October 4, 2003

NBC-VIVENDI MERGER SLAMS INTO ROADBLOCKS

A final merger deal between General Electric's NBC and Vivendi Universal has been delayed as executives haggle over details. For days, executives involved in the talks said they had hoped...

STOCKS RALLY ON JOBS DATA

Stronger-than-expected employment data sent stocks higher Friday, helping major indexes enjoy their biggest weekly percentage gains since May. Some 57,000 new jobs were added in September, shocking bears who thought...

ANTUNES TO BE A TOP FORTUNE EDITOR

Former New York Post Editor Xana Antunes is joining Fortune as an executive editor. Antunes, one of three executive editors, will work on editing the front of the book and...

FUND BIGS SLAM NYSE BOSS REED

Powerful pension funds are very unhappy about a quick decision by interim NYSE boss John Reed to keep the Big Board's regulatory function. And the head of one influential fund...

ONE BEDROOM, $18M

CAROL Bayer Sager and her husband must've gotten caught between the moon and New York City when they decided to plunk down some big dough for David Geffen's Fifth Avenue...

REALITY 'TOON-IN

COMEDY Central has or dered a new reality- style show that is, er, animated. The show, "Drawn Together," will take elements and the style of reality series like "The Real...

WORLD WITHOUT JEERS

LUCINDA WILLIAMS ---- BEING the sweetheart of the alt-country rodeo grants Lu cinda Williams built-in de votion from her fans, who sent her cheers at her Beacon Theatre sell-out despite...

THAT'S THE TICKET! - LIVE THEATER FOR FAMILIES, AT CUT-RATE PRICES

Now that Broadway musicals top out at $100 a ticket, it's hard to see how most people - let alone the entire family - can afford to see anything these...

I SPY AN AUTHOR!

If you know the "I Spy" books - or Walter Wick's new series, "Can You See What I See?" - you know what to look for: Everything and anything, from...

FREAKY FLIERS WITH WACKY WINGS

These pilots may not have the right stuff, but at least they've got guts - and a healthy sense of humor. Some of the area's kookiest designers and pranksters will...

HOUSE OF WORSHIP TO ANIMAL HOUSE

The Cathedral of St. John the Divine is going to the dogs tomorrow. And to the cats, birds, bees, turtles, guinea pigs - even llamas. It's time for the annual...

FREE FACE TIME

Want a free facial? Bliss Spa celebrates the opening of its new Quickbliss Spa Service Station at Bloomingdale's today by going for a new world record - the most facials...

MEET THE BEATLES - AGAIN

Need help satisfying your Fab Four jones? All you need is love - and some walking shoes - because there are plenty of Beatles-related activities going on this weekend. Start...

YOU MUST BE DAY TRIPPING - NOW'S THE TIME TO GET OUT OF TOWN

Autumn in New York is a crisp, cool and beautiful time to get out of the city and see some of the region's sights. Sure, there are errands and laundry...

ARNOLD FEELS THE PAIN - TELLS POST OF ANGUISH AT WAVE OF EXPOSÉS

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - The Terminator is human after all. Arnold Schwarzenegger says the last two days of revelations about his past have been "very tough" on him and have taken...

WHITE HOUSE: NO STONEWALLING

WASHINGTON - White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales yesterday ordered White House employees to hand over documents related to the leak of a CIA officer's name and said no one can...

HOW 'BOMBSHELLS' CAN BACKFIRE

BACK in 1976, Democratic Rep. Donald Riegle was locked in a tight U.S. Senate race in Michigan against Republican Marvin Esch; the Democrat's 19-point lead had all but evaporated with...

TIGER MAULS FAMED VEGAS ENTERTAINER ROY

As the audience looked on in horror in a giant Las Vegas showroom, magician Roy Horn of the "Siegfried and Roy" duo was attacked in the throat by one of...

NEW RAPE OUTRAGE - COLLEGE BIG MADE VICTIM CLEAN UP: DA

A Brooklyn College official denied raping the mother of a would-be student as details emerged yesterday about how he allegedly pushed her to the floor of his office, put his...

PANEL SLAMS JUDGE'S 'BIZARRE' RELIGIOUS REMARKS

ALBANY - Controversial Queens Supreme Court Justice Luther Dye was censured yesterday for improperly asking a lawyer if he was Jewish and for disparaging the Catholic Church. The state Commission...

SLAYER WANTED REVENGE

Police believe the gunman who killed an innocent Hunter College honors student last week opened fire in retaliation for a beating he suffered allegedly at the hands of several other...

