March 5, 2004

DVD MAKERS ARMING FOR ALL-OUT WAR

Two competing standards for the next generation of DVDs are barreling toward a format war similar to the infamous clash between Betamax and VHS tapes. The battle is particularly critical...

MORGAN'S CRUZ BEATS BOSS TO THE BANK

.Morgan Stanley trading boss Zoe Cruz took home a sweet $16.2 million in 2003 - $1 million more than her boss, CEO Phil Purcell. While Purcell's $15.2 million paycheck represents...

DEVELOPER SAVES CEDAR ST. BUILDING

A damaged building near Ground Zero is being saved, and will likely be turned into a Club Quarters corporate-style membership hotel. The 12-story office building at 130 Cedar St. that...

IT'S ROUND TWO ; DISNEY SHAREHOLDERS MAY TRY AGAIN TO OUST EISNER

Dissident Disney shareholders, furious that Michael Eisner remains CEO, may try to force another shareholder meeting and nominate a new slate of directors. Investors said the Disney board didn't go...

WALL ST. BIGS GET CALL ON GRASSO

Government investigators are blanketing Wall Street with subpoenas to find out how disgraced New York Stock Exchange boss Dick Grasso got a $190 million pay deal. The Securities and Exchange...

KKR SEALS DEAL TO BUY SEALY

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. will be stuffing some money into its mattresses. The New York investment firm said yesterday it would buy Sealy Corp., the world's biggest bedding manufacturer,...

MSO LAYS OUT ITS POST-MARTHA PLAN

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia has "contingency plans" in case its famous founder is found guilty of lying to investigators, the company said yesterday. Chief Executive Sharon Patrick did not elaborate...

MICHAEL DELL IS DROPPING TITLE OF CEO

Computer mogul Michael Dell is giving up one of his titles - that of CEO - but he didn't make a dime on the mostly cosmetic move. The 39-year-old founder...

RIGAS IS A DEADBEAT: CONDO BD.

Prosecutors say he's a big spender - at least with his company's money - but an East Side condo association says Adelphia Communications founder John Rigas is anything but. In...

PASTERNAK, FORMER FIRM MAY FACE NEW CHARGES

In an unfriendly reminder of a dark chapter in Knight Trading's past, the firm and its former CEO Kenneth Pasternak received notice from regulators that they might file civil charges...

INVESTORS FLOCKING TO BLACK'S EMPIRE

As many as 50 possible buyers are lining up to consider bids on the newspaper empire built by Conrad Black. The newspapers include the Chicago Sun-Times, London's Daily Telegraphy, the...

PECKER'S HAD HIS FILL OF FULLER; LATE STARTS, FALLING PROFITS MUDDY HER AMERICA MEDIA DEBUT

INSIDERS at American Media are saying there is heightened tension between Bonnie Fuller, the hard-charging editorial director of the company and her boss, CEO David Pecker. The Star's national rollout...

FIFTY EYE HOLLINGER

As many as 50 possible buyers are lining up to consider bids on the newspaper empire built by Conrad Black. The newspapers include the Chicago Sun-Times, London's Daily Telegraphy, the...

CHEESY RIDERS - 'STARSKY & HUTCH' A LIGHTHEARTED SPOOF OF THAT '70S SHOW

STARSKY & HUTCH ½ (two and one half stars) Affectionate homage to '70s TV show. Running time: 97 minutes. Rated PG-13 (drugs, violence, sexual situations). At the Loews Lincoln Square,...

ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE, EVEN A SMALL ONE

You may know them from TV and movies. Now Lisa Simpson, the Karate Kid and a Soprano are live on stage . . . very small stages. At a recent...

STARR REPORT

'Home'-spun role There's a scrap of irony in the title of Hallmark Channel's "A Place Called Home," airing Sunday at 9 p.m. with star Ann-Margret. In the movie, Margret plays...

THE MAN WHO MELFI TALKS TO ABOUT TONY

WHAT'S the difference be tween a director and a therapist? Not much, according to director Peter Bogdanovich, who plays a therapist on "The Sopranos." "Directors have to sort of be...

