August 21, 2003
HAMPTONS PRICE TAG BECOMES $75M JOKE
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amONE Hamptons broker howled, "Someone must be smoking crack," at the reported $75 million asking price for the late real estate mogul Eddie Gordon's property in Bridgehampton. "To ask that...
SEARS' SOLUTION? SELL SOME STORES, THEN LEASE THEM BACK
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amUNLESS the management of one of the nation's biggest retailers suddenly comes up with a brainstorm, Wall Street might soon be calling the company Sears Nobucks. Sears' stock has been...
DEFAULTED LOAN ON CENTURY 21 BUILDING IS SOLD
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amThe defaulted loan on the office building that houses Century 21 designer discount store across from Ground Zero is being sold for around $57 million. Real Estate Alert reported that...
SAKS' SCENT STAFF: STORE IS A STINKER
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amEmployees in the cosmetics and fragrance department of the Saks Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan say the company has acted like a rat in negotiations over benefits and pay packages....
SEC TELLS OUTSIDE DIRECTORS: BEWARE
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amThe SEC is cracking down on a new group of corporate watchdogs: outside directors. SEC enforcement chief Stephen Cutler said his agency will pursue and punish all categories of individuals...
UBS TO PAY $500K FINE OVER FRAUD
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amThe Securities and Exchange Commission slapped UBS Financial Services with a $500,000 fine for failing to supervise a former broker who swindled millions from his clients. The broker, Enrique Perusquia,...
STARS SHINE ON TORONTO
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amNicole Kidman, Denzel Washington and Nicolas Cage lead a galaxy of stars bound for this year's Toronto Film Festival. Festival director Piers Handling promised an "unprecedented" number of actors, filmmakers...
SWEET TALK
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amEdward Scissorhands is becoming the Candy Man.Johnny Depp will reunite with director Tim Burton to star in the upcoming remake of the children's fantasy "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."...
'WE'RE A FAMILY': RAYMOND - ROMANO INSISTS CAST CRISIS IS 'JUST BUSINESS,' NOT REALLY SERIOUS
August 21, 2003 | 4:00am'EVERYBODY Loves Raymond" star Ray Romano says the family will be back together soon. "Raymond" co-star Brad Garrett, who plays sad-sack older brother Robert Barone, is holding out for a...
HOT NUMBERS
August 21, 2003 | 4:00am311 --- THEY'RE unassuming, underrated and unknown to most everyone over 25 - but with the kind of show they unleashed Tuesday at the Hammerstein Ballroom, the boys of 311...
2ND HELPING - NBC WANTS ROCCO-'RESTAURANT' SEQUEL
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amNBC is hungry for a sequel to its summer reality hit "The Restaurant" - and has reached out to series star Rocco DiSpirito, who's definitely interested. "There's an offer on...
ELIZABETH AIDS SMART TV MOVIE
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amCBS is set to begin filming a two-hour TV movie based on the Elizabeth Smart case - with the full cooperation of the Smart family. The network is expected to...
BARBARA'S BOSS JUMPS TO CBS A.M.
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amVICTOR Neufeld, the ABC News veteran who steered "20/20" and "PrimeTime" to ratings prominence, is jumping to CBS - to become help revive the third-place "Early Show." "It's really a...
MILKING DUDS - OLD FILMS RELEASED AS ACTORS FIND FAME
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amYOU may have noticed that Ashton Kutcher looks about 15 years old in the ads for his new movie, "My Boss's Daughter." There's a reason for it: The comedy, which...
TALENT ON TAP TO HONOR HINES
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amNEW York plans to say goodbye to tap legend Gregory Hines in style - with an all singing and dancing memorial to the fleet footer at the Apollo. The show,...
TV ADS CAN DROP 'OILY DISCHARGE'
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amSAY goodbye to those memorable fat-free potato chips TV commercials that warned viewers of - you know - "oily discharge." The Food & Drug Administration has said it will no...
HOT-ROD HOP - FUNKMASTER FLEX MAKES MACHINE DREAMS
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amHOT 97's Funkmaster Flex, best known for spinning discs, is now spinning his wheels on a new Spike TV show. And not just any wheels: the Cragars with the BFGoodrich...
STARR REPORT
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amAl tagged for ad campaign "Today" show weatherman Al Roker has re-upped for a second go- round with Weatherproof Garment Company (outerwear for men, women and children) - and will...
GOOD TIMES, IN ALPHABET-ICAL ORDER
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amLong-term locals still like to reminisce about the "Serpico"-era days when Alphabet City was an altogether nastier location. Back then, one proud barfly told us, Avenue A stood for Adventurous,...
