January 4, 2002
DISNEY TO SHUTTER 50 STORES
Disney's retail kingdom may be a small world after all. After closing 51 stores, the Mouse House will close 50 more doors. "We have completed the several-year process of closing...
GATES IS ON AOL'S CASE - 'NET USERS HIT IN BEHEMOTHS' FIGHT
The newest battleground in the burgeoning war between Microsoft and AOL Time Warner is littered with unhappy Internet subscribers. The media and tech giants have battled over broadband distribution and...
STOCKS EXTEND GAINS ON ECONOMIC HOPES
Stocks climbed higher for the second day in a row as investors shrugged off weaker-than-expected economic news and remained bullish about prospects for a recovery. The Dow Jones industrial average...
SINGLE PAX SEEKS PARTNER - MGM, ABC EYE DUMPED NETWORK'S 62 TV STATIONS
Bud Paxson is finally going out with other people. Spurned by NBC in a rocky buyout deal, Paxson is said to be eyed by MGM and ABC for an alternative...
THEY COME CRAWLING BACK
THROUGHOUT 1998 and 1999, The Wall Street Journal was rocked by a series of defections as a steady stream of veteran reporters and editors left, often for what they expected...
STARR REPORT
Lifetime achievement: A prime-time crown Lifetime Television has finished an entire year ranked first in (basic cable) prime time for the first time in its history. For the 2001 season,...
'MILLION DOLLAR' JINGLE ; CATCHY TUNE'S A LUCKY NUMBER FOR LOTTERY AND SOME LADIES
IT'S the jingle you can't get out of your head. And the New York Lottery people say those bouncy "If I Had a Million Dollars" ads may not be selling...
BACK TO BALLET BASICS
NEW YORK CITY BALLETNew York State Theater, Lincoln Center, (212) 870-5570. Season runs through Feb. 24. AT last, the tinsel and baubles of "The Nutcracker" have been stored away like...
OUT ON A LIMB ON BROADWAY - WE BRAVELY PREDICT THE FUTURE OF THEATER
IT'S time for some fearless and no doubt foolhardy predictions about the shows and stars that will have the theater world buzzing in 2002.1. "SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS" Expectations are...
GET YOUR RAY GUN - FILM'S STRONG CAST CAN'T SAVE SORRY SCI-FI THRILLER
IMPOSTOR [] Mediocre, old-fashioned sci-fi thriller. Running time: 96 minutes. Rated PG-13. At the 34th Street, the Kips Bay, the Astor Plaza, others. --------- BASED on a 1953 short story...
THE MOVIE THEY TRIED TO HIDE
DIMENSION Films did everything it could to bury "Impostor," but - for better or worse - the sci-fi flick finally arrives in movie houses today.The saga began 17 months ago,...
ELITE FEATS - EX-OLYMPIANS GO FOR SHOWBIZ GOLD
BY their mid-20s, most competitive gymnasts are over the hill, their dreams of Olympic glory downsized to a good job coaching a high school gym class. Christopher Harrison, a former...
4 'SEX' SECRETS (IF YOU REALLY WANT THEM)
"Sex And The City" 3 stars *** Sunday at 9 on HBO I HAVE friends who act just like the women on "Sex And The City." Only thing is none...
LINKIN CENTER: MOVE OVER, BRITNEY: 'THEORY' HAS IT THAT 2001 WAS A STRANGE YEAR FOR RECORD SALES
THE results are in, and last year's best-selling album was - surprise! - Linkin Park's "Hybrid Theory," a 2000 release. This Los Angeles metal band's debut disc didn't make it...
CURTAIN RISES ON B'WAY DISCOUNTS
ALBANY - Gov. Pataki yesterday unveiled the latest effort to help sagging Broadway sales in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. A new Playbill savings booklet contains coupons...
ALL BETS OFF ON '02 VOTE
EVERY piece of political wisdom about what will happen in American politics in the year 2002 has to be thrown out the window. Two phenomena are conspiring to rewrite the...
KRAZY MISHAP AS KID'S EYELID GETS GLUED SHUT
A 9-year-old Long Island girl was rushed to the hospital by helicopter yesterday after her mother mistakenly sealed one of her eyes shut with Krazy Glue. A Nassau County Police...
BROTHER GOES TO BAT WITH LIVER DONATION
A Long Island Little League coach hopes to get the gift of life from his airman half-brother - who is ready to step up to the plate by donating half...
FCC PUTS 10-DIGIT DIAL RULE ON HOLD
ALBANY - City residents were granted a temporary reprieve from the annoyance of having to dial all 10 digits when reaching out to people in the same area code, The...
