July 16, 2003
VIVENDI REJECTS MGM'S $11.5B ULTIMATUM
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amVivendi has rejected MGM's new $11.5 billion offer for the French conglomerate's entertainment assets a day after MGM demanded access to more financial information, according to a source close to...
MEL MULLS AN EXIT: KARMAZIN TALKS AGAIN OF DITCHING VIACOM
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amTensions between Viacom's Mel Karmazin and Sumner Redstone have flared again - and Karmazin is making noise about leaving the company, The Post has learned. An ongoing rift between Karmazin,...
FORWARD BUILDING FOR SALE AT $20M
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amTHE old Jewish Daily Forward building is on the block. The 11-story building on the Lower East Side, which has been converted to 39 condo units, is seeking $20 million...
FULLER'S STAR TURN COSTS $20K FOR MISSED DEADLINE
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amStar property. BONNIE Fuller has been at the editorial helm of the American Media tabloids for just over a week - and she has already busted her first production deadline....
STATE, FED BIGS WAGE TURF WAR; INVESTORS LOSE
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amThe battle lines have been drawn in the burgeoning war between top state and federal securities regulators. SEC Chairman William Donaldson threw his weight behind a bill pending in Congress...
SEARS SELLS CREDIT CARD BIZ TOCITI
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amSears, Roebuck and Co. agreed yesterday to sell its troubled credit card business to Citigroup for net proceeds of $6 billion, as it seeks to focus on its core retail...
SUIT, CANTOR SUIT; BOND FIRM FOUNDER'S WIDOW SUES LUTNICK - AGAIN
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amIn Wall Street's longest blood feud, wealthy widow Iris Cantor is suing her foe, bond tycoon Howard Lutnick, for the tenth time. Although the colorful millionairess has been shot down...
LEHMAN QUESTIONED OVER IPOS
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amLehman Brothers has received requests from regulators for information about how the firm allocated shares of initial public offerings. The New York Stock Exchange, in conjunction with the Securities and...
SEARS SELLS CREDIT CARD BIZ TO CITI
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amSears, Roebuck and Co. agreed yesterday to sell its troubled credit card business to Citigroup for net proceeds of $6 billion, as it seeks to focus on its core retail...
WHY KELLY RIPA HAS TWO JOBS TO WORK
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amLOS ANGELES - "Live with Regis and Kelly" co-host Kelly Ripa insists she's an actress at heart first - and a talk show diva second. Unable to shake the acting...
RANDY HENRY'S STILL MY REIGN MAN
July 16, 2003 | 4:00am"Six Wives of Henry VIII" Tonight and next Wednesday at 9 on Ch. 13 FOR a bunch of people who looked like they never had sex (until Princess Diana came...
LONG LIEV KING; LONG LIEV THE KING
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amHENRY V At the Delacorte Theater, 81st Street and Central Park West. Tickets are free and are distributed on the day of the performance at the Delacorte beginning at 1...
NOSTALGIC TAKE ON CUISINE DE TUBE AT LE ZINC
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amWONDERING whatever happened to Salisbury steak? Rediscover it at Le Zinc (139 Duane St.), where July 23 and 30 they're dishing out a four-course repast modeled on frozen TV dinner...
WILD & BULLY
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amWD-50 50 CLINTON ST. (BETWEEN STANTON AND RIVINGTON STREETS) (212) 477-2900 'THEY'RE not on the half-shell," our waitress at WD-50 warned us with a smile when we ordered what the...
YOU GOTTA HAVE HART TO BE ON B'WAY, MELANIE
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amMELANIE Griffith made it through her first public performance as Roxie Hart in "Chicago" Friday night, but getting her there has been nerve-racking for everyone involved in the show. At...
IT'S A HOMEY SPOT WITH A LIGHT TOUCH
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amWESTVILLE ½ 210 W. 10TH ST. (BETWEEN BLEECKER & WEST FOURTH STREETS) (212) 741-7971 WHEN it's hot and sticky outside, the last thing you want is a meal that's big...
ADIOS TO CEVICHE CENTRAL
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amON THE SIDE NUEVO Latino ceviche mecca Chicama is closing its doors after three years and will reopen as an authentic Oaxacan/Mexican eatery. After chef/owner Douglas Rodriguez left last December...
