January 7, 2001

LAWYERS CHASE LOLLIPOPS IN WEST SIDE CONTEST

BUNCHES of builders are working the numbers on an Upper West Side residential development site. The Broadway parcel, on the southeast corner at 76th Street, is the current home of...

PIERRE CARDIN BRANDED : BUYERS WARY OF DESIGNER'S MASS-LICENSING LEGACY

IN the morning, you get out of your bed, which is made up with Pierre Cardin linens, and get into the shower, where you wash with Pierre Cardin soap. You...

PALM BEACH HOUSES SIZZLE IN HOT MARKET

The temperature in Palm Beach may have only been 35 degrees as the clock struck midnight last Sunday, but nowhere is the real estate market hotter.Howard Gittis, best known as...

BIGTROUBLE@ARNAULT : LVMH CHIEF'S INCUBATOR PREPARING FOR STRATEGY SHIFT

On the Web site of EuropAtWeb, the private venture fund/incubator for French tycoon Bernard Arnault's Internet interests, the list of investments is divided in two. There are the "Success Stories"...

INSIDE GEORGE, BLOW-BY-BLOW : JFK JR.'S SUCCESSOR SHOPS BOOK AGAIN

ONE of John F. Kennedy Jr.'s former top editors at George - thwarted a year ago when he tried to sell his inside look book - is getting ready to...

SLIP INTO 'EM - THEY'RE SOFT, WARM AND FUZZY. SO WHY AREN'T YOU WEARING SLIPPERS LIKE EVERYONE ELSE?

Whether you hate laces, tight shoes or cold hardwood floors, there's no need to endure the agony of the feet. More and more, well-heeled New Yorkers are slipping into someting...

UNCOVERING THE KING - A REWORKED DOCUMENTARY SHOWS ELVIS AS HE REALLY WAS

When a bloated, 42-year-old Elvis Presley died of heart failure in 1977, doctors found a quite a narcotic cocktail pumping through his blood: butabarbital, codeine, morphine, pentobarbital, Placidyl, Quaalude, Valium...

OLD DOGS, NEW TRICKS - YOU DON'T HAVE TO TRAIN IN VAIN, EVEN IF YOUR PET'S OF A CERTAIN AGE

Can an old dog learn new tricks? The good news is: Yes, it's never too late. Even older pets can pick up new routines, animal experts say. Patience and consistency...

POWER OF THE PRESS - THE BIG APPLE IS GOING CRAZY FOR PANINI, THOSE GRILLED ITALIAN SANDWICHES FILLED WITH ANYTHING YOU LIKE

A pressing matter has come to our attention - panini. What's a panini? Well, first, you can't have (MD+IT)a (MD-IT)panini. It's one panin(MD+IT)o(MD-IT), two panin(MD+IT)i.(MD-IT) After that, you're hooked. These...

A SYMMETRICAL

No, your eyes don't need to be checked: The skirts, tops and jackets on this page are intentionally off-kilter -- asymmetrical, to be exact. Asymmetry had its last great boom...

SAX AND THE CITY: A NIGHT AT THESE JAZZ CLUBS WON'T COST A DAY'S PAY

A night of live jazz in the big city can be quite an expensive proposition. At most venues, by the time you've forked over the cover charge and satisfied the...

'SPARK' YOUR WAY TO A SLIMMER BOD

THINK you need to live at your fitness club or embark on a crazy diet to lose that extra weight you gained at Christmas? Think again. A revolutionary new book,...

STILL 'CRAZY' AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

Joseph H. Lewis, one of the masters of Hollywood B flicks, directed more than 40 movies, from 1930s quickie westerns through '40s noir and '50s sci-fi. But the Brooklyn-born, Bronx-educated...

WHAT I WATCH

MELISSA JOAN HARTSTAR, "SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH"I RECENTLY GOT INTO "SEX AND THE CITY." I REALLY LIKE THE STRONG WOMEN, AND IT MAKES ME FEEL GOOD BECAUSE, AT 24, I'M...

GARCELLE BEAUVAIS

Actress Garcelle Beauvais may be flashing a 3-plus-carat, emerald-cut engagement ring on her finger - but she's not accepting any wedding gifts, despite her coming nuptials to talent agent Mike...

A ROLE REVERSAL 'WALLFLOWER' GOES HIP-HOP IN 'DANCE'

Aside from his smile and warmth, Sean Patrick Thomas doesn't have much in common with the character he plays in the new movie "Save the Last Dance." High school student...

BAM A BIG BOON TO THE PERFORMING ARTS

True story: Once, at a very grand East Side party, a very old and grand woman expressed her undying devotion to Martha Graham and her dance company. "So," I said...

HOLY ROLLER GIRL, HEATHER, STIFLE IT!

