August 21, 2002

GIVE 'EM A BRAKE - RALLY REVERSES ON BAD NEWS, PROFIT-TAKING

Too much, too fast. The markets fell yesterday, after an astounding 17-percent rise in just seven weeks, as Wall Street pros started voicing concern that the recent market rally is...

IT'S A NEW TWIST ON STAND-UP COMEDY: THE TALKING TOILET

Advertising is in the toilet - literally. Change Daily!, a new collection of underwear, is taking its message to the loo using strategically positioned motion-activated talking picture frames. When men...

YOU CAN TAKE IT WITH YOU . . .IF YOU'RE A BIGWIG OF A BANKRUPT COMPANY, THAT IS

The two-year bear market cleaned out the bank accounts of many small investors, but corporate chieftains aren't suffering - instead they're sitting on a big pile of cash. And a...

PORSCHE DROPS NYSE PLAN TO AVOID 'TRUTH' LAW

Luxe automaker Porsche AG looks set to back out of plans to sell stock in the U.S. over a new certification law requiring execs to certify the truth of their...

CANDLER BLDG. GOING ON BLOCK SANS MCDONALD'S

THE Golden Arches' gold mine won't be part of the likely sale of the landmarked Candler Building at 220 W. 42nd St. The 25-story terra cotta tower also has an...

MORTON'S WAITERS TENDER LEGAL BEEF

Three waiters are suing the owners of popular New York steakhouse Morton's, claiming they were forced to pay kickbacks and give a cut of tips to managers. The waiters, Michael...

DON'T PUT A CORK IN IT

FOR two decades Randall Grahm been taking aim at snobs from his Bonny Doon winery in the Santa Cruz mountains of California. His weapon of choice is very good wine...

HEAVY 'PET'-TING

BRIAN WILSON --------- THE music of "Pet Sounds," one of the greatest albums of the '60s, has transcended time, the Beach Boys and even Brian Wilson's inability to perform his...

IN A DARK ROOM - 'PHOTO' DEVELOPS WILLIAMS' SERIOUS SIDE

ONE HOUR PHOTO [1/2] Robin Williams, all is forgiven. Running time: 95 minutes. Rated R (violence, sexual references). At the Lincoln Square and the Union Square. ----------- ROBIN Williams gives...

STARR REPORT

Castillo takes 5 and switches coasts Ch. 5 has hired weathercaster Jim Castillo away from CBS-owned KCBS in Los Angeles. No word yet on when Castillo will start, but it's...

PALM BEACH BOULUD

THE geese won't have a chance now that Daniel Boulud is making plans to head south for the winter. The top-rated Manhattan chef, whose foie gras is to die for,...

SIMON'S 'EXTRA' EFFORT

SIMON Cowell, "American Idol's" own "Merchant of Venom," has scored himself a new TV gig as a special correspondent for "Extra." Cowell will join "Extra" every Wednesday and Thursday beginning...

DO IT YOURSELF CINEMA

BOX HEAD REVOLUTION [1/2] Rock 'n' roll revolution. Running time: 77 minutes. Not rated (sex). At the Two Boots Pioneer Theater, Third Street and Avenue A, East Village. --------- 'BOX...

WHO PRODUCES? WHO STARS? A REAL MYSTERY

GOSSIP, speculation and random thoughts. It isn't a whodunit, it's a who'sgonnagetit: Several producers are vying to revive the late Anthony Shaffer's brilliant cat-and-mouse thriller, "Sleuth." Ben Sprecher, Julian Schlossberg...

TIBETAN ORGANIC A TONIC ON HOUSTON

DOKPA [ 1/2] 136 W. HOUSTON ST. (BETWEEN SULLIVAN AND MACDOUGAL) STREETS (212) 995-5884 ------- 'WE serve filtered water," notes Dokpa's menu. The sake, however, is unfiltered. On a steamy...

PILLAR OF A PLACE

OLICA [] 145 E. 50TH ST. (212) 583-0001 --------- OLICA won me over, but it wasn't easy. I doubted its modern French-American menu would live up to its raves for...

