March 13, 2003

LADY SONDES IS SELLING HER PARTY PLACE FOR $5.5M

WHENEVER Lady Sharon Sondes threw open the doors of her Park Avenue apartment for her cocktail fetes, hundreds of her socialite friends would fill the place to capacity. The so-called...

FANNIE & FREDDIE ARE SITTING ON $3.1T TIME BOMB

HERE'S a question for you philosophy majors to ponder: If someone helps cause a problem, can he absolve himself of guilt by issuing stern warnings about the problem he helped...

INSIDER DOUBTS VIVENDI DEALS

You've heard all the reports about Vivendi selling this or that business. It all seems so very urgent. Here's what someone who would see everything that the disastrous French company...

TEACHERS FUND GETS NEW HOME

The Teachers' Retirement System is staying downtown, expanding and moving to a Class A East River waterfront building. The agency, which administers pensions for the city's teachers, is expecting to...

CHOPPING WARNER ; AOL TW WANTS TO SELL MUSIC UNIT IN PIECES

AOL Time Warner Inc. is exploring a plan to sell its Warner Music operations in pieces rather than as a whole, The Post has learned. The media giant is in...

EXPERTS SEE DOW IN DEEPENING HOLE

Wall Street keeps sinking and can't find a bottom. Economists and analysts say the stock market's so squishy that the Dow Jones industrial average could quickly sink below 7,000 by...

12 BIDDERS EYE BOOKS UNIT

AOL Time Warner has collected a first round of bids for its book publishing division from a dozen potential suitors, The Post has learned. The unit received interest from a...

YANKEE VICTORY ; CABLEVISION GETS TIERS WHILE YES GETS NEEDED FEES

Cablevision agreed yesterday to carry the YES network on a premium tier, something Cablevision had been pushing and YES had been resisting during their long and tense negotiations, The Post...

TEACHERS' GROUP GETS NEW HOME

The Teachers' Retirement System is staying downtown, expanding and moving to a Class A East River waterfront building. The agency, which administers pensions for the city's teachers, is expecting to...

JOE JACKSON STILL LOOKS (& SOUNDS) SHARP

JOE JACKSON IN the final breaths of the intimate Mercury Lounge showcase, rock icon Joe Jackson was sweaty and his tonsils were getting raw, but he still had the breath...

STARR REPORT

Sims in the 'Zone' for UPN remake Former "House of Style" host and pinup model Molly Sims is up in Vancouver this week shooting an episode for UPN's "Twilight Zone,"...

NO SATISFACTION

THE Rolling Stones' playlist has been shanghaied by the government of China only weeks before the band is set to perform there for the first time. "Brown Sugar," "Honky Tonk...

RABBIT SEASON

HERE'S news to make movie lovers gag. The classic comedy "Harvey" will be remade, and John Travolta is in talks that would land him the part immortalized by Jimmy Stewart,...

DUNE TO DEATH; IMAGINE 'DALLAS' IN OUTER SPACE

Frank Herbert's Children of Dune Sunday at 9 on Sci Fi REVOLUTION, jihad, corruption, backstabbing, religious zealotry, betrayal and love. No, I'm not talking about "The Bachelorette." Here. Hell, I'm...

'MAC' ATTACK BITES CREATOR

'BERNIE Mac" creator Larry Wilmore is out after blasting his bosses in this week's Entertainment Weekly. "They don't care," Wilmore said about Fox in an EW article about the impact...

SOAPS' FIRST LESBIAN LOVE SCENE

ABC's "All My Children" will see if what Howard Stern says is really true: "Lesbians equal ratings." Erica Kane's gay daughter, Bianca (Eden Riegel), will hit the sheets with Lena...

EMMY BIGGIES ARE...US! LADIES OF 'THE VIEW' HEAD DAYTIME LINEUP

THE women of "The View" found out they received the most Daytime Emmy nominations - while announcing the nominees, live, on their own show yesterday. Meredith Vieira, Star Jones, Barbara...

'NESSA BOOTED OFF OF 'IDOL 2'

Vanessa Olivarez, the outrageous Georgia native with the pink hair, last night became the first contestant booted off "American Idol 2." "You haven't seen the last of me," a smiling,...

