February 21, 2001

AN IRRATIONAL MANIA FOR RETAILERS

ABOUT the only thing in retailing not on sale these days are the stocks of the companies that are being forced to run all those sales. Which leads to the...

OSCAR'S SHINE DIMMER - ABC SCRAMBLING TO SELL SPOTS ON ACADEMY AWARDS

And the Oscar goes to . . . ABC, for its last-minute hustle to fill the remaining spots on its coveted Academy Awards show. Advertising insiders say that with with...

NASDAQ, DOW STAGGER LOWER - WEAK CONSUMER SPENDING COULD SINK REBOUND HOPES

Wall Street's misery deepened yesterday over fears our economy's slump will persist longer than a year. Shares tumbled in all major markets as investors braced for the prospect of more...

RACING CAR COS. HIT WALL ST. SPEED BUMPS

Shares in racing-car sports companies skidded yesterday following the Daytona 500 racing tragedy that killed one of the sport's legends, Dale Earnhardt. Stocks of the two big raceway owners -...

LAW PROF SET FOR H'WOOD DEAL

IT just keeps getting better for Yale University Law professor Stephen L. Carter, who just sold his first novel, "The Emperor of Ocean Park," to Sonny Mehta's Knopf. The deal...

BINN'S NEWEST FREEBIE, GOTHAM, DEBUTS

Upscale freebie Gotham magazine hits the streets this week, the latest product from Jason Binn, publisher of Hamptons and Ocean Drive. The hefty tome, strong on photos of celebs (and...

SUPREMES KO AT&T'S CABLE CASE

AT&T received yet another blow yesterday when the U.S. Supreme Court decided to leave federal cable ownership caps intact. The high court rejected AT&T arguments that limiting the number of...

DEATH A BOON TO BUSINE$$ - EVERYONE'S CASHING IN ON TRAGEDY

In the hours after a famous athlete dies, the tears flow, the tributes pour in - and the cash registers start humming. Dealing in the memorabilia and licensing game of...

STORERUNNER CH. 11 GIVES CBS BLACK EYE

CBS's $100 million investment in StoreRunner.com has gone the way of "Big Brother." Although still live online, the San Diego based e-commerce infrastructure company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy....

REPORT: NEW ROOF COMING FOR ALL HEARST TITLES

Looks like Talk and Esquire will finally get to the top. Their parent, Hearst Corp., is finally going to finish a long delayed tower atop its Art Deco headquarters at...

THE ODD COUPLE - REGIS' CUTE NEW PARTNER IS HARD TO HATE: STRIKE 1

"Live With Regis And Kelly" Monday-Friday at 9:00 a.m. on WABC/Ch. 7 The new team: ----------- IN his quest to find the perfect replacement for Kathie Lee, Regis Philbin invited...

A STUDY IN DIGNITY

SOUTHERN COMFORT ( 1/2) One-of-a-kind documentary treats its gender-bending hero with dignity and compassion. Running time: 90 minutes. Not rated (discussions of sexuality). At Film Forum, Houston and Varick streets....

WHEN NEGATIVES TURN TO POSITIVES

TODAY, I thought I'd do a couple of different things - one, write a funny column and two, respond to an e-mail from a reader named "Jenny," who sent me...

CRITICAL DIFFERENCES: ONE MAN'S MEAT IS ANOTHER'S POISSON

SO you plunked down $100 a head for dinner at Bayard's, and you're steamed over my trashing its food as "bland." You think, like e-mail correspondent M.H., that chef Eberhard...

A NATURAL FIT, BUBBA & SOUL - PLENTY OF CHOW PALACES AWAIT IN CLINTON'S NEW NABE

HARRY Powell hasn't met Bill Clinton yet, but it's just a matter of time.Powell is co-owner of Soul Salsa in Harlem, a "flexible Mexican" restaurant a mere taco-chip's toss from...

