May 1, 2003

'NEMO' BRINGS PIXAR'S PICTURE INTO FOCUS

LET the bidding for Pixar's services begin. Unless something went terribly wrong in Pixar's mail room, the animation studio should have delivered the finished version of the movie "Finding Nemo"...

BMG GETS IN TUNE - BERTELSMANN COURTING WARNER, UNIVERSAL LABELS

Bertelsmann could emerge from the world's giant music-merger dance as a buyer. The company's New York-based music division, BMG, has held talks recently with both Warner Music and Universal Music,...

SORVINO PENTHOUSE PAD GOING FROM THE DOGS

SOME Upper East Side neighbors of Paul Sorvino may be relieved to hear that the actor is selling his penthouse apartment. Or, more to the point, that his live-in daughter...

PURCELL SCRAMBLES ON SPITZER APOLOGY

Morgan Stanley CEO Phil Purcell backpedaled fast yesterday, calling New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer to clarify his contentious comments from the day earlier and expressing his commitment to the...

MARTHA LOSS GROWS AMID LEGAL WOES

The bad news for Martha Stewart goes on and on. Her Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia reported its second straight quarterly loss yesterday, and said it will probably continue losing money...

FED BOSS SAYS GROWTH'S BACK

Just eight days after prostate surgery, Alan Greenspan stormed back to steer his navigator's wheel on the economy toward safer grounds. The Federal Reserve chairman testified to Congress yesterday that...

VISA OKS $2B DEAL WITH STORES

Visa U.S.A. has reached a tentative $2 billion settlement on antitrust charges brought by the nation's largest retailers, narrowly averting a court battle. Terms of the deal will mirror those...

CANDIE'S SETTLES SEC CASE

Candie's settles SEC caseFootwear maker Candie's Inc. has reached an agreement to settle charges of fraudulent accounting practices brought against it by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company said...

JUDGE GIVES VISA, STORES MORE TIME

Visa U.S.A. is in negotiations to settle antitrust charges brought by the nation's largest retailers, adding another unexpected twist to the ongoing legal battle. MasterCard, Visa's co-defendant in the case,...

DAILY NEWS LOOKING TO SLASH STAFFERS

Daily News publisher Mort Zuckerman is moving to cut staff at the beleaguered tabloid. For now, Zuckerman is trying to make cuts by enticing long-term employees to take "voluntary" buyout...

OUTTA HERE! - TOUGH ECONOMY CAN'T KEEP JOB-QUITTERS IN THE CUBICLES

THIS week, Kim Nagel is kissing her cubicle goodbye. A manager at an advertising agency, she's quitting her job despite having watched her office shrink from 70 to 30 employees....

TOUCHED BY AN ENGEL

NBC has swiped Richard Engel, one of the star TV correspondents to emerge during the war in Iraq, away from ABC. Engel was the only war correspondent for an American...

ARTISTS' GIG

PHILIP Glass, Steve Buscemi, Reno and Blue Man Group are among those expected to perform Monday night at a benefit for the Federation of East Village Artists. The event, at...

FOX SPORTS GUYS CATCH KIMBERLY

KIMBERLY Caldwell wasn't idle for long. Caldwell, who was booted off "American Idol" two weeks ago, has landed a gig at Fox Sports Net. Caldwell, 21, will join "54321," the...

ONLY AL KEEPS HIS HEAD

SALOME - THE READING [ 1/2] Ethel Barrymore Theatre, 243 W. 47th St., (212) 239-6200. Through June 7. ----- THE nice thing about being Al Pacino is that on Broadway...

TOO LITTLE OF A GOOD THING

NEW FOUND GLORY, GOOD CHARLOTTE ---- IN an attempt to re-create the vibe of the Van's Warped tour - albeit on a much smaller scale, with clean bathrooms and under...

TREE-WING CIRCUS

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL At Randall's Island Park. Call (800) 678-5440. Through June 22. Tickets $75 to $195. ----- IT was a mystical journey, dude. We gathered at 7 p.m. at...

RAISING THE BAR FOR FASHION

NOTHING can make - or break, depending on your perspective - a night out clubbing like the arrival of a gaggle of designer-clad models. But these days, they're less likely...

