July 25, 2003
N.Y. JOBLESS RISE 9,000 LAST MONTH
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amThe employment picture in New York isn't improving, despite a promising jobs report yesterday at the federal level. The Labor Department in Washington, D.C., said fewer people applied for unemployment...
CYPRESS ADDS MEOW MIX TO ITS CAT-ALOG
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amCypress Group is about to take its first bite in the food arena by snapping up Meow Mix cat food company, The Post has learned. The buyout firm has agreed...
SPITZER VICTORY - HOUSE NEMESIS SHELVES BILL TO LIMIT POLICING POWERS
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amEliot Spitzer and the nation's state securities watchdogs won a Capitol Hill battle yesterday that will let them hold onto their power to police financial firms - at least for...
BLOOMBERG'S COLOR CODE - ORANGE BUSINESS CARDS HAVE STAFFERS TURNING PURPLE
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amLEX Fenwick, the purple-suit-clad CEO who stepped in to run things at Bloomberg L.P. when Mayor Mike left the company for City Hall, is now trying to get the far-flung...
THE WRITE STUFF - NYT EX-STAFFER BLAIR TO WORK FOR ESQUIRE, JANE
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amJayson Blair is getting back into the journalism game already. The disgraced former New York Times reporter has landed two plum assignments, one from Esquire and another from Jane. He'll...
STARR REPORT
July 25, 2003 | 4:00am'The View' has a date with destiny "The View" officially kicks off its search for a new co-host on today's show (11 a.m./Ch. 7). Breaking with tradition, Barbara Walters will...
TOUR DE HORSE
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amSEABISCUIT [] An undisputed winner. Running time: 140 minutes. Rated PG-13 (sexuality, sports violence). At the Empire, the Lincoln Square, the Beekman, others. ---- THIS year's Oscar derby leaves the...
REMEMBER THEIR NAMES AT TALENTED 'CAMP'
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amCAMP [ 1/2] "Fame" goes to summer camp. Running time: 114 minutes. Rated PG- 13 (sexuality, mild profanity). At the Lincoln Plaza and the Sunshine. ---- THE movie musical revival...
CLUMSY 'CRADLE' WILL FALL
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amLARA CROFT TOMB RAIDER: THE CRADLE OF LIFE [] Sequel undermined by lame romance and lamer action. Running time: 96 minutes. Rated PG-13 (violence). At the Ziegfeld, the E Walk,...
LARCENOUS ARMY CLERK HAS 'EM BUFFALOED
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amBUFFALO SOLDIERS [ 1/2] Anarchic fun. Running time: 98 minutes. Rated R (violence, drug content, strong language and some sexuality). At AMC Empire, Loews Lincoln Square, the Angelika. ---- THE...
'MONDAYS' BLUES
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amMONDAYS IN THE SUN [] A stirring character study. In Spanish with English subtitles. Running time: 115 minutes. Rated R (language). At the Angelika and the New York 1 and...
'3-D' TALE FLAT
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amSPY KIDS 3-D: GAME OVER [ 1/2] "Tron" rebooted. Running time: 87 minutes. Rated PG (action sequences and peril). At the Empire, the Chelsea, the Kips Bay. ---- JUST because...
BEEN THERE, DUNN THAT - HE'S TAKING THE MIDDLE OF THAT 'RED DIRT ROAD'
July 25, 2003 | 4:00am"I was literally at the point where I thought my only two options were to make it in music or pump gas for the rest of my life." -Ronnie Dunn...
FINN-TASTIC 'RIVER'
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amBIG RIVER: THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN []The Roundabout Theater Company at the American Airlines Theater, 227 W. 42nd St. (212) 719-1300. ---- IT'S an unexpected honey. I'm talking about...
MTV NODS PROMPT CROSS-CULTURE SHOCK
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amMISSY Elliott, one of hip-hop's most prolific and sought- after artists, worked it with her hit song "Work It," snagging a mighty eight nominations for this year's MTV Video Music...
WITCHY WEDDING - WHEN 'SABRINA' DECIDED TO GET MARRIED, SHE LET TV CAMERAS FOLLOW HER AROUND. THIS WAS NOT THE BEST IDEA SHE EVER HAD.
July 25, 2003 | 4:00am"Tying The Knot: The Wedding of Melissa Joan Hart" [] Sunday night at 9 on ABC Family ---- IF you are lucky enough to have escaped a wedding invitation this...
DADDY WAS ROCK & ROLL ROYALTY
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amFOR the kids of rock 'n' roll legends, fame is a four-letter word. "It wouldn't matter if I was an astronaut," Teddy Richards, the grown son of Aretha Franklin, tells...
