May 4, 2002

TOMMY'S CENTER STAGE AT JONES BEACH THEATER

You can't go to the Jones Beach Theater anymore. Now it's the "Tommy Hilfiger at Jones Beach Theater." The apparel company gets to stick its name on the theater, having...

BIG JOBLESS JOLT MARTS DIVE AS UNEMPLOYMENT HITS 6%

Unemployment came in at an eight-year high, shaking four days of gains out of stocks as investors questioned the strength of the economic recovery. Stocks plunged after the Labor Department...

OH F%*@#!!! JAY RUNS OUT OF BLEEPS FOR OZZY; AND IT WAS ABOUT THE ONLY WORD YOU COULD UNDERSTAND HIM SAY

THE foul-mouthed Osbournes were at it again Thursday night - as a forbidden expletive starting with "f" eluded NBC censors and made it onto the air on "The Tonight Show."...

BUT PIPI'S OK

PIPI lives! That was the word yesterday from Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa, who made the happy announcement that Sharon Osbourne's prized pomeranian is back home. The announcement came on...

'POP' BEAUTIES MEET THE BEAST

MS. Nice, meet Mr. Nasty. The judges for Fox's upcoming reality show "Pop Idol," '80s pop icon Paula Abdul, Grammy winner Randy Jackson and multi-hit record producer Simon Cowell, are...

CLUES TO THE BLUES, AND HOW THEY GOT THAT WAY

Bill Sims Jr. has a right to sing the blues - and he'll be singing them tomorrow in Brooklyn, at a family concert that takes you through the history of...

EYES ON THE STARS

Ever wonder what Kobe Bryant, Lil' Romeo and Harry Potter have in common? Or, while we're at it, Louis Armstrong, Brad Renfro ... and Lisa Simpson? They're all Leos -...

DINNER PARTY CHEAT SHEET

TWEEDLE-DUMLER Robert David Dumler, 15, of Villisca, Iowa, danced around the idea of poisoning the punch at his prom, but was busted before he got the chance. In an effort...

HOLD THE MAYO

Bring a shoehorn if you want to squeeze into Tortilla Flats this Cinco de Mayo weekend. The traditional south-of-the-border festival - which actually marks the butt-kicking the Mexican Army gave...

METTLE TO THE PEDAL

Warm weather means one thing to lots of New Yorkers - breaking out the bicycle pump and taking that dusty two-wheeler for a spin. There's never been a better time...

NIGHTY-NIGHT

EVERYONE loves "Pajama Game." Everyone was in it in high school, and everyone knows the words to "Hey There" and "Hernando's Hideaway." But how good a musical is it? A...

'SEX' & THE TABLE

Suffering from "Sex and the City" withdrawal? Bring home a little piece of the hit show - such as a Shaker coffee table from the set - at Props for...

YOUR VINYL ANSWER

In the market for an out-of-print vinyl original of the Clash's "London Calling"? How about a 45 of an old Troggs track? Then head to the WFMU Spring Record Fair,...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

Two Ohio school cafeteria workers wanted a misbehaving 11-year-old to cool off, so they put him in the kitchen freezer. The two workers at Toledo's Spring Elementary School were suspended...

TERM LIMITS COULDN'T LIMIT EX-COUNCIL POLS' $$ POWER

Term limits may have forced veteran council members out of City Hall last year, but that doesn't mean they're off the government payroll. At least 11 of the 38 who...

SHOE KING GETS EXTRA HARD KICK

Shoe king-turned-stock-scammer Steve Madden got slapped with an unexpected $500,000 fine on top of his jail sentence yesterday - several hundred thousand dollars more than he expected. In the last...

SUSPECT NABBED IN COP-RAMMING

A suspect who seriously injured an NYPD narcotics cop on a Brooklyn street in an attempt to evade arrest has been arrested on attempted-murder charges. Miguel Chimelis, 38, allegedly ran...

QUEENS DEM BOSS BACKS OUT OF LOBBY HOBBY

QUEENS Democratic leader Thomas Manton nearly set off a political firestorm in the City Council - whose leaders he helped install - by opening his own lobbying business. The drama...

TRUE LOVE GROWS OUT OF ASHES AT 'THE PIT'

In a miraculous twist of fate, two lonely people, firefighter John Mraz and massage therapist Dawna LoPiccolo, who met on Christmas Day at the world's loneliest place - Ground Zero...

SHE'S BROKEN THE PENILE CODE

For all anyone knows, somewhere in Haiti, a stolen set of penile implants continues to enrich the life of an insurance-fraud fugitive. But here on the island of Manhattan, all...