CANDICE CUTS OUT

OXYGEN has quietly cancelled Candice Bergen's talk show, "Candice Checks It Out." "We don't consider our relationship with her over," said a network spokeswoman. "She did 13 episodes [of the...

WHAT TINA DID NEXT: SHE'S TALKING AGAIN AND ON THE (A) LIST

LAST night Tina Brown, who's been an incredibly successful editor, (Vanity Fair, The New Yorker) and an unsuccessful one (Talk), took on television with her new quarterly outing on CNBC...

MEMPHIS BELLE GETS 'IDOL' BOOT

MEMPHIS siren Trenyce was the surprise loser last night on "American Idol." The 23-year-old singer was ejected by "American Idol" viewers in a vote that stunned the judges and studio...

ABC COUGHS UP SCANDAL MOVIE

ABC News has landed the exclusive rights to a new British documentary detailing the "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" coughing scandal, as The Post first reported. The documentary called...

MEN ONLY

GQ magazine's coveted "Men of the Year" awards are heading to Spike TV. The ceremony is slated to air on Oct 21. Spike TV is the third incarnation of the...

THE STARR REPORT

Dick, Mary reveal reunion secrets Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore provide some details about their upcoming "Dick Van Dyke Show" reunion on tomorrow's "Larry King Live" (9 p.m./CNN)....

WEIRD BUT TRUE

A robotic turkey that rotates its body and fans its tail is being used in Michigan as an anti-poaching device. Officials strategically place the bird, nicknamed "Robo Turkey," in the...

DRESSING-ROOM PERV CAUGHT ON STORE TAPE

Police have released video surveillance pictures of a man who exposed himself and molested a 17-year-old girl in a fitting room of a Long island clothing store, and are asking...

'BOGUS' LAWYER BUSTED

A Brooklyn woman has been arrested and charged on Long Island with impersonating an immigration lawyer and bilking immigrants out of $78,000 in fees for work she never did, authorities...

DISEASE & LIES; ANOTHER FORM OF TERROR

IT'S time for the United States to approach the United Nations with a new resolution. But not on Iraq. On epidemic disease. We should propose that, in the future, any...

NEW RAP ON PERV-SEX SUSPECT

Two more teenage victims have come forward claiming they were sexually molested by an English teacher at a Long Island Catholic high school who was their youth ministry group leader...

WHEN THE RIGHT FEELS A CHILL

EVEN as Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon were self- righteously wrapping themselves in the mantle of First Amendment martyrdom, Sen. Rick Santorum was discovering that not all political speech will...

POLITICAL POKER - GOV'S POTENT CARDS

ALBANY IT wasn't surprising that such a sensational rumor would sweep the state's news-hungry Capitol late Tuesday afternoon. What was surprising - to those not in the know - was...

FIRE PROBIES ENTER IN A BLAZE OF GLORY

Mayor Bloomberg yesterday compared the new graduating FDNY class to American military forces overseas. The mayor addressed the 260 probationary firefighters and said he would do all in his power...

TEL AVIV BLAST WON'T KEEP MY BUDDY BAXTER DOWN

IN ANOTHER era, Jack Baxter would have been swashing his buckle with the likes of a real life Errol Flynn. "Please write something nice about my hero husband," said his...

U.S. NABS KEY 9/11 QAEDA THUG

WASHINGTON - Osama bin Laden's former security chief, who played a central role in Sept. 11 as well as the bombing of the USS Cole, was busted in Pakistan yesterday...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

BROOKLYN * A man was shot in the right foot yesterday at a Crown Heights apartment building, police said. The 25-year-old man, whose name was withheld, was shot in front...

FIREHOUSE RATS CAUSE FOR ALARM

Firefighters in one Queens firehouse don't just smell a rat - they hear and see them, too. Rats and mice have infested the Engine 298, Ladder 127 and Battalion 50...

ROAD MAP LAID OUT - PALESTINE STATE A TRICK: TERRORISTS

JERUSALEM - U.S. and U.N. mediators yesterday unveiled the detailed Mideast "road map" plan that President Bush called "a framework for progress toward lasting peace and security." But terrorists who...

