February 27, 2003

HIP-HOP'S JAY-Z CLOSER TO CALVIN

IT'S enough to get Calvin Klein's Calvins in a bunch. The word on the street is that rap impresario Jay-Z may be buying a luxe crib on the floor below...

SONY PIX CEO CALLEY RE-UPS FOR 2 YEARS

Sony took another step to solidify its management, announcing that John Calley will stay on as chairman and chief executive officer of Sony Pictures Entertainment for two more years. In...

REAL ESTATE RUMBLE; INSIGNIA RESIDENTIAL UNIT IN HEATED BIDDING WAR

A spirited bidding war has erupted over Insignia Douglas Elliman, the residential division of the recently purchased Insignia Financial Group. Inside sources say at least three separate suitors - including...

GLOVES OFF AS SPITZER TARGETS OCC

The next Washington bureaucrat in the path of New York's steamrolling Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is fellow Ivy Leaguer John Hawke - top regulator of national banks. Spitzer says Hawke,...

CMJ SPIN CONTROL: MAG SUBBED ITS OWN PROMO CD INTO RADIO PLAYLISTS

New York-based College Music Journal, which monitors airplay on college radio stations across the nation and provides music execs with key data on what college kids are listening to, has...

RED HERRING GOES FISHING FOR A BUYER

The clock seems to be ticking off its finals moments at Red Herring, which once famously refused to sell itself to Time Inc. for $200 million and now is scrounging...

CIGARETTE MAKERS SINGED BY N.Y. SMOKING DROP

THIS is a good news/bad news story. The good news is that fewer cigarettes are being sold. The bad news is that fewer cigarettes are being sold. The recession and...

INVESTORS DUMP STOX, BUY BONDS

Soaring oil prices and weak earnings scared more Wall Street investors out of stocks yesterday for yet another losing session. Investors poured cash into the safety of bonds for the...

FOUR S FOR 'SIX'; HBO'S FUNERAL-HOME SOB OPERA COMES ROARING BACK TO LIFE

"Six Feet Under" Sunday night at 9 on HBO THERE are three big sins in my family which can get you excommunicated from the clan: Commandment One is "Thou better...

STARR REPORT

Is this tire heir the new 'Bachelor' boy? The Santa Barbara News-Press reported yesterday that ABC is likely to name Andrew Firestone as the next star of "The Bachelor." Firestone,...

B'WAY STEAL

FORGET those $480 "Producers" tickets. It will only cost you $1 - no, that's not a typo - to see the first preview of the award-winning British comedy "The Play...

MERRILY IT GOES 'ROUND

NEW YORK CITY BALLET At New York State Theater, Lincoln Center; (212) 870-5570. Season runs through Monday. SERENDIPITY is never a bad thing. Or so it seems, based on what...

DOOMED SOLDIERS AMID THE GRIM & POETIC

OBSERVE THE SONS OF ULSTER MARCHING TOWARDS THE SOMME At the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, 150 W. 65th St. Call TeleCharge (212) 239-6200. A whole culture reveals itself as the...

BOOK OF LOVE

SCATTERGOOD At the Samuel Beckett Theatre, 410 W. 42 St. Through March 22. Call Ticket Central (212) 279-4200. EVERY so often an actor finds himself slipping as comfortably into a...

IT'S FINAL. BYE, BYE BUFFY

'BUFFY the Vampire Slayer" star Sarah Michelle Gellar has driven the last nail into the show's coffin. "'Buffy,' in this incarnation, is over," Gellar tells Entertainment Weekly in an exclusive...

RAP RULES

IT'S a one-two rap punch atop the charts. Fans were undeterred by the child pornography charges facing rapper R. Kelly, and boosted his latest to the No. 1 spot. Kelly's...

'WHO KNEW BLAKE WAS WATCHING?'

THE Post made a guest appearance on Tuesday's "Tonight Show." During his monologue, Jay Leno brandished a copy of Tuesday's edition of The Post turned to our story about imprisoned...

'JOE' WILL FOOL AGAIN

THERE will be a "Joe Millionaire 2" - just don't ask how it will work. It was thought the show's twist - that "Joe" was really dirt poor - made...

