March 18, 2003
LOCK IN INTEREST RATES NOW; DON'T TAKE A CHANCE ON WAR
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amSHOULD you lock in a mortgage at today's interest rates or hold out for something better? That may seem like a simple question. But the answer is complicated, and especially...
NEW HBO CHIEF HITS A BUZZ SAW
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amChris Albrecht is an expert at calming the egos of both stars and high-spirited ponies - so it surprised many in Hollywood that the HBO chief blew up James Gandolfini's...
GRUBB FIRM CHIEF, CFO GET BOOTED
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amReal estate services giant Grubb & Ellis finally pushed out its chief executive officer, Barry Barovick, who resigned yesterday, along with its chief financial officer. There is speculation that the...
SPORTS MUSEUM GOING INTO PLAY
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amIMAGINE going to bat against Nolan Ryan or going one on one with Michael Jordan - and doing it within walking distance of the New York Stock Exchange and the...
STARR REPORT
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amLeeza goes 'Retro'; 'ET's' Jann on a role "Extra's" Leeza Gibbons is wearing many hats, successfully, these days. Not only does she have her "Extra" gig, but Gibbons executive-produces E!'s...
ON ANOTHER PLANET
March 18, 2003 | 5:00am* (hed) PLANET EARTH "Black Out" [] Jive Side by side with the electronic scream vocals and arrangements that corrode in an acid bath of thrash guitars are lyrics that...
THEY'RE LOOKING AT JONI FROM ALL SIDES NOW
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amTAKE a big yellow taxi to the Upper West Side Saturday for "Wall to Wall Joni Mitchell," a marathon celebrating the '60s songwriter/songbird. This 33rd annual "Wall to Wall" event,...
THREE NETWORKS PLAY WAR GAMES
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amNETWORKS have been conducting huge dress rehearsals to cover a war with Iraq and the possibility of massive terrorist retaliations on the U.S. and Israel. The rehearsals, which entail satellite...
UNDER THE GUN - HOLLYWOOD EYES OSCAR DELAY IN FACE OF IRAQ WAR
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amTHE show must go on - or - should it? Hollywood's phone lines - are buzzing as the industry's - biggest players ponderwhether to pull the plug on Sunday's Oscars...
FEEL SAFE? NOT SO FAST
March 18, 2003 | 5:00am"Court TV Safety Challenge" [ ] Wednesday at 8 on Court TV ------ WITH war only seconds away, the biggest safety issue on your mind right now might be whether...
OPRAH TO TRISTA: 'GET MARRIED ON MY SHOW'
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amOPRAH Winfrey wants "The Bachelorette" stars Trista Rehn and her intended, Ryan Sutter, to get married on her show. "Listen, I would be happy to pay for [the wedding] and...
WHY THE SHOW MUST GO ON
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amWHEN it comes to flag- waving, Hollywood is positively phobic. That's the unspoken reason why some in the Hollywood community support canceling the Oscars in the event of war -...
BAGHDAD BOOGIE - NBC AND ABC GET MARCHING ORDERS FROM BULL'S-EYE
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amNBC and ABC ordered their news people out of Baghdad yesterday - but reporters for CBS and CNN are staying. And if the U.S. follows through on plans for a...
CURRENTS
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amTWO orphaned ships are experiencing a renaissance: The 684-passenger R1 and sister ship R2 of the defunct Renaissance Cruises have been renamed the Regatta and Insignia. Beginning in July, they...
OFF YOU GO! WHETHER THEY WIN (OR LOSE) AT THE OSCARS, MEGAN LEHMANN TELLS THE NOMINEES WHERE TO HIDE OUT AFTERWARDS
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amBY the time the Academy Awards ceremony arrives on Sunday, Oscar nominees will have spent six grueling weeks on tenterhooks waiting to hear whether their name's called (not to mention...
FEEBLE FEDS SHOWED NOTHING - AND WON ANYWAY
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amTHEY got themselves a bunch of Gottis yesterday - and I'm damned if I know how. Anyone looking for "The Godfather" heard something out of Mother Goose. Even prosecutor Andrew...
LITTLE ITALY CHAPEL NEEDS SANCTUARY FROM LANDLORD
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amAFTER its rent was raised to a staggering $4,900 a month from $850, Little Italy's matriarchs have taken up the battle for the last remaining storefront chapel in their gentrified...
MOYNIHAN BATTLING INFECTION
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amFormer Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan spent St. Patrick's Day in critical but stable condition at a Washington hospital, where he is waging a battle with an infection. Moynihan, who turned...