TIME TO SPRING INTO ACTION: SNEAK PEEK AT THE SEASON'S BEST, FROM BARS TO BROADWAY - CDS

A giant 'Step' Les Nubians "One Step Forward" (March 25) Hate the French for their lack of personal hygiene, stinky cheese and weaselly attitude, but not for the Parisian R&B...

TIME TO SPRING INTO ACTION: SNEAK PEEK AT THE SEASON'S BEST, FROM BARS TO BROADWAY - OFF-BROADWAY

Woody? Yes, he would caption: Filmmaker Woody Allen is setting his normally neurotic sights on off-Broadway. No doubt the headline event of the season will be Woody Allen's off-Broadway directorial...

TIME TO SPRING INTO ACTION: SNEAK PEEK AT THE SEASON'S BEST, FROM BARS TO BROADWAY - MOVIES

Catch this 'Thief' "The Good Thief" (April 2), which stars Nick Nolte as a heroin-addicted gambler who masterminds a casino theft on the French Rivera, is the best thing Nolte...

TIME TO SPRING INTO ACTION: SNEAK PEEK AT THE SEASON'S BEST, FROM BARS TO BROADWAY - BROADWAY

A season of revival In a spring season filled with revivals, the biggest thing on Broadway is bound to be "Gypsy." As reimagined by Sam Mendes, this classic 1959 musical...

TIME TO SPRING INTO ACTION: SNEAK PEEK AT THE SEASON'S BEST, FROM BARS TO BROADWAY - CONCERTS

Southern rock and northern lights The Allman Brothers at the Beacon Theatre, 13 performances, tonight through March 30: Gregg Allman explains his band's longevity by saying, "We never cut corners...

SMEAR FACTOR: OSCAR-WATCHERS CRY FOUL WITH KIDMAN, POLANSKI SCOOPS

TINSELTOWN is in a tizzy over explicit just-released transcripts in the Roman Polanski case - and photos allegedly showing Nicole Kidman touching a married co-star's knee. With Oscar polls set...

TITANIC TUNES AND IRISH AIRS: NEW YORK RESONATES TO THE SOUNDS OF CELTIC CHORDS AND IRISH LULLABIES

Titanic tunes and Irish airs New York resonates to the sounds of Celtic chords and Irish lullabies By JOE CUNNINGHAM It's been said that Ireland's greatest export is its people,...

CASTLES IN THE EIRE : SHRINES AND SLIPPER TUBS - BOOKING INTO FORTRESSES ALONG IRELAND'S GLORIOUS SHANNON

The village of Cong is as charming as you've always known it - and you've been there hundreds of times. Every time you've seen John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara donnybrooking...

NOT LIKE MOTHER USED TO MAKE: CORNELIUS GALLAGHER, EXECUTIVE CHEF OF OCEANA, RE-INVENTS CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE POST

CORNELIUS Gallagher would never cook up the usual mess of corned beef and cabbage you get everywhere on St. Patrick's Day. It's why The Post challenged this Irish-American executive chef...

'MIRACLES DO EXIST': UTAH GIRL'S KIDNAP NIGHTMARE FINALLY ENDS AFTER 9 MOS.

Elizabeth Smart, the 15-year-old Utah girl kidnapped from her bedroom nine months ago, was found alive yesterday just 15 miles from her home - with a self-proclaimed prophet who had...

FINAL SHOT AT DIPLOMACY ; BRIT 6-POINT PLAN TO DISARM SADDAM

WASHINGTON - In a final attempt to get the U.N. Security Council on board, Britain yesterday set out a list of six benchmarks for Iraq to meet to avoid war...

BLIX'S FRENCH CONNECTION BENEFITS SADDAM

CALL it the Hans Blix French Connection. If you're wondering why chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix often seems to be in the pocket of France, Russia and Iraq, consider...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

A juror was booted out of court yesterday - for wearing a trendy French Connection T-shirt that reads "fcuk." Judge Huw Daniel objected as the man was being sworn in...

PERVERTED EXCUSE ; PRIEST SIMPLY EXPRESSED HIS SEXUALITY: SIS

The sister of a pervert priest jailed for raping a 13-year-old Long Island boy insisted yesterday at his sentencing that her brother did absolutely nothing wrong - he had merely...

