May 19, 2003

MARTHA STILL FACING HEAT FROM FEDS

Martha Stewart may still be feeling heat from federal investigators in the ImClone insider trading scandal after all, according to a new report. The U.S. attorney in Manhattan is still...

RAP BIBLE BASHED; THE SOURCE HIT HARD ON NEWSSTAND BY RIVAL XXL

Hip-hop magazine The Source is losing a buzz war that's getting as ugly as some of the battles between rappers themselves. Long the bible of rap, the magazine is in...

SL GREEN REALTY PLANS TO SELL BROADWAY BUILDING FOR $58.5M

SL Green Realty Trust is selling a high-end fashion building at 1370 Broadway to the Sitt and Sutton families for about $58.5 million. The local real estate investment trust lead...

HASTA LA VISTA, BABY: 'T3' BEAUTY MAKES THE TERMINATOR QUAKE

IT'S been 12 years since the Terminator saved human civilization from the wrath of the machines, and now Arnold Schwarzenegger is back - getting his butt kicked by a lady....

DRAMA DESK TIE FOR TOP AWARD

GUIDO Contini, philandering filmmaker of "Nine," has a new woman in his life: Edna Turnblad, fat housewife of "Hairspray." The two actors who play them - Antonio Banderas and Harvey...

NOT THE OSCARS: SNUBBED BY BIG DESIGNERS, SOAP STARS TRY TO SHINE ANYWAY

WHEN it comes to the fashion world, soap stars don't get any respect. Tens of millions of fans hang on their every heaving sob, but their big night on the...

SHE'S THE BRAINS BEHIND TV'S LATEST REALITY SHOW - AND THAT'S NO POSE

BEING a TV producer has been rough for supermodel Tyra Banks. Today, she says, it's an ache brewing in her billion-dollar belly. Last night, she couldn't sleep. "I'm so involved...

LAUREL VS. HARDY FINALS FOR 'IDOL'

"Idol" finalist Ruben (right) was cool until Oprah showed up, according to Clay (left). THERE'S talk of "American Idol" finalists Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken doing a movie together after...

IT'S THE BIG COFFEE CHILL

THE sure signs that summer is upon us: Days are longer, temperatures are higher and people are paying more for watered-down coffee. Yes, iced-coffee season is upon us, which means...

MARTHA'S GOOSE GETS COOKED: TONIGHT'S TV MOVIE TURNS THE HEAT UP ON STEWART

"Martha Inc: The Story of Martha Stewart" Tonight at 9 on WNBC/Ch. 4 One star GOD only knows how excited I was about "Martha Inc: The Story of Martha Stewart."...

THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN

The Late Show Love a man in uniform? Here's how to meet and greet the guys around Manhattan during Fleet Week Suggested opener: "You'd make my top 10 list any...

THE STARR REPORT

'Enterprise' boldly going in new direction Wednesday's season finale of "Enterprise" marks a turning point in the series - and a drastic change in direction that will carry over into...

CIGS FOR TERROR ; N.Y. SMUGGLING BUST POINTS TO HEZBOLLAH

A cigarette-smuggling ring that was recently busted in New York and Virginia is being probed for ties to a deadly Middle Eastern terrorist group, The Post has learned. Two independent...

GOV MASON ERASIN' ; CANCELS INDUCTION TO APPEASE CHURCH

FEARING he would com mit "a grave sin" in the eyes of the Catholic Church, Gov. Pataki has canceled his plan to join the Masons, The Post has learned. Pataki's...

GOTTI $TIFFS LAWYER

John Gotti's nephew - who was once nabbed with $12,000 in illegal cash crammed into his pocket - has stiffed the attorney who represented him during his nine-week racketeering trial....

BEEFY TOTS RISK BEING ACHY OLDIES

Big babies may be at higher risk to develop rheumatoid arthritis later in life, a new study reveals. Researchers at Malm University Hospital in Sweden looked at the records of...

