February 20, 2003
PRE-PAID LEGAL HAS OWN LEGAL WOES
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amTHE top producer for Pre-Paid Legal Services is being sued for fraud by Illinois and has a cease-and-desist order against him in the state of Washington. Here's some more stuff...
J.P. MORGAN OUSTS TOP EQUITIES TRADER
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amJ.P. Morgan Chase & Co. canned its top trader, Mino Capossela, in a restructuring announced internally yesterday. The move comes after the second-biggest U.S. bank posted more than $285 million...
S&P DOWNGRADES 11 U.S. AIRLINES
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amConcerned about the long-term viability of the airlines, Standard & Poor's downgraded debt ratings for 11 different carriers. AMR Corp., parent of American Airlines; UAL Corp., parent of United Airlines;...
SAC HQ BROUHAHA - BUILDER FILES LIEN FOR $1.63M IN FACADE FIGHT
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amIn addition to a probe over insider trading allegations, hedge fund manager Steven Cohen is embroiled in a dispute with contractors at his new $89 million headquarters. According to liens...
STERN: SIZE MATTERS - SHOCK JOCK TRYING TO EXPAND MILLENNIUM PAD
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amHOWARD Stern has always wanted to be bigger. Now it appears he's looking to expand at least his housing. The word is that he's making "very" generous offers to adjacent...
A DOCUMENTARY LIKE IT OUGHTA BE
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amFROM THE OTHER SIDE [] Border wars. In English, French and Spanish, with subtitles. Running time: 99 minutes. Not rated (nothing objectionable). At the Anthology Film Archives, Second Avenue and...
STARR REPORT
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amHis 'Public' stance: Homosexuality 'a sin' This Monday's episode of "Boston Public" will revolve around a sports team's hazing of a gay character. It co-stars Matt Lutz - a Christian...
SHAW'S 'HEARTBREAK HOUSE' IS STILL STURDY
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amHEARTBREAK HOUSE At the Pearl Theatre, 80 St. Marks Place, at First Avenue. Through April 6. (212) 598-9802. ----- IN the 1890s and 1900s, Shaw took the English drawing-room comedy...
JUDD UP ON THE 'ROOF'
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amASHLEY Judd would rather play Maggie the Cat than Catwoman. The actress passed up the chance to star in another Batman sequel to make her Broadway debut this fall in...
WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT JACKO
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amMICHAEL Jackson may have a point about being taken out of context, says Maury Povich. Povich is hosting tonight's Fox special, "The Michael Jackson Footage: The Interview You Were Never...
ON THE G SPOT
February 20, 2003 | 5:00am"Da Ali G Show" [ ] Tomorrow at 12:30 a.m. on HBO ------ IF you want to laugh as hard as you've ever laughed, don't tune into "Da Ali G...
BATTLE OF THE BADDIES
February 20, 2003 | 5:00am"BARETTA" will take on the Preppy Killer in a ratings showdown on the final night of the February sweeps. That's when you'll be forced to choose either Barbara Walters interviewing...
BACHELOR-RAT - HE DUMPED WINNER HELENE AT COFFEE SHOP
February 20, 2003 | 5:00am'BACHELOR" star Aaron Buerge turned out to be a cad - dumping his fiancee, Helene Eksterowicz, at a Starbucks coffee shop just five weeks after "choosing" her on the ABC...
I'M A TV REVIEWER: GET THIS OFF THE AIR!
February 20, 2003 | 5:00am"I'm a Celebrity: Get Me Out of Here!" [Zero stars] 15 consecutive nights on ABC ---- NO WAY is this show emerging as a hit. That is my vow from...
HEY, BIG SPENDER
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amTed's other fiscal follies: * Lost a massive chunk of his $6 billion fortune when the bottom fell out of AOL Time Warner stock in 2001 * Pledged $1 billion...
SHOWTIME, FOLKS! STARS, FASHION, FIGHTS... ALL PART OF BIG NIGHT
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amThis year's Grammy Awards show will be one to remember, especially for New Yorkers. The Grammys are back in the Big Apple - after six years in Los Angeles -...
ALL THE FUN STUFF: THE PARTIES
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amMusiCares Person of the Year banquet U2's Bono seems to spend almost more time politicking around the world these days than singing with his band. He'll be honored for his...