'VANISH' HUSBAND REFUSES LIE TEST

The husband of an East Side woman who mysteriously vanished 10 days ago while walking her father's dog has reneged on his agreement take a polygraph test, The Post has...

FERRY LADY SAW FIEND IN THE POST

A 42-year-old Staten Island woman was taking her usual trip to work on the 8:15 a.m. ferry Tuesday when she opened her Post and saw the photo of Omar Green,...

FEDS TAKE IT ON THE 'CHIN'

Vincent "Chin" Gigante's upcoming racketeering trial may be derailed by a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that deals a blow to the feds' ability to go after wiseguys for labor-union...

L.I. SLAY SUSPECT NAILED IN N.C.

A cowardly killer who shot his victim in the back in a "senseless" Long Island robbery attempt seven months ago has been nabbed in North Carolina, cops said yesterday. Steven...

SACKED SMOKER'S GRAFT CHARGE

An ex-Housing Authority bigwig fired for taking extended smoking breaks is firing up to fight charges he extorted a Harlem shopkeeper out of $14,500 before being sacked. Robert Swinton, 52,...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

Queens A teenager was found stabbed and critically wounded yesterday on a Jamaica street, police said. Cops responded to 169th Street near 85th Avenue at 3:15 p.m. and found the...

HEROES GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR A BETTER WORLD

VIC CIPULLO, 34 years on the force and eight years working undercover, put it this way: "Yes, true, you have to be an actor. "Except, if you are an actor...

SADDAM $$ FOR GAZA TERROR KIN

JERUSALEM - A pro-Iraq group handed out checks totaling $245,000 yesterday to Palestinian families whose relatives have died in the conflict with Israel - including a $25,000 payout to the...

S'NO JOKE: EXPECT 1 TO 2 INS.

Yes, more snow is expected today. But take heart, it could very well be winter's last gasp. Other good news - it won't be a blizzard or even a blanket....

HOMEGROWN WEASELS STICK IT TO BRAVE GIS

TO SAY these people make me sick would be an insult to disease. Yesterday, a majority of your representatives on the City Council spat in the faces of thousands of...

LIBRARY CLOSING IS CHECKED OUT

Libraries that cut schedules to five days a week last year may have to pare down to four to meet the mayor's latest "contingency" budget cut, officials said yesterday. "It's...

GARBAGE FRAUD A FAMILY BIZ: COPS

A Long Island father and daughter with mob ties were charged yesterday with running a multimillion-dollar garbage-collection fraud scheme using threats, coercion and extortion, prosecutors said yesterday. Anthony "Tony" Piccolo,...

TOP NYPD DETECTIVES TEAM UP ON SICKO KILLER

A crack team of New York's sharpest detectives is combing through murder files and quizzing ex-cons in the hunt for the serial killer who murdered three hard-working immigrants in Brooklyn...

WACKY CIG SUIT 'SLIPS' THROUGH

A woman who says her career as a makeup artist was snuffed out when she slipped on cigarette butts outside of a Midtown department store can take her case to...

CITY COUNCIL OKS ANTIWAR RESOLUTION

After five months of back-room wrangling, the City Council yesterday passed an anti-war resolution - with a third of the body strongly opposing it - after an emotional debate. The...

NEW YORK LOST TWO OF ITS VERY FINEST ; 'HEART WAS BIGGEST MUSCLE'

At 5-foot-11 and 265 pounds, Detective Rodney Andrews was a muscular, imposing man who looked like boxer Mike Tyson. And he took full advantage of that when he worked in...

NEW YORK LOST TWO OF ITS VERY FINEST: MODEL DETECTIVE AND FATHER

Detective James Nemorin was a chameleon. One moment, the 6-foot-3 undercover cop could be a gun-seller on the mean streets and the next he could be a gentle father. "He...

FELLOW DEMS RIP JEW-BLAME POL

WASHINGTON - Six leading House Democrats yesterday said they're ready to oppose a fellow Democrat, Rep. Jim Moran of Virginia, if he seeks reelection after blaming "the Jewish community" for...

BLACK HAWK SURVIVOR WANTED TO SERVE

One of two soldiers who survived the helicopter crash that left 11 dead during a training mission at upstate Fort Drum is an ex-Soviet émigré who lived in Brooklyn and...