COLD COMFORT ; ICE CREAM SANDWICH GETS A BIG SUMMER FACELIFT
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amYou'll need silverware to get a grip on the sandwich from Guastavino. ICE cream may be a year- round treat, but the ice-cream sandwich is summer's domain - and local...
THE STARR REPORT
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amWily Ozzy caught in coyote caper More trouble for Sharon Osbourne's menagerie of pets - with hubby Ozzy Osbourne coming to the rescue. Last year, it was Pipi, Sharon's beloved...
GOODBYE TO THIS... WHO'LL MISS SPRINGER SHOW AFTER THE BRAWL IS OVER? ME.
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amEXCUSE me while I get a tad misty-eyed. "The Jerry Springer Show" is coming to an end. Jerry himself said it on Fox News last Friday afternoon. He said if...
HERE'S 'JOHNNY': NEW BOND SPOOF AIMS TO LIVE AND LET WRY
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amEVEN a spy as clueless as Austin Powers knows he has no shortage of rivals. In the past year alone, we've encountered juvenile spies ("Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost...
ST. JOHN'S HOOPSTER EYES PLEA
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amA St. John's basketball player accused of attacking a female student will likely avoid trial, his lawyer said yesterday. Grady Reynolds is accused of pushing former swim-team member Rachel Seager,...
DÉJÀ VU IN D.C.
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amTHE liberation of millions goes ignored. Democrats attack the Republican president over a continuing conflict, insisting it cannot be won, as they position themselves for upcoming elections. The president acts...
MTA'S FARE AND TOLL HIKES STAY PUT, APPEAL JUDGES RULE
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amCommuters hoping to save a few bucks were dealt a major blow yesterday after a state appeals court ruled the MTA had the legal right to raise fares and tolls...
FINALLY! DEAL REACHED TO REBUILD GROUND ZERO
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amOfficials early this morning hammered out a deal last night allow design work to get under way on the 1,776-foot tall Freedom Tower planned for Ground Zero. After seven hours...
THESE MODELS GOT CLASS ACTION
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amThousands of fashion models were given the right to strut their stuff in court yesterday when a Manhattan judge allowed them to band together to pursue claims that modeling agencies...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amHold your nose at the wedding of Rockie Graham and Dave Hart - they met at a garbage dump and plan to tie the knot there. After the ceremony Graham...
DUNGEON MONSTER GETS LIFE
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amA Syracuse millionaire handyman who collected sex slaves in a putrid underground dungeon cried yesterday as he was sentenced to 18 years to life in prison. Despite admitted rapist John...
REWRITING IRAQ: WAR CRITICS' NEW 'HISTORY'
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amTHE history of war, goes the old saying, is written by the winners. Except, apparently, when it comes to the U.S.-led war that toppled Saddam Hussein from power. Actually, the...
QNS. BLVD. 'ANGEL' MOURNED
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amOn a quiet, tree-lined street just miles from the Queens "Boulevard of Death" where Caprice Bush died, mourners gathered to say goodbye to the young woman friends and family called...
9/11 REPORT 911 PAGES LONG
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - The long-awaited declassified report on 9/11, which could be released next week, is expected to clock in at precisely 911 pages -and that's no accident. Sources say the...
PORSCHE KILLER IN COURT
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amIsaac Chehebar, the 22-year-old Brooklyn man who killed two young sisters with a Porsche in 2001, was back in court yesterday - where a prosecutor accused him of trying to...
COURT TV'S CAMERAS BANNED HERE
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amCourt TV won't be broadcasting live from a New York court any time soon. Manhattan state Supreme Court Justice Shirley Kornreich yesterday denied the cable network's bid to toss the...
ISRAEL ISSUES ULTIMATUM
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amLONDON - The 24-year-old Israeli victim of the worst terrorist attack since the Mideast truce began was buried yesterday as Israeli officials warned they would not continue the cease-fire if...
RACE POLITICS STAINS LEAD-PAINT BILL
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amMembers of the City Council's Black, Latino and Asian Caucus suggested yesterday that Speaker Gifford Miller's refusal to hold a vote on a lead-paint bill was racially motivated. The legislation,...
DEMS SAY NAY ON GAY MARRIAGE
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - Democratic presidential contenders yesterday told gay-rights activists that they support legal civil unions for gays - but not marriage. "Marriage is viewed as a union between men and...