GOTTA HAVE ART : GARFUNKEL IS WINNING AWARD & FEELING GROOVY
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amTHERE'S only one certainty at this year's Grammy Awards - Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon are going home with Lifetime Achievement awards for their work as a duo. Although this...
HIDE AND PEEK : THE SHOW'S BIG, BOLD & BARELY THERE
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amTHE Grammy's are famous for their over the-top fashion statements. Remember J.Lo's Versace handkerchief, er, dress? Toni Braxton's white Richard Tyler gown the slit up to there? And who could...
PICKING THE WINNERS: NEW YORK POST MUSIC WRITERS MARY HUHN AND DAN AQUILANTE TRY TO OUTSMART THE ACADEMY
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amRECORD OF THE YEAR "A THOUSAND MILES" Vanessa Carlton "WITHOUT ME" (DAN), (MARY) Eminem "DON'T KNOW WHY" Norah Jones "DILEMMA" Nelly Featuring Kelly Rowland "HOW YOU REMIND ME" Nickelback DAN:...
GRAND SLAM: DROPPED BY LABEL, RAPHAEL SAADIQ PICKS UP FIVE NODS
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amFOR Raphael Saadiq, revenge is sweet. Two weeks before Christmas, he was dropped by Universal Records because his album, "Instant Village," wasn't selling. Then, just after New Year's, the CD...
SWEDE SURPRISE: ODDBALL ACT SOUNDTRACK OF OUR LIVES JOINS THE ALT-BIG BOYS
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amTHE Soundtrack of Our Lives may not be the favorite to win Best Alternative Music Album - it looks like Britain's Coldplay has the edge there - but TSOOL's "Behind...
THE QUIZ
February 20, 2003 | 5:00am1. Norah "Come Away With Me" Jones is the daughter of: a) Monkee Davy Jones b) Tom Jones c) Ravi Shankar d) Tony Soprano 2. Eminem's "8 Mile" refers to:...
MUSIQ
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amRAISED on the streets of West Philly, Musiq (born Taalib Johnson) left home at the age of 16 to beatbox on the South Street strip. The MCs called him 'Music...
GOODY GOODY
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amGRAMMY statuettes are heavily coveted, but nearly as sought after are those goody bags crammed with more than $21,000 worth of stuff. Each winner, presenter and performer will receive a...
BRUNCH NOTES
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amSTART the festivities early Sunday with a Grammythemed brunch at one of 36 eateries around town. There'll be "Dixie Chicks Fried Steak" at the Heartland Brewerys, a "Grammy-tata," at the...
THE BATTLE OF HOME DEPOT
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amMANHATTAN may soon have something the rest of America's enjoyed for years: our very own Home Depot. But not without a fight. Last week, the Pier 40 Working Group (elected...
STORMING THE SHELTERS - HOMELESS SURGE TO '30S LEVEL
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amThe city is suffering homelessness akin to the Great Depression era, with children and families forming the fastest-growing segment of the population, advocates said yesterday. A record 38,463 people have...
LIZZIE IN SAD HAMPTONS RETURN
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amLizzie Grubman is back in the Hamptons for the first time since her infamous accident 19 months ago, but her return is not a happy event - she rushed back...
RIDGE DISCUSSES STICKY SITUATION
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Be prepared, not scared - and put away the duct tape for now. That was the terror-prep message from Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, who yesterday warned Americans...
SEAL-ABRATION AT CONEY IS.
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amIt was a rare sight on Brooklyn's shore - a baby harp seal swam up to the beach off West 25th Street in Coney Island yesterday. A dog-walker spotted the...
DICK GEPHARDT, A MISSOURI DEMOCRAT AND CLOSE PAL OF ORGANIZED LABOR, YESTERDAY KICKED OFF HIS SECOND CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Rep. Dick Gephardt, a Missouri Democrat and close pal of organized labor, yesterday kicked off his second campaign for president, joining a crowded field eager to take a...
LUCKY DOG RESCUED ON RIVER FLOAT
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amA plucky mutt narrowly escaped death yesterday as he stood trapped and whimpering atop a tiny chunk of ice on a fast-flowing New Jersey river. The chilly pooch was seconds...
HACKER GOES OUT OF ORDER IN COURT
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amThe accused computer hacker who targeted Mayor Bloomberg turned into a courtroom freak yesterday when he suddenly jumped across three rows of seats towards a startled 10-year-old boy. Crying "my...