GREAT WHITE PLAYS 1ST GIG SINCE TRAGIC R.I. INFERNO

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - The rock group Great White yesterday played its first gig since a nightclub fire killed 99 people at one of their concerts in Rhode Island, and...

FLYBOY BUSH SOARING HIGH - WAR JET WILL TAKE HIM TO CARRIER FOR SPEECH

WASHINGTON - President Bush today turns "Top Gun" and boards a warplane to fly out over the Pacific for a dramatic landing on the homeward-bound aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln,...

COKE PULLS ITS 'NAZI' TOY ROBOT

Coca-Cola was scrambling for damage control last night after it launched a shocking promotion featuring a hulking robot tattooed with swastika-like symbols. The toy figure - standing on a replica...

LAWSUIT BIDS TO APPLY BRAKES TO FARE HIKE

A transit advocacy group filed a lawsuit yesterday in a bid to derail the steepest fare hike in city history from going into effect in four days But MTA Chairman...

100 NEW CASES ARE HITTING BEIJING DAILY

Beijing is battling at least 100 new cases of SARS a day, making it the hardest-hit area in the world. The Chinese Health Ministry reported 11 new deaths yesterday -...

THE OUTBREAK OF SARS IN THE BIG APPLE APPEARS TO BE CONTAINED

The outbreak of SARS in the Big Apple appears to be contained, a top city health official said yesterday. Of the two probable and 18 suspected cases in the city,...

ATKINS WORTH WEIGHT IN GOLD

He was a world-famous diet guru, but Dr. Robert Atkins was a family man at heart, court filings show. The controversial diet doctor left most of his estimated $10 million...

HANDYMAN DIES IN ELEVATOR HORROR

A beloved maintenance man was crushed to death in the elevator shaft of a Brooklyn apartment tower where he worked for 20 years - just two days after problems with...

GUN-FUN SHOOTER IS SLAIN BY COPS

An ex-con celebrating a friend's birthday by firing bullets into the air was gunned down by Brooklyn cops yesterday after he ignored an order to drop his weapon - instead...

THERE AUTO BE A LAW: COUNCILWOMAN BASHES CAR ALARMS

In a bid to restore some peace and quiet to city streets, a City Council member yesterday proposed banning audible burglar alarms on cars. Eva Moskowitz (D-Manhattan) said motorists who...

MOLES ON SMOKE PATROL

Bar owners, beware. That innocent-looking customer may be an undercover inspector who can issue hefty fines or even shut down your business if they see smoking. "They're plainclothes inspectors," said...

STAR DJ'S TOLD TO PLAY DADDY TUNE

He's already a playa - now he's a paya. Top hip-hop DJ Funkmaster Flex agreed in Family Court yesterday to pay $4,000-a-month child support to his son by a Brooklyn...

MIKE LIKES ANYONE WHO'LL GIVE APPLE BIGGER SLICE OF THE PIE

Mayor Bloomberg pledged yesterday to support state legislators who go to bat for the city - a day after Gov. Pataki went on the warpath against the Legislature. "I have...

DEM DILEMMA: PARTY'S STATURE OF LIMITATIONS

WHEN President Bush speaks to the nation tonight from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln after making a tailhook landing in a Navy warplane, he'll underscore the problem facing Democrats...

HARDBALL GOV STIFFS L.I. POL

ALBANY - Gov. Pataki began playing political hardball with spendthrift GOP lawmakers yesterday, canceling a long-scheduled fund-raising reception for a top state Senate Republican. Pataki, who declared war on tax-and-spend...

NEW YORKERS WERE STEAMED YESTERDAY ABOUT THE PROPOSED SALES TAX INCREASE

New Yorkers were steamed yesterday about the proposed sales tax increase, saying it will drive them across the Hudson for shopping sprees in New Jersey. State lawmakers are moving to...

FIEND LURED 'ARCADE' BOYS: COPS

A registered sex offender who served four years for fondling boys was arrested yesterday for luring four more boys from a nearby arcade to his home for sex, police said....

TOT TORTURED BY SITTER: COPS

Cops have accused a Brooklyn baby sitter of torturing a 3-year-old boy, leaving him with second- and third-degree burns. Barbara Medina, 23, of Atlantic Avenue, was charged Tuesday with counts...