PRAISE THE LORD AND PASS THE CHICKEN WITH WAFFLES

AMY RUTH'S ( 1/2) 113 W. 116TH ST. (BETWEEN LENOX & SEVENTH AVENUES) (212) 280-8779 ------- AT Amy Ruth's, "home-style" applies not only to the Southern cooking, but also to...

RATED X-DRESS - RUPAUL TO STAR AS THE TV 'DOUBTFIRE'

IS America ready for cross-dressing RuPaul as . . . "The Tranny." UPN is financing a pilot for "The Tranny" as its answer to the Robin Williams movie "Mrs. Doubtfire,"...

THE STARR REPORT

'Live' wire: Good #s for the new format The first week of the newly minted "Live with Regis & Kelly" paid off handsomely in the ratings. For the week of...

B'WAY SAYS GOODBYE TO VERDON

BEBE Neuwirth, Ben Vereen, Chita Rivera and songwriters John Kander and Fred Ebb were among the many Broadway celebrities who spoke and performed at a memorial service for Gwen Verdon...

TV SEASON: PART DEUX SURPRISES - ELEVEN BRAND-NEW SERIES TO BOW IN THE NEXT 6 WEEKS

DING! Get ready for round-two of the 2000-2001 TV season. Starting next week, at least 11 new shows will begin rolling out across the big broadcast networks. The latest crop...

'SOPRANOS' STAR TAKES AIM AT N.J. CRITICS

SINCE Tony gave him that "bump" last season, Sopranos star Michael Imperioli has no fear of dissing New Jersey pols who won't let the mob drama shoot on their turf....

GRAMMY SHOWDOWN

COMEDIAN Jon Stewart might want to exchange his microphone for a referee's whistle as he hosts tonight's Grammy Awards, which could be the most controversial in the show's 43-year history....

CHICAGO GOES LOOPY - NEAR-PERFECT 'PRODUCERS' WOWS 'EM IN SECOND CITY

THAT rumbling you hear coming across the Hudson this week is the sound of "The Producers" big-footing its way to Broadway.The $10.5 million musical version of Mel Brooks' great comic...

THE 35-FILM LEGACY OF STANLEY KRAMER

STANLEY Kramer, who died at Monday at age 87, was a celebrated independent producer of the late '40s and early '50s whose company made such acclaimed films as "Champion," "The...

CBS COUNTERSUES 'SURVIVOR' STACEY

CBS has countersued "Survivor" contestant Stacey Stillman for breach of contract - saying she broke her confidentiality agreement by talking about the inner workings of the show. Stillman is suing...

HE PROVIDES LIFE OF THE PARTY - THE HOTTEST HOT SPOTS IN TOWN WANT DANNY A TO 'DECORATE' THEM WITH HIS BEVY OF MODELS

SITTING in a plush booth at the hottest club in town with a comely coterie of young fashion models may sound like a sweet way to relax. But for Danny...

THE BIG APPLE CAN BE A HEART-BREAKER - DOCS OFFER SOME DO'S & DON'TS TO HELP KEEP THE OLD TICKER TICKING

EVERYWHERE you look, there's another New Yorker in imminent danger of having a heart attack. There's the red-faced, middle-aged businessman desperately trying to hail a cab on Sixth Avenue, the...

'A REAL SENSE OF PRIDE IN BEING CATHOLIC'

ROME. TODAY begins three days of Roman revelry for the Catholic Church's 44 new cardinals - including New York's own Edward Egan and Avery Dulles. The celebration continues tomorrow, with...

U.S. MIFFED BY CHINA AID TO SADDAM

The United States will complain to China about Beijing's help for Saddam Hussein's air-defense systems, it was reported today. The Washington Post said American officials have raised the issue of...

BILL, HILL CAN GIVE - TO THEMSELVES

WASHINGTON - The Clintons can use any of the tons of gifts and goodies they turned over to the National Archives - and even move the prestigious White House crafts...

