kurt Thomas tried desperately to make up for the loss of Patrick Ewing last night but did so in...

EW SUBS NOW THE MAN: MATES FEEL PAIN OF FILLING IN FOR PATRICK

INDIANAPOLIS - When a key player goes down early in a game, there is no time to adjust. No time to tinker with strategy, no time to devise a new...

THE CAMBY MAN CAN'T: MARCUS CONTINUES TO COME UP SMALL IN PLAYOFFS

INDIANAPOLIS - He is in danger of going from X-Factor to No Factor. Marcus Camby is threatening to be known as the Incredible Shrinking Man, a title he does not...

KNICKS REMAKE SELVES FROM INSIDE OUT

INDIANAPOLIS - There was actual flow, real shot-making, more than one player at a time showing an ability to get to the basket. Not everything the Knicks did in their...

STALLED KNICKS NEED LATRELL TO CURE LAST-QUARTER BLUES

INDIANAPOLIS - Latrell Sprewell always has admitted to being a streaky player. Not from game to game but quarter to quarter. Spree is the type that can dominate one quarter...

PACERS' JACKSON REMEMBERS SEALY

PACER NOTES INDIANAPOLIS - Maybe it is the Eastern Conference Finals with a chance to play for a world championship. But when all is said and done, basketball is still...

SAY IT AIN'T GO! NBA CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE LARRY LEGEND

INDIANAPOLIS - The first time I saw Larry Bird play was in 1978 when he played for Indiana State. His school and my school, New Mexico State, were the two...

SPREE FEELIN' NEIGHBORLY

INDIANAPOLIS - Here's an irony. Latrell Sprewell told The Post he will be neighbors this summer with Bucks GM Ernie Grunfeld in Milwaukee. Grunfeld, the former Knick GM who rolled...

MENDOZA MAKES IT RIGHT: 4-HITTER LIFTS YANKS INTO FIRST-PLACE TIE

Yankees 7 White Sox 0 CHICAGO - Let's wait and see how the Yankees fare against the Red Sox this Memorial Day weekend before declaring them out of a recent...

KNOBBY ISN'T READY TO THROW IN TOWEL

CHICAGO - Chuck Knoblauch is open to anything the Yankees want to suggest if the club thinks it will help his throwing yips that surfaced big-time Wednesday night and had...

HOLYFIELD CAN ONLY RUIN REP

IN A perfect world, Evander Holyfield would have retired from boxing the night he humiliated Mike Tyson to the point of cannibalism, his ear bloodied but his head unbowed. In...

SPREE-FIRST ATTITUDE: PREENING LATRELL PERSONIFIES ALL THAT'S WRONG

LATRELL Sprewell, bless his heart, has captured the essence of modern team sports. In a clear, suitable-for-framing quote, he has provided a sagacious overview on latter day, winning teamwork. In...

PETER PAN DRAWS 10

Over the past two decades, only the Preakness has produced more winners of the Belmont Stakes than the Peter Pan - from Coastal, who derailed Spectacular Bid's Triple Crown bid...

'BULLET' MAY SKIP BELMONT

With no Triple Crown on tap, the New York Racing Association is praying for a rematch between Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus and Preakness winner Red Bullet in the June...

OFF TO A FLYING START

HERE we go again, the beginning of another long hot summer with promises of even hotter fishing, if the last few weeks are any indication. In years past we've had...

REY-BOBBY V FEUD BREWING ; WEAK-HITTING SS ON THE SPOT METS

ST. LOUIS - The Mets specialize in strained relationships. The heavyweight championship, of course, features GM Steve Phillips vs. Bobby Valentine. This one's been quiet for a little while. The...

MCGWIRE IS NO STRANGER TO HAMPTON

MET NOTES ST. LOUIS - If you're Mike Hampton tonight, what are you thinking about Mark McGwire? "If you make a mistake on a pitch, he can hit a home...

JEFF: NBA TOO EASY ON HEAT

INDIANAPOLIS - Next time you want to yell at a referee and tell him he's not only bad, he's got a cheating heart, go ahead. No big deal. So what...

ARLINGTON, CHURCHILL IN TALKS

Arlington International Racecourse announced that they are involved in negotiations with Churchill Downs Incorporated related to a possible non-cash, stock merger of Arlington International Racecourse with Churchill Downs. Officials of...

LOOKS LIKE LARRY'S INDY MOOD TO STAY

LARRY Bird wanted to have his future with the Pacers resolved long before the playoffs began. The plan was to negotiate with Melvin and Herb Simon, Indiana's owners, during February's...

SOMETIMES HOME ICE IS COLD: FICKLE PHILLY FANS WAIT WITH BUBBLY AND NOOSE

VOORHEES, N.J. - The Devils can breathe easy tonight only after they see that Eric Lindros can't. They will know they are inside the Flyers' heads when Brian Boucher's rolls...

FLYERS ANALYZE THIS MISSION IMPOSSIBLE

VOORHEES, N.J. - As their bus headed south on the Turnpike late Wednesday night, the Flyers chose a movie from their video library which set the tone for the ride...

LUCAS WELCOMES ALL CHALLENGERS

One of Ray Lucas' strong points has always been his ability to look within. Lucas has never been one to blame others or sulk if things aren't working out right....

DEVILS: ROAD NO HEAVY LOAD

PHILADELPHIA - The Devils like it here, this city where bells get rung and crack. They even enjoy the arena, which tonight will be more like the Roman variety. "It's...