CONDOMS AT EVERY N.Y. HOTEL? POLS HAVE IT COVERED
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amEXCLUSIVE ALBANY - Condoms will soon join Bibles as a regular feature in thousands of New York hotels, motels and inns, if two Brooklyn Democratic state senators get their way....
REVENGE ROCKETS HIT ISRAEL
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amJERUSALEM - A new round of Mideast violence loomed today after terrorists fired rockets at an Israeli town in reprisal for the killing of 14 Palestinians. "The Gaza Strip will...
UROLOGIST FINGERED IN MOB SCAM
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amA Brooklyn urologist pretended to employ a mobster at his medical practice, helping the wiseguy file false tax returns and claim medical insurance for his daughter, the feds charge. Jude...
MIKE GETS A SHOT IN ARM WITH SMALLPOX VACCINE
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amMayor Bloomberg got needled again yesterday, but this time, it was his idea, as he kicked off a citywide campaign to have thousands of emergency rescue workers vaccinated for smallpox...
POWELL CALLS FRANCE YELLOW ON SADDAM
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - In a sharp attack on one of America's reluctant allies, Secretary of State Colin Powell yesterday slammed France as "afraid" of getting tough with Saddam Hussein. President Bush's...
'SLAY-HIRE' TOT NOT TOLD DAD IN JAIL
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amPeter Visich's young son, Ryan, thinks Daddy is away on "business trip" - although the 35-year-old Rockland County man is in jail for allegedly hiring a hit man to kill...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amMANHATTAN * A man has been arrested in connection with five Midtown bank robberies, and one attempted robbery, that netted him approximately $4,000 in cash, police said yesterday. Jimmy Carswell,...
HS 'RAPISTS' SURRENDER
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amFour Catholic "scholar-athletes" who allegedly forced a 15-year-old girl to have sex with them on Halloween surrendered to police yesterday. The teenagers, all former students at Christ the King HS...
SCHOOLS LOSE FOREIGN FLAIR - IMMIGRANTS FLOCKING TO THE 'BURBS
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amThe number of immigrant students enrolled in New York City schools has plummeted 33 percent since the mid-1990s as more foreign families flock directly to the suburbs, a new state...
BOMBAY SLAY BEAU HAD $1M POLICIES
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amThe New Jersey businessman accused of having his fiancée rubbed out in India took out $1 million in insurance policies on her life, had stiff alimony payments and was in...
TYSON'S BOUT FACE - WHY BATTY BOXER WANTED TO GET WARRIOR TATTOO
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amOddball boxer Mike Tyson's bizarre new face tattoo is his version of war paint - a Maori-inspired marking he hopes will psyche out his next foe, sources said yesterday. Tyson...
RIDE-FIRM HONCHOS SWEAR 'BRIBE' INFO ON THE WAY
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amALBANY - Top officials of a company at the center of the Legislature's bribery scandal gave sworn testimony behind closed doors yesterday - but failed to deliver documents they had...
'I THINK MY SON IS SMILING': MOM: WTC KIN REJOICE AT AL QAEDA CONVICTION
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Relatives of 9/11 victims were thankful - even "thrilled" - by yesterday's conviction of an al Qaeda money man as an accessory to the 3,066 murders committed that...
PUDDLE BEFUDDLE - NEW YORKERS IN DEEP TROUBLE AT CROSSWALKS
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amThe Sanitation Department boasted yesterday that the city's roads were plowed in record time - but pedestrians fumed that crossing streets was a walk on the wild side, with crosswalks...
CITY BOUNCED EX-OFFICER'S AWARD CHECK
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amAn ex-cop who won more than $470,000 in a lawsuit against the NYPD is blasting the city for refusing to honor the award check it issued her. And it is...
CANDIDATES' ANTI-WAR STANCE MAY SPELL DOOM FOR DEMS
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amDEMOCRATS might as well be Frenchmen when it comes to using military force against Saddam Hussein. The problem facing the Dems is that their anti-war party is way, way out...
MIKE TOUTS PARENTAL GUIDANCE
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amA state plan to replace 32 elected community school boards with parent-dominated councils got the thumbs-up from Mayor Bloomberg yesterday. The proposals - first reported in The Post on Sunday...