REVENGE - ISRAELI TANKS AIM FOR TERROR BOSSES; ISRAEL OUT FOR REVENGE
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amIsraeli tanks (right) moved toward the Palestinian city of Ramallah last night, as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon planned to retaliate against terrorist leaders for Tuesday's bus bombing, which killed 20...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amA Brazilian who went to a clinic to have an aching ear checked ended up having a vasectomy after mistakenly believing the doctor had called his name. A manager at...
ADIEU, ABBAS - A PATHETIC PEACEMAKER
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amWill Tuesday's horrific massacre in Jerusalem be the defining moment for Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas - the point at which he and top aides finally realize they can no...
'DEATH' RAP FOR MOB BOSS
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amBesieged Mafia boss Joseph Massino was hammered with three more murder charges yesterday, including the only known hit tied to the Bonanno family during his reign - a crime that...
AG TAKES ON ASIAN SEX TOURS
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amALBANY - State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer yesterday moved to shut down a Queens-based travel agency for the alleged illegal promotion of sex tours to the Philippines, Thailand and Cambodia....
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amMANHATTAN (s, lcf) * This is an NYPD sketch of the person suspected of shoving a 34-year-old man onto the subway tracks into the path of an oncoming No. 5...
BORO PREZ CLEARED OF LITTER MESS
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amManhattan Borough President Virginia Fields fought the law, and the law lost. Fields had her ticket for a "dirty sidewalk area" dismissed yesterday by the Environmental Control Board. Fields had...
SHOCK BRONX SLAY
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amNew Yorkers celebrating their second wedding anniversary with a trip to Miami returned home yesterday morning to find their "mild-mannered" nephew stabbed to death and their home ransacked. Kirk Evans...
BLACKOUT'S BEACON OF LEADERSHIP
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amPatrick Tully - Leadership Medal nominee --- Patrick Tully kept reciting a calming mantra of, "Follow me, you're all going to be OK" as he led several Wall Street co-workers...
HAMPTONS DIARY
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amBOB BALABAN was playing to type as the nervous director Tuesday night - pacing back and forth in the lobby of East Hampton's John Drew Theater as Mia Farrow, Billy...
CORPORATE CROOKS STOLE 10G FROM YOUR 401(K)
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amCorporate corruption has cost New Yorkers nearly $13 billion - and about $10,000 each in retirement money for typical older workers - according to a report issued yesterday by state...
KOBE JUDGE GETS DEATH THREATS
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amThe FBI is looking into death threats against the presiding judge in NBA superstar Kobe Bryant's sexual-assault case in Colorado. Eagle County Judge Frederick Gannett is the latest target in...
SHAKEN U.N. IS EYEING THE EXIT - QUIETLY PLANNING TO LEAVE BAGHDAD DESPITE KOFI VOW
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - The United Nations last night was reportedly making plans to cut and run from Iraq after the homicide truck bombing at its Baghdad headquarters - even while Secretary-General...
L.I. MAN STOLE SPACE SUIT: DA
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amA light-fingered Long Island museum employee who specializes in restoration assembled his own pilfered collection of antiques, rare books and NASA artifacts - including a space suit, prosecutors charged yesterday....
BUSTS IN CHINESE TEST SCAM
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amHundreds of Chinese immigrants are under investigation for allegedly hiring imposters - with far better English skills - to take their graduate-school admissions tests, Manhattan prosecutors said yesterday. Five students...
RULING 'FLOORS' BLDG. BOSSES
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amA Manhattan judge has denied a bid by a group of real-estate investors seeking a court order to fire a building manager - who allegedly tied up his boss and...
$2.5M COURT 'SCAM' - WIFE 'STOLE' FOR HUBBY TO GAMBLE
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amA city employee stole $2.5 million earmarked for needy Family Court litigants to bankroll her husband's casino-hopping sprees in Atlantic City, authorities said - and is now getting a firsthand...
MIKE WINS ROUND IN BOND BATTLE
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amMayor Bloomberg won a major victory over Gov. Pataki when a state judge yesterday refused to block a controversial bond sale by the city. State Supreme Court Justice Louis Benza...
FOOL IN THE DARK - TICKET WRITER SAYS HE WAS UNAWARE OF BLACKOUT
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amFaulty judgment led a traffic agent to write summonses during last week's blackout while a civilian directed traffic at a suddenly uncontrolled intersection nearby, officials said yesterday. Do the "words...
PATAKI HAS 'TUNNEL' VISION FOR NEW TRADE CENTER
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amGov. Pataki yesterday came out in favor of running West Street through a tunnel next to the World Trade Center - a plan that has drawn opposition from many downtown...