ROMAN HOLIDAY ; 'PIANIST' PRIZES PUT POLANSKI IN REACH OF OSCAR

IT looks like Hollywood may be ready to forgive fugitive director Roman Polanski - who confessed to having sex with a ninth grader - and give its top laurels to...

ANOTHER YEAR FOR '24,' 'ALIAS'

TWO of TV's biggest cult hits, "Alias" and "24" will both be back next fall. ABC and Fox announced yesterday that the two shows will be returning, although there had...

EVERYTHING'S COMING UP DISCO

AFTER an inexplicable 25-year absence, "The Ethel Merman Disco Album," has finally been re-released on CD (Fynsworth Alley). Ethel, of course, was known as a Broadway belter whose taste ran...

'60S REVISITED

HARD on the Birkenstock heels of the rock musical "Love, Janis" comes "Dream a Little Dream," the story of the Mamas and the Papas - complete with one of the...

LETTERMAN MISSES 1ST SHOW

DAVID Letterman's eye infection forced him to miss last night's "Late Show." Letterman, who talked about the infection on Tuesday's show, was replaced by Bruce Willis, who was scheduled to...

IT'S 'B' SEASON! SECOND-STRING STARS FINALLY GET TO PLAY

LET'S hear it for the B-list. Even while the harsh winter has been keeping top-tier revelers like Nicole Kidman away from parties, semi-celebs are out in force at premieres, store...

POL UNEARTHS VITAL HERITAGE

State Sen. David Paterson's November 2002 "coup" to take over the seat of minority leader - making him the highest ranking African-American elected official in New York state - is...

MOM DELIVERS BOY THE E-Z WAY ; BABY BORN IN TOLL LANE AT MIDTOWN TUNNEL ENTRANCE

A pregnant Brooklyn mom made a real E-ZPass as she entered the Queens-Midtown Tunnel yesterday - effortlessly popping out a bouncing baby boy. Elva Novoa, 36, was riding into Manhattan...

U.S.: DON'T LET SADDAM FLEE

WASHINGTON - The military has prepared special pamphlets to be dropped over Iraq at the beginning of the war warning Iraqi citizens not to let Saddam Hussein escape, Pentagon officials...

ELECTION IS STILL TOO CLOSE TO CALL

The winner of a near-deadlocked special election for a Brooklyn City Council seat won't be determined until next week when paper ballots are counted, officials said yesterday. Unofficial results show...

LAWYERS CHARGED IN HOSP E.R. SCAM

A half-dozen personal-injury lawyers were charged yesterday in a scam that allowed a network of corrupt hospital employees to do the ambulance-chasing for them, authorities said. In at least three...

UNDERGROUND PANDERING

COUNTLESS politicians insist the MTA's plan to close 177 token booths would deal a devastating blow to the mass-transit riding public. Have they met the clerk who sells me two...

L.I. PERV-PRIEST BILL HITS $2.3M

Long Island's Roman Catholic diocese paid out $2.3 million from 1985 until last year to settle lawsuits arising from sexual abuse by priests, counsel victims and treat molesters, the diocese...

RECORD 300G FINE FOR CSC

ALBANY - A bribery-tainted prison company accepted the largest lobbying fine in state history in order to avert a seven-year ban on lobbying. Correctional Services Corp. agreed to a $300,000...

FIENDS' FRIENDSHIP FORGED IN BLOOD

Only murder could have joined these two teens in friendship. Before strangling both of her parents, Connie Leung was the proverbial "good girl," a 17-year-old high-schooler with good grades and...

COUNCIL BACKS PILL BILL ; ORDERS SALE OF MORNING-AFTER BIRTH CONTROL

More women could have access to the controversial "morning-after pill" under legislation passed yesterday by the City Council. The measure requires the city's sexually transmitted disease clinics to carry the...

DEATH-INFERNO ROCKERS TALKING TO COPS

Surviving members of the band Great White talked to Rhode Island police yesterday at the scene of the deadly nightclub fire that was ignited by the band's pyrotechnic show. Band...