'JOGGER 5' TO SUE CITY FOR $50M - APIECE

Lawyers for the so-called "Central Park 5" say they plan to file a notice of claim against the city tomorrow - the first step toward each of their clients filing...

COUNCIL PUTS END TO MAYORAL PAPER CHASE

The City Council yesterday passed a bill forbidding mayors and other elected officials from removing official records from city custody when they leave office. The measure - prompted by former...

BADA-BING BUMMER: 'SOPRANOS' SUSPENDED

The future of "The Sopranos" became even more uncertain yesterday as HBO suspended production indefinitely due to its ongoing contract fight with series star James Gandolfini. Cast members - including...

'PRINCE' DETHRONED ; AIDS-RIVEN PAUPER SCAMMED MILLIONS

A former Army paratrooper, who swindled investors by pretending he was a prince with access to the fantastic riches of an African kingdom, admitted the sorry truth yesterday - he's...

SCHOOLS DEADLINE EXTENDED

Schools Chancellor Joel Klein yesterday extended to March 31 the deadline for receiving requests to transfer kids from low-performing schools to better ones - correcting an error in a letter...

YEAR LATER, BLAKE MAY GET BAIL

LOS ANGELES - Robert Blake could walk free as early as today if a judge grants his plea for bail. Lawyers for the troubled actor and accused killer are also...

FIRE-RALLY FLIERS SPUR PHONE THREATS

The wife of a deputy mayor received several threatening phone calls from people identifying themselves as firefighters yesterday after fliers containing the family's home phone number were passed out at...

BRITS PROPOSE 6-POINT PLAN

WASHINGTON - In a final attempt to get the U.N. Security Council on board, Britain yesterday set out a list of six benchmarks for Iraq to meet to avoid war...

LAST 'CALL' FOR 'COP-SLAY' DUO ; CELL PHONE LEADS TO ALLEGED GUNMAN

The merciless triggerman who executed two undercover detectives in a Staten Island gun sting gone bad was nabbed in Brooklyn yesterday after cops tracked him down through his cell phone,...

'MIRACLES DO EXIST' ; UTAH GIRL'S KIDNAP NIGHTMARE IS OVER

Elizabeth Smart, the 15-year-old Utah girl kidnapped from her bedroom nine months ago, was found alive yesterday just 15 miles from her home - with a self-proclaimed prophet who had...

L.A. COPS HAVE PHIL OF SPECTOR

LOS ANGELES - A high-powered lawyer for troubled music genius Phil Spector predicted his client will dodge murder charges in a forecast that irked cops, who called the comment "improper."...

REVEALED: AL QAEDA PLOT TO KILL BUBBA

Handwritten plans uncovered in Afghanistan reveal that Osama bin Laden's terrorists wanted to assassinate then-President Bill Clinton at an international economic summit in Malaysia, an al Qaeda expert says. In...

CABLEVISION SAYS YES!; YANKEE GAMES AIR THIS YEAR

Following more than a year of hardball, Yankee fans finally will be able to watch their beloved Bombers on Cablevision. Cablevision and the YES Network struck a deal yesterday to...

U.S. TRIES TO COAX SURRENDER

WASHINGTON - The United States already is secretly conducting surrender negotiations with several Iraqi army commanders in an effort to weaken Saddam Hussein before any war, officials said last night....

HEAT'S ON A FIREHOUSE RALLY

Hundreds of firefighters, government officials and union leaders rallied yesterday outside of City Hall Park calling for the city to save eight firehouses from extinction. Citing dangers to the public...

SCHOOLS CHIEF TRIES SOFT SELL ON REFORMS

Schools Chancellor Joel Klein is trying to get top city educators - many fearing for their jobs - to support his dramatic overhaul of the school system. "We need the...

COPS NAIL L.I. SLAY SUSPECT

A cowardly killer who shot his victim in the back in a "senseless" Long Island robbery attempt seven months ago has been nabbed in North Carolina, cops said yesterday. Steven...

BLAKE WAS 'COVERED IN GUNPOWDER'

LOS ANGELES - Prosecutors presented scientific evidence that "Baretta" actor Robert Blake was covered in gunpowder from hands to toes the night his wife was slain. But a defense lawyer...