ST. JOHN'S HOOPSTER EYEING PLEA DEAL
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amThe St. John's basketball player accused of attacking a female student will likely avoid trial, his lawyer said yesterday. Grady Reynolds is accused of pushing former swim-team member Rachel Seager,...
GOV GIVES GOB$ TO HIS ELECTION ELVES
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amGov. Pataki doled out whopping bonuses to several top aides who ran his victorious campaign last year, it was revealed yesterday. Pataki awarded record-high payments to former campaign manager Adam...
FARE AND TOLL HIKES STAY PUT, JUDGES RULE
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amCommuters hoping to save a few bucks were dealt a major blow yesterday after a state appeals court ruled the MTA had the legal right to raise fares and tolls...
COURT TOSSES BILL(S)
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - A federal appeals court yesterday rejected Bill and Hillary Clinton's request for a $3.5 million taxpayer bailout to pay off their Whitewater legal bills. That means the Clintons,...
CITY NOW AN OLYMPIC EVENT
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amThe United States Olympic Committee formally nominated New York to host the 2012 Olympic Games yesterday - as confident city officials said the selection of Vancouver to host the 2010...
KERRY TO BASH BUSH IN BX.
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - Sen. John Kerry, the war hero and presidential wannabe, comes to New York City today to hit President Bush for failing to follow through on a host of...
BUSH DEFIANT ON KOREA 'BLACKMAIL'
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - The White House yesterday said President Bush won't yield to blackmail from North Korea after Bill Clinton's defense secretary charged that Bush is drifting toward war with the...
LOTS OF EVIDENCE VS. KOBE
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amDNA tests in the potential sexual-assault case against NBA star Kobe Bryant are in the hands of Colorado prosecutors amid reports there is "an abun- dance" of evidence of the...
JUDGE'S ATT'Y SLAMS 'GRAFT' TAPE
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amThe Brooklyn DA's Office bungled its investigation into an embattled Brooklyn Supreme Court judge who allegedly traded favorable rulings for money and gifts, defense lawyers have charged in a bid...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amQUEENS * A 28-year-old man was charged with murder for fatally shooting a 16-year-old acquaintance during an argument on an Elmhurst street last month, police said yesterday. On June 17,...
I THOUGHT SHE WAS 19: MARINE - TELLS KIN 12-YEAR-OLD BRITISH GIRL IS SAFE
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amThe 31-year-old former Marine who ran off with a 12-year-old English schoolgirl he met in an Internet chat room has told relatives the child was unharmed and that he had...
SHELLY SLAMS MIKE ON ELEX
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amAssembly Speaker Sheldon Silver yesterday blasted Mayor Bloomberg's push for nonpartisan elections - taking a shot at the billionaire mayor's deep pockets. "Along comes an individual who's going to use...
KEITEL GETS ANOTHER WEEK
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amReservoir dog Harvey Keitel failed yesterday to make a deal with his love-child's mother, a California mud-slinger seeking $20,000 a month in child support for their nearly-1-year-old son, Hudson. The...
SUICIDE SLAY COP TRIED TO GAS HER
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amAn NYPD lieutenant who gunned down his girlfriend of 22 years in a murder-suicide rampage in their Long Island home ditched his initial plan to kill her by carbon monoxide...
LOADED FOR BARE - PAINTBALL HUNTERS 'STALK' NAKED VEGAS BABES
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amA controversy has erupted over a twisted new Las Vegas game in which armed players in camouflage hunt down naked young women with paintball guns - and even have sex...
GRAN' MOB: WOMAN, 93, IN MAFIA BETTING RACKET
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amEight men have been busted in connection with a Bonanno crime-family gambling ring that raked in $20 million a year by taking bets at wire rooms in four locations -...
DEMS RIP BUSH OVER $455B DEFICIT
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - Democrats yesterday blasted President Bush on the economy after the White House projected the federal deficit will climb to a record $455 billion this year and grow even...
DEM DICK LOSING OUT IN DOLLAR DERBY
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - Democratic 2004 wannabe Dick Gephardt yesterday admitted he "fell a little short" in raising campaign cash - more than $1 million short, in fact - sparking questions about...
WACKY ROBBER GOES 1 FOR 3
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amA bumbling "lunchtime bandit" tried to steal bread from three Manhattan banks in less than 45 minutes yesterday, but wound up poaching only a paltry $300, cops said. The thief's...