MTA CASE 'MOB SLAY' ; BRIBE PROBERS EYE '99 DEATH OF PLUMBER

MTA investigators looking into corruption charges at the agency have stumbled across an unsolved murder that cops believe has Mafia connections, The Post has learned. A Brooklyn plumbing contractor, Alex...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

Viewers tuned into the QVC shopping network in New Hampshire got a lot more than they bargained for. The shop-at-home channel in Manchester suddenly began airing eye-popping scenes from a...

REEL LODE: 'MATRIX' $MASHES RECORD

The sci-fi epic "The Matrix Reloaded" downloaded an estimated $93.3 million from theaters over the weekend - bringing the total since its Wednesday-night opening to a record $135.7 million. The...

HAMAS IS RECRUITING QAEDA THUGS

The terror group Hamas has been picking up new recruits - former al Qaeda members in Afghanistan - and has plans to attack U.S. targets in the Arab world, say...

MAYOR HOPES ALBANY SINKS CITY-AID VETO

Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday he hoped Albany legislators would vote "by overwhelming margins" today to override the governor's veto of the $2.7 billion aid package to the city. The relief...

SAUDIS NAB QAEDA FOUR IN BLASTS

Saudi Arabia said yesterday it had arrested four suspected al Qaeda members in the homicide bombings of three housing complexes in the capital of Riyadh. The interior minister, Prince Nayef,...

$HELLACKED BY SLUMLORDS: BIG PROFIT HOMELESS DEALS DUCK BID RULES

A secretive cartel of poverty profiteers has turned the city's homeless crisis into a windfall by netting nearly $150 million spent on emergency housing without signing a single contract and...

RAID VICTIM FELT 'PEACE WITH GOD'

Beloved church volunteer Alberta Spruill, in an eerie foreshadowing of things to come, told friends she had finally made her peace with God - just three days before she died...

DOC'S FRIEND GAVE FBI 'LAKE' TIP ON ANTHRAX: MAG

The tip that led the FBI to search a Maryland swamp - looking for lab equipment that might have been used to make anthrax sent to news organizations, including The...

FORMER TIMES LIAR BATTLES COKE: MAGS

Disgraced ex-New York Times reporter Jayson Blair is a "total cokehead," who recently spent time in a chic Connecticut rehab hospital - and now tells people "not to believe everything...

CITY DRILLS ANTI-TERROR MESSAGE HOME

The first rescuers at the scene of an attack using weapons of mass destruction staged a drill yesterday - practicing on 150 "victims" of a deadly sarin gas assault on...

DIAMOND DAYS FOR POST STAFFERS

The Post treated staffers to a weekend of Yankee games to celebrate the paper's big circulation gains. The festivities kicked off at Yankee Stadium Friday night, with 220 editorial and...

HEY, BIG SPENDERS! NYERS $HELLING OUT

New Yorkers spend way above the national average on housing, food and alcohol and nearly everything else - but the Big Apple's a bargain compared to San Francisco. According to...

NEW PRETAX MASS TRANSIT BENEFIT PROGRAM INTRODUCED

A dozen City Council members plan to introduce legislation next week forcing companies with more than 50 employees to offer a pretax mass-transit benefit program. Council Speaker Gifford Miller (D-Manhattan),...

BOMB CLUSTER BLOWS AWAY ARIEL'S U.S. TRIP

JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon canceled his trip to the White House to discuss a "road map" to peace yesterday after a bloody spate of suicide attacks rocked...

BODY OF 3RD CITY ISLAND TEEN FOUND

A colleague of one of the four fathers who lost a teenage son to icy City Island waters found a body yesterday believed to be that of Andrew Melnikov, one...

TRACK TICKETS ALREADY FETCHING $510 ON EBAY

If you want to see Funny Cide, you might have to commit Homi Cide. That's because all 21,000 reserved seats for the Belmont Stakes are already are sold out- with...