BILL'S & HILL'S NIGHTMARE - CRITICS WITH SELF-RESTRAINT

ONE line in Michael Tomasky's incisive new book, "Hillary's Turn," explains in large part why the former first lady is now a U.S. senator, how her husband survived the nation's...

PARDON BIG ADMITS TO TAX FRAUD - HELPED ROCKLAND 4

The ex-Rockland County Democratic Party leader who pushed for President Clinton's controversial clemency for four jailed Hasidic Jews pleaded guilty yesterday to corruption and tax-fraud charges. Paul Adler, who backed...

NEIGHBORS WONDERED WHERE HE GOT THE $$

VIENNA, Va. - To neighbors, Robert Philip Hanssen was a good-looking father of six who seemed to live a bit beyond his means - and was very protective of computers...

STATE RAPS JUDGE FOR INSULTING SLAY SUSPECT

ALBANY - The Staten Island judge who branded a man charged in the death of a cop as a "loser" and "sociopath" was sanctioned by the state yesterday. The Commission...

PICTURE THIS: RICKY ON THE BIG SCREEN

Ricky Martin is going into the movies - and the pop superstar's first flick will be directed by the man who terrified the world with "Night of the Living Dead."...

DOUBLE AGENTS ALWAYS IN HEAVY DEMAND

The Cold War may be over, but double agents are still a hot commodity. "Intelligence collection is as active as it was before the Cold War," says Oleg Kalugin, a...

CELEBRATION CAPPER SET FOR ST. PAT'S

After a whirlwind week of papal ceremonies and lavish receptions, New York's newest cardinals will return from Rome to a red-carpet religious embrace. St. Patrick's Cathedral plans to honor the...

PNEUMONIA PUTS KOCH IN HOSP

Former Mayor Ed Koch has been hospitalized with pneumonia - but he says he's doing just fine and will be back at work Monday. Koch, 76, said he wasn't feeling...

WHERE'S THE PARDON FOR WAYNE DUMOND?

IN HIS busy schedule between shoplifting and granting pardons to traitorous animals, Bill Clinton has continually suffered a massive attack of amnesia. Both as governor of Arkansas and president, the...

2 PHOTO DEBATERS ARE BIG NEGATIVES

YOU look at Renee Cox, the artist better known as the Naked Jesus, sitting cozy onstage with self-styled Catholic Crusader William Donohue. Bill and Renee. Brown loafers meet dreadlocks. Righteous...

KILLER GETS 20 YRS. FOR '90 SLAY

A Manhattan judge yesterday sentenced a "coldblooded" Harlem man to 20 years to life in prison for the murder of an activist building superintendent - 11 years ago. Michael Sookoo,...

TERROR TURNCOAT PLOTTED TO KILL BIN LADEN

A self-confessed terrorist revealed yesterday he plotted with Saudi Arabian officials to assassinate his old boss, exiled terror chief Osama bin Laden. Jamal Ahmed al-Fadl, once a high-ranking lieutenant in...

MTA'S PLANS FOR 2ND AVE. ARE COMING UP 'SHORT'

Despite the MTA's pledge to build a full-length Second Avenue subway, its requests for an engineering study to design the project spell out a far shorter version - with only...

EX-NBA STAR'S WIFE SCORES AS SI COVER GIRL

Former NBA big man Rony Seikaly is used to his beautiful wife being the center of attention - but that goes double now that she's gracing the cover of the...

HE FOLLOWED IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF HIS HERO, MASTER MOLE KIM PHILBY

WASHINGTON - Robert Hanssen told his Russian handler he'd been a spy in the making since he was a teenager - and his hero was master mole Kim Philby, FBI...

BUSH TAKES HIS CASE FOR TAX CUTS TO THE PEOPLE

WASHINGTON - President Bush yesterday stumped across the heartland in a bid to convince Americans - and a sharply split Congress - that the nation can have a whopping tax...

