July 27, 2003

WASHINGTON, UP FRONT AND CENTER

Washington coverage is surging as Bill Keller gets ready to formally assume power as the executive editor of the New York Times on Wednesday. Keller, whose appointment was announced two...

BULL'S EYE

A tangled Web The Financial Times apparently had to pull two Vivendi stories from its Web site last week because of inaccuracies. The first reported that NBC has agreed to...

THROWING TANTRUMS IN THE HAMPTONS

I kept finding myself in a rage - I bitched at my roommate and was vile to a beach attendant. The beaches are superb, the houses are incredible, and every...

STARR REPORT

No soap, radio: 'KTU guys on 'GL' WKTU's Baltazar and Goumba Johnny make their soap debut this September on an episode of "Guiding Light," playing themselves in a scene with...

WHERE TO EAT AFTER ... SHOPPING IN SOHO

Heading out on a SoHo shopping expedition? Check out the recently relocated Pearl River Mart for bargain Asian housewares (477 Broadway), Agent Provocateur for racy British lingerie (133 Mercer St.)...

BEST FRIEND AS BEST MAN

When Joanne Gibbs began planning her wedding to D.J. Kilmartin III, there was no question who her ring bearers would be. Gibbs chose her best friends: two tiny Maltese dogs...

STRAIGHT TALK ; HETERO MALES REBEL! WE'RE NOT ALL NEANDERTHALS.

STRAIGHT men are not animals. We are not slobs. We are not fashion-challenged. We know how to comb our hair, shave and pick up after ourselves. I have known how...

HIGH SCHOOL DAZE

The '80s are dead! Long live the '80s! The Two Boots Pioneer Theater is bringing back the decade that gave us MTV, skateboards, voodoo economics and home video with a...

HIGH NOTES & LOW NOTES

Kiss-off: KISS guitarist Ace Frehley will not join the band for its summer tour. "I took the 'Farewell Tour' for what it was billed as," he said. Instead, he'll work...

COOL AS FOLK ; THESE GUYS WITH GUITARS WANT YOU TO KNOW THEY REALLY CARE

Singer/songwriter. The term conjures up a brooding musician strumming an acoustic guitar in a coffeehouse (pre-Starbucks) - think Jackson Browne and, of course, Bob Dylan. But in the decades since...

THE ESSENTIAL CELIA ; A GUIDE TO THE BEST OF THE LATE, GREAT QUEEN OF SALSA

Interested in learning more about Celia Cruz's music but clueless where to start? You're not alone. The Queen of Salsa died July 16, of brain cancer, at age 77. The...

SHOPAHOLIC: I DARE YOU: CAN DESIGNER DANNY SEO PUT TOGETHER A GREAT LOOK FOR ONLY $100?

DANNY SAYS: "It's not about the label or where you shop - it's about knowing what fits and what works best." Former "Imitation of Christ" designer Danny Seo is not...

HE'S THE QUEEN OF MEAN TV: 'QUEER EYE' STAR CARSON KRESSLEY WANTS TO MAKE ALL OF YOU OVER

Carson Kressley can't tell the difference between a straight guy and a gay guy anymore. "It's getting harder every day," says the bitchy blond host of TV's hottest new reality...

THE LOW COST OF HIGH STYLE

While many reality TV shows have low-budget feel, the look of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" seems to have production values that are as glam as its five makeover...

THE DAY JOHN WAYNE WENT TO HARVARD

LIVE and learn. Having attended college during the latter part of the Vietnam War years, I was instilled with the notion-as-fact that John Wayne, at least as much as Richard...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

A Baltimore singer-songwriter has been banned from performing at the Fredericksburg, Md., Borders Books & Music store after she mocked President Bush's legs between songs in her show. Julia Rose...

PROBERS EYE TOP DEA MAN OVER 150G THEFT

A top official in the Drug Enforcement Administration's New York office is under investigation over allegations that he stole $150,000 from the agency, The Post has learned. Kevin Tamez, 49,...

MTA'S 'EAGLE' GROUNDED

The statue of an eagle that once graced the rooftop of the original Grand Central Terminal nearly 100 years ago may not come home to roost after all. The 11/2-ton...

SHARON SET TO SPRING 100 TERROR JAILBIRDS

JERUSALEM - As he prepares to talk peace in Washington, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will call for the release of dozens of prisoners affiliated with terrorist groups, according to...

GRENADE AMBUSH KILLS THREE GIS AT KIDS HOSP

Three U.S. soldiers were killed and another four wounded by a grenade thrown at them in broad daylight as they guarded a children's hospital north of Baghdad. Nobody has taken...

