February 4, 2004
CONRAD FIRES BACK AT HOLLINGER; BLACK GETS BACK AT HOLLINGER
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amDisgraced newspaper baron Conrad Black filed a countersuit in a Delaware court yesterday seeking to prevent Hollinger International's efforts at blocking his sale of a controlling stake in the company....
DISNEY SHUTTERS STORE IN HARLEM USA MALL
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amSAYONARA, Mickey: The much-touted Disney store in the Harlem USA mall has closed its doors. The retreat is part of the company's larger scheme to shutter outposts around the country,...
XBOX SET TO STAY IN THE GAME ; M'SOFT KEEPS XBOX IN THE GAME
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amLike a character from one of its video game titles, Microsoft's Xbox seems to have unlimited lives. At the end of last year, Nintendo's GameCube quietly slipped passed the Xbox...
MARTHA'S BRAND IMPROVING AS IMAGE SOFTENS ; MARTHA'S IMAGE SOFTENS, BRAND IMPROVING
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amMartha Stewart faces two juries in her trial for securities fraud. One can convict; the other can stop using its credit cards. In the second court, at least, Stewart's trial...
BAD-BOY BANKER ; SPITZER NAILS CIBC TRADER IN MUTUAL FUND PROBE
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amA New York stock trader is facing up to 25 years in prison for his alleged role in widespread illegal mutual fund trading. Paul Flynn, a former trader with Canadian...
ROSIE MEMOIR PUT ON HOLD ; DESPITE BIG ADVANCE, O'DONNELL BAILS ON BOOK RELEASE
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amROSIE O'Donnell's newest book, "Celebrity Detox," won't appear this summer as scheduled - and there is no new publication date. Warner Books was banking on the sequel to the cranky...
JACK & SUZY INK DEAL FOR HOW-TO BOOK
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amFormer GE honcho Jack Welch is teaming up with Suzy Wetlaufer for a how-to business book entitled "Winning" which snagged the happy couple a seven-figure payday yesterday. HarperCollins won the...
SEC PLAN THREATENS NYSE DOMINANCE
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amThe SEC is proposing bold changes to a rule that could significantly hurt the New York Stock Exchange's stock-trading near-monopoly. The SEC plan would allow large institutional investors to choose...
KAHN EXITS MACY'S ; LONGTIME CEO OUT AT FEDERATED IN SURPRISE MOVE
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amIn a move that surprised many on Seventh Avenue, Federated Department Stores said yesterday that the longtime chairman and chief executive of its Macy's East division would retire. Hal Kahn,...
SILVERSTEIN HIT BY WTC BOND DOWNGRADE
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amLarry Silverstein got hit with more bad news yesterday, as bonds involved in his long-delayed efforts to rebuild 7 World Trade Center got downgraded to junk status because of foot-dragging....
10 BEST REASONS TO CALL POPCORN DINNER: GREAT RESTAURANTS JUST A TICKET'S TOSS FROM THE BIG SCREENS
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amIF you haven't seen "Cold Mountain" or "Lost in Translation" yet, you have just 25 days to catch up on some of the contenders before Oscar night on Feb. 29....
WHEN MENUS LIE: WHAT YOU ORDER ISN'T ALWAYS WHAT YOU GET
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amIF anything makes me want to stay home with a pizza these bleak winter nights, it isn't the cold, but the damn-near impossibility of figuring out what I'm eating in...
FIGHTING DISC GOES FOR BROKE ON 'EVERYTHING'
February 4, 2004 | 5:00am* FIVE FOR FIGHTING "The Battle for Everything" Columbia When Five for Fighting's post-9/11 "Superman" became New York City's unofficial anthem of hope, some wondered if that was why the...
LUSH 'PHANTOM' STILL HAUNTING
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amTHE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA 1/2 (three and one half stars) Majestic Theater. 247 W. 44th St., (212) 239-6200. FOR a show that turned 16 last week, "The Phantom of...
FILMMAKER'S GOLD MINE
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amBLIND SHAFT (three stars) Strikes a rich lode. Running time: 92 minutes. Not rated (sex, violence). At the Film Forum, West Houston and Varick streets. 'BLIND Shaft," a Chinese film...
IT'S GOODWILL MUNCHING MONTH
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amMARK your calendar with these chew-for-charity events, which offer great food and benefit a good cause. SPRING ON THISOn Feb. 24 at Pier 60 at the Chelsea Piers on West...