LAST week, Heather Graham made her confession. It wasn't in church, but it was about church. The usually undressed Graham says she's convinced that the Catholic Church stigmatized and stifled...

POP PRINCESSES PREPARING TO 'DUET' UP BIG

Pop queen Madonna and pop tart Britney Spears have been singing each other's praises - and now they're ready record a song together. Spears has reportedly set aside a few...

PREZ: HEALTH INSURANCE FOR KIDS A SNAP

President Clinton said yesterday he is making it even easier for kids to become part of a fast-growing government health-insurance program - aiming to get 5 million children covered. The...

CORZINE TO GAIN BIG IN STOCK SALE

New Jersey Sen. Jon Corzine, who shelled out $62 million to get elected, is about to reap a windfall by selling off some of his Goldman Sachs shares. Corzine registered...

FEDS PROBING L.I. 'STRIP-COP' CHARGES

The FBI has begun a preliminary investigation into charges that a rogue Suffolk County cop made women strip to avoid drunken-driving charges. FBI spokesman Joe Valiquette said the bureau is...

MIDEAST DEAL DOUBTFUL IN CLINTON TERM

A top Palestinian negotiator says there will be no Mideast peace deal before the Israeli elections next month. The comments by Saeb Erekat poured more cold water on the possibility...

RUDY'S BOOK-BOOST PLAN : HE WANTS A LIBRARY IN EVERY K-8 CLASS

Mayor Giuliani will announce a $31.5 million project to put libraries in some 21,000 public school classrooms in his final State of the City address tomorrow, sources told The Post....

TALK ABOUT A CONGRESSIONAL MEDDLE OF DISHONOR!

THERE, before the joint session of Congress, was the elegant Alcee Hastings, resplendent in his carefully crafted white beard. And as the official vote came down, he addressed Al Gore...

IT'S D.C. OR BUST AS SCORES EYES EXPANSION

Scores, the Big Apple strip joint, is busting out - in the nation's capital. Taking advantage of new laws for topless clubs, two lawyers are trying to open a Washington,...

'MINISTER' OF DEFENSE :BARROW ALWAYS LOOKIN' TO 'KNOCK SIN OUT OF 'EM'

Before he signed to play for the Giants, near the very top of his list of requirements for his new team, was a spiritual prerequisite. Micheal Barrow wanted to know...

JAILBIRDS' PLAN WAS TO EAT AND RUN

An armed band of Texas prison escapees accused of slaying a cop broke out of the slammer after guards let them have an unsupervised picnic. That picnic lunch came right...

GATES SET TO 'ROCK' WITH GAMING SYSTEM

LAS VEGAS - Bill Gates jumped into the video-game ring yesterday, hoping enhanced graphics and help from big-name designers will smack down his well-established competition. Gates pulled the drapes off...

COPS: NO SIGN OF PLANE CRASH

Police late yesterday still had not discovered any evidence that a plane had crashed into the Hudson River, as two people told them Friday. Cops from the Harbor Unit spent...

BUSH'S PLEDGE TO PROTESTERS: I'LL BE EVERYBODY'S PREZ

AUSTIN - George W. Bush vowed to be "president of everybody" yesterday as he got officially certified as president-elect over angry objections from the Congressional Black Caucus. "I want to...

OUTRAGED HUSBAND SHOOTS RAPE SUSPECT

The husband of a rape victim, with the help of a composite sketch issued by police, tracked down and shot the man he believed attacked his wife, police said. "This...

COPS: B'KLYN MAN SHOT SONS OVER DEBT

An enraged 49-year-old Brooklyn man shot and critically wounded his two sons early yesterday during an argument over $2,000 they owe him, police said. The breaking point, police said, came...

ALL EYES ON ROOKIE HILLARY STAR SENATOR MUST DELIVER

WASHINGTON - She stunned the political pundits and ran. She defied their predictions and won. Now comes the hard part for U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). With the spotlight...

L.I. DOC'S SUICIDE KILLS WIFE & KID

A Long Island doctor despondent over the breakup of his marriage committed suicide by inhaling deadly carbon monoxide fumes in his garage - accidentally killing his wife and one of...

SHOT TEEN WAS DYING AS PALS COVERED UP

A group of Bronx teens wasted precious time trying to cover up the damning details of a shooting at a house party - while the 14-year-old victim lay bleeding to...

STRAWBERRY: SUBWAY SERIES MADE ME CRACK

TAMPA. DARRYL Strawberry has come a long way from Oct. 22, when he walked out of rehab, tugged on a crack pipe and didn't care if the night ended with...

ELDERLY QNS. MAN DIES IN FIRE

An elderly man was trapped and killed in a fire that ripped through his Queens home last night despite heroic efforts by neighbors to douse the flames, officials said. The...