FEDS IN RAP SESSION TO PLAN HIP-HOP BUSTS

Four federal agencies will join forces in Manhattan tomorrow in a fresh effort to bust a group of gangsta rappers they believe are responsible for drug dealing, money laundering and...

10 PERISH IN FIRE ; SMOKE CLAIMS RESIDENTS AT CONNECTICUT NURSING HOME

Ten residents of a Connecticut nursing home - some of them bed-ridden and unable to move - died yesterday when an early-morning blaze turned the building into a smoky tomb,...

DISGRACED B'KLYN POL WANTS BREAK

A former Brooklyn City Councilman who pleaded guilty to bribe charges wants a judge to cut him a break at sentencing - claiming his crime was an "isolated" incident that...

SHUTTLE SHOCKER ; ENGINEERS FORESAW DISASTER, DIDN'T TELL BOSSES

A series of e-mails released yesterday show that 23 hours before the Columbia disintegrated in a ball of fire killing the seven astronauts aboard, engineers saw a disaster looming -...

BIG BREAK 'STRIP' COP

Federal prosecutors suffered a major setback in their case against a Suffolk highway cop accused of forcing five women to strip to avoid DWI arrests. Not only did DNA of...

CAUTIOUS HILLARY PLAYS BOTH SIDES IN WAR GAME

ANTI-WAR fever is all the rage in the Democratic Party these days, but candidate-in-waiting Hillary Clinton is carefully sidestepping it, even though the left is often seen as her natural...

MEET THE $OPRANOS ; CAST WHACKS HBO FOR BIG-BUCKS RAISES

Cast members of "The Sopranos" are strong-arming HBO for substantial raises with less than four weeks to go before filming begins on new episodes. While five of the series' better-known...

'GLORY' RETORT FOR ANTI-FLAG HOOPSTER

As debate raged over a Manhattanville College women's hoop star turning away from Old Glory during the national anthem, a patriotic shock artist was booted off the campus yesterday after...

COP SHOOTS COUSIN IN BROOKLYN DISPUTE

A Brooklyn detective shot and wounded her cousin yesterday when he pulled a knife on her, police said. Cops said the off-duty officer and a man were leaving a building...

NYPD ANTI-TERROR BOSS GETTING BUMP UP TO CHIEF OF DETECTIVES

The chief of the NYPD's anti-terrorism squad will be named by Commissioner Ray Kelly as the new chief of detectives, sources told The Post. George Brown will succeed William Allee,...

BLAKE TRIED TO HIRE ME FOR HIT

LOS ANGELES - A former LAPD detective testified yesterday that Robert Blake tried to hire him to "whack" the actor's wife. William Welch, a 21-year LAPD veteran, said Blake approached...

CITY 'ALIEN' POLICY ON TRIAL IN RAPE ; 'ILLEGALS' GOT FREE PASS: POLS

A congressional committee wants to know whether city policy kept the suspects in a brutal Queens rape - illegal aliens with prior criminal records - from being deported before they...

UPSTATE 4 CHARGED OVER BAGHDAD $$

WASHINGTON - Four men from the Syracuse area - including a Muslim religious leader at a state prison - were charged yesterday with sending more than $4 million to Iraq....

MOB FAMILIES' $3M UNION GRAB: NO-SHOW JOBS AT MAJOR PROJECTS

The Genovese and Colombo mob families stole $3.6 million from major construction projects - including the Museum of Modern Art and local baseball stadiums - by grabbing control of two...

PATAKI TRIMS FAT FOR NEW KOSHER LAW

ALBANY - Gov. Pataki yesterday unveiled an "emergency" kosher bill designed to replace the state's nearly 90-year-old laws that were struck down as unconstitutional. Two Long Island butchers had successfully...

LEONA APPEALS 'GROSS' PAYOUT

The so-called "Queen of Mean" shouldn't have to pay a king's ransom to an employee she wrongfully axed because he's gay, her lawyers argued in court yesterday. Leona Helmsley's lawyers...