SO EASY TO FIND 'JOEY'
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amFANS won't have to touch their remote controls to see Matt LeBlanc and his "Friends" spin-off, "Joey," in fall 2004. LeBlanc's dim-bulb character Joey Tribbiani will get his own show...
'SPRINGTIME' LINGERS FOR 'THE PRODUCERS'
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amTHE PRODUCERS []At the St. James Theater, 246 W. 44th St.; (212) 239-6200 ---- DOES it have legs? That's what Broadway asks of every seemingly megahit musical - and it's...
TALE OF MONROE - MARILYN IN 'MISFITS' HAUNTS A NEW PLAY BY EX-HUBBY MILLER
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amARTHUR Miller, who never speaks publicly about his ex-wife Marilyn Monroe, has written a new play about her. Called "Finishing the Picture," it's loosely based on the making of Monroe's...
COPS NAIL CAR-THEFT SUSPECT
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amA career car thief was shot and wounded by cops in Brooklyn last night after he struck an officer with a stolen car in a desperate attempt to flee the...
SEAPORT MUSEUM SKIPPER DESERVES DECK-ORATION
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amPeter Stanford : Lifetime Achievement Medal nominee --- You can thank Peter Stanford for bringing life to the lower Manhattan jewel that is the South Street Seaport Museum. Back in...
TYSON BIDS TO KO RAP
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amMike Tyson's lawyers came out swinging yesterday, insisting assault charges against the former heavyweight champ be dropped because he lashed out at a trio at a Brooklyn hotel only after...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amThis cat burglar is really a cat. A marauding feline named Midnight has been sneaking off in the dark to raid neighbors' homes, garages, sheds and patios, bringing home shoes,...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amMANHATTAN (lcf) * An Upper East Side man sent anti-Semitic letters and pornographic pictures to various city organizations, police said. Werner Bosche, 61, was arrested by Hate Crimes Unit Detectives...
A RUBE AWAKENING
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amWelcome to New York, Republicans - and to those enterprising (and overcharging) New York limo drivers. Arriving in a monsoon downpour for the Republican National Committee's summer meeting at the...
ROAD-RAGE 'HAMMER' BASH
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amA hammer-wielding motorist was arrested at gunpoint yesterday in Long Island for viciously bashing another driver in what cops said was an ugly road-rage incident. Nassau County Police Officer Steven...
OUT OF FRYING CAN - BAILED ATTACK CHEF MUST SIMMER DOWN
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amThe hot-headed Hamptons chef who allegedly beat a rival cook after catching him in bed with his girlfriend was released from the slammer yesterday after promising to behave himself. Michael...
SAVING THEIR ASH - BAR OWNERS RALLY AGAINST NEW STATE CIG BAN
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amHundreds of bar and restaurant owners gathered outside City Hall to protest the state's new smoking ban, which took effect yesterday. "We're dying," said Maura O'Sullivan, who owns the Old...
LEARNING IS THE 'PRINCIPAL' REASON FOR SUMMER CAMP
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amNinety aspiring city school principals are in the middle of their summer leadership boot camp training - grappling with ways to supervise and train teachers, boost student performance and manage...
TOBACCO WACKOS, MEET THE FIGHTING IRISH
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amTHEY had the map of Ire land written all over their faces. They were Seamus O'Toole of Eamonn's in Brooklyn, there was Mike Glynn of Kennedy's, there was Sean and...
IRON MIKE'S ARREST IS THE REAL CRIME
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amBROOKLYN District At torney Charles Hynes is behaving as badly as the fat drunks who allegedly badgered, harassed and threatened Mike Tyson one morning in June. The DA wants to...
L.I. MOM DROWNS TOT, KILLS HERSELF
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amA Long Island woman drowned her 2-year-old daughter in a bathtub and then hanged herself - apparently because she feared she would lose custody of her child. Michele Sambriski, 34,...
REVEALED: AL QAEDA HELD 'DRY RUN' AT NEW YORK AIRPORT
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - Two members of Osama bin Laden's terror team sneaked past checkpoints in a "dry run" at a New York airport as part of a plan years before Sept....
BETTING MAN BENNETT: I'M NO HYPOCRITE
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amWilliam Bennett, the conservative crusader for morality and virtue whose $8 million gambling habit dealt him a hard hand politically, says he's not a hypocrite. "I never got on the...