OSAMA'S PLOT TO KILL BUBBA: BLUEPRINTS OF MALAYSIA ATTACK PLAN DISCOVERED

Handwritten plans uncovered in Afghanistan reveal that al Qaeda terrorists wanted to assassinate then-President Bill Clinton at an international economic summit in Malaysia in 1998, The Post has learned. In...

SECRET TALKS OF SURRENDER: U.S. TRYING TO CONVINCE IRAQI ARMY BIGS TO LAY DOWN ARMS

WASHINGTON - The United States already is secretly conducting surrender negotiations with several Iraqi army commanders in an effort to weaken Saddam Hussein before any war, officials said last night....

CELL PHONE LEADS TO ALLEGED GUNMAN

The merciless triggerman who executed two undercover detectives in a Staten Island gun sting gone bad was nabbed in Brooklyn yesterday after cops tracked him down through his cell phone,...

KIDNAP ORDEAL ENDS : MISSING UTAH GIRL FOUND WITH WEIRDO HANDYMAN

Elizabeth Smart, the 15-year-old Utah girl who was kidnapped from her bedroom nine months ago, was found alive yesterday with a self-proclaimed prophet who had worked as a handyman in...

ANNOYED L.A. COPS HAVE HAD THEIR PHIL OF SPECTOR

LOS ANGELES - A high-powered lawyer for troubled music genius Phil Spector predicted his client will dodge murder charges in a forecast that irked cops, who called the comment "improper."...

MONDESI STILL IN DARK ABOUT YANKEE FUTURE TRADE TALK.

Yankees 10Reds 5 SARASOTA - When Yankee brass meets today to discuss the Opening Day roster, Raul Mondesi's future will be debated. Some believe it's time to trade Mondesi, no...

PROVIDENCE HOPING FOR DIVINE RUN

Providence 73W. Virginia 50 St. John's isn't the only team that entered the Big East Tournament with the outside possibility of an NCAA tournament berth dancing in its head, believing...

SCRATCHED DEVS HAPPY TO STAY

BOSTON - On the whole, in the end, they said they were glad they weren't traded. But Scott Gomez and Oleg Tverdovsky, fresh from the embarrassment of sitting out healthy,...

HE'S JOLLY ROGER ; CEDENO A HAPPY CAMPER

Dodgers 5Mets 1 PORT ST. LUCIE - Even at 8:15 a.m., Roger Cedeno smiles as he walks through the clubhouse door. Even when he just signs a ball for Mets...

INGRAM POINTS WAY TO VICTORY

AT some point, Elijah Ingram had to stop believing the numbers that kept sneering at him from the box scores and start trusting his own basketball instincts. He had to...

THERE'S GOLD IN KILLINGTON'S HILLS

KILLINGTON continues to produce some of the top talent in the country when it comes to snow sports, boasting two more of its own taking Junior Olympic titles in freestyle...

STORM'S BREWING AT GARDEN: ST. JOHN'S ON ROLLAFTER UPSET OF IRISH

St. John's 83Notre Dame 80 There have been some agonizing words uttered in St. John's postgame locker rooms this season: panic; hesitant; pressing; tight. A new word entered yesterday: trust....

FORDHAM MULLS HILL'S FUTURE

Fordham continues its evaluation process of its men's basketball program and its future under coach Bob Hill, several sources told The Post. As reported exclusively several weeks ago, Fordham and...

WEATHERS FORECAST CALLS FOR PLENTY OF SON

PORT ST. LUCIE - David Weathers was making the most of a mid-March afternoon in spring training. Practice was done so he scooped up his 3-year-old son Ryan and his...

KNICKS MAY LOSE 'GUARD OF FUTURE'

If the Knicks don't sign their point-guard-of-the-future Milos Vujanic this summer, they could lose him to "the Knicks of Spain" as one international agent calls Real Madrid. Real Madrid, of...

ST. RAYMOND'S HAS ROUGH ROAD TO TOP

Louie McCroskey still doesn't get it. He and the rest of his St. Raymond's HS teammates played a schedule filled with nationally ranked opponents and everywhere they went, they received...

JIMMY V'S LEGACY STIRS AT WAGNER

After a big Wagner College win, head coach Dereck Whittenburg tries to wrap each of his players in a bear hug. It's the most apparent sign, though one of dozens,...