L.I. MAN STABS IN-LAW: COPS

A Long Island man stabbed his brother-in-law with a kitchen knife - because he believed the man was badmouthing him about how he treated his wife, police said yesterday. According...

ONE-MAN BANK-ROB SPREE ON L.I.

A pattern bank robber is on the loose on Long Island, Nassau cops said. Cops believe the same man has hit six banks in the county since July. And police...

FENCE WON'T SAVE ISRAEL, HAMAS WARNS

JERUSALEM - Hamas boasted yesterday that an Israeli security fence along the West Bank won't stop suicide bombers. "The wall will not protect the Zionist entity and will not stop...

'WIFE-KILLER' NABBED IN HOSP

A hospitalized man, who claimed he slashed his wife's throat in self-defense after she doused him with battery acid, was arraigned in his hospital bed on murder charges yesterday. Jean...

GOODEN JR. COKE BUST - DOC'S SON CAUGHT DEALING: COPS

It looks like Dwight Gooden's son is a chip off the old block. Dwight Eugene Gooden Jr., 17, was arrested in Tampa, Fla., for peddling crack cocaine on a city...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

MANHATTAN * A bicyclist was killed yesterday when he was run over by a truck on the Upper East Side, police and witnesses said. The 63-year-old man, Konstantin Zyhadlo of...

MARTHA'S FOE GETS NOD FROM ASHCROFT

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jim Comey - who dragged Martha Stewart into court for insider trading - has been tapped by President Bush to be the Justice Department's No. 2 man...

NEW BOMBSHELL: MIKE SAYS CUT $300M MORE

Here we go again. Mayor Bloomberg yesterday ordered his agency heads to provide another $300 million in savings to help close an estimated $2 billion deficit for the 2005 fiscal...

TRAGIC N.J. SLAY-SUICIDE DAD MOURNED

A small gathering of family and friends yesterday said goodbye to Richard Josephs, an out-of-work investment banker who strangled his 8-year- old son Eric before jumping in front of a...

MIKE TOUTS WEST SIDE STADIUM

Mayor Bloomberg used his radio show yesterday to urge building a West Side stadium for the Jets and expanding the Jacob Javits Center. Bloomberg said the project would "mean food...

MIKE LEADS SHOW OF RESPECT FOR SLAVE REMAINS

The remains of 419 Africans, unearthed 12 years ago when construction workers accidentally discovered a lower Manhattan slave burial ground, will be re-interred today in the same spot a block...

DUBYA: IRAQ WAS CLOSE TO WMD

WASHINGTON - President Bush said yesterday a new progress report on Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction proves the Iraqi dictator was a "danger to the world," while former New...

JURY OF HIS PEONS - WORKING-CLASS PANEL JUDGING KOZLOWSKI

What do a paramedic, a retired teacher, a sportswriter, a saleswoman, a banking consultant, a nursing student, an aspiring lawyer and an accountant all have in common? Combined, they've all...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

Attention, leather lovers - Australia needs dominatrixes! The country's legal sex industry says it's in desperate need of more spankers to handle the upcoming Rugby World Cup. It seems S&M...

ANOTHER DEATH ON QNS. BLVD.

A 75-year-old grandmother holding her cane as she stood on a Queens Boulevard corner was struck and killed by an out-of-control Mack truck that careened through an intersection, police and...

LADIES MAN - WOMEN MOB ARNIE; AN ARMY OF WOMEN MOB ARNIE

Mobbed by adoring female fans, Arnold Schwarzenegger yesterday tried to terminate charges he groped women and admired Adolf Hitler, declaring California voters "know what my character is." "The people know...

KLEIN ZINGS AWOL TEACHERS

Teachers listen up - and show up for class. Schools Chancellor Joel Klein complained that teacher absences are "very high" during the first weeks of school, and there aren't enough...

DEADBEAT-DAD HERMES HEIR TOLD TO PAY UP

An heir to the billion-dollar Hermes fortune is a deadbeat dad who owes over $700,000 in support to his estranged wife and their two kids, a Manhattan judge has found....

RUSH'S 'PILL' PAIR - COUPLE ID'D IN PAINKILLER PROBE

Radio's embattled conservative superstar Rush Limbaugh returned to the air yesterday amid continuing allegations of drug ties, as police released photos of a Florida couple said to be at the...

MIKE'S GOP SHAKE-UP - KNOCKS '04 BASH BOSS DOWN A PEG

In a major shake-up of the city committee planning the 2004 Republican National Convention, Mayor Bloomberg is installing a top aide and diminishing the role of the group's frequently absent...

S.I. KIDNAP SUSPECT WAS WRONG GUY

A man busted in Staten Island for the attempted abduction of a 16-year-old - and then released - was also ruled out yesterday as a suspect in two other kidnapping...