SHARON WILL BE A MAN WITH A PLAN FOR BUSH

JERUSALEM. WHEN Ariel Sharon arrives in Washington tomorrow to meet with President Bush, the Israeli prime minister will bring "a detailed plan for settling the Israel-Arab conflict - more detailed...

FALLEN 9/11 HERO HAILED BY BLOOMY & CARDINAL

Hundreds of mourners, including Mayor Bloomberg and Washington's Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, bid farewell yesterday to one of New York's Bravest who perished in the 9/11 attacks. For more than two...

W. TO ISRAEL: 'SETTLE' DOWN : DEMANDING HALT TO HOME-BUILDING ON THE WEST BANK

WASHINGTON - The White House yesterday called on Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to stop building new settlements - just days before Sharon is due to meet President Bush in...

STATS MAY LOOK BETTER, BUT THE SENSE IS FEAR

Street gangs wearing their colors stroll through Times Square. A few hookers hang out near the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Panhandlers and peddlers choke a sidewalk on 42nd Street. They...

BLIND DEMAND FEEL FOR MONEY

Advocates for the blind are suing Uncle Sam to get greenbacks redesigned so the blind can tell what kind of bills they're handling. The lawsuit, filed in Washington yesterday, wants...

SPIDER-FANS BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS OVER FLICK DEBUT

New Yorkers were caught in Spider-Man's web yesterday, turning out in droves for the superhero's big-screen debut. "I wouldn't miss this for the world! He's my hero!" exclaimed lifelong Spidey...

THREE KILLED AS ISRAEL RAIDS WEST BANK BOMB FACTORY

JERUSALEM - Three people were killed in an exchange of gunfire yesterday when Israeli forces raided a suspected explosives lab in the West Bank and averted a homicide bombing, officials...

IT'S 'CRIMES' SQUARE : GANGS, HOOKERS BACK ON STREETS AS COPS REGROUP

The NYPD is beefing up its presence in Times Square to crack down on an upsurge in gang fights and prostitution. The crackdown, dubbed Operation Neon Light, was announced yesterday...

DEATH OF TOP WESTCHESTER PROSECUTOR'S MOM PROBED

A veteran Westchester prosecutor was booted from his job a day after his elderly mother died, and a special prosecutor was appointed to investigate it. Leatha Bledsoe, 78, died Monday...

GRAY SHOULD ROT IN PRISON: WIDOWER WANTS STIFF SENTENCE

A heartbroken widower blasted Joseph Gray yesterday as "an asshole" who won't be punished nearly enough after a jury found the ex-cop guilty of killing his young family while driving...

RED-FACED DA VOWING PROBE INTO CON ESCAPE

A citywide manhunt was under way for a killer druglord yesterday, as an embarrassed Manhattan District Attorney's Office promised to investigate how two of its investigators let the dangerous fugitive...

BRIBE-SCAM TAXES DUE: ASSESSMENTS HIKED FOR 296 MANHATTAN BLDG. OWNERS

The city has slapped higher tax assessments on nearly 300 buildings in Manhattan that were improperly undervalued in a bribery scheme, officials said yesterday. In the wake of the indictments...

THEIR HEARTBREAK, TOO: PARENTS LOSE SON TO A CELL

THE parents of Officer Joseph Gray became members of an elite club yesterday - a club that only heartbroken mothers and fathers can join. Gray's parents, Joseph and Claire, were...

LEVY SKIMPS ON SUMMER SCHOOL

Schools Chancellor Harold Levy has proposed a slimmed-down summer-school program that will serve about 35,000 fewer students than last year, The Post has learned. The Levy plan - which cuts...

'TEARS AND MEMORIES ARE ALL I HAVE LEFT'

Victor Herrera's prayers have been answered. For eight months he has knelt and wept at the grave of his wife and two children, praying for justice. Yesterday, his tears bore...

COPS FIND STOLEN YESHIVA RELICS ON EBAY

Two sacred decorative objects stolen from a Brooklyn yeshiva in 1969 were recovered by the NYPD after they popped up on an Internet auction site. Police were alerted to the...

SCHOOLBOY BADLY BEATEN BY 4 THUGS

A teenager was brutally beaten yesterday by four men as he walked home from school with his friends, police said. The 14-year-old, a Bronx resident whose name was not released,...

GRIDLOCK WEEKEND

Don't even think a bout taking a spin into Manhattan this weekend unless you're prepared to spend lots of time spinning your wheels. Drivers will face a Big Apple obstacle...

NO PLEA BARGAIN SET FOR GRUBMAN

Both sides in the Lizzie Grubman criminal case are denying reports that a plea bargain has been reached but is being held up by the judge, who fears a public...