9/11 HERO MOLESTED GIRL: COPS

A veteran firefighter who helped rescue New Yorkers at the World Trade Center has been accused of sexually abusing a 10-year-old-girl. Kenneth Dorsey, 41, of Elmont, L.I., was charged last...

N. KOREA FIRES UP REACTOR

WASHINGTON - North Korea reactivated a nuclear reactor yesterday - taking a confrontational step toward production of new nuclear bombs. North Korea already has one or two nuclear bombs and...

WHITE HOUSE RAPS RATHER

The White House yesterday rapped CBS anchor Dan Rather for giving Saddam Hussein an hour of prime-time TV for "propaganda and lies" - without allowing a rebuttal by President Bush's...

BUSH BARES VISION OF 'FREE IRAQ'

WASHINGTON - President Bush last night offered his vision for "a free Iraq" as a beacon of democracy in the Mideast that would help create a peaceful Palestinian state -...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

Bless me, father - could you fetch me another cocktail? That's what Roland Seidel hears these days - he's a priest who divides his time between preaching and working as...

UNCONSCIOUS TOTS SAVED FROM L.I. HOUSE BLAZE

Twin 4-year-old boys were plucked from their blazing Long Island home yesterday by passing volunteer firefighters who scrambled up a ladder and broke into a smoke-choked bathroom, where the youngsters...

BLAKE FUMED AT NEWS OF BABY

LOS ANGELES - Prosecutors tried to hang Robert Blake with his own words yesterday, playing the tape of a confrontational telephone call the actor had with his slain wife. "You...

CLASS 'ROOM' : CROWDED SCHOOLS MUST SQUEEZE IN TRANSFERS, FEDS WARN

A top Bush education official yesterday warned that New York City and other school systems can't use crowded conditions as an excuse to avoid complying with the new federal law...

CLASS 'ROOM' CRUNCH: CROWDED SCHOOLS MUST SQUEEZE IN TRANSFERS, FEDS WARN

A top Bush education official yesterday warned that New York City and other school systems can't use crowded conditions an excuse to avoid complying with the new federal law allowing...

MOB JOB SCAM BUSTED: 42 INDICTED IN UNION RIP-OFFS

The Genovese and Colombo mob families stole $3.6 million from major construction projects, including the Museum of Modern Art and local baseball stadiums, by grabbing control of two unions doing...

PERV-CASE RABBI HIRES DIDDY LAWYER

The rabbi accused of cyber-chasing a 13-year-old girl for sex has lawyered "up," trading in his first attorney for defense powerhouse Benjamin Brafman. Rabbi Israel Kestenbaum - who hails from...

ARIEL BOOTS BIBI FROM TOP POST

JERUSALEM - In a surprise move, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon yesterday yanked his hawkish rival Benjamin Netanyahu from the plum post of foreign minister. Sharon offered Netanyahu a consolation...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

THE BRONX A tot was in critical condition yesterday after his teenage baby-sitter allegedly beat and shook him so violently he sustained brain damage. Joseph Seaborough, 17, was arrested early...

CITY'S IMMIGRANT POLICY ON TRIAL AS FEDS PROBE RAPE

A congressional committee wants to know whether city policy kept the suspects in a brutal Queens rape - illegal aliens with prior criminal records - from being deported before they...

JURY CONVICTS WACKY BLOOMBERG EXTORTIONIST

The wacky computer genius from Kazakhstan ran out of tricks yesterday when a Manhattan jury found him guilty of trying to extort $200,000 from Mayor Bloomberg before Hizzoner entered politics....

FRAUD ARTIST FINDS PRISON LESS FILLING

A hefty, gun-toting New York artist, who peddled fake Jean-Michel Basquiat paintings, told a Manhattan judge yesterday prison was good for his health after he was handed a 27-month prison...

WOULD-BE PA CHAIRMAN OUT

A real-estate developer tapped to be the next chairman of the Port Authority withdrew his name from consideration yesterday after months of questions about whether he made improper campaign donations....

BLOOMBERG EXTORTIONIST CONVICTED

The wacky computer genius from Kazakhstan ran out of tricks yesterday when a Manhattan jury found him guilty of trying to extort $200,000 from Mayor Bloomberg before Hizzoner entered politics....