YANKS HOPE PEN DOESN'T RUN OUT

SARASOTA - Spring training provides answers to some questions. Yet when it comes to the middle of the Yankees' bullpen, don't expect anything concrete in Florida. According to Joe Torre,...

POTI: CARTER PERFECT FIT

Ranger defenseman Tom Poti is the area's foremost authority on all players traded here Tuesday from Edmonton. For example, he knows that Janne Niinimaa, who was sent to the archrival...

MORTEN MAY HAVE ENCORE WITH BIG BLUE

After a week without communication, the Giants yesterday called Morten Andersen, rekindling hopes they can sign the kicker they never wanted to part ways with. Andersen, who acts as his...

CELTS, SIXERS STALKING NETS

Remember when Boston and Philadelphia were mere afterthoughts for the Nets? Remember when the Nets were laughably far ahead of their Atlantic Division foes? Well, is it at all possible...

ISLES FEEL REF'S GOOF COST THEM

The Islanders will welcome defenseman Janne Niinimaa to their lineup tonight with open arms, but their reception for the officials for tonight's game in Edmonton won't be quite as warm....

JETS TO MATCH MORTON OFFER

The clock strikes zero today on the first of two significant free-agent offer sheet decisions the Jets must make. While the Jets received the paperwork from the Redskins on their...

B.C. GLAD TO FACE STORM A 3RD TIME

When Boston College last won the Big East Conference Tournament, in 2001, it had to get past an opening-round winner it had beaten twice that season. The Eagles dusted Villanova,...

SHORT-HANDED VILLANOVA CAN'T CREATE MIRACLE

G'town 46'Nova 41 Villanova tried to come up with some magic. Tried to hearken back to their miracle 1985 national championship team. Hoped the afterglow of their women's team's stunning...

BURNITZ-TO-PODS DEAL SHOT DOWN

PORT ST. LUCIE - The Mets and Padres discussed a Jeromy Burnitz deal, with San Diego offering pitcher Kevin Jarvis and outfielder Bubba Trammell, but the Mets turned down the...

WAGNER WRAPS UP NCAA BID

NEC CHAMPIONSHIPWagner 78St. Francis 61 The players scrunched together and smiled. The fans' cameras were ready to capture a symbol of the biggest moment in the 83 years of Wagner...

ST. RAY'S REIGNS

CHSAA 'A'St. Ray's 75CTK 69 St. Raymond's Gavin Grant made his presence felt throughout the season, but the junior forward never had taken a shot as big as the one...

PIRATES BOOST TOURNEY HOPES

Seton Hall 67 Miami 52 Backed into a corner, needing to win last night's Big East Tourney opener to have any real chance of getting into the Big Dance, Seton...

MIKE GOES BATTY ; PIAZZA EXPLODES AFTER BEING PLUNKED AGAIN BY DODGER

SPLIT SQUADDodgers 5Mets 1 SPLIT SQUADDodgers 13Mets 6 PORT ST. LUCIE - The anger was apparent on the Mets' faces. On their bodies. This wasn't a spring-training game anymore. This...

PIRATES SEE BIG PAYOFF

Don't think for a second that Seton Hall was looking past Miami in its Big East Tournament opener last night. It's just that when the Pirates talked boldly of winning,...

B.C. GLAD IT'LL PLAY ST. JOHN'S IN QUARTERS

When Boston College last won the Big East Conference Tournament, in 2001, it had to get past an opening-round winner it had beaten twice that season. The Eagles dusted Villanova,...

MIKE GOES BATTY : PIAZZA EXPLODES AFTER BEING PLUNKED AGAIN BY DODGER

SPLIT SQUAD Dodgers 5 Mets 1 SPLIT SQUAD Dodgers 13 Mets 6 PORT ST. LUCIE - For the second time in as many years, Mike Piazza was involved in a...

JOE: CAN'T ROOT FOR 'DIRTY, ROTTEN' SOX

YANKEE NOTES SARASOTA - The Evil Empire hosts the Red Sox tonight at Legends Field in the second spring meeting between the Yankees and their fierce AL East rival. "It's...

ISLES FEEL REF'S GOOF COST THEM BIG POINT

The Islanders will welcome defenseman Janne Niinimaa to their lineup tonight with open arms, but their reception for the officials for tonight's game in Edmonton won't be quite as warm....