January 29, 2001

WHO'S YOUR FAVORITE CYBERSTUD?

* ARE they hot or not? Absodot-comlutley, according to the ladies at Women.com. The site is offering the chance to win a Valentine's Day date with one of 10 top...

SUDDENLY, EVERYONE WANTS A PIECE OF THIS SITE

As demolition moves forward on the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, its owner is suddenly swamped with offers to sell or take on a partner. Mitchell B....

HOME MORTGAGE REFINANCING: MUNDANE NO MORE

LIKE everyone else, banks last year were counting on dot-com riches. Mergers and acquisitions were also mighty important to their profits. You can scratch both those sources of income thus...

SOHO-TEL HEATS UP ; SECOND BALAZS VENTURE NOW IN THE WORKS

Hotelier Andre Balazs is planning a second hotel for SoHo, The Post has learned. He is expected to develop a 107,000-square-foot hotel, which is now in the planning stages. The...

SHOULD YOU GO SOFT ON THE SOFT AD MARKET?

The "soft ad market" has wreaked havoc recently in the media market. But one analyst is claiming that "soft" implies a cushion -and that reports of an advertising falloff have...

A GOOD DEED, WASTED

TWO executives of an online retailing site were indicted last week for selling counterfeit luxury goods over the Internet. It seems that authorities were shocked -- shocked! -- to find...

THE IRS: STUFF IT!

The Internal Revenue Service truly believes the average American to be an idiot. In 2000, more taxpayers filed their federal returns electronically than ever before. They had been encouraged to...

THEY JUMPED A SINKING SHIP THAT NEVER SANK

JUST when you thought things couldn't get any worse for the dot-com crowd . . . things got worse. Actually, things got better -- which made things worse. Here's why....

WON'T YOU NOT BE MY NEIGHBOR

AS the New York real estate market softens, buyers are emboldened to demand much more than they have in the recent years of a pure sellers' market. And they're even...

SKI DUDS GET DESIGNER LIFT

WATCH out! Fashion designers are becoming as unpredictable as moguls on a black diamond mountain trail, creating a whole new genre by adding ski apparel and equipment to their high-end,...

'NET CAST WIDE IN NEW PARADIGM FUND

IN a year that brought big tech troubles to investors, there was one large-cap Internet-focused growth mutual fund that posted gains. It's the Kinetics New Paradigm fund, which gained 3.9...

HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL FOR ARTIST THANKS TO FOUNTAIN

MARTIN Cohen has made a difficult journey, from a succession of psychiatric hospitals to a Hell's Kitchen art space. Cohen has long battled schizophrenia and depression, debilitating illnesses that have...

READY OR NOT, '3RD ROCK' TAPES FINALE

THE next stop may be back to deep space for the sitcom "3rd Rock From the Sun," which shot a potential series finale on Friday. The studio audience that watched...

A LUNCH DATE WITH CHEKHOV

ONLY in New York can you see Tony winners Tammy Grimes and Cherry Jones, and Broadway and film legend Eli Wallach read newly translated short stories by a young Anton...

OPEN FOR 'BUSINESS'

PARK CITY, Utah - Director Patrick Stettner almost wishes his maiden effort - which some here have been calling "the other rape movie" - wasn't one of the most-talked-about flicks...

XFL COMES OUT OF ITS CAGE

WITH Super Bowl XXXV in the history books, it's time for the controversial XFL to bow. With less than a week to go before kick-off, WWF honcho Vince McMahon's much...

THE STARR REPORT

Carruth murder trial a winner for Court TV Rae Carruth's murder trial paid handsome ratings dividends for Court TV - which notched its best numbers since O.J. Simpson's criminal trial....

'SURVIVOR II:' ANOTHER WONDER DOWN UNDER? THE GREAT FUN OF HATING THIS NEW BATCH OF BEAUTIES

Last night on WCBS/Ch. 2 1/2 WHY CBS bothered wasting the world's best lead-in (The Super Bowl) for a show that would be the world's best lead-in ("Survivor") for another...

'SURVIVOR II:' ANOTHER WONDER DOWN UNDER? HYPE IS TAKING ALL THE FUN OUT OF ODD-BALL SERIES

I'M already sick of it. The pre-launch hype for "Survivor 2" was so relentless it has me wary of enduring another three months of it. Forget about the survivors of...

IS HONESTY REALLY THE BEST POLICY?

THE phrase, "The truth shall set you free," really is accurate, because if you told your boss the real reason you were late - that you got drunk the night...

FOR THE BENEFIT OF CITY OPERA

THERE'S no place like the New York City Opera Thrift Shop. Where else but the two-story East 23rd Street store could you pick up pristine vintage designer couture and museum-worthy...