FBI VETERAN IS NABBED AS RUSSIAN SPY: FEDS ACCUSE HIM OF GIVING UP AGENTS EXECUTED BY SOVIETS

An FBI spy-catcher, caught red-handed selling secrets to the Russians for cash and diamonds, caused "exceptionally grave" damage - including the execution of two double-agents, officials revealed yesterday. During 15...

COURT SHOOTS DOWN COUNCIL'S NYPD MONITOR

A state appeals court sided with Mayor Giuliani yesterday, striking down a controversial new law that would have established a city-sponsored independent monitor for the NYPD. In a unanimous decision,...

SCHOOLS SET SAFE-SURFING 'NET RULES

The Board of Education has approved a new cyberspace policy - but won't play Big Brother over everything students see. While the board will continue to use software to block...

UNIONS MUM ON MAYORAL PICK

Three of the city's most powerful labor unions may sit out the Democratic primary for mayor because the four leading candidates are all longtime friends, says hospital-union leader Dennis Rivera....

HILL, CHUCK WON'T HAVE MUCH SAY IN CHOOSING JUDGES

WASHINGTON - The White House yesterday gave conflicting accounts of who'll take the lead in vetting federal judges in New York - and finally said the job will be split...

NAPSTER OFFERS $1B TO AVERT SHUTDOWN

Napster yesterday offered record companies a $1 billion cut of the money raised from its music-swapping service over the next five years, in a bid to save itself from legal...

RIVERA WINS BX. ELECTION

The son of Bronx Assemblyman José Rivera won a special election yesterday to replace his father in the City Council and become the city's youngest-ever councilman. Joel Rivera, 22, defeated...

2 TEENS NABBED IN CENTRAL PARK ROBBERY-SLAY

Cops arrested two teens last night in connection with the Central Park murder of a mugging victim who didn't hand over his gold chain and jacket fast enough, police sources...

PAPER: WE ERRED ON DARTMOUTH 'TRIANGLE'

Boston Globe editors printed an embarrassing front-page mea culpa today, retracting a story that said two Dartmouth College professors were murdered over an extramarital affair. In a story last Friday,...

SEAMAN SHOT DEAD VISITING HARLEM KIN

As his horrified wife looked on, a Navy seaman was shot in the back and killed last night in the lobby of his grandmother's Harlem building, police said. Demetrios Haskins,...

CARTER BLASTS BUBBA - FELLOW DEM EX-PREZ CALLS RICH PARDON 'DISGRACEFUL'

WASHINGTON - Former President Jimmy Carter yesterday delivered a scathing condemnation of Bill Clinton's pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich - calling the last-minute action "disgraceful." "I think President Clinton...

DMV EYES SAFE-DRIVER TESTS FOR SENIORS

ALBANY - A bill under consideration would subject some seniors to more tests to ensure they can still drive safely. Lawmakers say the idea is to make it easier for...

POLS BRINGING IN DR. LAURA FOR DIVORCE DEBATE

DENVER - Controversial radio gadfly Dr. Laura Schlessinger has been asked to endorse legislation that would force parents into counseling before they're granted a divorce - and to testify about...

VENTURA MAKES A JACKAL OF HIMSELF

It was the Day of the Jackal yesterday in Minnesota as controversial Gov. Jesse Ventura required reporters covering him to wear credentials that identify them as an "Official Jackal." The...

MISSING THE MARC - DEADLINE PASSES WITH RICH INFO OUTSTANDING

WASHINGTON - House investigators last night watched the deadline come and go for subpoenaed Marc Rich documents - but they had little to show. The Democratic National Committee turned over...

3 TEENS NABBED IN CENTRAL PARK ROBBERY-SLAY

Three teens were in custody last night in connection with the Central Park slaying of a man who didn't hand over his gold chain and jacket fast enough, police sources...