'THREAT' POL WANTS OWN GUARD

Councilman Hiram Monserrate, whose life was allegedly threatened by an opponent's campaign volunteer, says he and his colleagues should have their own security details. Monserrate's request comes less than 24...

COOL SPRING TAKES STING OUT OF W. NILE

The cool weather over the spring and early summer might have brought a hidden benefit if it delayed the spread of West Nile virus. Mosquitoes infected with the flu-like virus...

LEAD-FOOTED FAMILY ; LIZZIE'S DAD WRECKS JAGUAR IN EAST HAMPTON SMASHUP

Lizzie Grubman isn't the only family member prone to Hamptons car accidents. Allen Grubman, the entertainment-lawyer dad of the lead-footed publicity princess ran an East Hampton stop sign in his...

MOURNERS LAUD LEADER'S IDEALS

It was the kind of rally James Davis might have led himself: spirited speakers denouncing gun violence and noisy protesters vowing to buck the system. But the crowd was there...

IRAQI SAVIOR TO VISIT HER

Jessica Lynch will get a chance to meet the Iraqi who sparked her rescue from Nasiriyah when he visits her hometown in October. Mohammed Odeh al-Rehaief received asylum in the...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

Brooklyn A man was shot and critically wounded yesterday in the Flatbush section, police said. The victim, whose name was not released, was standing in front of 33 Argyle Road...

PSYCHO FATHER HANGS HIS KID

A deranged father furious over seeing his estranged common-law wife with another man took their 22-month-old son to a Queens motel room yesterday - then hanged the toddler with an...

CORPSE FOUND IN WOODS MAY BE MISSING HOOPSTER

Authorities looking for a missing Baylor University basketball player found a body in a wooded area several miles from Waco, Texas, and are testing to determine if the remains are...

DRUMMER'S A 'HEAVY PEDAL' STAR

The latest smash hit for heavy metal masters Iron Maiden has come in a parking lot. The legendary band's drummer, Michael "Nicko" McBrain, 51, was arrested on an assault charge...

KILLER'S DEATH WISH: I AM WILLING TO DO IT

In a chilling audiotape, Councilman James Davis' paranoid assassin tells a rival politician he is ready to lay down his life for a shot at political office, law-enforcement sources said...

THREATS ON KOBE DA GET FBI'S ATTENTION

The FBI is probing threats made against the district attorney prosecuting L.A. Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant's sexual-assault case, it was reported yesterday. The threats have targeted everyone from Eagle County...

JESSICA: FAST FOOD BELLE TO FIANCÉE

PALESTINE, W.Va. - They met at Fort Bliss, Texas, and fell in love in a Taco Bell in nearby El Paso. Now, Jessica Lynch and Ruben Contreras Jr. are planning...

HEADLESS BODY FOUND OFF L.I.E.

A woman out for a morning walk with her dog found the headless, handless body of a woman near the Long Island Expressway yesterday, Suffolk County Police said. The naked,...

CAR-CRASH CLAN; LIZZIE DAD'S JAGUAR WRECKED IN EAST HAMPTON SMASHUP

Lizzie Grubman isn't the only family member prone to Hamptons car accidents. Allen Grubman, the prominent entertainment-lawyer dad of the lead-footed p.r. princess, was driving his classic British sports car...

FATHER HANGS HIS KID: POLICE

A deranged father furious over seeing his estranged common-law wife with another man hanged their 22-month-old son to death at a Queens motel yesterday, police said. Little Omar Arias was...

SAVVY EX-COP'S INSTINCTS FAILED HIM

JUST about everyone who met Othniel Boaz Askew walked away thinking there was something odd about the guy. City Councilman Charles Barron thought so, just 30 minutes before Askew pulled...

WAITING TO INHALE: LET'S PUT OUT THE SMOKING BAN

After the murder of City Councilman James Davis at City Hall on Wednesday, hundreds of outraged bar and restaurant owners, smokers and workers, still decided to go ahead with a...

CUBANS' SAIL OF THE CENTURY

If ever a bunch of guys deserved to become citizens of the United States, it was the Cubans who got caught sailing across the Florida Straits in a 3/4-ton '51...

CALL IT THE SLICE OF LIFE

It was a big week for medical breakthroughs. Italian scientists found that eating pizza weekly greatly reduced the risk of throat, colon and mouth cancers. Of course by eating all...

YOU'VE GOT E-MAIL . . .

From Barb1855: "Esquire magazine has hired disgraced [former New York Times] reporter Jayson Blair to write a review of the movie "Shattered Glass," about disgraced reporter Stephen Glass. I wonder...