ON THE SIDE; CHELSEA GETS SOME OF PHILLY'S STARR POWER
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amPHILADELPHIA restaurateur Stephen Starr - who's already bringing "Iron Chef" Masahuru Morimoto (formerly of Nobu) back to Manhattan - will open a second, larger restaurant at the Chelsea Market. Starr,...
PRAYING FOR A REPRIEVE
February 4, 2004 | 5:00am'EVERYBODY Loves Raymond" star Peter Boyle says a decision on the show's future "could come at any second" - and he's hoping the show will go on. "I have no...
NEWS DAYS OVER FOR MARIA
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amMARIA Shriver has left NBC News - but will remain with the network pitching unspecified projects. The "Dateline" anchor - who's made only two on-air appearances since her husband, Arnold...
TAKE IT BACK ; RAGE AT TV CLAIM LBJ WAS BEHIND DALLAS
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amJACK Valenti, the onetime special assistant to President Lyndon Johnson, will meet with History Channel officials today - demanding they rebut a documentary they aired implicating LBJ in President Kennedy's...
OLD DOGS, FEW TIX ; GEEZERS BOG DOWN B'WAY
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amAT the risk of sounding like a hypocrite, I don't want to hop around on the graves of "Gypsy" or "Never Gonna Dance." If they'd been better shows, they wouldn't...
STARR REPORT
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amIn store from Macy William H. Macy is revisiting Jackie Gleason's pet project: "Gigot," the 1962 movie in which The Great One played a mute French hobo who befriends the...
HOCKEY HOT IN HARLEM
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amThis could be the most rewarding season yet for Ice Hockey in Harlem. The program, which introduced slapshots and hip checks to hundreds of inner-city kids, is expanding. More than...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amA man has been sentenced to listen to an opera as punishment for playing rap music too loudly in his car. Florida Judge Jeffrey Swartz told Michael Carreras of St....
LIES, DAMN LIES & 'WARDROBE MALFUNCTION'
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amHERE we have Martha Stewart facing many years in the slam for allegedly lying to a few investigators. But now we have Justin Timberlake telling a lie as fat as...
THE HERO FACTOR; NO SILVER BULLET FOR KERRY
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amDEMOCRATIC National Chairman Terry McAuliffe was so giddy as he blasted President Bush's military record during an appearance on ABC's "This Week" last Sunday that it looked like he might...
QNS. ZONE TO MANUFACTURE 420 JOBS
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amTouting it as one of the most exciting economic development projects in the Bloomberg administration, city officials yesterday announced the creation of more than 400 new manufacturing jobs in College...
BERTH OF A NEW $HIP SCHEME
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amAfter missing the boat last year, the Bloomberg administration announced yesterday that it is prepared to spend $250 million to keep cruise ships from abandoning New York City. In testimony...
IM-PATIENT DEAN FLUBS HOSP VISIT
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amPOKANE, Wash. - Howard Dean, a doctor, toured a hospital here yesterday and pleaded for a dose of medicine to help his sickly campaign. Having thrown in the towel in...
WHITE HOUSE RAGE OVER 'BUSH WAS AWOL' CLAIM
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amWASHINGTON - The White House and President's Bush campaign yesterday furiously attacked Democrats who have been questioning Bush's military service during Vietnam. Bush's allies were reacting to Democratic Party boss...
BASHER BACK ON FDNY PAYROLL
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amThe Staten Island firefighter who nearly killed a fellow firefighter by allegedly slamming a chair in his face made a brief courtroom appearance yesterday - the same day he was...
U.N. TO TAKE ON IRAQ POWER SWAP
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amUnited Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said yesterday he would send a team to Iraq to ease the handover of power to local officials. President Bush welcomed what he called...
KOBE URGED INVESTIGATORS TO GIVE IT THEIR BEST SHOT: COP
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amNBA superstar Kobe Bryant shook hands with Colorado cops and asked "What's up, fellas?" after spotting them staking out his hotel just a day after a young woman claimed he...
JAIL FOR HORROR RAPIST OF GIRL, 8
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amA drug dealer who admitted to impregnating his girlfriend's 8-year-old daughter will spend the next two decades in prison, authorities said yesterday. Chancellor Drayton, 44, pleaded guilty to sexual conduct...
PATRICK STEWART OPPOSES STAR TREKS
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amOne of TV's renowned "Star Trek" skippers doesn't think man should boldly go where no man has gone before. Actor Patrick Stewart - better known as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard of...
CITY PROBES WORKERS BREAKING 'HOME' RULE
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amThe city has launched an investigation into ferry workers and thousands of other Department of Transportation employees to determine if they are violating a law that requires them to live...