FOR SATHER, IT'S NO TIME TO PANIC; SATHER CAN'T MORTGAGE FUTURE

FUNNY, but of all the words spoken by Ranger management people the last two days in the aftermath of Mike Richter's season-ending knee injury, the ones we've yet to hear...

ASSISTED SKIERS CAN HAVE FUN ON VERMONT SLOPES

THE spirit of Alpine skiing has always revolved around an appreciation for the beauty and the challenge of mountains and the outdoors in winter. And since this appreciation is universal,...

BOSS CONFIRMS STRAWBERRY PLAN

TAMPA - Darryl Strawberry has to clear several hurdles before he can be employed by the Yankees, but as reported in yesterday's Post, there is work in the Bombers' universe...

A HIGH-YIELD GRANT - AMAZIN'S HOPE ROBERTS' MATURATION IS COMPLETE

PORT ST. LUCIE - They had disgust for Grant Roberts in 1999 when he showed up here for his first big-league camp. The kid, some veterans on the team thought,...

PHILLIPS WAITING FOR SHEFF PRICE TO FALL

MET NOTES PORT ST. LUCIE - GM Steve Phillips is waiting by the phone, hoping the price tag for Gary Sheffield comes down. He's left the message with Dodgers GM...

A RETURN TO SLENDER - SLIMMED-DOWN EL SID GETS A COMEBACK CALL FROM THE BOMBERS

TAMPA - They have traveled to Japan, Taiwan, Venezuela, Cuba, Panama and the Dominican Republic in their never-ending search for talent. Yesterday, they turned back the clock - all the...

ISLES TO GIVE CZERKAWSKI 3-YEAR DEAL

Avoiding a potential holdout situation, Islanders leading scorer Mariusz Czerkawski expects to sign a three-year contract worth as much as $7 million with the club as early as next week,...

LAMORIELLO SETS SIGHTS ON B'HAWKS' MIRONOV

Devils GM Lou Lamoriello is doing some heavy comparison shopping, and the word is that he is making a bold bid for Blackhawks defenseman Boris Mironov. While sources confirm that...

A SPRING IN HIS THROW - HOPE'S MORE THAN CLICHE FOR TRAINING-CAMP CHUCK

TAMPA - We are at that time of year when all injured players are well ahead of schedule and everyone else is in the best shape ever thanks to -...

BIG BLUE NOT WORRIED ABOUT LOSING SEHORN

It is difficult to imagine Jason Sehorn playing anywhere but in New York and with the Giants, and not merely because that's where he's been the past seven years. It's...

KAMIENIECKI IS YANKEES' 1ST CASUALTY - BAD BACK SIDELINES RIGHTY

YANKEE NOTES TAMPA - Scott Kamieniecki is the first camp casualty and was ailing when he arrived at Legends Field last week. Kamieniecki was shut down for at least a...

'DOLLAR' CAN GO LONG WAY

Leading up to the mile and a quarter Kentucky Derby, the $64,000 question always is, "who can get the distance?" In the weeks leading up to this year's Derby on...

TIMO MAY ANSWER RIGHT QUESTION

PORT ST. LUCIE - Players strolled past, surveyed the scene and burst into laughter. There sat Timo Perez, native of the Dominican Republic, conducting an interview with the aid of...

JETS SET TO AX COX, SIX OTHERS

In an effort to pare their bloated salary-cap number to its league-enforced limit of $67.4 million by March 2, the Jets are on the verge of releasing a number of...

O'NEILL TIRED OF ANSWERING AGE-OLD QUESTION

TAMPA - Paul O'Neill hears the talk about how the Yankees are ready for the shuffleboard courts and early-bird discounts. Yet, the veteran right fielder still believes there is enough...

RED STORM COULD USE SOME HOYA PARANOIA

This St. John's team is so young in age and so inexperienced it just might pull one off tonight against Georgetown. Instead of feeling the pressure of having to win...