TRAIN-SEX WOMAN WANTED TO 'KEEP IT IN FAMILY'
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amAfter she was arrested for having a menage-a-trois with her husband and his brother on a LIRR train, cops said the Long Island mother flippantly told them, "I like to...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amA foot fetish freak who's caressed the feet of over 50 women throughout New Hampshire and managed to duck cops has struck again. "He asked what size feet I had...
ISRAELIS DEAD IN SURVIVAL 'BUNKER'
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amJERUSALEM - Three Israeli Arabs became the first victims of the Iraq war when they suffocated in a sealed room they had prepared to anticipate a chemical missile attack from...
ISRAELIS RAID GAZA CAMP - TERROR BIG SHOT ON ROOF IN GUNFIGHT
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amJERUSALEM - Israeli forces fought their way into a Gaza Strip refugee camp yesterday, triggering one of a series of fierce gunfights that left 10 Palestinians dead. Palestinian witnesses said...
PULLING STRINGS TO FIND CAB CELLO
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amTaxi officials alerted fleet owners yesterday to keep their eyes peeled for a missing $100,000 cello that was left in the back of a yellow cab over the weekend. The...
WAR ON WEASEL WARES
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amNew Yorkers have issued a no-nonsense message to Les Weasels - you can kiss our derrieres! Fed up with the beret-wearing escargot eaters who refuse to help our country fight...
YANCY'S GOT A YEAR TO SHAPE UP
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amA Suffolk County judge told "Witchblade" actress Yancy Butler yesterday that he would drop all charges stemming from a booze-fueled rampage in January - if she stays sober and out...
D.A. SAYS VEGANS' TOT WAS SKELETON
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amA Queens prosecutor yesterday painted a grotesque picture of a vegan couple nearly starving their baby to death with a diet that left her with brittle bones, almost no muscle...
UNDERGROUND UNDERMINING SADDAM
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - A prominent Iraqi exile yesterday said the anti-Saddam Hussein opposition is already conducting "operations" inside Iraq to try to undermine the regime even before U.S. and allied troops...
MINORITY FUND-RAISERS $LAPPED FOR FORMS FLUB
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amALBANY - The Black and Puerto Rican Legislative Caucus' fund-raising arm is facing stiff fines for failing to file legally required financial statements, The Post has learned. Fines of as...
B'KLYN MARINE DRAWS RUDY DUTY
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amFIRST Lt. Peter Morales, commandant of Camp "Snakepit" on this hastily thrown together base, sees himself as the "Rudy Giuliani of Kuwait." But where Giuliani targeted crime and quality-of-life issues...
MONSTER GUILTY OF MASSACRE
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amA Miami man yesterday was convicted of a murder spree in The Bronx during which he killed five people - four from the same family. Luis Garcia, 41, faces life...
PATIENCE; WHAT OUR TROOPS NEED FROM US NOW
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amTHE American people have been admirably patient with the United Nations' cynical diplomacy and French shenanigans. Now we are on the eve of war. And our troops need, and deserve,...
U.S. ALERT FOR CHEMICAL RAID: IRAQIS MAY HIT OUR TROOPS FIRST
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amWASHINGTON -- U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf went on red alert last night amid fears that Saddam Hussein, facing the inevitability of war, may try to draw first blood...
LOVE ON PARADE - EAGER SUITORS POP QUESTION
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amEven Cupid was Irish yesterday as a love-struck marcher in the St. Patrick's Day Parade and a smitten spectator along the route each popped the question to their beloved colleens...
TROOPS WEATHER DESERT STORMS
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amAs war with Iraq nears, temperatures in the Kuwaiti desert are rising and a new sandstorm is expected on Thursday. As a precaution, Britain's amphibious task force moved marines onshore...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amMANHATTAN * Cops charged 45 protesters demonstrating against a war on Iraq with disorderly conduct yesterday. The demonstrators marched from 28th Street and Third Avenue to the United Nations, where...
CUNY LAW STUDY BREAK - AFFIRMATIVE-ACTION FIELD TRIP AMID TEST WOES
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amThe City University of New York Law School, where half the students flunked the bar exam last year, is helping finance a trip to Washington, D.C., for students to defend...
PRETZEL PLEA IS FRENCH TWIST-ED
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amNow the French are making it personal - urging people to send pretzels to President Bush, in the apparent hope he'll choke to death. Bush fainted and fell off a...
PROTESTERS HOLD 'FUNERAL' FOR DOZER GIRL
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amProtesters in Manhattan and the Gaza Strip carried mock tombstones and coffins yesterday to protest the death of Rachel Corrie, a U.S. peace activist who acted as a "human shield"...