VICTIM TUSSLES WITH PERV'S LAWYER

After yesterday's sentencing of William Schultz at Suffolk County District Court, there was a tense exchange between the defense lawyer and the victim - who called lawyer Eric Naiburg a...

TENANT'S SEX-CAM NIGHTMARE

A Long Island woman who said she suffered a "visual rape" by her peeping Tom landlord and his hidden camcorder lashed out yesterday after he got off with a slap...

RISING FROM THE ASHES: LIBESKIND PLAN PICKED FOR WTC

A bold plan by architect Daniel Libeskind, which includes a below-ground memorial pit and a building that would be the world's tallest, was selected for the World Trade Center site,...

'FIRST' WTC MOURNERS MARK 10 YEARS

Family, friends and co-workers of the six people who perished in the first World Trade Center terror attack gathered at nearby St. Peter's Church - as they have every year...

'HIT-RUN' KIN: DON'T GIVE LOUSY DAD THE BABY

The bitter custody battle over a Brooklyn baby who survived a horrific hit-and-run that killed three - including his mother - turned ugly yesterday when his maternal grandmother accused the...

SUBWAY TOKEN BOOTHS WIN A REPRIEVE

The MTA is derailing its controversial plan to shut down 177 token booths while it remains on track next week to approve raising the bus and subway fare to $2,...

'HUE' & CRY FOR MIKE: RACIAL DIVIDE COULD DOOM MAYOR: POLL

Black and Hispanic New Yorkers are giving Mayor Bloomberg a huge thumbs-down - in sharp contrast to whites, a new poll showed yesterday. The largely negative view of Bloomberg by...

MORE GLOOM FOR STORM

Boston College 81 St. John's 63 On the night of March 8, 2001, after Seton Hall beat St. John's in a first-round game of the Big East Tournament, Mike Jarvis...

KING MAY BE GONER

Eric King's once-promising St. John's career appears to be over. The talented 6-foot-6 forward from Brooklyn did not play at all last night. After the game, Sterling Nunnally, King's AAU...

REMEMBER THE ALOMAR! ; ABOVE ALL, METS NEED ROBBIE REBOUND

PORT ST. LUCIE - In explaining why Cliff Floyd could have a breakout year, Mets GM Steve Phillips described the muscular left fielder's back as being "as wide as the...

HOWE RESTORES ORDER ; SET BATTING LINEUP BIG CHANGE FOR METS

PORT ST. LUCIE - On the eve of today's Mets exhibition opener, Art Howe again pledged to go with "a pretty set lineup" and few variations this season. Howe's vow,...

RAHLVES SAVORING HIS DREAM SEASON

MOST of the glory went to Bode Miller at the Alpine Championships, but Daron Rahlves has quietly racked up a glorious downhill season. The 2002-03 World Cup season has been...

ARROYO GLAD TO BE BACK

Norberto Arroyo Jr. resumed riding yesterday at Aqueduct for the first time since Dec. 29 after serving 40 days in the Nassau County Correctional Facility on assault charges stemming from...

CODE BLUESHIRT ; RANGERS IN RUINS IF THEY LOSE THIS ONE

Two different opinions about tonight's game against the Bruins filtered through the Rangers' locker room yesterday. One was the truth. The other was a stretch. Tonight's crucial game vs. Boston,...

MATSUI MAKES DEBUT TODAY VS. REDS

TAMPA - A year ago, Jason Giambi clubbed two homers in his first Yankees exhibition game, and the back page of The Post screamed, "Tino, Who." So don't try to...

CONE BACK, THROWS WELL ON THE SIDE

MET NOTES PORT ST. LUCIE - David Cone returned to camp yesterday, and the crafty veteran reported everything is going well on the mound and at home. Cone missed workouts...

ISLES' FOES ANSWER TO WIEMER

While there are some players in an Islander uniform who have a problem standing up for their teammates, Jason Wiemer is certainly not one of them. Just ask Atlanta's Jeff...