ARIEL PLANS 2-YR. GAZA WITHDRAWAL
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amJERUSALEM - Israel expects to begin closing down Gaza Strip settlements as early as June and the process could take two years, officials disclosed yesterday as they revealed the plan's...
L.I. PARENTS LEFT SON, 2, ALONE FOR 10 HOURS: COPS
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amA Long Island couple have been busted for leaving their 21/2-year-old son home alone for more than 10 hours with three bottles of milk and sugar cookies while they went...
QNS. SHELTER LOSES CITY HOMELESS BID
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amA Queens shelter lost its bid to become the city's largest facility for homeless families yesterday. The operators of the 242-unit Saratoga Family Inn - a converted motel on Rockaway...
TEFLON TEACHER
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amThe school district says he's incompetent, insensitive and racist - and has been for 14 years. But Elihu McMahon is still a teacher - and we're paying him $77,000 a...
POL: CELL OUT FELLOW DRIVERS
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amALBANY - The man who brought you the ban on hand-held cell phones while driving now wants help from motorists to turn offenders in. Assemblyman Felix Ortiz (D-Brooklyn) told The...
CON'S PLEA: I'M A MONEY ADDICT
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amA brazen Long Island con man who ripped off $7.2 million in a phony investment scheme tried yesterday to convince a judge to send him to a mental institution and...
ANGRY BEAU BUSTED IN ARSON SLAYS
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amA Brooklyn ex-con who allegedly tried to get revenge against his girlfriend by igniting a fire at her apartment building - killing two incapacitated men - was arrested yesterday, police...
EX CASHED IN ON KOZ
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amTarnished Tyco tycoon Dennis Kozlowski's ex-wife cleaned up when she divorced him three years ago - netting four homes, $33 million in cash, a new Mercedes every three years, and...
HOUSE OF GHOULS; KID FORCED TO CARE FOR DEAD GRANDPA: COPS
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amFor weeks after 82-year-old Nicola Lombardi died, his daughter and her husband had their 13-year-old foster child wait on him in his upstairs apartment - although their house "reeked of...
HIT-RUN KILLER BLAMES VICTIM: COPS
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amThe ghoul accused of mowing down an aspiring high-school teacher blames his young victim - for jaywalking - and told cops he headed to an Atlantic City casino because he...
$6M BOOTED-KID PLAN
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amThe Bloomberg administration is spending $6 million to run a new network of off-site suspension centers and alternative sites for students tossed out of school as part of the city's...
SEX KID TO SUE 'TRYST' OFFICER
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amA Manhattan teen plans to file suit against the probation officer he claims "coerced" him into having sex romps with her and wrote him a letter encouraging him to grow...
EVICTION EYED IN ARSON FIRE
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amThe boyfriend of a woman whose family was evicted from a Brooklyn brownstone is being sought for questioning in the arson blaze that critically injured firefighter Joseph Lennon, sources told...
TIME WARNER BLDG. OPENS AMID CHAOS
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amThe $1.8 billion Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle will officially open its doors to the public today after more than three years of construction that caused massive traffic and...
DA DEMANDS SPECTOR-CASE FINGERNAIL
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amLOS ANGELES - Prosecutors going after music legend Phil Spector want his lawyers to fork over a fingernail, covered in gunpowder and found near the body of a murdered B-movie...
CBS JUGHEADS - HI-TECH CENSOR TO LET JANET, JUSTIN DO GRAMMYS
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amAfter a day of crisis talks, CBS yesterday agreed to let Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake remain on this Sunday's Grammy telecast - but said it was working on new...
A VERY KERRY VICTORY ROLL - BUT EDWARDS WINS ON HIS OWN TURF
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amCOLUMBIA, S.C. - Sen. John Edwards scored a solid win in South Carolina last night that turned him into front-runner John Kerry's chief rival - while Kerry headed for wins...
MOB KEELING SPREE - 'SOPRANOS' ACTORS SLEEP WITH FISHES IN PROMO PIC
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amHere's the latest snapshot in the Sopranos family album - a reunion of the living and the dead. HBO's poster for the fifth season beginning March 7, shot by celebrity...
BROKER'S AIDE COOKS UP A WORLD OF WOE FOR LIFESTYLE DIVA
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amHE looked too young even to be in the courthouse without a parent - a teenage- looking boy all dressed up in a cut-down version of his dad's old cheap,...