TURKS TO LET GIS LAUNCH SECOND FRONT
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - In a dramatic about-face, Turkey was poised yesterday to allow U.S. forces to use bases inside its country to open up a "northern front" in the upcoming war...
FURIOUS ALLIES RIP THE FRENCH FOLLIES
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - American and British officials yesterday blamed the French for the collapse of diplomacy and complained that France's refusal to consider any tough measure on Saddam Hussein has made...
BRIT JET CLIPS WING AT JFK
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amA British Airways jumbo jet that had just landed at JFK with some 200 passengers aboard, shredded its right wing yesterday when it clipped a light pole and a blast...
MOUSSAOUI PART OF 2ND TERROR WAVE
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - Captured Sept. 11, 2001 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed reportedly has told interrogators that Zacarias Moussaoui, the alleged "20th hijacker," was supposed to be part of a second wave...
'SOPRANOS' SET TO SIGN A TRUCE
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amPeace is breaking out on the set of "The Sopranos." James Gandolfini's lawyer Marty Singer filed court papers yesterday dropping the actor's lawsuit against HBO, a source said. Now HBO...
PORNO POL RIPS OFF CITY $$: FEDS
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amA former Giuliani-appointed city official fawned over child porn on his home computer and spent his work hours ripping off the public purse to take lavish vacations with a pal,...
RAPE SUSPECT CLEARED IN SLAY
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amA 42-year-old Brooklyn woman on trial for allegedly raping a teenage boy has been cleared in the death of a former boyfriend, The Post has learned. Gwendolyn Pharr - who...
BUSH ISSUES ULTIMATUM TO SADDAM: GET OUT OF IRAQ OR FACE DESTRUCTION
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - A resolute President Bush last night gave Saddam Hussein just 48 hours to get out of Iraq - or face war. "All the decades of deceit and cruelty...
U.S. 'VIRUS' SCARE - DOCS EYE 4 FOR MYSTERY SICKNESS
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amJittery federal health officials are eyeing four possible cases of a deadly, flu-like disease in the United States, as fear of the mysterious illness continues to grip the globe. Dr....
KLEIN CALLS OFF BAN ON 'FUN' CLASS TRIPS
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amSchools Chancellor Joel Klein, responding to a firestorm of criticism, last night lifted his ban on student trips to amusement parks and recreational facilities for the rest of the school...
NYPD'S 'ATLAS' TO SAFEGUARD THE MEDIA
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amAs the nation moved closer to war with Iraq, the NYPD last night was poised to launch "Operation Atlas" by beefing up police patrols at the city's news organizations, The...
SMARTS OPPOSE KIDNAP SEX RAP
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amElizabeth Smart's family is feuding with prosecutors over whether her alleged abductors will face sex abuse charges, law enforcement sources said yesterday - and her family has warned authorities to...
W'S PLAIN TRUTH - U.N. DITHERING'S DONE
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amAT 8 p.m. last night, President Bush consigned the dithering of the past six months to the ash-heap of history. "The United Nations Security Council has not lived up to...
DASCHLE RIPS DUBYA ON DIPLO EFFORTS
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - In some of his harshest criticism of President Bush's handling of Iraq, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle yesterday squarely blamed Bush for the crisis. "I'm saddened, saddened that...
ANOTHER GUILTY GOTTI - JURY NAILS PETER IN WATERFRONT RACKETS CASE
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amMob boss Peter Gotti was the non-Teflon don yesterday - nailed by a Brooklyn jury for racketeering and money laundering in a sensational case that also starred actor Steven Seagal....
ALBANY OKS A TOUGHER VOYEUR BILL
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amALBANY - The Assembly yesterday unanimously passed a video-voyeurism bill that Democrats say is tougher than one proposed by Gov. Pataki. "The governor's bill lacks some teeth," said Assembly bill...
BUSH'S ULTIMATUM TO SADDAM: GET OUT OR FACE DESTRUCTION
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - A resolute President Bush last night gave Saddam Hussein just 48 hours to get out of Iraq and go into exile - or face war. "Saddam Hussein and...
EX-WIFE: SMART LOONEY ABUSIVE
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amThe teen bride who married Elizabeth Smart's alleged kidnapper described him as physically abusive and controlling yesterday - saying he forced himself on her and even told her what to...
'BOY-RAPE' MOM EYED IN EX SLAY
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amA 42-year-old Brooklyn woman on trial for allegedly raping a teenage boy is under investigation for the murder of a former boyfriend, The Post has learned. Gwendolyn Pharr, of 315...
NYPD'S 'ATLAS' TO KEEP EYE ON MEDIA
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amAs the nation heads for war with Iraq, the NYPD last night was poised to launch "Operation Atlas" by beefing up police patrols at the city's major news organizations, The...