FROM BOOZE TO CHEERS: BOOMER'S BOOK: I WAS 'HALF-DRUNK' FOR PERFECT GAME

"Never in the history of professional sports has a feat so difficult been accomplished by an athlete so thoroughly shot."DAVID WELLS TAMPA - Thanks to a "Saturday Night Live" cast...

SPREE: NO MORE TALKING

Latrell Sprewell had considered asking Byron Scott about the coach's critical remarks about him, but the Knick forward backed off yesterday, saying it wasn't important enough. "I could care less...

NICK'S WRIST NEEDS SHOT

YANKEE NOTES TAMPA - With multiple tests on his bothersome left wrist coming back negative, Nick Johnson is headed for a cortisone shot that will likely be administered Saturday. Johnson...

TIME FOR BYRON TO BE QUIET

SOMEDAY, preferably sooner than later, Byron Scott is going to have to get over the fact that he's no longer a professional basketball player. He'll have to lay down his...

COACH'S FINALE WILL HAVE TO WAIT

PSAL PLAYOFFSGrady 65Roosevelt 46 Things are different before games for Jack Ringel these days. The 54-year-old coach knows that his next loss at Grady High School will be his last....

GIL'S KIN STILL WAITING, WONDERING

TAMPA - Joan Hodges had no words to explain how she felt. Only tears. "What else can she say?" Joan's daughter Irene told me yesterday afternoon. "This is a tough...

TALK OF SHORING UP 'D' HAS STRAHAN PUMPED

"We definitely need some impact players on defense."MICHAEL STRAHAN If it takes one to know one, then Michael Strahan's words should be heeded. The Pro Bowl defensive end said yesterday...

JONES' HEAVY BURDEN ; MOVES UP TO BATTLE WBA CHAMP RUIZ

LAS VEGAS - Roy Jones Jr. and his entourage arrived an hour late for yesterday's press conference at Caesars Palace to promote Saturday's fight with WBA heavyweight champion John Ruiz....

JUDGMENT DAY FOR RED STORM

The St. John's players and coaches can say all they want about taking it one game at a time, worrying about themselves instead of the opponent, playing 40 minutes of...

PLAYER, COACH EYE FINISH LINE

PSAL PLAYOFFSBanneker 61Curtis 59 PSAL PLAYOFFS Grady 65 Roosevelt 46 It may not seem like it, but Banneker's star player, Gary Forbes, and Grady's coach, Jack Ringel, have something in...

EWING GETS HIS WISH

The Knicks have managed to turn tomorrow's Patrick Ewing jersey retirement ceremony into a soap opera. But Ewing will get his wish. Initially, the Knicks planned on staging the 17-minute...

SPREWELL, SCOTT BURY HATCHET

It was hardly the Geneva Convention, but Latrell Sprewell and Byron Scott cleared the air last night. And the verdict? Over. Done with. Blown out of proportion. "It was nothing...

SCOTT'S TEAM ENJOYS LAUGHER OVER KNICKS

Nets 105 Knicks 76 Kenyon Martin was back in the lineup and with him, an infectious energy. The shooting touch that had remained on sabbatical since the All-Star break returned...

NOW IT'S TIME FOR SCOTT TO PIPE DOWN

BYRON Scott insists he's through as a pundit, finished as a basketball gadfly. Swears he's removing his editorials from daily circulation, retiring the tongue that launched a thousand firestorms. "I'm...

NETS SHOOTING STARS

NET NOTES Make shots, score points, win games. Easy, right? That's basically how the Nets whipped the Knicks last night: with shooting, pretty much across the board. Ironically, the only...

SHOTS IN THE DARK: STRUGGLING NETS BAFFLED BY OFFENSIVE INEPTITUDE

With the exception of Kenyon Martin - he can't be blamed for Tuesday's Cleveland fiasco because he wasn't even there - and Aaron Williams, it has been an across-the-board offensive...

SCOTT WANTS TO BURY THE HATCHET

NET NOTES Byron Scott wanted to resolve his situation with Latrell Sprewell. Scott wanted to talk with the Knicks' swingman, hopefully putting L'Affair Latrell as far in the past as...