PARADE KILLER NABBED: COPS

An 18-year-old Brooklyn man was grabbed yesterday in Maryland and charged with the murder of a new father who was marching in the West Indian Day Parade last month, authorities...

HS SODOMY GRIDDERS 'PLANNED ASSAULT'

New evidence has arisen that the brutal hazing of three Long Island football players at a pre-season training camp in Pennsylvania may have been cruelly premeditated. According to a report...

NEW BISHOP VOWS VICTIM AID

Brooklyn's new bishop introduced himself yesterday to his parishioners with a speech that directly addressed the church sex-abuse scandals as well as paying tribute to the nearly 1 million foreign...

SEX, LIES & HIDDEN AGENDAS

LOS ANGELES - One of the comic ironies of the recall campaign is the way everyone decries the "media circus" while doing their best to create one. And that while...

DIDDY CALLS SLAY CLAIM A BAD RAP

High-powered lawyers for Sean "P. Diddy" Combs lashed out at his former business partner yesterday, claiming he was blackmailing the rap mogul by implicating him in two murders. Kirk Burrowes,...

KIDNAP SUSPECT OFF THE HOOK

A man busted on Staten Island for the attempted abduction of a 16-year-old - and then released - was also ruled out yesterday as a suspect in two other kidnapping...

REAL REASON I WANT TO BE A DEM: CLARK

WASHINGTON - Retired Gen. Wesley Clark offered a new account yesterday of when he decided to become a Democrat as he joined other 2004 wannabes for a Bush-bashing party hosted...

LADIES MAN - WOMEN MOB ARNIE; FEMALE FANS FLOCK TO ARNOLD DESPITE GROPE FLAP

Mobbed by a throng of adoring female fans, Arnold Schwarzenegger yesterday tried to terminate charges he groped women and admired Adolf Hitler, declaring California voters "know what my character is."...

STREET WOMAN STABS BOY WITH NEEDLE

In a frightening attack, a Harlem boy was stabbed twice with a needle yesterday by a homeless woman cops are still looking for. Jesus Alluoa, 11, was in front of...

YET ANOTHER DEATH ALONG QNS. BLVD.

A 75-year-old grandmother holding her cane as she stood on a Queens Boulevard corner was struck and killed by an out-of-control Mack truck that careened through an intersection, police and...

FLAP OF LUXURY: 'DEADBEAT' HERMES HEIR ORDERED TO PAY UP

An heir to the billion-dollar Hermes fortune is a deadbeat dad who owes over $700,000 in support to his estranged wife and their two kids, a Manhattan judge has found....

PRIOR RESTRAINT - RIGHTY STYMIES BRAVES AS CUBS GO UP 2-1

CHICAGO - In 15 years, maybe the Cubs' Mark Prior will have matched or surpassed Greg Maddux' Hall of Fame career. Regardless, Prior outdid the Braves' four-time Cy Young Award...

COX HAS TO JUGGLE ROTATION

NLDS NOTES CHICAGO - Dusty Baker is sticking with scheduled starter Matt Clement this afternoon. Baker will not mimic Atlanta manager Bobby Cox, who confirmed last night that Russ Ortiz...

BONE CHIPS FORCE MINESHAFT TO QUIT

Mineshaft, the leading contender for Horse of the Year, has been retired to stud because of bone chips and will not run in the Oct. 25 Breeders' Cup Classic at...

IT'S BREEDERS' PREVIEW DAY

Four stakes races that figure to produce several top candidates for the Oct. 25 Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita will be run today at Belmont Park: the Grade 1, $500,000...

HERM LOOKS TO GANG'S GREENEST

Santana Moss will make his first start next Sunday when the Jets host the Bills. That is the only change Herman Edwards plans on making to the starting lineup, but...

ALBELIN AWAITING DEAL WITH DEVILS

The stage is set, the Devils poised to sign a free agent without any waiver hassles. Now it's decision time for Lou Lamoriello and Pat Burns. The favorite to receive...

COACHING FLAP COULDN'T ERODE BEACH CHANNEL

MORE than a week into training camp, Beach Channel appeared to be a team without direction. Its coach, Marty Sennall, had been suspended after an alleged verbal confrontation with a...

SPREE'S EXCUSE NO EXCUSE

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - This time, the excuse was a faulty itinerary, which, when you think about it, really should score Latrell Sprewell a few points for originality. No kidding, when...

GETTING DEFENSIVE - HAMILTON'S RETURN GIVES JINTS HOPE VS. MIAMI

Near the end of the Giants' practice yesterday, Kerry Collins, operating in the two-minute drill, fired a pass into the end zone for Amani Toomer. That combination is usually Money,...