HANDS OFF OUR HEROES: POST READERS WARN BLOOMY
Hey, Mayor Bloomberg - don't make any cuts in our police and fire services! That's the loud-and-clear warning from thousands of Post readers who - by a 2-1 margin -...
MUSEUM IN BIZARRE BID TO WRECK BUILDING
A New York museum is trying to kick out the owner and tenants of newly restored apartments on the Lower East Side - so it can spend $2 million in...
D.A.: JEWISH MAN NEARLY KILLED BY 'NAZI' NEXT DOOR
A German U.N. employee who allegedly set his neighbor's apartment door on fire during a bizarre, anti-Semitic attack, could have killed somebody, authorities charged. Matthias Gueldner has admitted setting the...
NUTS TO CUTS, HEROES SAY - FINEST & BRAVEST BALK AT MIKE'S MOVE
Firefighters and police officers across the city gave Mayor Bloomberg the thumbs-down yesterday on cutting back the NYPD and FDNY. "Go ask anyone who was pulled out of a fire...
JUDGE SETS DURST EXTRADITE HEARING
A Jan. 25 extradition hearing has been set for real-estate scion Robert Durst, who is accused of butchering his next-door neighbor in Galveston, Texas. The session will be held in...
NO NEPOTISM ALLOWED, BLOOMY
Mayor Bloomberg may have run afoul of city ethics rules in his plan to hire his daughter and sister for city jobs. The city Conflicts of Interest Board said its...
ATM-SCAM MAN'S VAN FOUND IN FLORIDA
FBI agents in Florida yesterday discovered the getaway van used by the late Jersey City man accused of stealing $5 million - and it appears he may also have been...
SHOE BOMBER CHATTED WITH '20TH HIJACKER': PROBERS
American investigators say accused shoe bomber Richard Reid had several telephone conversations in late 2000 with Zacarias Moussaoui, the man charged with being the intended 20th hijacker in the Sept....
A DOGGONE SHAME - HS KID SICK ABOUT RUNNING OVER CLINTON'S DOG BUDDY
Bill Clinton mourned his Buddy yesterday, as the high-school senior who ran down and killed the presidential pooch nursed a broken heart. Halie Ritterman, 17, is "very brokenhearted, she's crushed,"...
'TORCH' GETS AWAY CLEAN AFTER PROBE
Sen. Robert Torricelli, the New Jersey pol known as "The Torch," escaped unsinged yesterday from a long-running corruption probe after officials announced no charges will be filed against him. Manhattan...
PARDON PROBES GO ON AFTER MARY JO
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White's probe into Bill Clinton's pardons of financier Marc Rich and others will continue when her successor, James Comey, assumes the office Monday, sources told...
HOW POWERFUL POL BEAT THE GIFT RAP
David Chang's amazing story of dirty dealings with a powerful politician had only one problem - it wouldn't hold up in court, prosecutors decided. Chang spent the past year telling...
S.I. TRASH BROTHERS CANNED AFTER PLEADING GUILTY TO $2M TAX FRAUD
Two brother owners of Staten Island's largest private trash-carting company are out of business - for life - and face up to five years in prison after admitting they hid...
HEATER SPARKS FATAL B'KLYN BLAZE
A fire caused by an electric heater in a cold Brooklyn home killed a 25-year-old man and injured his 83-year-old grandmother yesterday. The blaze began about 9:25 a.m. at 234...
PLANES PUMMEL AL QAEDA CAMP - ULTIMATUM FOR OMAR: SURRENDER TOMORROW OR YOU'LL BE TOAST, TOO
WASHINGTON - In a show of military might, U.S. warplanes blitzed a one-time terrorist training camp yesterday to back up demands for the capture of Taliban chief Mullah Mohammed Omar....
RETARDED MAN'S NYC ORDEAL HAS HAPPY END
No one knows for sure what happened to Celester Bellon after the mentally handicapped Pennsylvania man went missing last November during a trip to Radio City Music Hall for the...
WTC SUBWAY TRAINS ON TRACK FOR RETURN THIS YEAR
The 1 and 9 subway lines, closed south of Chambers Street since Sept. 11, could roar back into service by the end of the year, Gov. Pataki announced yesterday. "Restoration...
COUNCIL SPEAKER SQUEAKER DUE
The Democratic members of the incoming City Council gathered yesterday to discuss rules changes, but left four hours later without any agreement. Several members want rules changes to strip power...
