November 13, 2003

AD FIRM LURES CLIENTS WITH REFUND

This season's Super Bowl favorite isn't Green Bay or Tampa Bay - it's eBay. A small North Carolina advertising agency is auctioning its services on the online site, promising the...

'BROTHER BEAR' SUCCESS CHANGES DISNEY-PIXAR NEGOTIATIONS

PIXAR may be getting a little too cute - and I'm not talking about all those adorable little animated fish that helped the company unload 17 million "Finding Nemo" DVDs...

STOCKS ARE NEAR HIGHS FOR 2003

Stocks nearly beat 2003 peaks yesterday, and look to go even higher between now and the end the year, market analysts said. The rally was credited to strong outlooks in...

UAL BETS ON TED FOR RECOVERY

You wouldn't want any Tom, Dick or Harry piloting your airplane. But would you fly with Ted? United Airlines announced yesterday that its new low-fare airline will be called Ted...

TRUMP HAS DESIGNS ON S.I. COMMUNITY

Donald Trump is following in the political footsteps of another billionaire, Mayor Bloomberg - but The Donald says he just wants to do business and isn't running for mayor. On...

NYSE SQUEEZE PLAY - REED PUSHES PRESIDENTS FOR SALARY GIVEBACKS

Hoping to douse the pay scandal that has scorched the New York Stock Exchange, interim chairman John Reed has proposed a salary compromise to top executives, sources said. Co-presidents Robert...

WARNACO TO PUSH J.LO'S PANTY LINES

Jennifer Lopez is giving the world her panties. The entertainer has signed an exclusive global deal with Warnaco to manufacture and sell her sexy lingerie designs. Lopez, who's creative director...

BREWSTER'S FORTUNES LOOK LESS ROSIE AFTER TRIAL LOSS

Now that the bitter Rosie O'Donnell trial has ended in a disappointing tie, many are wondering if the job of Gruner + Jahr USA CEO Dan Brewster is on the...

CSFB BIG, BUYOUT PIONEER, LEAVING AFTER 25 YRS.

Larry Schloss, Credit Suisse First Boston's private equity head and a pioneer of the buyout industry, is jumping ship. Schloss, the veteran head of the merchant banking funds that CSFB...

AIR PITCHES 'WAISTLESS' UNDERWEAR

Michael Jordan says he's changing men's underwear forever. The king of endorsements, who's pitched Hanes underwear in commercials for more than a decade, is hawking a novel new design -...

WINSTON ROCKED - LUXURY JEWELER PREPARING FOR TOP-LEVEL SHAKEUP

Luxury jeweler Harry Winston is heading for a management shakeup that could see President Patricia Hambrecht leave the company when her contract expires at the end of the year, The...

GREAT MOMENTS IN PLAYBOY HISTORY

1953: Playboy's first issue had Marilyn Monroe on the cover. Hefner's editor's letter reads: "We enjoy mixing cocktails and an hors d'oeuvre or two, putting a little mood music on...

SIXTH SENSE

EAST Sixth Street, between avenues A and B, is one of those small but perfectly formed blocks made for this column. It's got plenty of bars, some of the best...

LYNCH CHAT SCORES BIG

DIANE Sawyer's interview with Jessica Lynch scored big numbers for ABC Tuesday night. The 90-minute interview, which aired as a special edition of "Primetime," averaged 15.5 million viewers - ABC's...

NEW FUSS OVER MYSTERIOUS 'MASTER' AUTHOR

LONG before anyone ever heard of Hogwarts, another obscure British novelist was making waves in the publishing world - but his success was hardly overnight. "Master and Commander," which opens...

WHY DAVE IS GETTING MARRIED

DAVID Letterman is one step closer to marrying his longtime girlfriend Regina Lasko - because, he says, he doesn't want his baby to "be raised a bastard!" It was Madonna...

2 WEEKS OF JFK SPECIALS MARK 40TH ANNIVERSARY

TV will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the murder of John F. Kennedy with more than 10 hours of special Kennedy-themed programming, starting tonight. On Sat., Nov. 22, it will...

ANTIQUES COLLECTORS GET LOCAL TV

METRO TV is about to launch its own take on "Antiques Roadshow" - with a twist. "Antique Show & Sell," premiering Dec. 1, will feature New Yorkers having their antiques...