'ICEMAN' CHARGED IN '80 COP SLAY
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amAdd one more victim to "the Iceman's" hit list. Today, Bergen County prosecutors will formally charge Richard Kuklinski - the coldblooded hit man who admitted killing more than 100 people...
POST REWARDS HARLEM'S 'NOTE'WORTHY STUDENTS
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amWhat a duet! The New York Post and the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce kicked off Grammy Week by making sweet music last night - presenting scholarships for the artists...
RUDY'S 9/11 FUND TO PAY LAST DOLLARS
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amThe Twin Towers Fund - created by former Mayor Rudy Giuliani to help the families of the heroes of 9/11 - will close up shop later this year, organizers said...
MCFATTIES BITE BACK: NEW SUIT HEAVY ON HAZARDS TO HEALTH
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amThe fat kids who ate too many Big Macs are back on the attack. Not content to fade away after their first lawsuit against McDonald's was thrown out, the porky...
TV 'BACHELORETTE' BURNS FOR FIREMAN RYAN
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amTrista Rehn had a clear message in last night's "The Bachelorette" finale: Sorry, Charlie! In a shocking twist that took everyone by surprise, Trista, the former Miami Heat dancer, chose...
SON KILLS BURGLAR AT MOM'S
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amThe son of a big-bucks lottery winner from Queens fatally shot a would-be burglar trying to break into his mom's house to steal her loot, cops said yesterday. Shaken mom...
WOMAN LOSES LEG IN L.I. BUS-CRASH HORROR
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amAn out-of-control bus crashed through a crowded Long Island bus station yesterday - mowing down six people, including a woman whose leg was severed. The horrifying smash-up occurred at 1:50...
CON'S COMPLAINT GETS SENTENCE SLASHED
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amA robber who spent the past decade behind bars got five years knocked off his sentence after accusing a Brooklyn prosecutor of hiding key information. Jeffrey "Born" Marshall, who was...
WEID BUT TRUE
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amA car thief got the shock of his life when L.A. cops pulled over the stolen van he was driving and discovered a corpse in the back, authorities said. Juan...
GOTTI GAMBLING PLOT ON TAPE AND IN TAPS
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amFederal prosecutors in the Peter Gotti racketeering trial are set to wrap up their case today, after showing the jury how his alleged mob family made its "bread and butter."...
DON'T HAVE TO LIVE LIKE A REFUGEE
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amPhin Suy's sudden wealth is a far cry from his troubled beginnings in a Cambodian village 32 years ago. Suy was born in the town of Batdambang, in the tumultuous...
THE $128M MAN
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amA Cambodian refugee who toils as a groundskeeper in Central Park will never have to pick up a snow shovel again - he is the winner of last week's $128...
'BACHELORETTE' FLAME BURNS FOR FIREMAN RYAN
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amTrista Rehn had a clear message in last night's "The Bachelorette" finale: Sorry, Charlie! In a shocking twist that took everyone by surprise, Trista, the former Miami Heat dancer, chose...
WOMAN LOSES LEG IN L.I. BUS HORROR
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amAn out-of-control bus crashed through a crowded Long Island bus station yesterday - mowing down six people, including a woman whose leg was severed. The horrifying smashup occurred at 1:50...
DON THINKING BIG AS DEADLINE NEARS
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amSEATTLE - Don Chaney yesterday re-emphasized the Knicks' goal at today's trading deadline - to get more size. Though a five-team deal that Indiana was trying to arrange seemed unlikely,...
SPREE FIRES BACK AT BYRON
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amSEATTLE - Latrell Sprewell was stung yesterday by scathing remarks from Byron Scott, who remarked the Knick star "sets a bad example for other guys." "He hasn't coached me," Sprewell...
SNOW KIDDING! IT'S TOO MUCH
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amALWAYS be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it. That has been the problem at some ski areas here in the Northeast, too much of a...
YOU CAN'T RAIN ON WALTRIP'S 500 WIN
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amPoor Michael Waltrip. He twice wins the Daytona 500 and can't revel in the glory of either without someone asking some kind of sidebar question. It's never just, "Congratulations, how...
BUTLER: DON'T BOO CEDENO
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amMET NOTES PORT ST. LUCIE - Putting Roger Cedeno in center field is like giving Phil Donahue another talk show. Executives think it's a great idea because it worked before,...