KIDS GO ON CIG 'BUY-AND-BUSTS'

While their classmates were on school break last week, 80 students went undercover to snuff out store owners selling tobacco to minors. The kids, ages 14 to 17, visited 800...

GUARDIAN: I DIDN'T KIDNAP 'BUDDY'

The man who had been caring for a young boy suspected of being the child who vanished from North Carolina two years ago admits he's not the father but insists...

A LOVING GOODBYE TO LYRIC

They poured into the Brooklyn church to say goodbye - many of them young, attractive, vital and starry-eyed about the future. Very much like their friend Lyric Benson, the 22-year-old...

JUDGE'S KID-PORN RAP - N.J. COPS FIND SICK VIDEO IN HIS HOME

A veteran New Jersey judge and war hero was busted on child-porn charges after cops found a sickening videotape in his home featuring an underage boy engaging in sex acts....

SHE WAS CHEATED OF LIFE, WE WERE CHEATED OF HER

SHE was a pretty face. But she was so much more. Only now that Lyric Benson's life is over, taken from her too horribly, too soon, are we just beginning...

VAN DUO IN BIZARRE KIDNAPS

Two men who cruise The Bronx in a van are being sought for snatching girls off the streets, police said yesterday. Neither of the two known victims was sexually assaulted....

LANDING ON A 'FOOTBALL FIELD' AT 130 MPH

President Bush's wild ride onto the deck of an aircraft carrier today will be a hair-raising experience - even for the former fighter pilot. "He'll be coming down onto an...

THE BOOMERS' CLAMPDOWN

MAYOR Bloomberg's smoking ban takes full effect today - the latest example of those aging, "reformed" and still self-absorbed Baby Boomers spoiling the party for everyone younger than them. It...

MOBSTER SLEEPS WITH THE SWISHES

A Mafia turncoat told a stunned courtroom yesterday how he gunned down his mob boss - because he was gay. Former DeCavalcante soldier Anthony Capo said the New Jersey-based family...

'CHILLING' LESSON FOR LEMRICK JUDGE

The elderly judge overseeing the Yankel Rosenbaum stabbing trial got a slang lesson yesterday when he asked a Crown Heights resident for the meaning of "chilling." "Can you explain to...

TEACHERS JOLLY GOOD FELLOWS

Schools Chancellor Joel Klein's office is shifting 50 unlicensed teachers into the Fellows program - which trains career-changers to become instructors - to save their jobs. These teachers wouldn't ordinarily...

EDUCATION A CLOTHES CALL AT NYU

Attending New York University isn't just about getting an education - it's also making a fashion statement. That's the opinion of Women's Wear Daily, which proclaims that students at the...

STARING AT 'TRAIN WRECK'- PATAKI RIPS $3.5B PLAN TO UP TAXES

ALBANY - The state Legislature's new budget would raise taxes and fees this year by a massive $3.5 billion - leading Gov. Pataki yesterday to rip the plan as "the...

2ND ZEEKY SHOOTER HUNTED

A hunt is under way for the man police believe shot and wounded aspiring rapper Freaky Zeeky during a Manhattan gun battle in which the hip-hopper's bodyguard was killed, The...

WITNESS TALKS IN PAL SLAY

A 24-year-old Manhattan man who says he watched helplessly as his friend was shot to death on the Lower East Side in January suddenly began cooperating with cops yesterday after...

FIEND LURED ARCADE BOYS: COPS

A registered sex offender who served four years for fondling boys was arrested yesterday for luring four more boys to his Brooklyn home for sex, police said. During the past...

LIKE HITTING A FOOTBALL FIELD AT 130 MPH

President Bush's wild ride onto the deck of an aircraft carrier today will be a hair-raising experience - even for the former fighter pilot. "He'll be coming down onto an...

MOB HIT A GAY SLAY - N.J. MAFIA BOSS KILLED OVER HOMOSEXUAL CLUB ROMPS

A Mafia turncoat told a stunned courtroom yesterday how he gunned down his mob boss - because he was gay. Former DeCavalcante soldier Anthony Capo said the New Jersey-based family...