STARR REPORT

Leeza keeping busy Although she's not an everyday presence in front of the cameras, former "Extra" host Leeza Gibbons remains extremely busy behind-the- scenes - especially with her "Leeza's Place"...

DR. PHIL DISASTER - INFAMOUS TV KILLER SUES TALK SHOW AFTER BIZARRE ACCIDENT COSTS HER LEG

CONVICTED murderer Laurie "Bambi" Bambenek went on "The Dr. Phil Show" to clear her name, but she wound up with an amputated leg and a lawsuit against Dr. Phil, Paramount,...

XXXTRA HELPING - PARIS IN AT LEAST 10 PORN VIDEOS

Paris Hilton's been a busy girl. The hotel heiress has apparently made numerous tapes of her raunchy sexcapades, Hilton's friend told The Post. The source says he discovered a secret...

4 COPS FACE CAR-SCAM RAP

Four NYPD officers will be arraigned today for their alleged involvement in an auto insurance scam, the Bronx DA's office says. The cops and others will be charged with numerous...

SLOWER EAST SIDE - SNAIL-SPEED GRAMERCY BUS CITY'S WORST

What came first, the chicken or the bus? The M23 bus was ranked the city's slowest route by two transit watchdogs yesterday who argued that in a race a chicken...

SADDAM'S STRATEGY - HOW THE TERRORISTS PLAN TO WIN

THE reformation of Iraq continues to go far better than media reports suggest, yet, for the first time, seasoned observers of conflict have reason to worry. Saddam and his die-hard...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

Michael Hunt opened the garage door of his Orangeburg, S.C., home and was greeted by a snarling, 3-foot alligator. "He stood up on all fours, opened his mouth and growled,"...

WITNESS IN ROCK KIN SLAY VANISHES

A key witness to the hit-style murder of rocker Dee Snider's brother-in-law has disappeared - and cops fear he's been killed or gone into hiding because he knows too much,...

JAIL IN 'THRAX $CAM

A businessman who hired rough-and-tumble oil rig workers to pose as hazardous-materials cleaners to rid the Morgan mail sorting center of anthrax in 2001 will be sent to prison for...

CRY FOR THE COPS, NOT THE COP KILLER

'A jury rightly sentenced him to death, but Trantino's sentence was commuted.' NEWS that Thomas Trantino is back in serious trouble with the law is enough to bring about an...

FERRY WATCHDOG AT S.I. TERMINAL

The Department of Transportation's deputy commissioner will work out of Staten Island's St. George Terminal starting today in order to "keep a watchful eye" on ferry operations, officials said. Robert...

GOV'S NEW WOE - A PATAKI-FOSTERED CULTURE OF CORRUPTION?

ALBANY A LITTLE-NOTICED but highly disturbing public opinion poll last week found that 72 percent of New York voters believe state government is corrupt. The Quinnipiac University survey even found...

TRAGEDY OF DIVIDED MOURNERS

'I LOST my father!" a crying Jennifer Pomponio, 17, screamed. "I lost my son!" a crying Lori-Ann Albert screamed back, referring to her dead 9-month-old boy, Jayke. The gut-wrenching encounter...

'FORGIVEN' SEX FIEND MUST ROT

A convicted serial rapist begged a Queens judge to show him mercy at his sentencing yesterday, telling the jurist, "I don't want to die in prison." Shaking violently and using...

CIA REPORT: RESISTANCE ON THE RISE

WASHINGTON - The CIA has given the White House a top-secret "field assessment" that raises concerns about growing popular support for the Iraqi terror attacks, U.S. officials said yesterday. The...

ZING AROUND 'ROSIE' - BOTH WORTHLESS MAG SUITS ZAPPED

An annoyed judge sent everyone home in the $125 million Rosie O'Donnell magazine trial yesterday - saying neither side deserves a penny in damages. That's because there was never any...

UNION FINED 262G FOR CAMPAIGN VIOLATIONS

Politically active branches of one of the city's largest unions - health-care workers Local 1199 - have been fined more than a quarter-million dollars for numerous violations of federal campaign...

KID-SEX VICTIMS RIP CHURCH FIEND

One by one, four shattered Long Island teens yesterday stared down a disgraced Catholic youth leader who admitted raping and sodomizing them - and told him how he had destroyed...

