February 9, 2001
STERN'S SHUTTING ITS DOORS FOREVER
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amRetailing's slump has claimed another venerable victim: 134-year-old Stern's, the third major chain to collapse since Christmas. Stern's parent, Federated Department Stores, is dumping all of its 24 Stern's at...
SAKS BACKS OFF PLANNED IPO
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amSaks thinks the luxury market is going sour and has yanked its plan to take the pricey Saks Fifth Avenue stores public. Saks Chairman and Chief Executive Officer R. Brad...
TELCO ACT IS NOTHING BUT STATIC - ON ITS FIFTH ANNIVERSARY LAW IS CALLED UTTER FAILURE
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amIt has been five long years since Bill Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act into law - and so far the move has been a miserable failure, telecom experts say. The...
KPMG WINS WITH $2B STOCK OFFERING
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amIn the slowest IPO market in 20 years, KPMG Consulting bucked the trend yesterday after its shares soared 31 percent in a $2 billion public offering. KPMG Consulting gained $5.48...
TWO MOB BROKERS PLEAD GUILTY TO $50M SWINDLE
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amTwo Mafioso stockbrokers pleaded guilty yesterday to their roles in a massive scheme that swindled investors out of more than $50 million. Frank Persico - cousin of one-time crime boss...
MOVIE TIE-INS, VIDEO GAMES BIG AT TOY FAIR - ALL SORTS OF DIGITAL GIZMOS ON DISPLAY
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amToy Fair opens Sunday in the city with toy makers and sellers praying the horrible holidays of 2000 are behind them. The industry is hoping the stars align for them...
YONKERS RACEWAY NEAR DEAL - CITY, DEVELOPERS WORK FINAL DETAILS FOR 100-ACRE SITE
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amThe Yonkers Raceway is on the verge of a redevelopment pact that will keep its current owners in the deal. The final price is expected to be between $85 million...
RUNWAY TV SMACKDOWN - CABLE CHANNELS DUELING OVER FASHION WATCHERS
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amCan't make it to the tents in Bryant Park? Don't worry: smart fashionistas know how to get their fashion fix in a novel way - television. The increasing amounts of...
AT&T WORKERS WARN WALL ST. BREAK-UP PLAN WILL FAIL
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amAT&T employees are demanding that Ma Bell abandon its break-up strategy. The AFL-CIO and the Communicataions Workers of America (CWA) - which represents AT&T workers - convened a conference call...
A TURKISH 'JOURNEY' CAPTIVATES
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amJOURNEY TO THE SUN ( 1/2) Haunting tale of an innocent who discovers the nasty political currents beneath the picturesque surface of Turkish life. Running time: 104 minutes. Not rated...
'FIFTIES' HAS NO VOICE, JUST TALKING HEADS
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amNEW YORK IN THE FIFTIES () Documentary doesn't begin to do justice to a great subject. Running time: 72 minutes. Not rated (profanity). At the Pioneer, Avenue A at East...
AN ARCTIC TALE SUITS IMAX TO THE MAX
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amSHACKLETON'S ANTARCTIC ADVENTURE ( 1/2) Narrated by Kevin Spacey. Running time: 40 minutes. Not rated (nothing offensive). At the American Museum of Natural History IMAX theater. ---------- THIS documentary retelling...
A 'TASTE' OF FUNNY
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amTHE TASTE OF OTHERS () Opposites attract - and vive la difference! In French with English subtitles. Running time: 112 minutes. Not rated (adult themes). At the Lincoln Plaza and...
JUST A COUNTRY GIRL - THE NAILS MAY BE FAKE, BUT THE HEART'S FOR REAL
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amEVERYONE knows about Dolly Parton's famous assets, but few realize her brain is every bit as impressive.The 55-year-old singer is sharp as a whip, with an amazing business sense, too....
COP TALE'S LACK OF FOCUS MARS A FORCEFUL PERFORMANCE
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amFORCE CONTINUUMAtlantic Theater, 336 W. 20th St. Call Telecharge (212) 239-6200. ------------ IT'S a good idea to look at the lives of an African-American police family. They boast a unique...