KILLER'S GAY LOVER SAW NO SIGNALS BEFORE MURDEROUS MELTDOWN
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amThe City Hall assassin's lover said he saw no warning of Othniel Askew's homicidal rage. The lover, a 36-year-old Brooklyn man who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity,...
LAND HAUL! DEALS EARN CITY $32M
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amThe cash-starved city is $32.8 million richer after bargain hunters bought more than 150 municipally owned properties at public auction - the largest haul since 1994, officials said yesterday. "It...
SHAKEN WORKERS PRAISE THE HEROES AMID THE HORRORS
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amThe murder of Councilman James Davis was the only thing anyone could talk about yesterday in the city's still-shaken seat of government. "I think we all appreciate life more than...
'SOPRANOS' HIGH NOTE AS ACTOR BEATS DRUG RAP
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amHe may be a fictional mobster, but he beat a serious rap. A drug charge that could have sent "Sopranos" cast member Richard Maldone to jail for 15 years was...
CHECK'S IN THE MAIL - CHILD TAX CREDIT WILL PUMP $1B INTO N.Y. ECONOMY
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amPresident Bush yesterday told Americans the check is in the mail for $400-per-child tax credits, which will bring nearly $1 billion back to New York's economy and benefit 1.6 million...
GUTSY GALS REUNITE AS SURVIVORS
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amToday, they're all smiles. Hugging, kissing and reminiscing about the scariest moment of their lives. But on Wednesday, City Councilwoman Margarita Lopez and council staffer Colleen Maritato were on the...
AVIATORS FUMING OVER BLOOMBERG'S REMARKS
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amMayor Bloomberg's off-the-cuff remark in defense of a hole in City Hall security - saying officials were allowed to bypass metal detectors just like airline pilots and flight crews do...
HERO COP GETS GOLD SHIELD
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amHe's a hero - and now he's a detective, too. Richard Burt, the police officer who killed assassin Othniel Askew in a remarkable feat of sharpshooting, was promoted to detective...
KIN OF TRAGIC TOURIST SUE
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amThe family of a German tourist killed after being hit by a minivan in Times Square in January filed a $45 million federal lawsuit yesterday. The lawsuit claimed the driver's...
BUSH ALLY: IGNORE POLL
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amThe new Republican National Committee chairman yesterday sought to reassure party faithful gathered in New York that "the sky is not falling" because President Bush's poll numbers have slipped. "The...
RAP BURGLARY CAUGHT ON TAPE
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amThis is a surveillance photograph of the man who sneaked into the Manhattan offices of TVT Records and stole three laptop computers earlier this month. The bandit, who police believe...
HAMPTONS DIARY
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amTHE dog days of Au gust really earn their name out in the Hamptons - because the crowds that come out for the final month of summer are real animals,...
FAMILY BUSINESS - VICTIM'S BROTHER EYED FOR SEAT
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amJames Davis' brother, Geoffrey, is the heavy favorite to run for the seat of the slain city councilman, Brooklyn Democrats said yesterday. In filing his petition to run for the...
I DODGED A BULLET: COUNCILMAN WANNABE
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amOne of Councilman James Davis' prospective primary foes says the City Hall assassin phoned him several times Wednesday, insisting they meet, but thanks to his busy schedule, he never had...
THE CORNEAS OF SLAIN COUNCILMAN JAMES DAVIS WERE HARVESTED
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amThe corneas of slain councilman James Davis were harvested for future transplants after he was shot to death Wednesday, law enforcement officials said. "It was his last public deed," said...
SO LONG, BOYS - U.S. BARES BRO SLAY PHOTOS
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - The Bush administration is hoping these gruesome photographs will mark a turning point in Iraq. They are the corpses of Saddam Hussein's sons, Uday and Qusay, who were...
LAST PHOTO: 9 MINUTES BEFORE DEATH
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amThis is the final photo of City Councilman James Davis, snapped nine minutes before he was gunned down in the council chamber. Moments before Wednesday's fatal council session was to...
SUSPECT HELD AFTER ROOF PURSUIT
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amA burglar led cops on a dramatic rooftop-to-rooftop chase in Greenwich Village yesterday before the tired and bloody suspect was trapped and arrested, police said. Paul Suarez's ill-fated run began...
HARD TIME FOR BX. GUN-RUNNERS
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amTwo members of a Virginia gun ring were sentenced yesterday to up to 133 years in the slammer for selling high-powered weapons in The Bronx. Bronx Supreme Court Justice Joseph...
THESE ANGELS GOT SCREENED - BUT CRAZED KILLER PACKING A PISTOL WALKED RIGHT IN
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amLittle girls wearing tiaras and festive gowns had to go through metal detectors at City Hall Wednesday - even though gunman Othniel Askew was able to slip past the checkpoint...