BRINKS-HEIST KILLER WINS HER FREEDOM
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amALBANY - Kathy Boudin, a key player in the murderous 1981 Brinks armored-car heist in Rockland County, won parole yesterday on what would have been the birthday of one of...
ANOTHER BOOST FOR DEM DEAN
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amA KIND of perfect storm is now pushing Howard Dean up toward the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination - with a new storm surge added by the tragic terror bombing of...
REV. AL FUROR - ACCUSED IN 200G CREDIT RIP-OFF
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amDemocratic presidential candidate Al Sharpton stiffed a Manhattan travel agency out of almost $200,000 after giving them "fraudulent credit-card information," the agency says in a lawsuit. Alpha International Travel Agency...
'COZY NOSTRA' LAWYER BACK
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amA young lawyer accused of a jailhouse romance with a Gambino mobster yesterday won the right to continue to represent her alleged lover's co-defendant. Jean Marie Graziano, 33, listened to...
DETAILS ARE THE DEVIL TO ARNIE
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amLOS ANGELES - Total recall candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger said yesterday he won't raise taxes in California - and claimed Golden State voters really don't need details of his economic plan....
N.Y. VILLAGE MOURNS SAD LOSS OF MOM WHO 'LIVED TO HELP OTHERS'
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amA close-knit Rockland County Hasidic enclave grieved yesterday for a beloved mother of 12 who died with her baby son in the Jerusalem bus bombing. Goldie Taubenfeld, 43, who was...
ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, CRIME TOOK SLIGHT DIP
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amThe confusion during last week's blackout didn't cause a spurt in crime, officials said yesterday. Recorded crime fell an infinitesimal 0.05 percent between 4 p.m. Thursday and 9 p.m. Friday,...
CLUB KING BOOTED - JUDGE ORDERS GATIEN DEPORTED BACK TO CANADA
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amLike some unkillable clubland Terminator, he has survived a federal drug prosecution, a tax-skimming conviction, the wrath of state and city regulators, hordes of hungry creditors, bankruptcy and debts still...
LEMRICK GETS MAX - BUT HE'LL BE FREE IN UNDER A YEAR
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amA federal judge sentenced Lemrick Nelson Jr. to the maximum of 10 years behind bars yesterday for violating the civil rights of slain Hasidic scholar Yankel Rosenbaum during the bloody...
JUSTICE DENIED TO TRAGIC ROSENBAUM FAMILY
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amIAM still reeling from the message given by wacky jurors and a judge who sent them up a blind alley. Simply put, Lemrick Nelson Jr. fatally stabbed a young man...
BRINKS KILLER GAINS PAROLE
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amALBANY - Kathy Boudin, a key player in the deadly 1981 Brinks heist in Rockland County, won parole yesterday on what would have been the birthday of one of the...
'KIDNAP' BLDG. BOSS KEEPS JOB
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amAllegedly tying up your boss and imprisoning him under your floorboards isn't enough to get you fired from the Manhattan building-management business. A Manhattan judge has denied a bid by...
DUO BUSTED GOING TO POT
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amMore than trees have been growing in Brooklyn. Two men were busted yesterday after federal park police caught them cultivating pot in Floyd Bennett Field, authorities said. The 200 plants,...
U.N. IN CHAOS ON DAY AFTER - KOFI DEFIANT AS STAFF DEMANDS OUT OF BAGHDAD
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - Some United Nations staffers in Iraq demanded to leave over safety fears yesterday, a diplomatic source said as the organization's presence in Baghdad was plunged into confusion. U.N....
MOB BOSS HIT WITH NEW SLAY RAPS
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amBesieged Mafia boss Joseph Massino was hammered with three more murder charges yesterday, including the only known hit tied to the Bonanno family during his reign - a crime that...
MUSEUM MAN STEALS SPACE SUIT: DA
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amA fleet-fingered Long Island museum employee who specializes in restoration assembled his own pilfered collection of antiques, rare books and NASA artifacts - including a space suit, prosecutors charged yesterday....
NOW MORE THAN EVER, IT SOX TO BE BOSTON
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amBOSTON - The Yankees and the Curse of the Bambino have gotten so deep into the New England mindset that at Quincy Market they are selling Babe Ruth Reverse The...
2ND-HALF SURGE LIFTS TEAM USA
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amUSA 110 - Brazil 76 SAN JUAN - Olympic gold and World Championships titles are great but a league title still is the ultimate prize for the NBA player. Maybe...
IT'S OFFICIAL: SUPER SPA SHOWDOWN IS ON
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amSARATOGA SPRINGS - An already soupy plot thickened yesterday when eight 3-year-olds were entered for Saturday's historic Travers Stakes at the Old Spa, headed by Triple Crown archrivals Funny Cide...