POISED FOR RUNWAY TAKEOFF: MOET GETS A KICK OUT OF HELPING YOUNG DESIGNERS

CHRISTINE Ganeaux sells her fit-to-perfection trousers from her own store in SoHo. Elisa Jimenez's clothes are white-hot with rock stars like Courtney Love and artsy downtowners. And in the last...

BLACK EXEC CHARGES CHUCK WITH RACISM

EXCLUSIVE ALBANY - One of the nation's leading black businessmen has angrily accused U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer of favoring white-owned companies over his firm. Black Entertainment Television founder Robert Johnson,...

VALLONE USED WRONG WAY TO 'DRIVE' HOME HIS POINT

THERE are plenty of used-car salesmen in Queens who wouldn't buy a used car from Peter Vallone. Last week, the council speaker alienated constituents in that used-car heaven known as...

PRINCE CHARLES PLANS U.S. TRIP

Prince Charles may visit the United States this year to meet with President Bush and spend a few days in the Big Apple. The future king of England would come...

TREASON THE REASON IT'S AN OUTRAGE ; NO PARDONING THIS OUTRAGE

IF MARC RICH were a citizen of Iran, Iraq or the People's Republic of China, he would have been put up against a wall and shot. And if it was...

GOV'S SNEAKY BUDGET TRICK ANGERS POLS

GOV. PATAKI's new state budget disguises the hiring of more than 20 politically oriented staffers, and lawmakers are vowing to stop it, The Post has learned. Top lawmakers called Pataki's...

PRINCE ANDY'S DRUGGIE PALS STIR ROYAL ROW

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip have ordered their playboy son Prince Andrew to dump a group of friends connected to drugs, crime and casual sex, a published report claimed last...

MIRACLE SURVIVORS PULLED FROM RUBBLE ; BUT DEATH TOLL NEARING 30,000

A 7-year-old boy and his mother, freed after nearly 60 hours trapped under debris, were among a handful of miracle survivors of India's devastating earthquake, whose death toll now seems...

FUGITIVE'S LAWYER SAYS HE WELCOMES PROBE OF PARDON

WASHINGTON - A lawyer for fugitive financier Marc Rich said yesterday that he "looks forward" to a congressional investigation of President Bill Clinton's flood of 11th-hour pardons. At the same...

LUNCH TAKES BIGGER BITE OUT OF US

OK, so maybe there's no free lunch, but this is getting ridiculous. Crain's New York Business reports this week that the cost of filling your stomach has risen to new...

'BURB LADIES HATED 'COLD' HILL: BOOK

Suburban women called Hillary Clinton "cold, pushy, . . . back-stabbing" and said she focused "on winning no matter what," according to a new book. The comments came in previously...

NEIGHBORHOOD HOLDS OUT HOPE ; JACKSON HTS. RESIDENTS PRAY FOR KIN ABROAD

In the aftermath of last week's killer quake in western India, it's the silence that has unnerved Nitin Vora the most. Vora, one of thousands of Indians living in Jackson...

WHO PUT SYLVIA IN A COMA? COPS SAY HIT-RUN, BUT FAMILY NOT SO SURE

A Queens waitress lies in a coma from injuries suffered in what cops believe was a hit-and-run accident - but her family wants police to keep investigating what they believe...

DARTMOUTH DOUBLE-SLAY: BRUTAL KILLING OF PROF COUPLE SPREADS FEAR AT IVY CAMPUS

Fear gripped the bucolic campus of Dartmouth College today after two beloved professors were found brutally slain in their nearby home. Susanne and Half Zantop were discovered lying in a...

LAST MOMENTS OF BASKETBALL TEAM'S PLANE

Witnesses say the twin-engine plane that crashed in Colorado, killing two college basketball stars and eight other people, banked hard to the right just before it hit the ground. The...

WHAT THE $3M MAGIC EYE SAW

CBS made sparing use of its much-hyped $3.1 million "EyeVision" virtual reality replay system during last night's Super Bowl. The slow-motion system creates 3-D images from 33 camera angles -...

TRUE-BLUE FANS ARE AT A LOSS (FOR NOW) ; WILL 'STICK WITH TEAM THROUGH THICK AND THIN'

Giants fans were blue in a big way yesterday as they watched the Jints fall 34-7 to the Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV in Tampa. "I was surprised the Ravens...

BEST BUDS; CELEBS WERE HARD TO SPOT THIS YEAR, SO BEER ADS WERE BEST-OF-BOWL

BUDWEISER rules. Whether it's Cedric the Entertainer spraying his date with a bottle of Bud Light or a trio of preppies spoofing the Wassup guys, Anheuser-Busch was without a doubt...