AFRO JACKO GOES RETRO

Wacko Jacko went backo in time over the weekend - donning a bushy Afro wig and glittery disco duds to transform into the spitting image of himself during his Jackson...

PISTONS AGREE: K-MART 'D' MAN

AUBURN HILLS - Could someone please explain once again how Kenyon Martin was not on the NBA's All-Defense team? The Pistons yesterday would give no argument for Martin's inclusion. Not...

CAR OGLE DEADLY FOR TEEN

A brilliant Brooklyn honors student was admiring two women in a passing car on the Belt Parkway when a man in their car shot him between the eyes, cops said...

HOTEL SCION TIED TO SCANDAL FIRM

One of the major behind-the-scenes players in the city's lucrative homeless-housing business is a director at a scandal-tainted prison-services firm under investigation for allegedly bribing state lawmakers to win contracts,...

BIN LADEN BODYGUARD PROMOTED

Osama bin Laden's bodyguard has taken over as al Qaeda's military commander, a terror expert said today. Saif al-Adel took over the post after Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, themastermind of the...

HOR$E HAS BIG UPCIDE - PAL OWNERS COULD RAKE IN $6M

They pooled together $30,000 at a clambake to buy their first horse - and now six old high-school pals from upstate New York are poised to win racing's crown jewel...

A VERY FOND ADIEU AS SHOW GOES OUT A WINNER

Still The final anthems have been sung, the last barricades abandoned, and "Les Miserables," which had been Broadway's longest-running current show (6,680 performances but no longer counting), last night marched...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

Manhattan An unconscious 8-month-old girl showed signs of possible child abuse after her mother left her with a baby sitter on Saturday, cops said yesterday. When the mom came to...

EXTRA LIFEGUARDS ARE BEACHY KEEN

The bad economy and overseas recruitment are delivering a small windfall of lifeguards this summer - meaning an extra 10 percent of city beaches could open. The good news comes...

WEAPONS TIE SAUDI TROOPS TO AL QAEDA

Hours after capturing four suspected al Qaeda members in last week's bombings at three housing complexes, Saudi Arabian officials admitted that members of their country's National Guard are being investigated...

'MESHUGAH' TRUE AND 'THIRD MAN' 1ST-RATE

MESHUGAH At the Kirk, 410 W. 42nd St. Call Ticket Central, (212) 279-4200.THE THIRD MAN At manhattantheatresource, 177 MacDougal St.; (212) 501-4751. Through May 24. NOVELS adapted for the stage...

PRACTICE WHAT YOU TEACH! - BIAS-SUIT TEACHERS UNION'S TOP-PAID STAFFERS ARE WHITE

The teachers union, which filed a racial-discrimination suit against the city earlier this month for its hiring practices, has a dirty secret of its own - its top-paid staffers are...

SUBWAY ARRESTS SOARING

Subway arrests are up 20 percent this year - part of a police blitz to further reduce crime in the transit system, new NYPD statistics show. The ballooning number of...

DOC'S PAL GAVE TIP ON 'THRAX

The tip that led the FBI to search a Maryland swamp - looking for lab equipment that might have been used to make anthrax sent to several news organizations, including...

HOR$E HAS BIG UPCIDE: PAL OWNERS COULD RAKE IN $6M

They pooled together $30,000 at a clambake to buy their first horse - and now six old high-school pals from upstate New York are poised to win racing's crown jewel...

LALIME CAN'T AFFORD ANOTHER MELTDOWN

Patrick Lalime picked a wonderful time to come down with a case of the yips, with his Senators facing elimination against the Devils tonight in Game 5 of the Eastern...

PREAKNESS FINISH: MUST-NOT-SEE TV

TV folks do some screwy things, but still, it's impossible to imagine that during NBC's pre-race Preakness production meeting a plan to not show the horses as they finished second...

TOUGHEST TASK IS AHEAD

BALTIMORE - After his dramatic demolition of the Preakness over the weekend, you'll be lucky to get 2-1 on Funny Cide to win the Belmont Stakes next month. And that...