TEMPORARY BRIDGE TO AIDE GROUND-ZERO EXCAVATION
A 500-foot-long steel bridge will soon be erected to speed up excavation and recovery efforts in the gaping wound that was once the World Trade Center. Plans for the temporary...
MOB 'WIZ'GUY GETS WHACKED
A Queens wiseguy was murdered execution-style while relieving himself on a Howard Beach street, police said yesterday. Martin Bosshart, 31, an associate of the Gambino crime family, was surprised Wednesday...
NYERS LOSE 145G IN BRIT GEM HEIST
A thief has stolen $145,000 in jewels from a wealthy New York couple vacationing at a posh resort in the English countryside, baffling British cops. The couple, who were not...
BOOTED BODYGUARD LASHES OUT AT AIRLINE
A lawyer for a Secret Service agent yesterday accused an American Airlines pilot of kicking the agent off a flight because he is an Arab-American. But the pilot of American's...
'0' CHANCE FOR RUDY WTC IDEA
The head of the ground-zero redevelopment panel yesterday all but ruled out using the entire site for a memorial - as Mayor Giuliani advocated during his final days in office....
FORD TO CHECK 'STICKING' POINT IN DEATH-VAN DRIVER'S STORY
Delivery driver Sidney Weinstein, who ran down and killed seven people in Herald Square last week, is back on the road yesterday - this time as a passenger while his...
BODY FOUND ON RIKERS SHORE
A body mysteriously washed up on the shore of Rikers Island yesterday, police said. The gruesome discovery was made by a correction officer shortly after 2 p.m. Authorities were not...
LIZZIE-CASE CONFLICT: DA HIRES HER DETECTIVE
The new Suffolk County District Attorney has hired Lizzie Grubman's investigator as his own chief prober, creating a conflict of interest in the case. As a result, lawyers for the...
FREEZING DEATH HIGHLIGHTS HOMELESS PROBLEM
A 64-year-old man who spent winters living under a Gowanus Expressway overpass apparently froze to death on his foam mattress, as the new year began with what an advocate called...
BACKSTREET BOOZER BUSTED FOR BRAWL
Backstreet Boy Nick Carter was "larger than life" when he allegedly got drunk in a Tampa, Fla., nightclub, started a fight and exposed himself before ending his night of partying...
ISRAEL WITHDRAWS W. BANK TROOPS
JERUSALEM - Israel lifted its month-old siege of several West Bank towns yesterday to create a positive climate for the arrival of U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni, authorities said. But Palestinian...
BABY TALK GETS THE WORD ACROSS
Parents who babble baby talk to their kids may actually be helping them learn to speak, new research shows. Scientists wrote a computer program that simulates how they think a...
PICKY PLANT EATS ONLY TERMITES
A carnivorous plant that traps and consumes its food live has been discovered to be a picky eater. The voracious vegetable - a "pitcher plant" from Borneo - seems to...
A COOL NEW 'NET DEVICE
A refrigerator that allows its owner to log in online and check what's inside is going on the market. Toshiba is manufacturing the fridge as the first in a series...
DASCHLE'S 2ND ANTHRAX FRIGHT
WASHINGTON - A new anthrax scare gripped Congress yesterday after an aide to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) opened a letter from London and found a powdery substance and...
'WISEGUY' RUBBED OUT IN QUEENS
A 31-year-old mob associate was murdered execution-style while relieving himself on a Queens street, police said yesterday. Martin Bosshart, an associate of Gambino crime family soldier Ronald "One Arm" Trucchio,...
BLOOMY'S ON THE RIGHT TRACK: MIKE JUST ANOTHER EAST SIDE STRAPHANGER
Who was that guy? Whoever he is, don't bother asking New Yorkers to put a name on him. Mayor Bloomberg may have looked vaguely familiar to straphangers during yesterday's commute...
KNICKS RISE TO OCCASION: CAMBY, JAX SHINE IN WIN OVER MAVS
The dig came courtesy of Dallas coach Don Nelson. Before the game, the Dallas coach took an indirect shot at Mark Jackson when talking about Don Chaney's failed experiment at...
WALLACE DEAL WOULDN'T BE CHEAP
If the Knicks weren't going to get free agent Chris Webber over the summer, Latrell Sprewell had hoped the club would at least make an offer to Portland for All-Star...
DON'T MISS THE BOAT
THE 92ND New York National Boat Show, which sets sail tomorrow at Jacob K. Javits Center, is a great way to think about summer fun and relaxing with friends and...