GAS FUMES FELL RESIDENTS ON UPPER W. SIDE

Firefighters rescued 21 people yesterday, some unconscious and in critical condition, from an Upper West Side building that was filled with potentially deadly carbon monoxide fumes, officials said. Investigators last...

CALIF. DOG-ATTACK HORROR LEAVES N.Y. WOMAN, 33, DEAD

A woman from Long Island working as a lacrosse coach at a California college died after she was mauled by two vicious dogs outside her San Francisco apartment, authorities said...

SEHORN EXPOSED AND ALONE ON BIG BLUE ISLAND

TAMPA - Jason Sehorn was alone on the island last night and he was not a survivor. Trent Dilfer couldn't do much in Super Bowl XXXV, but when he did...

BOY, 13, HORRIBLY BURNED MIMICKING SHOW ON MTV

A 13-year-old Connecticut boy, attempting a stunt he saw on MTV, was set ablaze and hospitalized with second- and third-degree burns, fire officials said. Three friends of Jason Lind poured...

GIANTS' DREAM IS NIGHTMARE: BIG BLUE BATTERED BY RAVENS

Ravens 34 Giants 7 TAMPA - The storybook season that began with Once Upon A Time never got to the Happily Ever After. No happy ending for the Giants. On...

RAVEN 'D' BACKS UP BIG SQUAWK

TAMPA - The Ravens proved every bit as good as they had insisted. They swaggered onto the world's greatest football stage and gave the Giants an even bigger beating than...

PHANTOM CALL DOOMED JINTS

TAMPA - You might want to label this penalty call: obstruction of justice. There was Jesse Armstead steaming into the end zone after picking off a short Trent Dilfer pass...

A WRONG, WRONG EVENING ; SEHORN, JINTS NEVER GOT GOING

TAMPA - After standing on the sidelines for a half- hour waiting for Ray Charles sing "America the Beautiful," and the Backstreet Boys to finish the national anthem, Jason Sehorn...

RAY GOES FROM MAYHEM TO MVP

TAMPA - Like it not America, Ray Lewis is your Super Bowl XXXV Most Valuable Player. And no, he is not going to Disney World. Not at the moment anyway....

TRYING TIMES BEGIN FOR RAP'S ROYALTY

It's the trial of the year - a gun-possession and witness-bribery case that could land rap bad boy Sean "Puffy Combs, a k a "Puff Daddy," behind bars for 15...

GIANTS, NOT RAVENS, ARE EATING CROW

TAMPA - They wanted so badly to turn last night into the Silence of the Ravens, but they could not. The Ravens roared. The Giants had to go quietly into...

HILL TO REVEAL HER ASHCROFT DECISION

WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is scheduled to finally announce her position today on the controversial nomination of John Ashcroft - who seems headed for confirmation this week. After...

TONY LEAVES NO DOUBT: OUR 'D' THE BEST EVER

TAMPA - Ever gracious in victory, Tony Siragusa looked over the media members repeatedly asking him to exhort the greatness of this Baltimore team in the ultimate moment of his...

SHARPE OBSERVATIONS FROM RAVEN TIGHT END

TAMPA - Ray Lewis, the MVP of the Super Bowl, is not going to Disney World as is customary, obviously because Disney doesn't want to invite, publicize and associate itself...

DILFER'S RETURN SWEET

TAMPA - Trent Dilfer's not in Tampa anymore. No more ridicule. No more rants from the home fans. No more criticism for being a loser. No more theories about whether...

THREE HELLISH MONTHS IN A JUVENILE JAIL

The words of 15-year-old Angel Avila were always tempered with caution and laced with fear. Angel couldn't tell his New York City relatives the horrific details of his three-month stay...

FEDS USE KIDS AS BAIT TO SNARE IMMIGRANT PARENTS

ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD Omar is being held hostage by the feds. The ransom: his mother. Federal authorities are refusing to release the boy to his aunt, a legal U.S. resident, because they...

B'KLYN PAIR TAKES VOWS IN RARE CATHOLIC PURITY RITUAL

After several years of prayer and preparation, two Brooklyn women were consecrated as virgins yesterday during a Catholic ceremony that was last performed in the diocese in the mid-19th century....

TAGS OFF MARK - AGAIN

SINCE his reign as NFL commissioner began, Paul Tagliabue, it seems, annually stands at an on-site, pre-Super Bowl press conference, takes an offensive defensive stance, then says stuff that sends...

RAVEN DEFENSE QUIETS CRITICS

TAMPA - The Ravens have been climbing tall buildings and screaming loud and long to anyone who'll listen that their defense is the "greatest of all time." Even while the...