GIAMBI'S HEARING IT FROM FANS

Jason Giambi was back at first base yesterday, playing the field for the first time since May 6. That's the only thing that's gone right for him lately: He's slumping...

FOES LINE UP TO STOP HISTORY

BALTIMORE - Despite Funny Cide's runaway romp in last Saturday's Preakness, the celebrated New York-bred gelding could face as many as 10 opponents when he runs for the Triple Crown...

HISTORY ON DEVILS' SIDE

OTTAWA - It has happened once in 60 years, about as often as the Rangers win the Stanley Cup. The Devils are fully aware it can happen to the unaware....

ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME SHOT

AUBURN HILLS - Byron Scott didn't believe it at first, couldn't believe it, because in his mind, in his recollection, it wasn't remotely possible that Jason Kidd hadn't delivered a...

OKUR GOES FROM TURKEY TO GOAT

AUBURN HILLS - The inbounds pass was Jason Kidd-like perfect. But rookie Tayshaun Prince didn't have a Kenyon Martin to finish with authority in the final second. Fellow Piston rookie...

COOKE ON FIRE IN USBL DEBUT

If nothing else, you have to give Lenny Cooke this: He certainly has a flair for the dramatic. Playing in his first professional game yesterday in the USBL, the 21-year-old...

LIBS LOOK FOR WINNING PARE

PRESEASONLiberty 67Comets 64 Judgment day is near for the Liberty. And for most, it's the most miserable time of the year. Cut day. "We clouded up our decision making a...

YANKEE SLIPPERS ; CASHMAN RIPS TEAM AFTER RANGER SWEEP

Rangers 5Yankees 1 There's really no way to hide the truth in The Bronx today. And the truth is this: "In a nutshell," GM Brian Cashman said, "we stink right...

BERNIE OUT WITH AILING LEFT KNEE

YANKEE NOTES Bernie Williams' ailing left knee was enough for Joe Torre to keep him out of the defensive lineup and limit him to just DH yesterday. "[The] knee is...

A WHOLE NEW SEASON; FORGET 1998, JUST WIN THE EAST

WE KNOW now this is not 1998 for the Yankees, but are there whiffs of 1996 here? In Joe Torre's first season, the Yanks and Orioles engaged in an offseason...

BUMBLING IN THE BRONX

IT'S official. The Yankees are playing embarassingly. After unashamedly being outpitched in four losses of six games with Oakland and unabashedly getting bashed in losing two-out-of-three to the relentless bats...

JASON'S JUMPER ; ONE-DERFUL ; BASKET WITH 1.4 LEFT GIVES NETS OPENER

GAME 1Nets 76Pistons 74 AUBURN HILLS - Jason Kidd was just prodded and prompted to call his game-winning shot yesterday the biggest of his life, bigger than any he made...

'CIDE' RETURNS LIKE A CHAMP

BALTIMORE - The eagerly anticipated movie "Seabiscuit," based on the best-seller about the storybook Depression-era racehorse who became a national icon, hits the theaters in July. But racing fans who...

FLOYD SET FOR WORK AT FIRST

MET NOTES SAN FRANCISCO - Cliff Floyd is willing to make a part-time return to first base, even though he became a success after leaving there. The Mets unveiled their...

COLLINS SURVIVES BATTLE VS. BIG BEN

NET NOTES AUBURN HILLS - For three quarters, Jason Collins was outrebounding Ben Wallace, the very best boarder on the planet for the past two years. OK, OK, Wallace went...

TOM GETS METS OUT OF CELLAR

Mets 5Giants 1 SAN FRANCISCO - When Mike Piazza went down with a gruesome groin injury, conventional wisdom said there was little reason left to pay attention to the Mets....

A WORLD'S NO ONE'S WATCHING

OTTAWA - They are the ultimate puck-possession team, filled with creative, speedy, talented forwards. Or at least that's what they were before coming up against the New Jersey meat grinder....