BAD-TRANSPLANT LADY DIES

A Queens woman who received a hepatitis C-infected liver in a bid to save her life has died - and was denied her last wish to become an organ donor...

'MODEL' CITIZEN REVELED IN GAY SCENE BEFORE SLAYING

Othniel Askew made a dashing debut on the New York gay scene after graduating from college - just a decade before he became obsessed with politics and desperate to replace...

10 BEST HOUSES IN THE HAMPTONS

1.Three Ponds Farm Bridgehampton Late developer Eddie Gordon's 50-acre estate, with 9-hole golf course, 7 bedrooms, 10 baths, pool, tennis court and extra noise protection. 6. Burnt Point On Georgica...

MTA'S GROUNDED 'EAGLE'

The statue of an eagle that once graced the rooftop of the original Grand Central Terminal nearly 100 years ago may not come home to roost after all. The 11/2-ton...

LOCAL ANGLERS GET TUNA SURPRISE

MORE than half a dozen kinds of tuna visit the waters off Long Island, but none are more popular than the bluefin, which can grow to over 1,000 pounds. While...

PRIVATE CLUBS CAN MAKE YOU FEEL TIPS-Y

LOCAL GOLF It sometimes can be an awkward situation. A friend invites you to play at a swanky golf club and you may not know whom or when to tip....

MINOR MOVES MAY EQUAL MAJOR SUCCESS

WITH the first-start success of Oakland's Rich Harden, many fantasy dabblers are craving the next minor-league call-up steal. Here are some players who are now toiling in the bushes, but...

STATEN ISLAND'S BRYCE IS RIGHT ON MOUND AND AT PLATE

HE came from Arizona as pitcher, prankster and prospect. He knew he could hit a little, too, but Bryce Kartler figured his swing would stay in his suitcase all summer...

CRIME DOESN'T SWAY ; NOT EVEN MURDER WILL STOP NEFARIOUS NCAA RECRUITING

SO the Ohio State football program, in the wake of the recent Maurice Clarett academic scandal, claims that it's going to work harder to ensure academic integrity. Yeah, sure. And...

YANKS MADE PITCH FOR GRIFFEY ; TRIED TO LAND STAR PRIOR TO INJURY

IN the weeks before Ken Griffey's season-ending ankle injury, the Yankees proposed a trade with the Reds for the one-time star center fielder and also to address their bullpen. Even...

DOWN THE LINE: MARINERS GM HAVING LAST LAUGH ON JUNIOR, A-ROD & LOU

Beware the curse of Mariners GM Pat Gillick. Ken Griffey, Alex Rodriguez and Lou Piniella all engineered their way out of Seattle, and all have had regrettable times since. Griffey...

TIME TO CUT TIES WITH MESS

SO NOT only doesn't Glen Sather drop by Hilton Head for a beer, the GM hires Tom Renney, who in Vancouver was quickly dismissed as head coach after receiving the...

SIGHTSEEK CHASES 'WAND'

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Long before Sightseek made her first start, trainer Bobby Frankel knew he had a special filly on his hands. So when Juddmonte Farm's homebred daughter of Distant...

PUZZLED REED COMES TO KEITH'S DEFENSE

As Nets senior vice president, Willis Reed saw nearly all Keith Van Horn's games at the Meadowlands, and saw every game of the Nets' first playoff run to the Finals...

HUSTLING PAYS OFF FOR REYES

When Art Howe was asked about Jose Reyes' dazzling bit of baserunning on Friday night - in which the prized phenom scored from first on a groundout - the manager...

DAYNE'S DAYS DWINDLING

GIANT NOTES ALBANY - Despite straining his relationship with the head coach, and ominous free-agent signings, Ron Dayne said yesterday he always believed he'd be back at training camp with...

HOWE'S BATTLE CRY: LET YOUTH BE SERVED

MET NOTES The Mets have nine rookies right now, which constitutes a bizarre world for Mets fans who are used to seeing veteran teams take the field. For Art Howe,...

JEREMY SAYS HE'LL BE 'TWICE AS GOOD'

ALBANY - One-on- one with Jeremy Shockey: Q: Was your rookie year what you expected? A: "I expected to do a little better. I did OK (74 catches, 894 yards,...

SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM ; WANTS BETTER BALANCE WITH COLLINS

ALBANY - Possible scenario: There are three kids standing behind a fence, all wide-eyed and eager to get Jeremy Shockey to sign. One kid is wearing Shockey's No. 80 jersey,...

BENNETT GOING FOR THE GREEN

JET NOTES Sean Bennett says that he doesn't blame the Giants for cutting him with three games left last year. "If I were the GM there, I probably would have...