HITTING THE HISTORY BOOKS: DEVILS ONE VICTORY FROM NEW RECORD

PHILADELPHIA - Electricity is jumping off the Devils in sparks, their excitement contagious as they reach deep for one last and third straight death-defying victory to propel them into the...

HITTING THE HISTORY BOOKS: SEASON'S LOST WITHOUT WIN HERE TONIGHT

PHILADELPHIA - And so here they are, alive and well, surely prepared for whatever might be thrown at them for tonight's ultimate Eastern showdown. Here are the Devils, now just...

LEHMAN SURVIVES SLUGFEST

H.S. BASEBALL Lehman 17 Wagner 14 Lehman head coach Anthony Rotunno said the trademark of his team is good pitching and good defense. That combination made up for his team's...

ELLIS CATCHES GROH'S EYE

JET NOTEBOOK The Jets' morning minicamp practice yesterday was highlighted by a brief scrum between rookie defensive end Shaun Ellis, their top draft pick, and tackle Ryan Young. "You want...

BRONX COMES ALIVE FOR BOSOX BATTLE

CHICAGO - As if Red Sox-Yankees ever needs more juice, there are enough subplots to this weekend's three-game set at Yankee Stadium to keep the debate among each club's rabid...

LOOK FOR JETER BACK BY SUNDAY

YANKEE NOTES If there are no problems with his strained left abdominal muscle, Derek Jeter is expected to come off the DL Sunday night when the Yankees face the Red...

YANKEE TRADE BAIT MIGHT HOOK REDS

CHICAGO - George Steinbrenner's instructions to his inner circle to contact every team to see what's available didn't produce an immediate deal, but the call to the Reds resulted in...

RAYS LET GOODEN GO

Dwight Gooden, who was released by the Devil Rays yesterday, says he's not ready to retire. "The fire still burns," the 35-year-old pitcher said after Tampa Bay GM Chuck LaMar...

SPREEFALL DOOMS KNICKS: NO LATRELL, NO CHANCE

INDIANAPOLIS - For most of Game 2, Latrell Sprewell looked more like a spectator than a participant. The energy, the fire and the emotion that are normally evident when he...

HOBBLING KNICKS FALL INTO 2-0 HOLE:ACHING PATRICK ALL TOO FAMILIAR SIGHT

INDIANAPOLIS - The sight was a familiar one, another Game 2 deja boo-boo.. There was Patrick Ewing hobbling off the floor with a foot injury, done for the night, maybe...

FOR SMITS, BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

INDIANAPOLIS - Deadly one game. Dead the next. Until it counted. That was the situation around Pacers center Rik Smits last night. "The reason we won the game was because...

DOC: PATRICK'S INJURIES SERIOUS

Patrick Ewing may have played his last minute of the season, according to Dr. Rock Positano of the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. Positano, who was consulted by Garden...

LAST PLAY HAS WARD ON GUARD

INDIANAPOLIS - Dumb luck or dumb play? Either way, it was the play that cost the Knicks the chance for a last-gasp shot that might have prevented their brutal 88-84...

NURTURING MILLER HELPS ROSE GROW

INDIANAPOLIS - For Jalen Rose to step up, Reggie Miller had to step back. And he did so willingly this season. Like David Robinson did in San Antonio for Tim...

PACERS' BEST MAN WINS

INDIANAPOLIS - Travis Best was exactly where he wanted to be. Straight in Latrell Sprewell's gunsight. With Indiana up two points, Sprewell backed in on Best who probably felt like...

HOBBLING KNICKS FALL INTO 2-0 HOLE: FOOT INJURY COULD KO PATRICK FOR THE PLAYOFFS

GAME 2 Pacers 88 Knicks 84 INDIANAPOLIS - Deja blue. Patrick Ewing again may face the end of his season after Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the...

FOR SAD MATES, IT'S DEJA EW

They have been here before, which may be some comfort to the Knicks not named Patrick Ewing. He too has been here before, which is his own personal agony. "We...

LJ STANDS TALL IN DEFEAT

INDIANAPOLIS - Embarrassed by Dale Davis in Game 1, Larry Johnson tried to carry the Knicks on his back last night. LJ was huge in scoring a game-high 25 points...

KURT, CAM NEARLY GET JOB DONE

INDIANAPOLIS - They both had their moments, good and bad, but without Patrick Ewing and with Kurt Thomas and Marcus Camby forti- fying the front court, the Knicks were somehow...

CROSHERE COMES BACK TO REALITY

PACER NOTES INDIANAPOLIS - Austin Croshere, you're 15 minutes are up. At least for last night. Croshere went from X-factor to non-factor in the matter of 48 minutes last night....

KNICKS DON'T KEEP UP WITH DAVIS

INDIANAPOLIS - Dale Davis, career 52 percent free throw shooter - but a hot 57 percent in these playoffs - let the thought of a deliberate free throw miss cross...

DUDLEY DOES RIGHT IN CAMEO

KNICK NOTEBOOK INDIANAPOLIS - Chris Dudley played for seven seconds during the Miami series. He played 20 seconds in the Toronto series. But the Knicks needed Patrick Ewing's $7 million-per-year...

SMITH ON NETS' WISH LIST

INDIANAPOLIS - Kenny Smith is interested in coaching the Nets - and a few other teams. Now the two-time ring winner with the Rockets is hoping to be interviewed for...