UPBEAT NETS SHRUG OFF SUNDAY'S PHILLY FLOP
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amIt was just one bad game, says Jason Kidd, and lest we forget, a few years ago just about every single game was a bad game. So, please, don't overreact....
BACSIK MIND GAMES WORK WONDERS
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amMET NOTES FORT LAUDERDALE - Six pitches into his relief appearance yesterday, Michael Bacsik still hadn't thrown a strike. So the 25-year-old lefty tried an unusual psychological ploy on himself...
ROCKET'S MESSAGE HITS HOME WITH THE TROOPS
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amTAMPA - Roger Clemens still remembers the dull ache that filled the family living room that terrible evening in 1969, the unguarded fear in his mother's eyes. Dread at the...
DAYNE'S JOB IFFY AS JINTS SEEK LEVENS
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amThe arrival of Dorsey Levens for a visit tomorrow at Giants Stadium could be the start of a series of events that pushes Ron Dayne out the door. Interest in...
TUG SURGERY SCHEDULED FOR TODAY
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amCLEARWATER - Former Met and Phillie reliever Tug McGraw is scheduled to undergo brain surgery today at the Moffitt Cancer Center here. McGraw, 58, was taken to a Clearwater hospital...
YANKS FEAR DL FOR KARSAY
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amYankees 10 - Phillies 6 CLEARWATER - When the Yankees let go of Ramiro Mendoza and Mike Stanton, their fingers were firmly crossed that Steve Karsay's surgically repaired back would...
GIVE WIDGER EDGE OVER FLAHERTY AS POSADA'S BACKUP
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amYANKEE NOTES CLEARWATER - Joe Torre isn't being deceptive when he says the battle between Chris Widger and John Flaherty to be Jorge Posada's backup catcher will go down to...
BYRON'S BUNCH BOBBLE BALL - EDDIE JORDAN WAITS IN WINGS
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amIN Sunday's pre-game prattle, master motivator Byron Scott referred to the home hoedown with the surging Sixers as the biggest game of the season. Sure enough, thanks to his capable...
DUNCAN MAY MISS KNICKS
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amThe Knicks' reward for Sunday's hard-fought victory over Milwaukee? A visit to San Antonio to face the red-hot Spurs. Allan Houston's prize for scoring 50 points against the Bucks? A...
HIT, THEN HIT AGAIN
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amFORT LAUDERDALE - Mad Mike was told yesterday to take five. The news could've been worse for Mike Piazza, but it's not very good. The Mets' 34-year-old catcher was suspended...
KEY: TAKE ME BACK - JOHNSON CALLS JETS REQUESTING A RETURN
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amIf you're a Jets fan distraught about the prospect of losing Laveranues Coles tomorrow when the Jets must either match the Redskins' gaudy free-agent offer sheet or let their best...
KENTUCKY IS 'D' ONE - RUGGED DEFENSE WILL CARRY 'CATS TO NCAA CROWN
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amAT BEST, you'll think me a coward, someone not even willing to climb a tree, no less crawl out on a limb. Fine. Enjoy your snickering. I'll be the one...
REVAMPED FLYERS JOIN DEVILS AT TOP
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amFlyers 4 - Devils 2 The sea-change in the Atlantic Division left the Devils with that familiar sinking feeling. Only a week since the trade deadline passed, the Devils appear...
RANGERS DREAM ON - WIN KEEPS PLAYOFF PUSH ALIVE
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amRangers 1 - Islanders 0 Playoff weather outside, playoff atmosphere inside. Playoff performance by the Rangers, too. Because last night at the Garden, the Blueshirts didn't merely toss their names...
PECA'S BLAMING BIG 'DIVE' FOR LOSS
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amFor the Islanders, last night's 1-0 loss to the Rangers was a matter of not being able to match the wounded-animal ferocity of their opponents. It was about not getting...
CECHMANEK'S MAKING MARK IN PHILLY NET
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amThe Devils' GM boasts his defense corps is the best in the league. The coach insists his goalie ranks tops, too. Yet there were the Flyers, with the lightly-regarded backliners...
RANGERS SIT BURE - MAYBE FOR YEAR
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amOne knee was not enough on which to compete for Pavel Bure, no matter how much he might have wanted to try. And so, exactly one month after returning from...
NIINIMAA EAGER TO ICE ISLES' RIVALS
March 18, 2003 | 5:00amJanne Niinimaa got his first taste of the Islanders-Rangers rivalry last night. Tonight, he'll get first-hand experience of an Isles-Leafs clash when he faces Toronto for the first time in...