'BOGUS' IMMIGRATION LAWYER BUSTED

A Brooklyn woman has been arrested and charged on Long Island with impersonating an immigration lawyer and bilking immigrants out of $78,000 in fees for work she never did, authorities...

'SMOKE POLICE' GO UNDERCOVER

Bar owners, beware. That innocent-looking customer may be an undercover inspector who can issue hefty fines or even shut down your business if they see smoking. "They're plainclothes inspectors," said...

DRESSING-ROOM PERV ON TAPE

police have released video surveillance pictures (right) of a man who exposed himself and molested a 17-year-old girl in a fitting room of a Long island clothing store, and are...

BUSH TO LAND ON CARRIER AT SEA - WAR JET WILL FLY HIM OUT TO GIVE SPEECH

WASHINGTON - President Bush today turns "Top Gun" and boards a warplane to fly out over the Pacific for a dramatic landing on the homeward-bound aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln,...

PLENTY OF CHEER FOR BOOZE ON SUNDAYS

The agreement by state lawmakers to give liquor and wine stores the option of opening on Sundays was hailed by employees and customers at city liquor stores. "This is cool!...

I DIDN'T KIDNAP 'BUDDY'

The man who had been caring for a young boy suspected of being the child who vaished from North Carolina two years ago admits he's not the father but insists...

CLASSROOM EXTRA: TALES FROM THE FRONT LINE

Operation Iraqi Freedom gave reporters an up-close and personal look at war. Read on to find what two New York Post reporters saw when they traded city beats for sandstorms,...

AMAZIN' DISGRACE: CARDS DEAL WRETCHED METS ANOTHER BRUTAL BEATING

Cardinals 13 Mets 4 ST. LOUIS - Before Steve Phillips began working his way through the Met front office, he worked for a St. Louis-based company specializing in motivational speaking....

NO REASON TO WORRY ; YANKEES PUT END TO TWO-GAME SLIDE

Yankees 8Mariners 5 They don't happen very often. So when Andy Pettitte has a poor outing, the days afterwards don't tend to be pleasant. "Very long," Pettitte said of his...

BOTTLE SPIN

Now it's not enough to spend $250 on a bottle of vodka - at one new Chelsea lounge, you have to be deemed goodlooking enough to order it. For Saturday...

THE HIGH-RANT DISTRICT ; BOSS' BLUSTER PUSHED YANKS TO PLAY GREAT

MISERY was the fuel. The Yankees took all of the animus of spring training and the agony of Derek Jeter dislocating his left shoulder to forge one of the best...

WINNING'S REWARD ENOUGH FOR NIEDERMAYER

TAMPA - So, Pat Burns, after a season behind the Devils' bench, is there anything that surprises you about Scott Niedermayer? "I knew he had speed and everything like that,...

NO HURRY FOR CONTRERAS

YANKEE NOTES Even if Jose Contreras has another strong start at Triple-A Columbus, the Yankees said he might not immediately return to The Bronx. "We do not [have a timetable],"...

MATTERS OF HART - BRODEUR NAMED FINALIST FOR MVP, VEZINA

TAMPA - A share of one trophy already captured, Martin Brodeur figures a second could lead to a third. "If I win the Hart [league MVP], there's a good chance...

NELSON, CAMERON EYE FUTURE WITH YANKEES

Despite Seattle's recent success against the Yankees here at the Stadium, it's the Mariners' October failures that they have to fix. And if this aging Seattle squad can't get over...

GIAMBI PLAYS IT COOL ; ICE-COLD SLUGGER REFUSES TO PANIC

"I think a lot of it right now is his desire to get a hit quick and he's putting a little pressure on himself."JOE TORRE on Jason Giambi When Jason...

MILBURY CONDUCTING POST-MORTEM CHATS INTERVIEWING PLAYERS.

Islander GM Mike Milbury has been meeting with coaches and players over the last week in one-on-ones he described as "truthful" sessions, through which he hopes to piece together what...

FRANKEL: ALL SYSTEMS GO

LOUISVILLE - "Damn the bruised foot, full speed ahead!" was the battle cry for Kentucky Derby favorite Empire Maker, who drew the 12 hole in a field of 17 3-year-olds...