EMINEM, ACTOR

EMINEM'S eagerly awaited debut as a movie actor, "8 Mile," will premiere as a "work in progress" at next month's Toronto Film Festival. Directed by Curtis Hanson, the semi-autobiographical drama...

NYC CHEFS ARE MAKING THE BLT A MODERN . . . TRIPLE TREAT

YOU know you're something special when the world recognizes you by your initials alone. Consider the BLT - the VIP of food-world monograms.Those three little letters represent powerful stuff, a...

CURSE OF THE KENNEDYS

'RFK' [] Sunday night at 8 on FX ---------- IF there's anything worse than a TV movie that romanticizes the '60s, it's a TV movie that romanticizes the '60s and...

EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY

Harlem is experiencing a second renaissance, and with it comes every kind of entertainment. From jazz to gospel to rhythm and blues, dance and theater, Harlem has it all. Top-flight...

NOT JUST POLITICS AS USUAL - ABOUT THE ONLY THING IN HARLEM MORE SPICY THAN THE SOUL FOOD IS THE POLITICS

Back when Ella was scatting at the Cotton Club and a young Charlie Rangel was lugging bags at the Hotel Theresa, the best campaign commercials took place on street corners...

BREATHING SPACE

ABSTRACT: Whenever Harlem native Dana Velazquez wants to bask in the great outdoors, she never has to go far. "People don't know it, but it's all here, right here in...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

Believe it or not, good bridge players are smarter than computers. That's the word from Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, who says computers can't compete in a high-level game of bridge....

CROWN HTS. HEROES - SAVE HASIDIC DRIVER WHO HIT BLACK CHILD

Eleven years and one day after a fatal crash led to the Crown Heights riots, the Brooklyn neighborhood was last night again the scene of a devastating car accident involving...

'SOPRANOS' HUNG JURY - BOOKMAKER BEATS RAP IN MOB 'HIT'

In a twisting plot worthy of "The Sopranos," a Staten Island bookmaker with links to a New Jersey mob family escaped a life sentence for murder yesterday when the jury...

FOSTER-KID MURDER SIS SUES

The family of a 16-year-old girl allegedly stabbed to death by another foster kid amid rumors they were lesbian lovers plans to sue the city for $10 million. The family...

SCHWARZ WANTS NEXT TRIAL MOVED

Ex-cop Charles Schwarz wants his civil-rights retrial moved out of the city, claiming the extensive media coverage of his perjury conviction and jury infighting have made it impossible to find...

GAP HEIST GOES AWRY - CROOKS PISTOL-WHIP WORKERS BEFORE TOTALING GETAWAY CAR: POLICE

A bumbling gunman and a wrong-way getaway driver were nabbed after a botched robbery yesterday at a Manhattan Gap store, where employees were bound and pistol-whipped before the robbers made...

MAYOR NIXES COUNCIL 'FIX' FOR TERM LIMITS

Mayor Bloomberg yesterday vetoed a City Council measure extending term limits for a handful of members, saying the voters had already made an informed choice. "While seniority and experience do...

TENNIS SET TO HONOR SEPTEMBER'S HEROES

The U.S. Open tennis tournament is rallying to honor the heroes of Sept. 11 with a star-studded tribute. The fabled tennis tourney kicks off Monday at Arthur Ashe Stadium in...

MORGY LAYS BRONX BOMB

Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau will be getting his wings clipped on Monday. The powerful, 82-year- old prosecutor - who has gone after suspects from the late John Gotti, who...

'SUICIDE,' IRAQI-STYLE - BAGHDAD: ABU PLOTTED VS. SADDAM

WASHINGTON - The mystery surrounding the death of Palestinian terror master Abu Nidal deepened yesterday as Iraq claimed he killed himself after being confronted with charges that he was plotting...

MYSTERY OF LIZZIE LOCKUP LOCATION

Lead-footed p.r. princess Lizzie Grubman will be sentenced this week to 60 days in the big house - but exactly where she'll do her time is a mystery. The 31-year-old...