PIAZZA'S FRENCH DISS
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amPORT ST. LUCIE - Mike Piazza came up with an idea how to get the French and Germans behind the United States' position on Iraq: Boycott all products from the...
ALFONSO WORKING ON 'SOR' SPOTS
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amTAMPA - Wherever Alfonso Soriano went this offseason - New York, Florida or back home in the Dominican - he laughed at the fact that folks no longer were asking...
METS CAN'T SKIP CLASS - WILPON SETS HIGH STANDARDS
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amPORT ST. LUCIE - Prior to the Mets' first full workout yesterday, owner Fred Wilpon and other team personnel gave players a vision of what they hope becomes a "world-class...
CHOATE CHANGING PACE THIS SPRING
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amYANKEE NOTES TAMPA - Randy Choate did too much counting last season, too much worrying about where he fit. He is convinced that in all his concern about staying on...
STORMY TIMES FOR SJU DUO
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amAt this rate, St. John's coach Mike Jarvis will have to apply for a home equity loan to expand his doghouse. Junior forward Kyle Cuffe of The Bronx, who did...
A GOOD SPRING CLEANING - REDECORATED METS CAN SPRUCE UP SHEA
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amPORT ST. LUCIE - Shea Stadium is coming out of the baseball dark ages. It's about time. New paint, new graphics, new colors, new lighting and a new floor coating...
TIGER HEARS FOOTSTEPS - NO. 2 ELS CLOSING FAST ON WOODS
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amPACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. - He won't be teeing it up with Tiger Woods at this week's Nissan Open at Riviera, but Ernie Els is on people's minds, because he's the...
GLEN MAY BENCH D-LINQUENT DUO
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amST. PAUL, Minn. - Glen Sather wouldn't announce his intentions, though the activation off Injured Reserve of defensemen Janne Laukkanen and Cory Cross appeared to do all the talking for...
SPREE CALLS FLAGRANT FOUL ON LOUD BYRON
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amSEATTLE - As if Latrell Sprewell needed more aggravation yesterday, the star swingman was stung by scathing remarks from Nets coach Byron Scott, who questioned his punctuality and leadership. The...
NETS, INDY GO TO WAR
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amThe Nets-Pacers. It's not Lakers-Celtics. Yet. But the seeds for a full-blown rivalry exist, including the most important elements: good teams who dislike each other, a point magnified when they...
DON: STILL HAVE BIG THOUGHTS
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amSEATTLE - Don Chaney yesterday re-emphasized the Knicks' goal at today's trading deadline - to get more size. Though a five-team deal that Indiana was trying to arrange seemed unlikely,...
DEVILS' TVERDOVSKY BACK ON SKATES
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amA month to the day after he received a private second opinion that confirmed the concussion he feared, Devil defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky was on the ice yesterday. GM Lou Lamoriello...
ARTEST LABELS JEFFERSON 'DIRTY'
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amRon Artest was told that Byron Scott called him a dirty player, so the Pacer swingman fired back at the Nets coach and one of his players. There's just one...
CONTESSA: 2 MORE POSITIVES
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amTwo more horses saddled by Gary Contessa, the second-leading trainer at the Aqueduct winter meet, have tested positive for ephedra, according to the N.Y. State Racing and Wagering Board, bringing...
DOUBLE LOSS FOR DEVILS
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amSenators 5 - Devils 3 This was double devastation. The Devils' Eastern title aspirations were dealt a major blow in last night's discrediting 5-3 loss to the conference-leading Senators at...
GLEN'S HEAD GAMES GET RANGERS GOING
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amRangers 4 - Wild 2 ST. PAUL, Minn. - They did it on the ice by playing the disciplined, safety-oriented style necessary to produce wins in this NHL. But the...
WARD INJURED AS KNICKS FALL TO LOWLY SONICS
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amSEATTLE - What a lost day for the Knicks! They lost to a team that had a six-game losing streak. They lost any realistic hope of a 4-2 western trip....
OPIE AND ANTHONY GIVE (AWAY) THEIR ALL IN 'RETURN' TO WNEW
February 20, 2003 | 5:00amFallen shock jocks Opie & Anthony returned to the spotlight yesterday, greeting fans on the sidewalk outside WNEW-FM - the station that booted them last year - and holding an...