BACANOVIC ORDER: 'OH, MY GOD, GET MARTHA ON THE PHONE'
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amThe star witness at the Martha Stewart trial told jurors yesterday his stockbroker boss ordered him to "get Martha" and tell her that ImClone founder Sam Waksal was trying to...
A VERY KERRY VICTORY ROLL - BUT WES, EDWARDS NOTCH FIRST WINS
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amDemocratic front-runner John Kerry rolled up victories in five states last night, but John Edwards and Wesley Clark each scored wins of their own. Kerry won in Missouri, Arizona, Delaware,...
BERTH OF A SCHEME
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amThe city is ready to spend $250 million to keep the cruise-line industry from jumping ship. Stung by the defection of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines to New Jersey, the city...
JOHN-VS.-JOHN RACE IMPERILS LEADER
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amCOLUMBIA, S.C. - It now looks like a two-man race between John Edwards and John Kerry - and that's just what John Kerry didn't want. Kerry notched more wins and...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amTHE BRONX * A 31-year-old suspect in a fatal New Year's Day shooting was captured in South Carolina after police got a tip, cops said yesterday. Derrick "Shrimp" Marcelle was...
GIRL SETS CLASS FIRE TO DODGE SCHOOL
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amA 14-year-old girl, hoping to avoid a day of classes, was arrested yesterday for setting a fire in a closet at her Harlem school - while classes were in session...
'SKULL' FOUND NEAR B'KLYN HIGHWAY
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amWhat appears to be a human skull was found at an exit on the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn yesterday, cops said. The grisly find was made by a Department of...
RICIN THREAT GROWS - POISON IN WHITE HOUSE MAIL
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amTerror gripped Washington yesterday as authorities confirmed that a letter to the Senate contained deadly ricin - and the White House made the startling revelation that it had been the...
KERRY CARRIES 5 MORE STATES - BUT WES, EDWARDS NOTCH FIRST WINS
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amDemocratic front-runner John Kerry rolled up victories in five states last night, but John Edwards and Wesley Clark each notched wins of their own. Staying in command of the race...
AIRTRAIN COMING TO MANHATTAN
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amA plan that would extend the AirTrain into lower Manhattan from Kennedy Airport is expected to be unveiled today in what would be another major project aimed at improving transportation...
DEATH TRAPS: CON ED FINDS 30 KILLER HOT SPOTS
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amDozens of electrified manhole and service-box covers that could zap you to death have been discovered throughout the city, Con Ed revealed yesterday. In a citywide sweep after a woman...
BARS BAND TO FIGHT CURFEW PLAN
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amHundreds of bar owners are expected to gather today to discuss how to fight a new proposal that could force them to close at 1 a.m. "We're getting the word...
BACANOVIC'S ORDER: 'OH, MY GOD, GET MARTHA ON THE PHONE'
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amThe star witness at the Martha Stewart trial told jurors yesterday how his stockbroker boss ordered him to "get Martha" and tell her that ImClone founder Sam Waksal was trying...
THE RIVALRY LIVES
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amISIAH Thomas's grudge isn't the Garden's grudge. Knick fans don't care what Thomas said about Larry Bird being white 17 years ago, or any injustice perceived by Isiah when he...
WEARY ISLES WILL EMBRACE ALL-STAR BREAK
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amAll the Islanders want is a little break, so this weekend's All-Star pause couldn't come at a better time. They all realize that from here on, beginning with last night's...
RICHTER'S NUMBER: '94 ; CUP WINNER GETS HONOR TONIGHT
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amIT always is about 1994 for the Rangers. A massive banner advertising a credit card company adorns the outside of the 33rd Street side of the Garden midway between 7th...
LINDROS IN NO RUSH TO RETURN
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amThere was pain in Eric Lindros' voice yesterday, pain that comes with the concussion that's left him bedridden for much of the last six days. There was irony in Lindros'...
DRAGILA RISES FOR MILLROSE
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amStacy Dragila is not only the queen and matriarch of her event, she nearly single-handedly lifted women's pole-vaulting into the public consciousness. Most would be satisfied with that, but for...
STARS OVER JERSEY ; K-MART JOINING KIDD FOR TRIP TO FEB. 15 CLASSIC
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amKenyon Martin added another line on the resume yesterday, one that should help when it comes to negotiating a new contract this summer: 2003-04 All-Star. Martin and no-brainer choice Jason...
JERSEY DEFENSE NEVER RESTS
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amNET NOTES Numbers don't lie. Yet the numbers are hard to believe regarding the Nets' defense recently. In the four games under Lawrence Frank - all road victories - the...