A SCRIPT AS SUBTLE AS A SLEDGEHAMMER
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amLOVE, HONOUR AND OBEY () Great cast, excruciating flick. Running time: 95 minutes. Rated R (graphic violence, profanity, sex). --------- At the Village East, Second Avenue and East 11th Street.TO...
'SIGNS & WONDERS' ISN'T VERY WONDERFUL
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amSIGNS & WONDERS ( 1/2) Tedious, shallow Euro-pretension. Running time: 108 minutes. Unrated (sex and brief seminudity). At the Quad, 13th Street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues. ------------ SMUG, often...
GROWN-UP VICES CREEPING INTO PG-13
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amTHE members of the movie ratings board appear to have gone off their collective rockers. The hero of the new PG-13 rated comedy "Saving Silverman" is subjected to electrified nipple...
NO SAVING THIS JUNK
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amSAVING SILVERMAN ( 1/2) The cast needs saving from this gross farce. Running time: 90 minutes. Rated PG-13 (crude sexual humor, profanity). At the E Walk, the Chelsea, the Union...
HANKS CASTING A WAY TO EARN BEST ACTOR NOMINATION
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amTOM Hanks is a lock for an Oscar nomination. His popularity in Hollywood isn't even a factor in this: he's the only human being onscreen for most of "Cast Away"...
THE STARR REPORT
February 9, 2001 | 5:00am'View' has the 'Right' stuff for women It's been a good week for Barbara Walters. Not only is Walters sitting down for an exclusive interview tonight with Jane Fonda (10...
REBA ROUNDS UP RAVES AS 'ANNIE'
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amANNIE GET YOUR GUN ()Marquis Theater, 1535 Broadway, (212) 382-0100. ------------ WHAT'S a nice country and western legend doing in a show like this? The answer is, absolutely dandy. I...
LOSING ITS ROSIE GLOW - O'DONNELL'S DEPARTURE COULD BE CURTAINS FOR 'SEUSSICAL'
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amAND now the end is near, and so they face the final curtain . . ."Seussical, the Musical" is, I'm afraid, a terminal case.I say this with great regret, since,...
TRIP FROM HELL ON A SHIP OF DREAMS - FOR LUCKY 1,000, THE HOLOCAUST ENDED IN NEW YORK
February 9, 2001 | 5:00am"Haven" Sunday and Wed., Feb. 14 on Ch 2 ( or 12 boxes of Kleenex) ------------ JOURNALIST Ruth Gruber, who is now 89, lives the life every journalist dreams about....
WHERE'S THE BEEF? - GRISLY 'HANNIBAL' CAMPY, LACKS SUSPENSE
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amHANNIBAL ( 1/2) Glossy, well-executed but not especially frightening or compelling thriller about a super-sophisticated sociopath and the FBI agent he adores. Running time: 131 minutes. Rated R (violence, general...
WILL CHEAP AND NASTY REALITY TV NEVER END?
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amWATCHING "Temptation Island" the other night, it suddenly dawned on me: This has got to be the stupidest show I've ever seen. Am I really the only one out of...
'MAD DOG' IS NO 'SURVIVOR' - TRIBAL COUNCIL BOOTS HER IN THIRD EPISODE
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amTHE level of suffering and back-stabbing rose a notch last night on "Survivor: Australian Outback," when beloved player Maralyn "Mad Dog" Hershey was booted out of the Ogakor tribe and...
DID CNN ALLOW SUICIDE?
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amCNN yesterday dismissed allegations that its reporters knew in advance that members of the outlawed Falun Gong sect were going to set themselves on fire and did nothing to stop...
MED MIRACLE OR WA$TE? - FUROR OVER 'ULTRAFAST' NEW DEVICES THAT SCAN ENTIRE BODY
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amLOU HIRSHBERG is a recent convert to a new "miracle" scanning technology that promises to detect health problems before they become life-threatening. Some call the scans, which first became available...
'NO, IT'S YOUR FAULT' - THE CLINTON-GORE POST-ELECTION FACEOFF
February 9, 2001 | 5:00am"A few days after Al Gore conceded the 2000 presidential election, he and Bill Clinton were finally talking face to face . . . in what sources close to both...