HAMPTONS DIARY
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amNOTHING seems to go right for Jodie Foster these days. Last week, Diary reported that the actress/director/producer/mother had wheeled her toddler son, Kit, in his stroller into an Amagansett barbershop...
NOW IT CAN BE SOLD - RESELLERS SWOOP IN ON UFT'S 'JUNK'
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amThe teachers union yesterday denied responsibility for the abandoned furniture left behind at its old headquarters - and insisted that nobody wanted it anyway - but an antique dealer was...
GIS: WHY CAN'T WE COME HOME?
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amIN THE towns and sub urbs around Fort Stewart, Ga., there are banners welcoming home the heroes of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division. But the "3ID" - the mechanized division...
WITCH DOC HAS RITES IN COURT
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amA mysterious peach pit and ill jurors have sparked speculation that a witch doctor on trial for allegedly sneaking ammonia onto a plane and sickening fellow passengers may have taken...
COURT KOS COLLEGE WHIZ KID
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amA 15-year-old Manhattan girl whose parents sent her to college instead of high school has been told by a judge that she can't get her associates degree even though she's...
DRUG MULE PUT HEX ON 'SMUGGLER'
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amA self-described voodoo priest and admitted drug courier, who once tried to put a curse on his alleged cohort from behind bars, has taken center stage as the star witness...
KID, 13, NABBED IN MOLEST OF BOY, 5
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amAn overgrown 13-year- old Queens boy has been arrested for sodomizing a 5-year-old boy his mother was baby-sitting, prosecutors said yesterday. The teen, who weighs 170 pounds, came along with...
DOCS BID TO CLONE ANCIENT MAMMOTHS
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amThose hairy elephants from the Ice Age could be making a mammoth comeback. Japanese scientists are reportedly preparing frozen woolly mammoth DNA samples, hoping to clone the prehistoric pachyderms. Pieces...
ISRAEL RESCUES TERROR-SNATCH CABBY
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amJERUSALEM - An elderly Jewish cabby who was kidnapped by Palestinian militants Friday was freed by Israeli commandos during a daring pre-dawn raid in the West Bank yesterday. Israeli special...
4 OF 10 IN SUMMER SCHOOL ARE AWOL
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amThere ain't no cure for the summer-school hooky blues. About 40 percent of the city's 242,623 students enrolled in summer school were no-shows from July 7 through yesterday, Schools Chancellor...
BRUCE LETS LOOSE AT N.J. HOMECOMING
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amThere aren't many moments in rock 'n' roll that compare to the raw power of when the lights dim and Bruce Springsteen steps on stage. Last night, during the first...
IT'S ROMEO AND ROSALITA - FANS FLOCK TO SEE BOSS AND BARD
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amThe Boss and the Bard hit the metro area with sold-out shows last night, but the audiences for Bruce Springsteen and William Shakespeare couldn't have been more different. At the...
KERRY TODAY BASHES BUSH IN BRONX
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - Sen. John Kerry, the war hero and presidential wannabe, comes to New York City today to hit President Bush for failing to follow through on a host of...
GIAMBI'S HR SPURS A.L. RALLY
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amALL-STAR NOTES CHICAGO - Jason Giambi picked up where he left off in Monday night's home-run derby - except this time he experienced the joy of winning. The Yankee first...
BLALOCK'S BLAST LIFTS A.L. STARS
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amAmerican 7National 6 CHICAGO - Hank Blalock was one of the most anonymous All-Stars, a player who was almost certainly going to be a casualty of the new format. After...
BOO-NITEZ GETS BOOT ; METS DEAL SCORNED CLOSER TO YANKS FOR YOUNG ARMS
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amCHICAGO - Armando Benitez is the Yankees' problem - or solution - now. The Mets are expected to announce a deal sending Benitez crosstown for at least two minor leaguers...
COUNT ON ARMANDO TO BLOW THIS SAVE
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amCHICAGO - Jason Giambi was on his way to shower last night after the American League's pulsating 7-6 win over the National League at U.S. Cellular Field. Giambi was jazzed...
ISLES TAKE PRESEASON SHOW ON ROAD
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amWith a little more than three months until the puck drops, the Islanders yesterday released their seven-game preseason schedule, which includes one home match and three barnstorming trips through minor-league...