NO MORE 'BRANDON WHO?' STOKLEY'S CATCH STARTED BALTIMORE'S SUPER ROLL

TAMPA - Typical Super Bowl story, Brandon Stokley. Who? Exactly. You didn't know much about Luis Sojo before he drove in the winning run in the Yankees' World Series clincher...

JINT TRIO ROCK AND 'ROLL'

TAMPA - It is referred to as "Roll Call" and three key members of the Giants' surging defense take part in this unique ritual. It started up during the season,...

GIANT TRADITION GROWS: 'D' AUTHORS ITS OWN GLORY DAYS

TAMPA - The Giants can sometimes sound like a bunch of college kids when they talk about the tradition of their franchise. Though very few of them could be classified...

BIG BLUE'S LINE TAKES FINAL STEP

TAMPA - The Giants offensive line is experienced and intelligent, but sometimes this game comes down to wanting to just beat the other guy up. Whatever that counts for, the...

DALUISO, STOVER MAY GET THE BOOT

TAMPA - Ravens kicker Matt Stover and Giants kicker Brad Daluiso are both 33 years old. They both wear the No. 3 on their jersey, and each was hoping Super...

TAKING EASY WAY IN : SOFT SCHEDULES MAKE TEAMS SUPER

TAMPA - And now, a word of praise to the people who made last night's Super Bowl XXXV matchup possible, bringing untold happiness and vicarious thrills to the citizens of...

BLAZERS TOO HOT ; BERGTRAUM COASTS TO 17TH STRAIGHT WIN

Bergtraum 66 F. Lewis 44 After his team lost to Bergtraum 66-44 yesterday at St. Francis College, Francis Lewis head coach Mike Eisenberg offered his opinion of his opponent. "Everybody...

POINTS NO SOLACE TO DEVILS

They're not prepared to give them back, but even when they benefit from them, some Devils don't like the Charity Point. Losers of consecutive overtime games for the first time...

FOOTBALL WIDOWS AWAIT FINAL GUN

A group of women who don't know a field goal from a foul ball and care only about the passes they're not receiving from their husbands got together yesterday to...

DIVERSA OUTSPRINTS BOUNDANDDETERMINED

Boundanddetermined was unbeaten in two starts, but both came sprinting six furlongs. Diversa's longest win came at seven furlongs. Both 3-year-old fillies were making their first stakes start in the...

NO TIME FOR EXCUSES ; RANGERS GOTTA START WINNING NOW

There are currently seven teams in the NHL with worse records than the Rangers, and the Thrashers, who come to the Garden tonight carrying a 14-game winless streak, are one...

GOLD MOVER COASTS AT GULFSTREAM

Gold Mover continued her winning ways as she destroyed the competition in winning the Grade 3 Forward Gal Stakes at Gulfstream Park yesterday. The Mark Hennig-trainee, ridden by Jerry Bailey,...

TAMPA A SUPER DISASTER

TAMPA - Let me begin by getting quickly to the point: Tampa is the most ill-equipped city to handle a big event such as the Super Bowl of any city...

GREATEST GATE-CRASHER ENJOYS RICH TIME

TAMPA - Dion Rich, the greatest Super Bowl gate-crasher of them all, was anticipating a smooth entry into Super Bowl XXXV last night at Raymond James Stadium. Rich, whose amazing...

LAKERS UNABLE TO WIN WITHOUT INJURED O'NEAL

Knicks 91 Lakers 81 The Garden crowd let out a loud cheer during pregame festivities after Greg Foster was introduced as the Lakers' starting center followed by the P.A. announcement...

STEAMED RICE COMES UP COLD ; EMOTIONS GET BEST OF GLEN

KNICK NOTES Glen Rice came off the bench with 3:15 remaining in the first period, walked to the halfcourt press table and waited. And waited. And waited some more. When...

JACKSON'S UP IN ARMS OVER KNICK BRACELETS

Is coach Phil Jackson cracking up amidst all the Lakers' turmoil? Early in the third quarter, with the Lakers trailing by 12 points, the Zen Master started to complain to...

JINTS' TOP FAN IS SICK TO HIS STOMACH

A fan with a notoriously weak stomach was named The Post's "Biggest Giants Fan" last night at a special Super Bowl XXXV viewing party at Gallagher's Steak House. Three other...

SHAQUILLE SITS; FEUD WITH KOBE KEEPS BURNING

Think back to June: the Staples Center, Los Angeles, the Lakers holding the championship trophy. These were the Lakers on Shaquille O'Neal's shoulders. Now look at yesterday: The Garden, New...