DYING MOBSTER SENT TO MENTAL HOSP

A cancer-stricken aging mobster, a one-time John Gotti associate, was committed to a mental hospital yesterday, a year after he pleaded guilty to extortion. Queens Supreme Court Justice Richard Buchter...

DEMS' GAY REVENGE - REVIVE BENEFITS BILL MIKE OPPOSES

City Council Democrats, miffed by Mayor Bloomberg's unexpected endorsements of their Republican opponents, have revived a controversial gay-rights bill the mayor opposed last year. The bill, which had languished for...

PRISON IN 26-HUBBY WED SCAM

Married-to-a-mob bigamist Dezerrie Cortes, caught trying to wed her 27th husband in an immigration scam, ended her string of "I do's" yesterday - with a single "I did." Cortes pleaded...

IT'S 'HAMMER' TIME - U.S. STRIKES AT SADDAM'S HOLDOUTS

WASHINGTON - U.S. forces in Iraq yesterday launched a planned and coordinated operation codenamed Iron Hammer, which targeted pro-Saddam loyalists. Based on intelligence collected on the ground, U.S. infantry set...

QAEDA-ATTACK FEARS DOG BUSH'S BRIT TRIP

IT SHOULD be a dream to make a state visit to America's best ally and sleep at Buckingham Palace - but President Bush's trip to Britain next week threatens to...

TENSIONS RUN HIGH AT SERVICE FOR VICTIMS

An emotionally charged memorial service on the second anniversary of Flight 587's crash was held yesterday in Belle Harbor, Queens, where 265 people tragically lost their lives. Hundreds of people...

FEDS EYE 'CONFLICT' LAWYER

A high-powered divorce attorney is being investigated by the FBI and the state-court inspector general for alleged influence peddling after he gave campaign money to embattled Judge Marylin Diamond and...

THE CITY IS REZONING QUEENS PLAZA ...

The city is rezoning Queens Plaza to create an additional 11 million square feet of potential office space, Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday. Speaking to a full house at the annual...

INTREPID COUNCILWOMAN FIGHTING UNION WINDMILLS

WATCH out, Don Quixote. Here comes . . . Eva Moskowitz. Chairwoman of the City Council's Education Committee. Graduate of PS 6 and Stuyvesant HS. Former teacher. Ph.D. And now,...

GAY AMMON SHOCK - NEIGHBOR CLAIMS BIZARRE SEX TRYST

A neighbor of murdered millionaire Ted Ammon claims they had a seamy gay sex tryst two years before the slaying - and the key suspect in Ammon's death may use...

NEW ACCUSATIONS IN L.I. TEEN SLAY

The defense dropped a bombshell in the Kristin Scarabelli murder trial yesterday - claiming a teen motorcyclist once bragged about strangling the 16-year-old Long Island schoolgirl. The shocker came as...

BRAVE JESSICA READY TO THANK IRAQI SAVIOR

PALESTINE, W.Va. - Jessica Lynch is ready to meet the Iraqi lawyer who helped free her - after snubbing him because she feared a wellspring of repressed memories, according to...

$PEED-SCAM WALL ST. EXEC: I AM SO SORRY

A former Goldman Sachs big shot asked for forgiveness yesterday when admitting he orchestrated an insider-trading scam that allowed the Wall Street investment bank to go on a $317 million...

SHE'S THE CLEAR WINNER - BUT CAN'T ENJOY IT

WHY so glum, Rosie? After court, Rosie O'Donnell held a victory party, but the guest of honor looked in no mood to celebrate. A few dozen friends, family, supporters and...

QUEENS POL GUILTY OF FUND FRAUD

Sheldon Leffler, the former City Council member from Queens, was found guilty yesterday of trying to steal some $40,000 in matching funds for his failed 2001 bid for Queens borough...

PREP BIG HAD PIX OF KID PORN: DA

The former headmaster of a prestigious Manhattan prep school - busted last month for engaging in perverted online sex chats that he thought were with underage girls - was slapped...

DEM RIVALS LABORING FOR VICTORY IN IOWA

WASHINGTON - Democratic front-runner Howard Dean yesterday got the support of the AFL-CIO's two biggest unions - but rival Dick Gephardt boasted that he beat Dean for the key autoworkers...