TRUCK FOR SAIL - CUBANS PICKED UP HALFWAY TO FLORIDA IN A '51 CHEVROLET
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amChevy Ahoy! A dozen creative Cubans took to the high seas in a 1951 Chevrolet truck in a daring bid for freedom. With 55-gallon drums strapped to the truck's sides...
WILD EYES OF A KILLER - HIV AND FAILURE FUELED HIS RAGE; HIV ASSASSIN WAS FUELED BY FEAR OF 'GAY' BLACKMAIL
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amThe City Hall killer was an HIV-positive man who made meticulous preparations for his own death before setting out to assassinate a political rival who he believed was blackmailing him...
KLEIN BATTLES WITH PRINCIPALS
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amCity Schools Chancellor Joel Klein took off the gloves yesterday - telling principals their union is blocking key reforms that would make it easier for them to improve their schools....
NICK'S BAT TO GET BACK INTO LINEUP
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amYANKEE NOTES Nick Johnson could change the way Brian Cashman approaches improving the Yankees offense. "I have nothing going on right now," the GM said yesterday before a 5-3 loss...
MARCHAND'S MATCHUP OF THE WEEK: JIM DUQUETTE VS. STEVE PHILLIPS (WHO'S BETTER WITH THE MEDIA?)
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amWhen ex-Met GM Steve Phillips planned on calling up a reliever to fill out his bullpen, he would withhold the candidates' names as if they were state secrets. The method...
5 QUESTIONS FOR MICHAEL KAY
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amThis week, The Post's Andrew Marchand spoke with Yankee TV play-by-player and 1050-ESPN Radio host Michael Kay. Kay, 42, has broadcast Yankee games for the past 12 years.Q: What's going...
BOBBY V, RATED X - EX-MET SKIPPER TEARS INTO FAN HOST
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amFeeling wronged, ex-Met manager Bobby Valentine lit into WFAN host Sid Rosenberg in an off-the-air, four-minute, expletive-filled barrage last Friday. After a published report said Valentine told Yankee GM Brian...
COMIN' AT YA! - PEDRO VS. YANKS IS MORE THAN JUST A GAME
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amFriday, Yankees at Red Sox, 7 p.m., WCBS-2 --- Let's not understate how Red Sox fans feel about Pedro Martinez' start against the Yankees on Friday night at Fenway Park....
STIRLING CEMENTS STAFF
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amFirst-year bench boss Steve Stirling rounded out his Islanders coaching staff yesterday, naming Curt Fraser and Jeff Jackson as his two new assistants. Including players, the organization now has all...
IT'S THE REEL DEAL
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amFISHING the deep blue waters of the continental shelf appears to be filling out the saltwater picture, making fishing both inshore and offshore a good bet for the weekend. From...
SMILING FACES MAY BE FROWNING SOON
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amTHE smiles were in full supply on the dais inside Nets headquarters, everyone making nice, making like dinnertime at the Cleaver house. Joumana Kidd had an armful of roses. Jason...
OLD MATES WISH VAN HORN WELL
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amThe well-wishers sounded sincere. The Nets brass and star player seemed to hope that team across the river would prove a good home for formerly one of their own, Keith...
PEDRO DOESN'T SCARE YANKS
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amDUE to a rainout Tuesday, David Wells was moved from facing the Orioles at home to going head-to-head against Pedro Martinez in Boston tonight. But don't think of Wells as...
RAIN PLAYS HAVOC WITH BARUCH 'CAP
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amSARATOGA SPRINGS - After getting socked by torrential downpours Tuesday and Wednesday, the Old Spa took it on the chin again yesterday. In between long stretches of sunshine, the skies...
CHAPEL ROYAL WINS SANFORD
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amSARATOGA SPRINGS - Trainer Todd Pletcher's 2-year-old colt Chapel Royal cost $1.2 million last February and looked worth every penny yesterday at the Old Spa, winning the Grade 2, $150,000...
FANS SINGING THE BLUES
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amNOT even a promotional giveaway night can be free of bad faith. Last Friday night at Yankee Stadium, what was supposed to be "Bernie Williams CD Giveaway Night" for the...
BOUND FOR BEANTOWN ; YANKEES READY FOR RED SOX, MARTINEZ
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amOrioles 5 - Yankees 3 The Evil Empire invades Fenway Park tonight for the first of three games that will help determine who wins the AL East, something the Yankees...