FLORES WINS HAGGERTY

All season, the David of metropolitan-area college basketball - Manhattan College - beat up Goliath - St. John's. The Jaspers handled the Red Storm in this year's Holiday Festival. They...

GUERRERO EARNS 'W' FOR LIONS

H.S. BASEBALL: Lehman 9 - Monroe 3 Edmanuel Guerrero said it over and over, almost as if to convince himself. "It was just a regular win," the Lehman pitcher said....

REF CALLS NOT BUCKS' CUP OF 'T'

Tuesday's officiating crew at the Meadowlands apparently agreed with a banner a Nets' fan brandished. The poster pictured Bucks coach George Karl's head superimposed on a baby, with the lettering:...

GIAMBI'S BAT HITS NEW LOW

YANKEE NOTES Jason Giambi, meet Mario Mendoza. After an 0-for-5 effort against Seattle last night, Giambi has eight hits in his last 47 at-bats. Worse, his .194 average puts him...

E-GADS! YANKS SURVIVE GLOVE GAFFES

Joe Torre had been happy about the Yankees' improved defense of late, but he surely couldn't have been pleased with what he saw last night. Rarely has a win been...

NO REASON TO WORRY : YANKEES PUT ENDTO TWO-GAME SLIDE

Yankees 8Mariners 5 Not that anyone was getting worried. But . . . The Yankees had lost two in a row for the first time this season. They had been...

MONDESI'S THE RAUL DEAL ; FORMER ROOKIE OF YEAR REGAINS STAR STATUS

OVER at Shea, they have the un-Midas touch. They spin gold into straw, but not Straw. Good players go in and boo-rattled basket cases leave. Over at Yankee Stadium, they...

AMAZIN' DISGRACE

Cardinals 13 Mets 4 ST. LOUIS - Before Steve Phillips began working his way through the Met front office, he worked for a St. Louis-based company specializing in motivational speaking....

BUM KNEE PUTS PIAZZA ON BENCH

MET NOTES ST. LOUIS - Mike Piazza's left knee not only forced him out of the lineup last night, but it caused the future Hall of Fame catcher to do...

ALOMAR'S STILL TOPS WITH ART

MET NOTES ST. LOUIS - Roberto Alomar entered last night in the midst of a 0-for-18 slump that has dropped his average from .296 to .245, but Art Howe doesn't...

PIAZZA FOILED AGAIN: SITS WITH BUM KNEE AFTER GOING 3-FOR-4

ST. LOUIS - Mike Piazza's left knee not only forced him out of the lineup last night, but it caused the future Hall of Fame catcher to do some self-reflection...

STEVENS: NO F-EAR: DEVILS' CAPTAIN GUTS IT OUT IN GAME 4

TAMPA - Wearing a protective flap over his injured left ear, Scott Stevens kept alive his streak of playing all 138 Devils playoff games during his tenure. The Devils' captain...

NETS GO FOR ROAD KILL

MILWAUKEE - All season, the Nets have been a virtual walking, talking tribute to wasted opportunity, sort of a knock-off of Murphy's Law. Give them room for error, they'll waste...

KITTLES PROVING TO BE D-PENDABLE

NET NOTES MILWAUKEE - In two defeats in the Nets-Bucks series, Kerry Kittles has averaged three points. In three victories, he's averaged 16.3 points. So what was one hot topic...

OLYMPIC CALL STUNS JEFF

MILWAUKEE - For once, Richard Jefferson seemed speechless. The Nets forward was stunned yesterday when told he will be added to the 2004 U.S. Olympic basketball team. "I highly doubt...

BIG 'SIR' CHARGE MAY BE ON MENU

LOUISVILLE - Nearly everyone in the racing business will tell you that the best Kentucky Derby prep in the books was run by Empire Maker when he won the Wood...

'PEACE' IS PAYING OFF FOR FRANKEL

LOUISVILLE - Trainer Bobby Frankel's "other" horse, Peace Rules, has earned more money than anyone else in the Derby field. Aqueduct-based trainer Gary Contessa recalled how he bought the chestnut...