FILM CRITIC AWARDS RAVE RAVE FOR 'YI YI'

A little-known, but much-acclaimed Taiwanese film copped the Best Picture honors from the National Society of Film Critics last night. The society called "Yi Yi" (roughly, "A One and a...

COPS: DNA PINS MART KILLINGS ON EX-WORKER

Police yesterday used DNA evidence to nab a Brooklyn man in the fatal stabbing of two employees in an Queens supermarket where he once worked, authorities said. A bloody bandage...

GORE COUNTS BUSH THE CHAMPION :DEM PROTEST FAILS AT OFFICIAL ELECTOR TALLY

WASHINGTON - Vice President Al Gore yesterday presided over the declaration of George W. Bush as the winner of the presidential election, dismissing 13 protests by House Democrats. "May God...

DID U.S. AMMO CAUSE VETS' HEALTH WOES?

When Dr. Doug Rokke heard the recent news that soldiers who served in Kosovo are dying of cancer after exposure to NATO munitions carrying depleted uranium, he seethed in anguished...

TEENS TRY TO STEAL FOOD WITH SNOWBALL FLURRY

Three Brooklyn teens are on ice after trying to rob a Chinese restaurant - armed only with snowballs. The would-be gourmands were bagged by two detectives who were alerted to...

KERIK A FIRM BUT FRIENDLY LEADER ;:REGULAR-GUY ATTITUDE SETS TOP COP APART

There are two elevator banks in Police Headquarters - one is restricted to top brass, the other for everyone else. That's why jaws dropped the other afternoon when Police Commissioner...

'FORGIVING' EGAN BACK IN PULPIT

Archbishop Edward Egan will be back in the pulpit at St. Patrick's Cathedral today - just six days after a wild, mid-Mass attack on him - with forgiveness in his...

GOP LESS THAN FIRM ON AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

THE race card is about to be wielded viciously against Labor Secretary-designate Linda Chavez. "She is a strenuous foe of anti-discrimination measures, including affirmative action," AFL-CIO chief John Sweeney said....

TEXAS FAMILY CAT WON'T GET D.C. POST

AUSTIN - One member of the Bush clan won't be making the trip to the White House - Ernie the Cat, a frisky orange and white guy who's fully clawed...

PHILLY FANS TIXED OFF : JINTS' PLAYOFF PLAN WILL BACKFIRE AT VET

THE Giants' organization acted pretty smugly about how it manipulated TicketMaster to prevent Eagles' fans in the Philly and South Jersey area from purchasing any of the 5,000 tickets that...

HOLIK'S GOT SOME MEMORY : BENCHING COULD COST DEVILS AT CONTRACT TIME

NO ONE - least of all Lou Lamoriello - should make the mistake of assuming that Bobby Holik's shocking benching by Larry Robinson for the third period of Tuesday night's...

BIRDS JUST STARTIN' TO TAKE FLIGHT : YOUNG UPSTARTS ARE GOOD - AND FIGURE TO GET BETTER

PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles are doing it with the smoke coming out of the trashcans along Ninth Street, warming South Philly Italian Market patrons like the hearts of their fans...

A DATE WITH DESTINY : TOP SEED BIG BLUE EAGER TO STRUT STUFF

The feeling infiltrated this week, coursing through thoughts and then veins before finally reaching the heart. No matter what has transpired to get them here, no matter what perceptions or...

TIKI'S ON TOP OF THE WORLD : CONFIDENT FACE OF JINTS - ON AND OFF THE FIELD

Tiki Barber took a giant step toward greatness this season. He is the closest thing the Giants have had to Barry Sanders. If Tiki Barber were a fan, he would...

REID PUT EAGLES IN FAT CITY

PHILADELPHIA - If Eagles coach Andy Reid wanted to set a tone for the season, he wasn't going to tone it down. On the opening kickoff of the season-opener at...

VIKINGS MARCH PAST SAINTS : OPEN UP ON ORLEANS, HEAD TO NFC TITLE GAME

MINNEAPOLIS - Randy Moss says his best Christmas present ever was a Nintendo. It's easy to see why. When Moss runs wild the NFL becomes his own video game. When...

FORGOTTEN-MAN MONTGOMERY READY IN A PINCH

Will there be an X-factor in today's playoff game at Giants Stadium, and if so, who will it be? There's a good chance it could be Joe Montgomery, the seldom-seen...

SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE : RAVENS-TITANS A BATTLE OF NFL'S TOP DEFENSES

NASHVILLE - When Tennessee and Baltimore - the winningest team in the NFL and the hottest - face off today at 12:30 p.m. at Adelphia Coliseum, there will be no...

VAN'S PUMPED FOR RETURN - KEITH'S COMEBACK MAKES SCOTT FEEL WHOLE LOT BETTER

Ever since Net players began dropping like flies and getting on a first-name basis with X-ray and MRI technicians back in October, coach Byron Scott pointed to January and February...