DEVS FIND STOPGAP FOR 'D'
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amThe Devils say they have stopped their back-line bleeding - but they may have done it with a Band-Aid. GM Lou Lamoriello yesterday signed 26-year-old Sean Brown, a free agent...
EDWARDS LETS CHAD GO HALFWAY
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amJET NOTES There was something important missing from the Jets' morning practice yesterday: Chad Pennington throwing passes with the first team. No worries, though, Herman Edwards gave Pennington the morning...
LUCIOUS CONTRACT DECISION REMAINS UP IN AIR
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amNET NOTES With Reggie Miller's name swirling in a hopeful but hardly realistic vein, Nets coach Byron Scott felt something could be done by the end of the day yesterday...
JET KOR IS A-OK
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amMike Westhoff, the Jets' demanding special teams coach, does not toss around compliments as if they were flower bouquets at a wedding. They don't come easy. Westhoff has as much...
ROUGH DAY FOR ROCKET
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amRoger Clemens hadn't had a shorter non-injury outing in more than a year. He hadn't thrown so few pitches in almost three years. It's been a milestone season for the...
CAMP NO CHAOS - JINTS OPEN SHOP WITH WINNING ATTITUDE
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amALBANY - Jeremy Shockey cut his hair. Not all of it, but a noticeable portion of his previously flowing blond locks are no longer there. Attach no significance to this....
FASSEL: JOSEPH DOESN'T KNOW WHAT HE'S MISSING
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amGIANT NOTES ALBANY - With negotiations moving at a slow pace, the Giants did not really expect defensive tackle William Joseph, their first-round draft pick, to make it to training...
COACHING KEITH - BROWN SOUNDS OFF ON NEW KNICK
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amLarry Brown wants to set the record straight. In East Hampton for the summer, Brown heard a lot of anti-Keith Van Horn calls yesterday on the radio - irate Knicks...
HOWE: MIKE DESERVES SHOT AT CATCHER HR MARK
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amMET NOTES MONTREAL - Many columnists and talk-show mavens have criticized Mike Piazza for coveting Carlton Fisk's home-run record for catchers. Some feel that stubbornness is getting in the way...
PHILLIPS FITS INTO MET PLAN
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amMONTREAL - The year is 2005, and Jason Phillips is . . . where exactly? Is he a first baseman? A catcher? Playing home games somewhere other than Shea? "I'm...
SZCZERBIAK: SPREE MAKES US BETTER
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amTimberwolves forward Wally Szczerbiak believes adding Latrell Sprewell could be the final piece to Minnesota's championship puzzle. Szczerbiak said Minnesota now has as much talent as anyone other than the...
WORK TO BE DONE - KIDD CAME BACK TO GET NETS TITLE
July 25, 2003 | 4:00am"I have some unfinished business . . . to win that championship as a Net." -JASON KIDD ----- When two years of speculation ended, when the lure of Tim Duncan...
DUVAL (83) HITS ROCK BOTTOM
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amCROMWELL, Conn. - At least Suzy Whaley beat David Duval, whose troubled play continued in the first round of the Greater Hartford Open. Duval shot a 13-over-par 83 yesterday, leaving...
SUZY SMILES ON DESPITE HER 75
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amCROMWELL, Conn. - The smile never wavered from Suzy Whaley's face. At least not after the three-putt from three feet on the first green, turning what would have been a...
BOMBER ARMS ARE GOING TO BE TESTED
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amTHE Red Sox won't go away. On a pace to score more than 1000 runs, threatening a .300 team batting average, where would they go, except to second on one...
WHALEY (75) HAS REASON TO SMILE
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amCROMWELL, Conn. - On the first green of her first round of the Greater Hartford Open yesterday, Suzy Whaley's nerves were so frazzled she three-putted from five feet, turning a...
'CHAPEL' WINS SANFORD
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amSARATOGA SPRINGS - Trainer Todd Pletcher's 2-year-old colt Chapel Royal cost $1.2 million last February and looked worth every penny yesterday at the Old Spa, winning the Grade 2, $150,000...
RAIN THREATENS BARUCH 'CAP
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amSARATOGA SPRINGS - After getting socked by torrential downpours Tuesday and Wednesday, the Old Spa took it on the chin again yesterday. In between long stretches of sunshine, the skies...
SZCZERBIAK: T'WOLVES BETTER WITH SPREE
July 25, 2003 | 4:00amMinnesota's Wally Szczerbiak believes the addition of Latrell Sprewell could be the final piece to the Timberwolves' championship puzzle. Szczerbiak said Minnesota has as much talent as anyone other than...