COURSE WILL MAKE OPEN A WILD RIDE
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amSANDWICH, England - Ernie Els compared these hallowed grounds to the surface of the moon. Thomas Bjorn said the ground is fiery. Nick Faldo said the wicked lumpy fairways resemble...
TIGER'S 'SLIGHT' A BIG DEAL
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amNOTEBOOK SANDWICH, England - Tiger Woods, perhaps unbeknownst to him, caused a bit of furor amongst some Brits for what was perceived as a slight against 1999 British Open champion...
WEEKEND SOMETHING TO HOWL ABOUT
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amIT was a weekend for big bass and big fluke. It was a weekend for lots of makos, and it saw one big fish arrive too late and another come...
SHARK RIP: TOUR HAS CHARISMA PROBLEM
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amSANDWICH, England - One by one, like soldiers embarking on a life-threatening mission, too many of the world's best golfers march to the first tee in tournaments looking more like...
JETS GET A LARGE FILL-IN ; SIGN MCGLOCKTON TO PLUG HOLE IN DL
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amJosh Evans has been suspended indefinitely by the league and it's likely that prize rookie Dewayne Robertson will not be signed by Sunday, when the Jets report to training camp....
BUTLER: 'ZO CAN STILL GO
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amNET NOTES Caron Butler was impressed. Having played throughout this off-season with Alonzo Mourning in pickup games, the Heat's Rookie of the Year candidate last season sees the 33-year-old center...
KOVALEV NIXES ARBITRATION
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amOn one boot, Alex Kovalev's only mildly surprising decision not to file for salary arbitration by last night's midnight deadline saves the Rangers from themselves, by eliminating their need to...
LIBERTY ONLY LOOKING TO STAY AFLOAT
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amThe Liberty's first game without Becky Hammon ended in a 90-64 trouncing of the Connecticut Sun. "Everyone said we would be dead after she went down with that knee injury,"...
'KANDI' NOW LOOKS SWEET TO KNICKS
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amBOSTON - The Knicks' six-year, $36.8 million mid-level exception offer to 7-foot center Rasho Nesterovic was not enough. Nesterovic, the Knicks' top target at center, decided to take the money...
CHANEY SEES LIGHT IN LAMPE'S GAME
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amKNICK NOTES BOSTON - During a private moment in the locker-room area, Don Chaney put his arm around Maciej Lampe. "You made the adjustment," Chaney told him. "That's why you're...
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER FOR ROCKET
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amCHICAGO - Like an old cowboy called back for one final battle, Roger Clemens was called back from a Texas lake Monday morning to aid the American (League) cause. So...
THIS GAME IS DIFFERENT (SERIOUSLY)
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amALL-STAR NOTES CHICAGO - The All-Star Game is now being played for stakes - but players were split yesterday over how much more intensely it would actually be played. "You're...
METS EYE 3-WAY DEAL FOR ARMANDO
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amCHICAGO - In a delicious twist, the Mets were threatening to undercut the Yankees with a three-way deal involving Armando Benitez, a baseball official indicated yesterday. Although interim general manager...
I GOT YOU, BABE ; HR TOTAL LAST HURDLE, BOASTFUL BARRY SAYS
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amCHICAGO - He is a legend. He is Babe Ruth and more. And Barry Bonds knows it. As Bonds came to bat last night at U.S. Cellular Field in the...
ROCKET PERFECT IN CLASSIC FINALE
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amCHICAGO - Like an old cowboy called back for one final battle, Roger Clemens was beckoned from a Texas lake Monday morning to aid the American (League) cause. And in...
HOME GROAN FOR LIBERTY
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amMystics 77Liberty 64 Before last night's game against the woeful Mystics, Liberty coach Richie Adubato said it was "absolutely necessary" that his team beat Washington. Apparently, he didn't pass along...
ARMANDO'S NO YANK SOLUTION
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amCHICAGO - This time it hurts. Not the All-Star Game, where the Yankees may turn out to be big winners when Hank Blalock blasted a two-run pinch-hit home run in...
A.L. THANKS HANK : BLALOCK'S BLAST SENDS 'EM HOME
July 16, 2003 | 4:00amAmerican 7National 6 CHICAGO - Hank Blalock was one of the most anonymous All-Stars, a player who was almost certainly going to be a casualty of the new format. After...