CALIENDO JOINING FOX NFL TEAM
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amMad TV's Frank Caliendo is bringing his dead-on impersonation of John Madden to Fox's NFL Sunday pregame, The Post has learned. An announcement will be made today. In recent years,...
ACHY JEREMY IS DRIVING JIM 'CRAZY'
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amALBANY - It's apparent tight end Jeremy Shockey is not happy sitting out. Shockey isn't practicing because of a broken rib and won't play Saturday night against the Jets. In...
CEDENO'S SWINGING HOT STICK IN AUGUST
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amMET NOTES SAN DIEGO - Here's a staggering thought: Roger Cedeno could actually improve his career batting average after this season. In case you stopped watching Cedeno right around the...
BARROW BUZZING IS ; SWEET MUSIC
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amALBANY - The ball is in the air, until Will Peterson deflects it away from Amani Toomer. "Amani, he ain't having that!" Micheal Barrow screeches. "Take that thing to the...
RODDICK MAC'S OPEN PICK
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amAndy Roddick was dealt the worst possible first-round opponent yesterday, but Patrick McEnroe thinks the 20-year-old American still will win his first U.S. Open. Roddick, seeded fourth and on fire...
DEVS TREADING THIN ICE
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amDevils CEO Lou Lamoriello last night insisted that the Devils will not enter bankruptcy, a possibility broached yesterday by former owner John McMullen if the Stanley Cup champs fail to...
DARIUS GOES UNDER KNIFE
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amThe Rangers say defenseman Darius Kasparaitis will be ready for the start of training camp in 20 days after a cartilage tear was arthroscopically repaired in his right knee yesterday....
PHILLIPS FITTIN' IN - HARD WORK PAYING OFF FOR ROOKIE
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amSAN DIEGO - Jason Phillips was once one of the anonymous autograph seekers who populate major league ballparks, someone who can describe the thrill of landing John Franco's autograph or...
LIBERTY HIT STRETCH, BACKS TO THE WALL
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amThe Liberty survived their league-record gauntlet of three games in three days with their playoff hopes intact. But in order to reach the postseason, coach Richie Adubato thinks they'll have...
MIND OVER MATTER - JETS' KICKER SAYS KEY IS NOT THINKING
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amSo much about what will define Doug Brien as the Jets' new placekicker is how well he distances himself from Sept. 15, 2002. "Hopefully," Brien said yesterday, "that was the...
MAWAE: BRAWLING TEAMS ARE DUMB
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amJET NOTES Kevin Mawae watched the TV clips of Giant coach Jim Fassel lambasting his players Tuesday after a series of training camp fights and thought about how dumb it...
GINOBILI, ARGENTINA UPSET BY MEXICO
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amOLYMPIC NOTES SAN JUAN - It took one game for the first major upset. Argentina, the top seed in Group B and the silver-medal team at last summer's World Championships,...
PUTRID PEN CAN'T RUIN ROCKET'S LEGACY
August 21, 2003 | 4:00am"Anytime you have a chance to play in the Olympics, I think anybody will tell you it would be a treat. Even at my age." -Roger Clemens ----LONG before Roger...
CONTRERAS TO START SUNDAY
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amJeff Weaver was dropped from the Yankees' rotation yesterday when Joe Torre announced Jose Contreras would start Sunday against the Orioles. By the time Contreras fires the first pitch, Weaver...
JUAN RIGHT ON THE MARK IN RETURN
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amJuan Rivera doesn't know what his future holds because the Yankees aren't sure either. All the outfielder knows is that he was promoted from Columbus Tuesday night to add balance...
IVERSON'S BEEN PERFECT ANSWER
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amSAN JUAN - From Day One, Team USA has talked about checking egos at the door and becoming a team in the truest sense - real all for one and...
A WIN, A SAVE & MO REASONS TO WORRY - RIVERA SHAKY AGAIN IN FOUR-RUN NINTH
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amYankees 8 - Royals 7 As one single followed another, the unthinkable turned into reality: the Yankees, with Mariano Rivera on the mound, were a run away from flushing a...
KIDD: K-MART EYES DEAL AFTER SEASON
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amTEAM USA NOTES SAN JUAN - Kenyon Martin apparently will just have to wait to get his contract done. And that wait likely will go to next summer, teammate Jason...
PODS SNUFF OUT PUNCHLESS METS
August 21, 2003 | 4:00amSAN DIEGO - Art Howe flip-flopped Mike Piazza and Jason Phillips in the 3-4 spots in the order before last night's game, and then he reconsidered and flip-flopped them back....