SHOCK JOCKS' BOSSES SUSPENDED

For once, Opie and Anthony aren't saying a word. The shock-jock duo's radio station, WNEW, said it had suspended general manager Ken Stevens and program director Jeremy Coleman while it...

SEXY ANISTON LAYS IT ALL ON THE TABLE

Jennifer Aniston may look at ease in this sexy new photo, but the sultry "Friends" star was far from it when she had to get naked for her new movie....

PESTICIDE PERIL FOR CITY KIDS

ALBANY - Big Apple kids are being exposed to high doses of toxic pesticides at housing projects, schools and parks, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer warned in a new report yesterday....

COPS STORM EMBASSY TO END SIEGE

WASHINGTON - German police yesterday stormed the Iraqi Embassy in Berlin and freed its acting ambassador and his staff, who had been held hostage for seven hours by a dissident...

TOO MUCH WINING & DINING ENDS IN FINING

ALBANY - An influential lottery firm and the Avis car-rental company were hit with heavy fines yesterday for lavishing expensive dinners, cars and other perks on lawmakers in violation of...

AIN'T PAYING SQUAT - CITY MAY BECOME A HOMESTEAD HEAVEN

The city agency that sold 11 East Village squatter-occupied buildings to nonprofit developers wants to do the same with 10 more, officials said yesterday. The Housing Preservation Department hopes to...

ANDY TRIGGERS GUN FEUD

Andrew Cuomo and Gov. Pataki fought over gun control yesterday - with Cuomo charging that the governor has done "very little" about illegal guns while Pataki boasted he passed the...

URBAN PARASITES JUST HIT THE JACKPOT

ACROSS East Seventh Street from one of Mayor Bloomberg's buck-a-buildings, Betsy Colon put an angry hand on her hip. "I gotta work like there's no tomorrow to pay my $1,000-a-month...

AN EGYPTIAN ÉMIGRÉ ACCUSED OF PROVIDING FAKE ID TO TWO OF THE SEPT. 11 HIJACKERS IN HIS NEW JERSEY SHOP WAS BUSTED AT KENNEDY AIRPORT

An Egyptian émigré accused of providing fake ID to two of the Sept. 11 hijackers in his New Jersey shop was busted at Kennedy Airport yesterday as he returned to...

KLEIN'S 'FIRE' POWER ON HOLD

The Justice Department has stalled a plan to give Schools Chancellor Joel Klein sole power to hire and fire superintendents, saying the city has so far failed to show the...

FATAL ATTRACTION - TRASH ODOR DREW KILLER BEAR TO INFANT

The bear that snatched little Esther Schwimmer from her stroller and carried her off in its jaws into the woods was drawn to the area by garbage left outside by...

ISRAEL SLAYS TERROR BRO - SOLDIERS STRIKE DRESSED AS ARABS

JERUSALEM - The brother of a top Palestinian extremist who carried out the terror orders of his jailed sibling was killed outside a West Bank grocery store yesterday by Israeli...

QNS. BEEP INN-CENSED OVER HOMELESS HOTEL

Desperate to find emergency housing for homeless families, the city has quietly signed a deal to turn a Queens motel into a shelter beginning tonight - a move that has...

GAL PAL: I HELPED COP-SLAY SUSPECT

A New Jersey woman who helped her boyfriend flee after he allegedly stabbed to death an off-duty undercover cop pleaded guilty yesterday to hindering prosecution. Claritza Fernandez, 29, faces one...

AL QAEDA THUGS ARE IN IRAQ: RUMSFELD

WASHINGTON - On the eve of today's war Cabinet huddle at President Bush's Texas ranch, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said al Qaeda terrorists are operating in "a number of locations...

FIRST ENRON GUILTY PLEA WILL COST EXEC $12M

WASHINGTON - The first Enron exec to face the music in the scandal at the disgraced energy giant will cop a plea today in Houston - and cough up a...