MALE DRIVER: SUFFOLK COP ORDERED ME TO STRIP, TOO
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amA Long Island man claims that he was forced to strip by the same cop accused of forcing 10 women to remove items of clothing. Anthony Luciano, the father of...
LATEST SCOOP - BOOMING B'KLYN LOSING ITS FLAVOR
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amPETER'S Ice Cream shop has graced Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue for two decades, as worn and disheveled and precious as an old pair of jeans. Nothing much ever happened here. Yet...
FEARS GROW FOR MISSING B'KLYN LAWYER
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amA 73-year-old Brooklyn lawyer has disappeared, leaving behind in his office bloodstains that police and his family fear may indicate foul play. Sanford Silver, married with one daughter and one...
HS SHUTDOWN JUST THE START OF EGAN'S SHAKEUP
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amThe decision to close an upstate Catholic high school is only the first step in plans to reorganize the entire archdiocese, a spokesman said yesterday. While no other specific moves...
THINK YOUR YOUNG KIDS AREN'T HAVING SEX? THINK AGAIN!
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amOne in 12 kids in the United States is no longer a virgin by the age of 13, a shocking new sex survey reveals. And, by the time they finish...
SADDAM, BIN LADEN UP THE ANTE
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amMideast bad boys Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden are joining forces with Palestinian extremists in the holy war against Israel, raising fears of new bloodshed as Prime Minister-elect Ariel...
CONSORT WITH CLINTONS, AND 'BILL' COMES DUE
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amONCE seen as an attractive, sometimes naive, slightly ditsy Clinton groupie with too much money, Denise Rich suddenly finds herself portrayed as the Ma Barker of politics. Why would a...
TRUMP HOLDING THE CARDS FOR NEW: 'BILLIONAIRE' GAME SHOW
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amRichard Pryor had to spend $30 million in "Brewster's Millions." When there's funny-money to be spent, politicians have nothing on The Donald. The megarich mogul is backing a new reality-TV...
W.'S GUARD MISSED THE MARK, BUT GOT HIS MAN
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - White House gunman Robert Pickett almost got his wish to die from a police bullet, The Post has learned. The Secret Service agent who shot the 47-year-old bookkeeper...
RFK JR. BLASTS ECO COMMISH FOR 'LIES'
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amRobert F. Kennedy Jr. branded the city's environmental commissioner a liar yesterday - and demanded he be prosecuted under a little-known law that makes fibbing a crime for public officials....
SHARON WILL NOT BE GOADED BY ATTACKS
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amYESTERDAY'S car-bombing in a Jerusalem neighborhood was the Palestinians' opening salvo against Israeli Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon. It won't be the last. Luckily, considering the strength of the blast, casualties...
'SCAR' WITNESS ISN'T LIKELY TO TESTIFY
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amThe tough guy whose run-in with Sean "Puffy" Combs sparked the wild shooting in Club New York likely will settle his dispute with the music mogul on the street -...
JANE FONDA: I'M HAPPIER ALONE THAN WITH A MAN
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amJane Fonda - freshly divorced from Ted Turner - says she lives alone, is finished with men, has quit making movies for good and never exercises. "I am living with...
HILL DENIES ANY ROLE IN WIPING RICH SLATE CLEAN
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Newly released documents show Marc Rich's lawyers desperately wanted Hillary Rodham Clinton's support for a pardon for Marc Rich, but Clinton yesterday denied ever being contacted. "I know...
RUDY: RESPONSES TO 911 CALLS SHOULD BE QUICKER
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amThe average time it takes cops to respond to 911 calls jumped by 11 percent - to 12 minutes - last year and Mayor Giuliani says he's not sure why....
BUSH GEARS FOR CLASS WARFARE ON TAX PLAN
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - President Bush yesterday sent his $1.6 trillion tax-cut plan to Congress, saying, "we need tax relief yesterday" - but Democratic leaders immediately declared war on his plan. Top...
PARKS 'DONATION' RULE BLOCKED TREE-CUTTING
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amIn yet another case of the Parks Department's controversial "donations" practice, a Brooklyn homeowner who wanted to cut down a 70-year-old tree was told he'd have to replace it with...