MOM HOSTS TEEN 'SEX BASH'

It was the 17th birthday party of a boy's wildest dreams: a wild sleepover party complete with beer, pot and a lap dance by a naked 14-year-old girl - all...

BLIND DEMAND TO GET FEEL FOR NEW PAPER MONEY

Advocates for the blind are suing Uncle Sam to get greenbacks redesigned so the blind can tell what kind of bills they're handling. The lawsuit, filed in Washington yesterday, wants...

GAME 5 MEMORIES KEEP WORKING OVERTIME

It will be discussed as long as anyone who witnessed it has a memory . . . and rightfully so. So it's no surprise that yesterday, the day after the...

ASTACIO AWESOME AS METS BATTER 'STROS

HOUSTON - After last season, the Astros passed on Pedro Astacio. They weren't alone this winter - 28 other teams gave the 32-year-old free agent the cold shoulder after he...

SPEED CHART FAVORS PERFECT DRIFT, SAARLAND

LOUISVILLE - One of the sharpest handicappers in the country rates today's Kentucky Derby a horseplayer's feast because three of the top betting choices are so vulnerable to defeat. Jerry...

MOTT SAYS BOSS' HORSE CAN GET IT DONE

LOUISVILLE - The racing question of the hour: Why is Bill Mott, one of the world's great trainers, running George Steinbrenner's long shot Blue Burner in the Kentucky Derby today?...

LAME LEG SCRATCHES BUDDHA

LOUISVILLE - Wood Memorial winner Buddha, the 5-1 co-second choice on the program for today's Kentucky Derby, was scratched yesterday because of lameness in his left front leg. Trainer Jim...

NBA SPIKES KNICK NOTION

The NBA has spiked the Knicks and Spike Lee. The league yesterday rejected the team's request to have Lee man the dais for the May 19 lottery in Secaucus. The...

19 IN THE RUNNING SAARLAND, 'HOLIDAY' CO-FAVORED

LOUISVILLE - Weep no more, my lady. The long wait is finally over. Derby Day is here. Since the 35,000 thoroughbreds foaled in 1999 began racing as 2-year- olds last...

20-1 FARDA AMIGA CAPTURES KY. OAKS

LOUISVILLE - Under a well-timed ride by Chris McCarron, 20-1 shot Farda Amiga circled the field on the far turn and overtook 8-5 front-running favorite Take Charge Lady in deep...

NETS COUNT ON SIZEABLE TEST FROM HORNETS

The Nets took the best shot that the Pacers and Reggie Miller had to give in an opening-round series that ended with one of the most exciting games in the...

RICE HIGH'S BROWN GOING TO ST. FRANCIS

On a basketball team as well-balanced as Rice High School's, it's easy to overlook some pretty good players. And while Christian Brown was a key role player for the Raiders,...

CAMERON SUFFERS POWER SHORTAGE

Mike Cameron arrived at the House that Ruth Built yesterday coming off a performance that even the Babe would have envied. His four home runs Thursday tied a big-league record,...

BOMBER BATS RUN INTO SNAG IN BRONX

Mariners 6Yankees 2 Ted Lilly kept Mike Cameron within Yankee Stadium's hallowed walls last night. Had he done the same with Jeff Cirillo and Desi Relaford, Lilly would have given...

RONDELL STILL IN FUNK

A frigid Rondell White was searching for any edge last night against Mariner right-hander Freddy Garcia. "I am thinking about using [Jason] Giambi's bat," said White, who was buried in...

PEDRO DELIVERING ON METS' BIG RI$K

HOUSTON - Pedro Astacio used to pitch here briefly, but his memories of last year probably aren't very good. This ballpark - formerly Enron Field, now known as Astros Field...

CAMERON'S HEROICS JUST UN-4-GETTABLE

Mike Cameron arrived at The House That Ruth Built yesterday coming off a performance not even The Babe himself never achieved. A night earlier, the Mariner center fielder Cameron reached...

CROWD PLEASER : JASON HEARING CHEERS ... AT LAST

Jason Giambi knew he was one pop-up in a critical situation away from being booed by the Yankee Stadium faithful last night, because in his second month as a Yankee...

VALENTIN FEELS FINE AT SHORT

MET NOTES HOUSTON - John Valentin looks comfortable at shortstop, but he looks better at the plate. Both statements are good news for the Mets, who might not have Rey...

RICE'S BROWN GOING TO ST. FRANCIS

On a team as well-balanced as Rice had this season, it's easy to overlook some pretty good players. And while Christian Brown was a key role player for the Raiders,...