DOME WILL BE HOUSE OF HORROR FOR YANKS

MINNEAPOLIS - "Guys, get your earplugs and get ready." That was the advice offered yesterday to out-of-town visitors of the Metrodome by LaTroy Hawkins, who has been pitching there since...

JOYCE SET TO SPELL OVERUSED BARBER

GIANT NOTES Tiki Barber has 67 of the 68 rushing attempts by Giants running backs this season. The concern about wear and tear is real, and the Giants plan on...

NEED BOOST FROM ROCKET

MINNEAPOLIS - Today is the reason the Yankees brought back Roger Clemens: Game 3, on the road, in a 1-1 series, in a joke of a ballpark, against an opponent...

LOHSE GETS HIS CHANCE TO FACE IDOL

MINNEAPOLIS - There's not much difference between today's starting pitchers, except one of them idolized Roger Clemens and the other is Roger Clemens. "I've looked up to him and Nolan...

MCDYESS, DON NOT ON SAME PAGE

If Antonio McDyess' rehab wasn't confusing enough, it got more ridiculous yesterday when he and Don Chaney made contradictory statements during Media Day. After Chaney said McDyess can practice with...

COACH'S RETURN WILL BE TOUCHING

MINNEAPOLIS - Over the past 25 days, the Twins have gone 15-5, captured a division title and claimed home-field advantage in the ALDS. But through it all, something has been...

KIDD HAD SOME FUN . . . BUT NOT MUCH SUMMER

Summer? What summer? The Nets and Jason Kidd ended last season with a bitter loss to the Spurs in Game 6 of the NBA finals. Kidd's free-agency saga came next,...

USA TODAY BOSS TAKES ON TORRE

MINNEAPOLIS - Because USA Today founder Al Neuharth is a friend of George Steinbrenner's and spent time in The Boss' box during the first two games of the ALDS, Steinbrenner...

MO OWNS OCTOBER STAGE

MINNEAPOLIS - The Twin Cities are learning two hard truths about October: Latrell Sprewell will not show up, but Mariano Rivera will. On Thursday afternoon, to the surprise of no...

YANKS WANT TO DOME-INATE - PAY VISIT TO TWINS WITH SERIES ALL EVEN

MINNEAPOLIS - Go ahead and blame Jason Giambi for the Yankees' anemic hitting across the first two ALDS games. If you must, cuss him through your television set today while...

DUELING BOUTS COULD BE BLOW TO ALL INVOLVED

LAS VEGAS - At first glance it might appear to be good for boxing to have two major shows at different locations on the same night. The more the merrier,...

COX LEANS TOWARD ORTIZ IN GAME 4

NLDS NOTES CHICAGO - No matter what happened last night, Dusty Baker is sticking with Matt Clement this afternoon. Baker will not replicate Atlanta manager Bobby Cox, who was leaning...

RANGERS ROLL DICE ON KEEFE

Maybe, maybe, maybe. Maybe the Rangers really came up with someone to be excited about in yesterday's waiver draft. Maybe Sheldon Keefe, the 23- year-old winger the Blueshirts selected from...

DEREK: SHOULDER OK AFTER WORKOUT

ALDS NOTES MINNEAPOLIS - The smell of the heat balm smothering Derek Jeter's left shoulder was detected across the crowded Yankees clubhouse yesterday prior to their Metrodome workout. Jeter tweaked...

STORMY SHOWDOWN - CUBS, BRAVES CLASH AT WET, WILD WRIGLEY

"It's unusual the way people [have] rallied behind us." -DUSTY BAKER CHICAGO - A grey pallor hung over the city all day, with wind sweeping in all directions. At Wrigley...

KIRBY'S ABSENCE LEAVES EMPTY FEELING

MINNEAPOLIS - The street the Metrodome sits on bears his name and number. He is Mr. Twin, a Hall of Famer and the most identifiable man in Minnesota. So where's...

ONCE AGAIN, A'S ONE WIN FROM ALCS

BOSTON - One win, just one lousy win, in six games over three series, the A's have needed to advance to an ALCS. And they haven't been able to get...

HOUSTON COULD GIVE METS HELP

Add two more names to the list of people the Mets could pursue, although they are currently under contract: Billy Wagner and Gerry Hunsicker. Hunsicker, the Houston general manager who...

COX MAY TAP ORTIZ IN GAME 4

NLDS NOTES CHICAGO - Braves manager Bobby Cox was leaning toward tapping Game 1 starter Russ Ortiz on three days' rest today in Game 4, then turning to Mike Hampton...