BOXER BUSTED IN WIFE ASSAULT
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amFormer heavyweight champ Riddick Bowe was arrested and charged with assault yesterday after allegedly slugging his wife and dragging her back into their luxury Long Island home when she tried...
RENO'S NO. 2 COMES CLEAN: I BLEW IT
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - President Clinton's deputy attorney general admitted yesterday that he goofed when he gave the green light for the explosive pardon for billionaire Marc Rich. "Knowing everything I know,...
CLASSROOMS SHUT AMID MOLD FEAR IN BROOKLYN
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amTwo classrooms in a Brooklyn school were ordered closed yesterday because of concerns over mold and water leaks, Chancellor Harold Levy said. He stressed that the action taken at Canarsie's...
J.LO BAWLED TO COP: LET ME GO!
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amJust before she was cuffed and arrested in the Club New York shooting, Jennifer Lopez pleaded for her freedom - telling a cop she'd lose everything if she were taken...
FISH COPS MOVE IN FOR THE GILL
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amA Brooklyn fish dealer found himself in hot water yesterday for illegally peddling a protected species - nearly 2,000 pounds of large-mouth bass - authorities said State Department of Environmental...
PROF. AL'S STUDENTS WON'T HAVE TO ZIP THEIR LIPS AFTER ALL
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amIt's OK for Al Gore's Columbia University students to blab about his classes - one of their deans denies they were ever under any gag order. "We believe that students...
DENISE'S LIPS SEALED IN PARDON PROBE - SHE PLEADS THE FIFTH IN LETTER TO CONGRESS
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Denise Rich took the Fifth Amendment to duck questions about Bill Clinton's notorious pardon of her ex-husband, Marc, her lawyer said yesterday. But as the probe began into...
ASPIRIN LOWERS PREGNANCY RISKS
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amPregnant women can avoid high blood pressure and kidney problems by taking low doses of aspirin, doctors say. The low dose can help prevent expectant moms from developing pre-eclampsia, a...
HONORS FOR MIRACULOUS B'KLYN CHARITABLE GROUP
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amThey may not sound much like miracles, but if your family needs a home or if your child needs a place to go after school, their services might qualify. The...
AIR FORCE JAILS 2ND CADET IN DRUG SCANDAL
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amCOLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The drug scandal at the prestigious U.S. Air Force Academy widened this week after a second cadet was court-martialed and thrown in prison. "This is just...
CNN DUO MAY FACE SLAY RAP IN CHINA FIRE SUICIDE
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amCNN yesterday dismissed allegations that its reporters knew in advance that members of the outlawed Falun Gong sect were going to set themselves on fire and did nothing to stop...
'TOP 10' TEMPEST - DAVE FUMES AS CBS SCRAPS HIS 'SUE' LIST
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amHeading the list of the Top 10 Things Not To Do As a Late-Night Talk-Show Host: tease your bosses about annoying lawsuits. A visibly irked David Letterman was made to...
BEEZER COULD GET THE CALL AGAINST PHILLY
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amThe Islanders hope to break a two-game slide tonight when they host the Flyers at the Coliseum. With their 2-1 overtime loss at Buffalo Wednesday, the Isles continue to give...
IF HEALTHY, BEWARE OF HUNSICKER'S ASTROS
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amQUIZ: Name the active pitching win leader in each of the six divisions (answer below). * The Astros went from three-time defending NL Central champs to 72 wins last season....
HIGH-STAKES CLASSIC - SERIES' HOME-FIELD EDGE MAY DEPEND ON ALL-STAR GAME
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amWANTING to raise the stakes and, thus, the TV ratings for the All-Star Game, major league officials are considering a proposal whereby the league that wins the mid-summer classic would...
BIG DEER HARVEST IN SUFFOLK
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amANYONE who lives or spends time on the eastern half of Long Island will tell you that whitetail deer have become part of the landscape and, in fact, they have...
'A BAD DREAM BEYOND BELIEF' - XFL'S SLEAZE SHOW FRIGHTENS FORMER CHIEF OF NBC SPORTS
February 9, 2001 | 5:00am"I haven't been with NBC in 22 years, but I'd always maintained a certain kinship and rooting interest. I still watched Brokaw, I still watched 'The Tonight Show.' We pioneered...