MOOCHIE STEPS PAST WILLIAMS
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amNot that it makes Frank Williams feel much better, but Moochie Norris has felt his pain. Like Williams, Norris once was buried on the bench - back as a rookie...
IT'S FRIESEN IN HERE ; DEVILS' WINGER WANTS TO STAY PUT
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amHe learned about it the right way. Jeff Friesen read that the Hurricanes wanted him in trade for Rod Brind'Amour in The Post. "What you take out of that is...
STORM IN DEEP VS. PITT; BIG EAST CHAMPION PANTHERS TALKIN' TOUGH
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amPITTSBURGH - It must have been painful for UCLA coach Ben Howland to watch his Bruins lose 71-55 to St. John's Saturday in the Garden. The Bruins got manhandled, outrebounded...
COUGHLIN SURVEYS GIANTS' HEALING
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amAt this time of year, Giants players are usually scattered near and far, some staying close to Giants Stadium to rehabilitate injuries, but most returning home to mend on their...
COACHES SNUB STEPH: MARBURY LEFT OFF EAST ALL-STAR TEAM
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amWhen he made Stephon Marbury's lifelong dream come true one month ago, Isiah Thomas called the Coney Island Kid among the "top 10" players in the game. But when the...
MARINO QUITS DOLPHINS JOB
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amDan Marino's front-office career is over before it really started. In a move somewhat reminiscent of when Bill Belichick resigned as coach of the Jets after just one day, Marino...
TRANSFER LEADS LINCOLN TO TITLE
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amLincoln 51Midwood 39 Jazmine Sepulveda doesn't have any hard feelings about what has happened to her this year and the fact that the Lincoln senior had to sit out most...
SLIGHT NO BIG DEAL
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amWE don't know whether there really is a rat to be smelled when Jason Kidd, Michael Redd and Baron Davis, two of whom have outscored Stephon Marbury this year, one...
SHEEPSHEAD BAY, LINCOLN WIN TITLES
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amSheepshead Bay surprised much of the PSAL on Dec. 18 when the Sharks beat Lincoln, but Steven Jackson knew that win, while impressive, had an asterisk next to it. "We...
ROG: YANKS WILL SURVIVE
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amEven without himself, Andy Pettitte and David Wells in the Yankees rotation, Roger Clemens believes his former team will be back where it always is: playing in October. The Rocket...
LAMB MAY LAND ON YANKS' TABLE
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amBASEBALL NOTES Third base in The Bronx is about to get even more crowded. The Yankees are close to acquiring Texas third baseman Mike Lamb for A-ball pitcher Jose Garcia....
AUCOIN'S GOAL CAPS AN EMOTIONAL NIGHT
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amOVERTIMEIslanders 5Canucks 4 It was fitting that LL Cool J, who sang the words "don't call it a comeback," was in the front row last night for, well, a thrilling...
NIEDER GETS 'C' FOR STARS
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amIt is a unique honor, to be Mark Messier's captain, and Scott Niedermayer doesn't think he's going to pass it up by offering his "C" to No. 11 for Sunday's...
ISIAH ENJOYS THIS ONE
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amIf you thought this one didn't mean anything special to Isiah Thomas, you should have seen his victory lap through the Pacers locker room last night. After the Knicks ripped...
DERMARR SIGNS 10-DAY CONTRACT
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amKNICK NOTES The Knicks yesterday signed 6-9 swingman DerMarr Johnson, whom the Hawks chose with the sixth pick in the 2000 draft, to a 10-day contract. Johnson missed all of...
STEPH'S REVENGE: MARBURY TORCHES PACERS AFTER ALL-STAR SNUB
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amKnicks 97 Pacers 90 The Knicks don't have any All-Stars, but they have an entire city that adores them again. On the day Stephon Marbury received an All-Star snub, Isiah...
STEPHON: SLIGHT NO BIG DEAL
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amKNICK NOTES When he made Stephon Marbury's lifelong dream come true one month ago, Isiah Thomas called the Coney Island Kid among the "top 10" players in the game. But...
JUST LIKE OLD TIMES
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amISIAH Thomas' grudge isn't the Garden's grudge. Knick fans don't care what Thomas said about Larry Bird 17 years ago, or any injustice, real or perceived by Isiah, with which...
DEVS SEND MESSAGE : SMOTHER OTTAWA 'O'
February 4, 2004 | 5:00amDevils 2 Senators 1 A highlight in a long season of often-longer games, the Devils could be proud of this one, for so many reasons. The Stanley Cup champs were...