MICKEY MOUSE TV ; ABC/ESPN'S PROMOS ARE BOWLING US OVER
IN the race for transparent shamelessness, ABC/ESPN is going to be darned hard to catch. Watching a sports event - or just about anything else - on Disney-owned ABC and...
CHANEY: KNICKS CAN MAKE PLAYOFF PUSH
It was short of a playoff guarantee, but Don Chaney said yesterday he can't imagine the Knicks not making the playoffs. The Knicks are tied for the ninth spot with...
WELLS HITS LAST HURDLE
There is one last hurdle before David Wells officially becomes a Yankee - he'll have to pass his physical today in Tampa. Wells, who had back surgery last season, is...
MENTOR VERMEIL HERM'S LAST HOPE
Hundreds of miles away from Weeb Ewbank Hall, there's an angel who keeps a close eye on Herman Edwards' back. The angel's name is Dick Vermeil, Edwards' mentor as an...
STRAHAN SACK MARK ALL JINTS HAVE LEFT
If there is to be a positive punctuation to the Giants' disappointing season, it will come from Michael Strahan. The playoffs and even a winning season are apparently out of...
WILLIAMS APPLAUDS KIDD'S MAGIC SHOW
Prepare yourself to get seriously involved the second you step onto the court with Jason Kidd. It doesn't matter if you're a starter or a reserve for the Nets, Kidd...
CURTIS COPS TRIPLE CROWN OF GREEN HONORS
JET NOTES Perhaps Curtis Martin doesn't get the kind of national recognition he deserves, but at least those he works with and for understand the kind of special athlete and...
BLAME RASHEED FOR FAIL BLAZERS
HOW do I hate Rasheed Wallace? Let me count and recount the ways. What better place to start than at the conclusion of yet another wretched home Heimlich (seventh already;...
LINDROS SAYS HE'S READY TO GO: NO. 88 FEELS OK FOR TOMORROW'S GAME VS. PENS
DENVER - Everyone else has danced around the issue as if it didn't even exist. But after skating here yesterday and stating that he hopes to return to the Ranger...
TEXAS LATE STARTER IN GONZO RACE
The Texas Rangers are no longer just sitting on the sidelines in the Great Juan Gonzalez Chase. In fact, Jeff Moorad, Gonzalez' agent, was in Dallas last night to meet...
DEVILS TAKE TURN FOR THE WORSE
Predators 4 Devils 3 Their early folly was this season in a bottle. The subsequent comeback was vintage Devils, but too much of that cask has turned to vinegar. It...
ISLES GET TOUGH IN WIN
Islanders 4 Penguins 2 The Islanders talked all week about turning it up, playing more physical and working hard, from the top of the roster to the bottom. Last night...
CROUCH HAS NIGHTMARE END TO DREAM YEAR
PASADENA - The Heisman-winning, storybook career of Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch ended in brutal disappointment last night. Crouch and his offense withered against a lightning-fast Miami defense, as the No....
'CANES STORM HUSKERS: NATIONAL TITLE CAPS MIAMI'S ROAD BACK
ROSE BOWL Miami 37 Nebraska 14 Five years ago they were disgraced losers. Today they are national champions. Miami, struck down by NCAA sanctions and tarnished by a legacy of...
GUTTY RANGERS FALL IN OT
OT Avalanche 3Rangers 2 DENVER - No excuses. And a big heart. Missing Mark Messier, who sat out with a strained left shoulder, as well as Eric Lindros, the Rangers...
ROSE BOWL FOES EMBODY NCAA'S ELITE
PASADENA, Calif. - Last night's Rose Bowl between Miami and Nebraska might not have been an ideal championship game, but it did go a long way toward cementing each of...
WALLACE DEAL SOUNDS TEMPTING
KNICK NOTES If the Knicks weren't going to get free agent Chris Webber over the summer, Latrell Sprewell had hoped the club would at least make an offer to Portland...
DEVILS' LOOK TO TEACH ZYUZIN LESSON
Only one Devil, past or present, was ever drafted higher than Andrei Zyuzin. That pedigree, and his quick adaptation to the New Jersey defense, made it a small shock when...
ISLES TURN TO OLD FRIEND
The Islanders can kill two birds with one stone. Missing elements of toughness, defense and a scorer to complement Alexei Yashin's playmaking, the Islanders can fill two of those needs...
IT'S A THREE-FOR-ALL : NEBRASKA, 'CANES AND DUCKS ALL SEEK ROSY ENDING
PASADENA - Long before the first play from scrimmage was run in last night's national championship Rose Bowl game, the question of who should claim the title was raging like...