THE GREAT U-NY-FIER: HOW FASSEL ENDED GIANTS' CIVIL WAR

OVER the course of his first three seasons as the Giants' head coach, Jim Fassel came to learn what Abe Lincoln could have told him, oh, 140 years ago, give...

JUST ALLEN PULLS OFF STUNNING BIG A UPSET

Just Allen, a Pennsylvania-bred shipper from Philadelphia Park, posted Aqueduct's first huge stakes upset of the new year yesterday, leading most of the way under jockey Steve Capanas to take...

WARD'S BACK ON POINT : KNICKS' BIG BACKCOURT GETS BENCHED

Charlie Ward makes his return from knee surgery tonight, red-hot Chris "Chili" Childs and Glen Rice are about to head to the bench and the "Big Backcourt" alignment is ready...

RANGERS PICK APART DEVILS' LEAKY DEFENSE

Devils5 Rangers5 They went picking on the Devils' defense, these Rangers whose own has been picked apart often enough. They must have learned how to do it. Not only did...

BETTER, BUT NOT GOOD ENOUGH : RANGERS FAIL TO SNAP PAIR OF WINLESS STREAKS

Well, they played hard for the second straight game, the Rangers did, and that's something. They stood up for each other and even to Bobby Holik, and that's something, too....

PARCELLS REMAINS UNDECIDED

Though all was quiet yesterday regarding the direction of the Jets' future, it's believed Bill Parcells and team owner Woody Johnson were going to speak with each other over the...

'CASTS TOMORROW AT BIG A

Fans are reminded Aqueduct will be open tomorrow for dark day simulcasting. Full cards from Philly Park, Gulfstream and Fair Grounds will be offered. Jean-Luc Samyn was suspended seven days...

HUSKIES SUBDUE STORM IN OT : BEST BIG EAST RIVALRY LIVES UP TO THE HYPE

STORRS, Conn. - In a year when no one was quite sure what to expect from Connecticut and St. John's, one theme remained constant. Put these two Big East Conference...

COOK, BROWN MAKE EMPHATIC POINTS

STORRS, Conn. - After Connecticut had scored a thrilling 82-80 overtime win against St. John's yesterday, Husky point guard Taliek Brown sat in the empty stands in Gampel Pavilion and...

JINTS? EAGLES? MOST VIKES DON'T CARE

MINNEAPOLIS - Cris Carter would rather face the Eagles than the Giants, because it would mean the Vikings would be home next week for the NFC Championship Game. But most...

PAINFUL HEEL STILL KEEPING RICE ON SIDELINES

Glen Rice did not practice with the Knicks yesterday, but sat on the sidelines rolling a frozen bottle of Gatorade over his sore left heel. Rice had predicted he would...

KEITH'S RETURN A HORN OF PLENTY

Nets97 Warriors92 In a way, the Nets' 2000-01 NBA season began last night. This is the way it was supposed to be - Keith Van Horn and Kenyon Martin creating...

ESCHMEYER WAITING FOR HIS BIG CHANCE

When the Nets' season began, Evan Eschmeyer was the "old man" of the starting front line. At the forward spots, he was flanked by a pair of rookies - the...

AT LEAST THEY WERE COMPETITIVE

Coyotes2 Isles1 The Islanders impersonated a playoff team last night. No longer looking like the league's worst team that they are, the Isles actually held a one-goal lead down the...

SOMETHINGS'S WONG IN HALL'S LOCKER ROOM

WASHINGTON - First, Seton Hall self-destructed on the basketball court, then the Pirates apparently melted down in the locker room. Georgetown, ranked No. 21 by The Post, dismantled the No....

PITINO'S CELTIC EXIT IS FINAL

PAY no attention to the Celtics' public pronouncement that Rick Pitino's departure from the team last night is a brief leave of absence for "soul searching" purposes. In fact, Pitino,...

OAKLEY HAS LAST LAUGH - LITERALLY

LAST Tuesday's rematch between Charles Oakley and Jeff McInnis was starkly uneventful. While both players enjoyed individual success, my Clippers felt their resounding victory was poetic justice for their starting...

PITINO QUITS AFTER CELTS FALL TO HEAT

Rick Pitino, frustrated by his team's lackluster play, resigned as Celtics coach after a 112-86 loss to the Heat in Miami last night - the Celts' fifth straight defeat. Despite...

NO. 1 FAN HAS LIFETIME OF BIG BLUE MEMORIES

Burt Gwirtzman is a giant among Giants fans. The 75-year-old Manhattan man has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for being the team's No. 1 fan -...

NEW LEAGUE AN 'X' FACTOR IN LAS VEGAS

Forget the fact that Vince McMahon's "XFL" teams have never played a game, and that some players have never even played the sport. Las Vegas still is betting the league...