CBS, SHOW US WHAT WE ALL WANT TO SEE

TYPICAL Super Bowl telecast. Typical NFL telecast. There's a lot we'd have done differently - a whole lot - but CBS couldn't make us shut it off, and in these...

TAGLIABUE'S OFF THE MARK AGAIN

This reign as NFL commissioner began, Paul Tagliabue, it seems, annually stands at an on-site, pre-Super Bowl press conference, takes an offensive defensive stance, then says stuff that sends his...

DREADFUL COLLINS RAVENS' REAL MVP

TAMPA - So they gave the Super Bowl MVP award to Ray Lewis, a call so predictable you could have made it before the game, assuming the Ravens beat the...

MARA LOSES WITH CLASS

TAMPA - For Giants owner Wellington Mara, so much of this game is about relationships. It's been that way ever since that first day in 1925, that special day after...

LEWIS TURNS PAGE WITH KICKOFF RETURN

TAMPA - For Ravens' punt and kick returner Jermaine Lewis, last night's 34-7 Super Bowl victory represented closure on the most difficult chapter of his life. Early last month, Lewis...

GIANT SEASON NOT LOST ON PROUD FASSEL

TAMPA - When the dream ended, and the nightmare invaded a somber and tearful Big Blue locker room, Jim Fassel told his Giants he was proud. "I'll state the obvious,"...

JINTS OFFENSE COULDN'T GET COORDINATED

TAMPA - Giants offensive coordinator Sean Payton still thinks the Ravens can be beaten. But it would take just about the perfect game. "To beat this team you have to...

FOX MAY LEAVE ON DOWN NOTE

SUPER BOWL CONFIDENTIAL TAMPA - Most likely, this was the final game with the Giants for defensive coordinator John Fox, who is scheduled to interview this week with the Buffalo...

STOKLEY WEARS SUPER GLASS SLIPPER

TAMPA - Typical Super Bowl story, Brandon Stokley. Who? Exactly. You didn't know much about Luis Sojo before he drove in the winning run in the Yankees' World Series clinching...

SPECIAL TEAMS SHORT ON ANSWERS

TAMPA - Kicker Brad Daluiso is heading for arthroscopic knee surgery. That's how bad he's hurting. Daluiso tried his best last night but a pivotal short kickoff led to Jermaine...

MODELL TRIUMPHS OVER THE TURMOIL

TAMPA - The first words from Ravens coach Brian Billick in his postgame press conference were about team owner Art Modell. "I'd be very surprised if the players don't think...

JAMAL KEEPS PLUGGIN' AWAY

TAMPA - His yards came much the same way the Ravens beat their opponents - methodically and in a calculated way. Raven rookie RB back Jamal Lewis, who gained more...

LAST GET-TOGETHER? JINTS KNOW FREE AGENCY WILL GNAW AT THEIR ROSTER

TAMPA - The Giants will not make it to Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans. This is a statement, not conjecture. Well, not these Giants, anyway. Not this Giants team,...

LOSS BITTER PILL FOR RING-LESS ACCORSI

TAMPA - Two weeks ago, he left the press box at Giants Stadium early, with nearly a full quarter to play, secure in the knowledge that the Giants were rolling...

DIXON SPECIAL AGAIN

TAMPA - As the rest of the team waited anxiously on the sideline, Ron Dixon was off to the side, by himself, near the end zone. He was mugging for...

BUCS CAN'T GO HOME AGAIN

SUPER BOWL CONFIDENTIAL TAMPA - As the week's hype and festivities engulfed the Tampa area this week, it was difficult for Buccaneer players to avoid thinking about what might have...

IT'S ALL QUIET ON JINT FRONT

TAMPA - Think you'd be able to judge how emotionally-charged the Giants were for last night's Super Bowl XXXV by studying how they handled their pre-game warm-up? Guess again. Jim...

GIANTS' SUPER GOAL: COMING-OUT PARTY

TAMPA - If all went right last night for the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV at Raymond James Stadium, this would be step-out-of-the-shadows time for the Giants. Not just the...

THE RETURN OF JERMAINE

SUPER BOWL CONFIDENTIAL TAMPA - Jermaine Lewis has surely done a number on New York football teams. His 84-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the third quarter was the...

BRAD BOOTS COME UP WAY SHORT

TAMPA - The Giants were so concerned about short kickoffs from Brad Daluiso before the game Jaret Holmes was practicing kickoffs. Jim Fassel made the decision to go with Daluiso,...

TALE OF THE TAPE

The Super Bowl has come a long way, baby, in its 35 years. From a mildly amusing battle between the old guard NFL and upstart AFL -- carried by both...