SEX-HAZE OUTRAGE - FOOTBALL TRIO TO BE TRIED AS JUVENILES

HONESDALE, Pa. - A judge in Pennsylvania ruled yesterday that three Mepham HS football stars accused of sexually assaulting three younger teammates will be tried as juveniles, sources said. Wayne...

9/11 PANEL TO GET SECRET DATA

WASHINGTON - The independent commission investigating the 9/11 attacks said yesterday it struck a deal with the White House allowing it access to top-secret daily intelligence briefings given to the...

DIRTY SCHOOL TACTICS - BUILDING BOSS KEPT IT LIKE A PIGSTY: PRINCIPAL

A Staten Island high-school principal testified yesterday at the first day of the City Council's hearings on school union contracts that it took her 18 painful months to get rid...

MOM CLEARED IN DAUGHTER'S DRUG DEATH

A Harlem mom, arrested for criminally negligent homicide in the drug-overdose death of her mentally incapacitated daughter, will not be prosecuted, the Manhattan DA said yesterday. On March 5, 30-year-old...

'PERVY' PREPPIE MASTER RESIGNS

The former headmaster of a prestigious Manhattan prep school - busted last month for engaging in perverted online sex chats that he thought were with underage girls - has resigned...

BUSH BRIT TRIP DOGGED BY AL QAEDA FEARS

IT should be a dream to make a state visit to America's best ally and sleep at Buckingham Palace - but President Bush's trip to Britain next week threatens to...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

BROOKLYN * A Brooklyn murder dating back nearly two years was finally solved yesterday, police said. Aquila Gaither, 26, is charged with gunning down 28-year-old Jamar Edwards on East 23rd...

'HAMMER' TIME - U.S. STRIKES AT SADDAM'S HOLDOUTS

WASHINGTON - Following another deadly terror attack by Iraqi extremists, U.S. forces last night launched Operation Iron Hammer in a bid to smash Saddam Hussein's loyalists. As part of the...

DEADLY STATEN ISLAND HIT-RUN

Cops were searching last night for a Staten Island hit-run driver involved in an accident that killed an elderly man and left a woman critically injured. The crash occurred around...

COP SUSPENDED OVER ESCAPEE

An NYPD detective was suspended yesterday for failing to safeguard a drug suspect who fled custody outside the East Harlem station house, police said. Narcotics Detective Laurie Hernandez was loading...

POT BUST AT PASTRY JOINT

The owner of a Little Italy bakery was arrested yesterday when cops discovered 75 pounds of marijuana in his pastry shop, police said. Cops entered Parisi's Bakery, at 290 Elizabeth...

CLASSROOM EXTRA - NEW YORK HISTORY EDITION - NEW YORK'S MOST FAMOUS LADY

She's one of the most famous ladies in the world - no not Britney. She's our very own Statue of Liberty, standing in New York Harbor for more than 100...

MR. FUMBLE - TURNOVER TIKI TRIES TO GET A GRIP

As observant as Tiki Barber is, of course he noticed that Dr. Joel Goldberg, the Giants' director of counseling services, was on the sideline during yesterday's practice. Goldberg, who in...

LAYDEN WON'T PUT BLAME ON CHANEY

KNICK NOTES Through seven games, the Knicks have been lackadaisical, flat, and simply put, bad. Scott Layden is well aware of that and put the team on notice . ....

MCDYESS READY TO PLAY - COULD MAKE KNICKS DEBUT TOMORROW

Don Chaney preached patience throughout Knicks training camp and the young season regarding Antonio McDyess' knee, but a 2-5 start can make you change your plans. As recently as last...

ROAD-TOUGH DEVILS SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL

ROCHESTER - This was a different test of the Devils' road supremacy. Their opponent was playing away from home, too. The Sabres took on the Stanley Cup champs here last...

KENYON'S BACK TO BOOST NETS

While Kenyon Martin sat out five games that seemed like 21/2lifetimes, the Nets played hard for the most part. But - undermanned and fatigued - they simply did not have...

PIGSKIN PROFIT

SYRACUSE at MIAMI Ch. 9 NoonLINE: Miami -19.ANGLE: In two weeks the Hurricanes have gone from national championship contender to a program in turmoil. Derrick Crudup starts in place of...

JOHNSON FACES KLITSCHKO TEST

It was a brief meeting, but it made a lasting impression. A few weeks after Kirk Johnson was disqualified for a low blow in the 10th round of his July...