COACH KNIGHT'S BACK; IN BRACKET
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amJust when the NCAA thought it had Bobby Knight out of its hair, he's baaack. And just in time for March Madness. The fiery ex-coach has signed on with a...
GOING DOWN WITH THE SHIP - CAPTAIN SAYS HIS PLAY, NOT AGE, IS HELPING SINK RANGERS
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amSUNRISE, Fla. - The last thing Mark Messier ever wanted was to become a lightning rod of controversy upon his return home to Broadway. And yet, 54 games into a...
DEVILS SEE STARS IN NEWARK - HOPE TO HOST NHL'S BEST IN '05
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amKANATA, Ont. - The Devils hope to bring the NHL All-Star Game to Newark, perhaps as soon as 2005. "Not with the building we're in now, but with our new...
NETWORKS' GIMMICKRY IS NO JOKE
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amTHE national debate over the XFL and what Vince McMahon is doing to the proud sport of football reminds me of that "millionaire guy meets the young starlet" joke Johnny...
BACK TO THE BRONX - WETTELAND, YANKEES DISCUSS RELIEVER'S RETURN AS SETUP MAN
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amYankee closer John Wetteland leaps into Joe Girardi's arms and lets world know who's No. 1 after closing out Braves in 1996 World Series at Stadium. Wetteland, who saved all...
ARROYO ACCEPTS 20-DAY HIATUS
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amNorberto Arroyo Jr., the leading jockey in New York last year and the runner-up to Tyler Baze for the 2000 Eclipse Award for apprentices, has withdrawn his appeal for two...
DEREK, MO CLOSER TO MULTI-YEAR DEALS
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amProgress. That's the best way to describe contract talks between the Yankees and Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, both of whom are eligible for free agency following the 2001 season....
BIG BLUE MAKING HEADWAY ON TIKI, SEHORN & FASSEL
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amThe Giants are slowly making strides toward the completion of three critical contacts - the re-signing of star free agents Tiki Barber and Jason Sehorn and the extension of Jim...
HOUSTON AND SPREE MAY BE 'BIG' STARS
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amThe Knicks' Big Backcourt goes to Washington today for the All-Star weekend. But while they won't be traveling together by Metroliner, as the NBA had offered, perhaps Latrell Sprewell and...
OSCAR'S MARCH MADNESS - DE LA HOYA'S FIGHTING HBO INSTEAD OF GATTI
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amWHEN everything was orderly in Oscar De La Hoya's world - when his promoter was Bob Arum, his money was drawn on the First National Bank of HBO and he...
NEWARK MAY HOST STARS IN '05
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amKANATA, Ont. - The Devils hope to bring the NHL All-Star Game to Newark, perhaps as soon as 2005. "Not with the building we're in now, but with our new...
HEROIC DEVS REFUSE TO LOSE
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amDevils 4 - Senators 4 KANATA, Ont. - The Devils will worry about tomorrow and Mario today. Last night, the champs were busy being heroes. Weary, undermanned heroes. "We should...
NETS SLAM DOOR ON SPURS - MARBURY'S 38 POINTS LEAD WAY
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amNets 99 - Spurs 97 The rampaging San Antonio Spurs, winners of eight straight games, stormed into the Meadowlands, where the oh-so-hopeful Nets, possessors of a modest two-game winning streak,...
SORRY, BYRON: SHAQ'S READY TO RUMBLE
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amNET NOTES Want to know what it's like being a Net? Consider the last time Shaquille O'Neal played was against the Nets. The next time Shaquille O'Neal plays will be...
HARRIS TO COACH JET RBS
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amThe Jets all but completed their staff of assistant coaches yesterday when they hired Bishop Harris as their running backs coach. Harris, who last coached with the Bills in 1999...
FEICK IS BACK ON BOARDS - NETS GET REBOUNDER BACK, NOW WAIT ON KITTLES' RETURN
February 9, 2001 | 5:00amAnd now the wait for Kerry Kittles begins. The Nets welcomed back - finally - Jamie Feick to active duty in time for last night's home game against the Spurs....