CON JOB 'KINGDOM' - EX-GI ON TRIAL IN $50B FANTASY-NATION SCAM

A jury will begin today deciding the fate of a Brooklyn-born Army paratrooper accused of dreaming up a $50 billion fantasy, complete with a make-believe African kingdom, to con investors...

SILVER HOPES FOR NEW TAX HOLIDAY

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver yesterday kicked off the third and final three-day sales tax holiday for lower Manhattan, saying the program has worked so well, he'd like to do it...

KIN'S ANGER BOILS OVER AT MEETING

Relatives of World Trade Center victims lashed out in anger at redevelopment officials yesterday - accusing them of ignoring their concerns about a Ground Zero memorial. "I'm not stupid -...

THROWN STONE BASHES AUTOMOBILE PASSENGER

A Long Island man was left soaked in blood when a rock was hurled through the window of the car he was riding in, police said yesterday. The victim, 35-year-old...

SILVER EYES NEW TAX HOLIDAY

State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) yesterday kicked off the third and final three-day sales tax holiday for lower Manhattan, saying that the program has worked so well he'd like...

FEDS DETOUR ROAD TO SCHOOL REFORM

The Justice Department has stalled a plan to give Schools Chancellor Joel Klein sole power to hire and fire superintendents, saying the city has so far failed to show the...

BOARD OF ELEX OKS REGISTRATION PROBE

The city Board of Elections deadlocked along party lines yesterday over whether to launch a criminal probe into thousands of dubious registrations submitted by voters claiming to have joined the...

TWO-WHEELED TERROR IN BRONX

Two people were shot and wounded in different parts of The Bronx early yesterday by a bicycle-riding gunman - and detectives are probing whether the same suspect struck at each...

TENNIS HONORS 9/11 HEROES

The U.S. Open tennis tournament is rallying to honor the heroes of Sept. 11 with a star-studded tribute. The fabled tennis tourney kicks off Monday at Arthur Ashe Stadium in...

POT AN EASIER SCORE THAN CIGS OR BOOZE: TEENS

Now we know why they call them high school students: American teens admit that marijuana is easier to buy than cigarettes or beer. More than one-third of teenagers polled by...

CON JOB 'KINGDOM' - EX-GI ON TRIAL IN WILD $50B SCAM ABOUT FANTASY NATION

A jury will start deliberating today the fate of a Brooklyn-born Army paratrooper who helped dream up a $50 billion fantasy in which he lorded over a make-believe 19th-century European...

THROWN STONE BASHES CAR PASSENGER

A Long Island man was left soaked in blood when a rock was hurled through the window of the car he was riding in, police said yesterday. The victim, 35-year-old...

EN-CON - FIRST GUILTY PLEA TO COST EXEC $12M

WASHINGTON - The first Enron exec to face the music in the scandal at the disgraced energy giant will cop a plea today in Houston - and cough up a...

WINING & DINING

ALBANY - An influential lottery firm and the Avis car-rental company were hit with heavy fines yesterday for lavishing expensive dinners, cars and other perks on lawmakers in violation of...

CROWN HEIGHTS HEROES - RESCUE HASIDIC DRIVER WHO HIT BLACK CHILD

Eleven years and one day after a fatal crash led to the Crown Heights riots, the Brooklyn neighborhood last night was again the scene of a devastating car accident involving...

PEN-ULTIMATE WIN - RAMIRO, STANTON RESCUE PETTITTE

Andy Pettitte was off his game. Mariano Rivera was off until further notice. Hey, no problem for the Yankees. After Pettitte suffered through a five-run third inning last night, the...

LEGISLATORS GET MARINE CONSERVATION GRADES

THE Marine Fisheries Congressional Report Card is now available to the voters, but some members of the 107th Congress may want to hide their grades. This unique biannual report, a...

TRAVERS LOOKS 2ND BEST

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Saturday's 133rd Travers Stakes, the premier event of this meet, may be known as the "Midsummer Derby," but it's much less competitive than Sunday's Pacific Classic at...

BUMBLIN' METS DROP 9TH STRAIGHT

Giants 1 - Mets 0 SAN FRANCISCO - The Mets are degenerating into a comedy of errors. If the transition isn't already complete, then they are becoming laughingstocks and walking,...