BACK PAINS BOOMER

YANKEE NOTES BOSTON - With a heat pack on his sore back and a plate full of breakfast in his hand, David Wells moved gingerly through the Yankees' clubhouse yesterday...

MOSS' ROLE GROWS ; FIRST-YEAR JETS LEARN FROM YOUNG RECEIVER

Santana Moss has only played one full NFL season, but to some players, he's already a wily veteran, worthy of mentor status. "I watch what he does," said Ian Smart,...

WILSON'S DAYS NOT NUMBERED

Three hours before last night's first pitch at Shea, the Mets' future at catcher was open for discussion. While Vance Wilson conducted an interview in the home clubhouse, another catcher,...

TORRE MUST MANAGE PEOPLE WITHIN GAMES

BOSTON - On Friday night, Joe Torre played counselor as much as manager, actually taking time on the mound in the eighth inning to explain to Armando Benitez why he...

BOSOX BOUNCE BACK ; BY BEATING BENITEZ ; YANKS' LEAD CUT TO 2-½

Red Sox 5Yankees 4 BOSTON - Remember the uplifting feeling the Yankees had Friday night after they scratched out a one-run win over the Red Sox in a game started...

BURKETT'S BIG GAME SAVES SOX

BOSTON - How do you figure this? Can you figure this? On Friday night, the Yankees had little trouble figuring Perdo Martinez out. They may have only scored three runs...

LONG HALL FOR KID, EDDIE ; FEW WERE AS CONSISTENT AS CARTER AND MURRAY

COOPERSTOWN - Durability counts. Gary Carter averaged 148 games per year behind the plate during a six-year stretch of his 19 seasons, wound up catching more games than anybody in...

'DANCER' TAKES DIANA

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Avenging her defeat in last year's Diana Handicap here, when she dropped a nose decision to trainer Bobby Frankel's Tates Creek, Voodoo Dancer charged from off the...

LITTLE GUYS GET IT DONE ; BOSOX BAND TOGETHER FOR UNCHARACTERISTIC WIN

BOSTON - For a change, there were little things, little heroics, turned in by the forgotten elements of the Red Sox clubhouse. A key catch. A critical steal. A clutch...

'TAK' GETS REVENGE

SARATOGA SPRINGS - The last time the two 3-year-old fillies met, in the Acorn Stakes at Belmont in June, Bird Town flew home on the front end and Lady Tak...

BOSOX BOUNCE BACK BY BEATING BENITEZ ; YANKS' LEAD CUT TO 2½

Red Sox 5Yankees 4 BOSTON - Yankees fans were fooling themselves if they believed Armando Benitez wasn't eventually going to punch a hole in their Pinstriped hearts. But did it...

NO RELIEF FROM CURSE OF THE ARMANDO

BOSTON - The Yankees can give Armando Benitez pinstripes, love, and more words of encouragement than are contained in all the Hallmark cards on the planet, and it is not...

ACHING BACK MIGHT FORCE BOOMER TO SIT ; YANKEE NOTES

BOSTON - With a heat pack on his sore back and a plate full of breakfast in his hands, David Wells moved gingerly through the Yankees' clubhouse yesterday morning with...

LITTLE GUYS GET IT DONE ; ORTIZ LEADS WAY AS BOSOX MAKE LIKE YANKS

BOSTON - David Ortiz was walking out of the dugout, stepping straight into the teeth of another Red Sox-Yankees game stretched to its limits. Grady Little, the Red Sox manager,...

MANAGING GETS MORE HANDS-ON FOR TORRE

BOSTON - Joe Torre is renowned for managing people, not games. That is why it is so interesting that he will have to manage people more than ever now that...

PROGRESS FOR STRICKLAND ON LONG ROAD BACK

MET NOTES Scott Strickland took another step in his comeback from Tommy John surgery on Friday, lifting weights for the first time since the operation. "Just building my way up,"...

EX-MATES WEIGH IN ON BENITEZ

When Armando Benitez blew saves with the Mets, some teammates defended him on the record, while others anonymously started a whispering campaign against him. Now that Benitez has blown his...

HEILMAN HAMMERED ; REDS ROCK ROOKIE TO ROUT METS

Reds 8Mets 3 Before last night's game at Shea, Art Howe talked about Aaron Heilman's growth as a pitcher. "Every time he goes out there," the Met manager said, "he...

THE INSIDERS: THE POST TAKES YOU BEHIND THE LOCKER-ROOM DOORS

FORDHAM CPR COURSE SAVES PAR, FRIEND Fordham University executive athletic director Frank McLaughlin made it mandatory a few years ago for all members of his staff - from coaches to...