PAYTON HOPES TO STEAL SHOW THIS SEASON WITH METS

PORT ST. LUCIE - Jay Payton was asked yesterday, "What do you think you need to improve?" "Obviously, my base stealing," Payton said. "What do you think?" Yeah, five swipes...

JOHN JAY DUO TAKES HOOP DREAMS TO CUNY SEMIS

This isn't quite what Omar Malcolm and Tony Cherry pictured for themselves when they played ball together in LeFrak City in Queens. "We could see that both of us had...

SCOTT SEES NO QUICK FIX ON NETS' HORIZON

Right about now, Byron Scott, John Nash and Rod Thorn are like school kids praying for summer to come as quickly as possible. With just 27 games left in the...

WAKE UP! CAMBY'S A KEEPER - KNICKS SHOULD HALT MARCUS TRADE TALK

YOU were expecting the Mona Lisa? This was a typical Knicks-Heat head-on car crash and no one was wearing seat belts. In the end, though, the Knicks showed one of...

HOLE-Y HARDAWAY! - TIM'S LAST-MINUTE MISSES GIVE KNICKS, FANS HAPPY ENDING

Knicks 76 - Heat 74 The Garden crowd chanted "airball" at Miami guard Tim Hardaway, but could have easily chanted - well, some other a-word, considering Hardaway's comments the past...

KNICKS PLAY SURVIVOR - ESCAPE WITH WIN AS FOUL-MOUTH TIM MISSES LATE PAIR

The Garden crowd chanted "airball" at Miami guard Tim Hardaway, but it could easily have chanted some other "a-word," considering Hardaway's comments the past few days. In typical, gritty, defensive...

HARDAWAY NOT TIM-ID IN THE CLUTCH

This time it was the Knick fans who got the last word. Earlier this week Tim Hardaway had talked trash about New York's fans. All throughout last night's game, he...

DIKEMBE LOOKS PHILLY-BOUND; GARY TO MSG?

The Sixers have moved ahead of the Knicks into the pole position in the race to land Dikembe Mutombo, The Post has learned. Sources say Philly is 90 percent sure...

BIBBY TO KNICKS? NOT LIKELY

KNICK NOTES With Vancouver having no interest in a three-way deal with Atlanta and the Knicks, GM Scott Layden tried to find a third team to pull off a Dikembe...

KNICKS, SONICS MULL PAYTON DEAL

The Knicks are talking to the Sonics about a blockbuster trade that would bring Gary Payton to New York, The Post has learned. But you don't get the Glove without...

MIAMI MASE COMES UP SHORT

With Patrick Ewing in Seattle and Alonzo Mourning in street clothes, no player on the Garden floor last night understood or epitomized the Knicks-Heat rivalry like Miami forward Anthony Mason....

MASE NOW 'STAR' OF MIAMI'S SHOW

With Patrick Ewing in Seattle and Alonzo Mourning in street clothes, no player on the Garden floor last night understood or epitomized the Knick-Heat rivalry more than Miami forward Anthony...

D(IKEMBE)-DAY CLOSE AT HAND

With the trade deadline closing in tomorrow, Knick GM Scott Layden and Atlanta GM Pete Babcock continue to try to find a third team to pull off a Dikembe Mutombo...

DIKEMBE DEADLINE - KNICKS & HAWKS STILL WORKING ON ]]THREE-TEAM DEAL

With the trade deadline closing in tomorrow, Knick GM Scott Layden and Atlanta GM Pete Babcock continue to try to find a third team to pull off a Dikembe Mutombo...

MAGIC: SIXERS NO LOCK

KNICK NOTES Magic Johnson said last night if he didn't work for the Lakers, he'd love to work for the Knicks. A Garden courtside visitor last night, Magic pumped up...

VAN GUNDY: NO TIME FOR PANIC

KNICK NOTES Whether Jeff Van Gundy was trying to use tomorrow's trading deadline as a motivational tool was unclear. But last night before the Knicks faced the Heat, the coach...