HIGH NOON TODAY FOR ISLES' WIEMER

Nobody is crying on anyone else's shoulder pads, but there will be a cumbersome load of uncertainty and tension lifted from the Islanders' locker room today at noon when the...

THEY'RE NOT THE SAME OLD SPURS

With nine new faces, the Spur team that faced the Nets last night was a lot younger - and greener - than the one that beat New Jersey in June's...

KIDD SAYS SPUR TALKS FORGOTTEN

NET NOTES It was one of the big offseason stories in the NBA, the most significant free-agent drama being played out. But Jason Kidd stressed yesterday that his saga with...

A GOOD SHOCK: TE MAY RETURN IN THREE WEEKS

GIANT NOTES Two days after the Giants painted a bleak picture for tight end Jeremy Shockey's return this season from a knee injury, word came down yesterday that he might...

POTI'S IN AFTER SCRATCH SCARE

Even Tom Poti was fooled. All signs had pointed to the Ranger defenseman being a healthy scratch for last night's Garden match against the Penguins. But when Glen Sather posted...

ACHING JETS TURNING INTO A MASH UNIT

JET NOTES The Jets' roster now looks like a true infirmary. It's a wreck. There are roster moves that Herman Edwards would like to make, such as activating defensive tackle...

SHOWTIME OR GO TIME FOR JARVIS

The curtain goes up on "Showtime" tonight in the Garden, whereas the Jarvis Monologues almost surely begins its final run. Only in the mecca of college basketball is a player...

KAZUO'S PLANS EXCLUDE METS

If Kazuo Matsui comes to the U.S., don't expect to see him at Shea in a Mets uniform. From the start, the Mets' interest in Japan's star free-agent shortstop was...

STOTTLEMYRE WILL BE BACK AS COACH

YANKEE NOTES Mel Stottlemyre likely will return as Yankees pitching coach, The Post has learned. Stottlemyre told friends he will come back for a ninth season on Joe Torre's staff....

JUST GET CHRE-BETTER! - JETS SHELVE AILING WAYNE; EYE '04

The status of receiver Wayne Chrebet - not to mention a Jets' season already teetering on the edge of darkness - took a devastating turn yesterday when it was revealed...

GET OUT IN NICK OF TIME - TRADING JOHNSON FOR SCHILLING A MISTAKE

PHOENIX - Buzz off, Boss. Don't trade Nick Johnson. The Yankees would be fools to include Johnson in a deal for Curt Schilling or anyone else. Don't panic; there will...

JETER'S PAIN GAME - TORRE: SORE THUMB NEARLY KO'D DEREK

Joe Torre admitted yesterday that Derek Jeter's left thumb-ligament problem was a lot more serious than the club or Jeter let on during the ALCS against the Red Sox, and...

CASHMAN LOOKS TO COLON

PHOENIX - There was a downpour of activity by the Yankees yesterday. On a rainy day and night in the Valley of the Sun, Brian Cashman and Damon Oppenheimer sat...

STOTTLEMYRE WILL BE BACK

YANKEE NOTES Mel Stottlemyre is coming back, The Post has learned. The pitching coach will inform the Yankees he is returning after a lengthy decision process that started after the...

ROAD-TOUGH DEVILS KEEP STREAK ALIVE

Devils 2 - Sabres 2 ROCHESTER- Reactions were mixed, as were the results. But the Devils escaped this curious experiment with the NHL's last unbeaten road record intact. "It's happening...

RANGERS' WIN COMES AT PRICE - EYE INJURY KOS LINDROS FOR WEEKS

Rangers 6 - Penguins 2 Once again an Eric Lindros season is clouded by injury. This time, quite literally. For in just his third game back in the lineup after...

TOUGH TIM KEEPS SPURS SHARP

The parts have been changed on the fly, traded in for new, unproven versions. But as long as San Antonio's engine remains the same - as long as the Spurs'...

SCOTT: NETS 'SCARED'

Spurs 85 - Nets 71 During four seasons as head coach, Byron Scott has used such loving phraseology as "We played like women" to describe his Nets. He said they...

PACK BACK FOR ENCORE IN JERSEY

NET NOTES Robert Pack once was signed by the Nets to be their starting point guard in a new era. Now, they're turning to him again to come off the...