OMAR SAFE WITH GIANTS

ALBANY - Omar Stoutmire thought he was doing fine. Once, he started in place of Steve Atwater and all he did was return an interception - off Dan Marino, no...

ROOKIE SHOWS HEAVY METTLE

GIANT NOTES ALBANY - He was not supposed to be out there, not after spraining his left ankle in Saturday's preseason loss in Atlanta. But there was Giant rookie tight...

JETS OFFENSE CAN HACKETT

Even in a successful season that included a dramatic entry into the playoffs, no one in the Jets' organization was subjected to more public flogging than offensive coordinator Paul Hackett....

HOT DOG! KIDS LEARN A LESSON

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - The New York lesson last year at this Little League World Series was that no one likes a cheater. This year's New York team is learning that...

INJURY HAS JONES CAUGHT BY THROAT

JET NOTES The status of Jets linebacker Marvin Jones is in question because his throat injury isn't yet healed. Jones, who was hit in the throat during practice last Monday...

FONZIE'S ITCHING TO RETURN

MET NOTES SAN FRANCISCO - Edgardo Alfonzo's .323 average hasn't moved an inch in the last two weeks, but his club's record has moved a great deal in the negative...

FOR PETE'S SAKE, QUIT! - LEGEND SHOULD RETIRE AFTER OPEN

PETE Sampras, amidst a first-set baseline rally last night against unknown Frenchman Paul Henri-Mathieu, popped a backhand long. He then took the ball and bashed it in frustration. The ball...

RIVERA VOWS: I'LL BE BACK

YANKEE NOTES With Mariano Rivera on the 15-day DL yet again with a strained shoulder, and the Yankees bereft of the best closer in baseball for the third time this...

LIBS FIGHT BACK TO FINISH FEVER

GAME 3: Liberty 75 - Fever 60 The next time you don't believe in the Liberty, rewind the tape back to Aug. 20, 2002, and watch the last 35 minutes...

MO'S ABSENCE ISN'T THE END OF THE WORLD

OH no, the Yankees lead the major leagues in home runs and not by a little! This means they're in serious trouble come October because far fewer fat pitches are...

MATES HELP ANDY HOLD ON

Andy Pettitte wasn't sure what to do after he gave up five runs in the third inning last night. "There was nothing I could do," Pettitte said of his thoughts...

LOSING RIVERA NOT NECESSARILY END OF THE WORLD

THE image of the Yankees' late-inning success during this dynasty seldom has varied. It's a catcher pinning a high five on smiling closer Mariano Rivera, with champagne bubbles to follow....

COMMITTEE TO HANDLE CLOSINGS

YANKEE NOTES With Mariano Rivera on the disabled list for a third time this season, Joe Torre said last night the Yankees will go back to a closer-by-committee, headed by...

METS NEED TO FOLLOW PATH OF NL LEADERS

SAN FRANCISCO - The Mets' winter blueprint serves as a cautionary tale. The best-laid plans turned into the worst-case scenario, and the season is already over with 38 games remaining...

MO: I'LL BE READY FOR OCTOBER - BACK-ON-DL RIVERA POINTING TO PLAYOFFS

With Mariano Rivera on the 15-day DL list yet again with a strained shoulder, and the Yankees bereft of their best closer for the third time this season, one question...

SPOON STILL REFUSES TO ACT HER AGE

There were times last year when it began to look ugly for Teresa Weatherspoon. Times when she was left grasping at air on defense, times when the MSG crowd was...

FONZIE'S NO LOCK FOR 2003

MET NOTES SAN FRANCISCO - Steve Phillips didn't want to acquire Scott Rolen a few months ago. The Met GM rationalized that the price was prohibitive and that third baseman...

NICK EYES QUICK RETURN

Derek Jeter has grown accustomed to seeing Nick Johnson at first base this year. Still, he wasn't particularly unnerved about the Yankees' defense when Johnson sprained his left wrist diving...