FRIAR STUCK

THE RECKONING (two stars) A medieval murder mystery. Running time: 110 minutes. Rated R (some sexuality and violent images). At the Angelika and the Beekman. THE gifted English actor Paul...

FRENCH FUGITIVE LIVES 'LA VIE' UNROBED

LA VIE PROMISE 1/2 (two and one half stars) Hooker on the run. In French, with English subtitles. Running time: 100 minutes. Not rated (sex, violence). At the Angelika, Mercer...

SNOW-BORED 'WINTERTIME'

WINTERTIME At the Second Stage Theatre, 307 W. 43rd St., (212) 246-4422. 'WINTERTIME" is like a Mozart opera minus the music and without the lyrics. Charles L. Mee - known...

SADDLE WEARY; SADDLED BY SUBPLOTS

HIDALGO (two stars) Neigh. Running time: 135 minutes. Rated PG-13 (action violence, sexuality). At the Ziegfeld, the Union Square, the City Cinemas East 86th Street, others. VIGGO Mortensen, in his...

'WIND' BLOWS GRANT-LEE THIS WAY; DENISE SIEGEL

GRANT-LEE Phillips went solo after Grant Lee Buffalo broke up in 1999, and for music fans who kept up with the singer/songwriter, it's been a delicious soulful pop journey ever...

LESS SHARP THAN A SERPENT'S TOOTH

KING LEAR (two stars) At the Vivian Beaumont Theater, 150 W. 65th St. Telecharge, (212) 239-6200. Through April 18. HE'S a seemingly strong, sensible man, this haughty monarch of pagan...

ELLEN ROCKS - 1ST YEAR TALKER GETS JIGGY WITH 12 EMMY NODS

MARTHA Stewart got a bit of good news yesterday - outside the courthouse. Stewart's syndicated show, "Martha Stewart Living," garnered six Daytime Emmy nominations, including one for Stewart as Best...

'CHEATING DIDN'T BREAK US UP'

ETHAN Hawke denies extra- marital affairs are to blame for the break-up of his once-storybook marriage to action-movie goddess, Uma Thurman. "If we broke up, that - infidelity - is...

GODZILLA GETTING BURR-IED

AT age 50, Godzilla is headed for a retirement home. Hit by slumping box-office sales for the iconic series, Japan's Toho Co. announced yesterday that it would shelve its Godzilla...

MAID FOR EACH OTHER ; GIVE 'THE HELP' A HAND

"The Help" Tonight at 9:30 on WB/11 Zero stars MAYBE the WB hasn't heard there's an indecency war on. How else can you explain the mini-network's new sitcom, "The Help"?...

RIGHT IN SYNC ; JC CHASEZ FOLLOWS JUSTIN DOWN THE SOLO TRAIL

"Compared to the average news broadcast, with reports about terrorist bombings, war and death, how harmful is one naked breast?"JC Chasez"I love being in the studio alone working, but after...

DEATH BE NOT PROUD; MUSIC UNION SEEKS TRAGIC OVERTIME

FOR the glittering first-night audience at "Fiddler on the Roof" last week, the sudden death of Jerome Robbins' sister just before the curtain went up was a terrible tragedy. But...

TRUMP CANS 'LUNATIC' OMAROSA

IT TOOK a gallery full of bizarre art and a questionable head injury, but Donald Trump finally axed Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth on last night's edition of "The Apprentice." "Omarosa had a...

JEW HELD IN BOMB PLOT VS. ARABS

JERUSALEM - Israeli police have arrested a 22-year-old Jewish man they say is behind a three-year string of bombings aimed at Arabs and who was allegedly hatching a plot to...

GOP HAS GIULIANI POISED FOR DEBATE

WASHINGTON - Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani will be used by the Bush campaign to get its side across in the national debate over the Sept. 11 attacks, top White House...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

Brooklyn * A 16-year-old is being sought for questioning in a quadruple shooting that left another teen seriously wounded last month in Williamsburg, cops said yesterday. José Valentin, also known...

QNS. KID'S SWEET SORROW FOR NEIGHBORS

A warmhearted 9-year- old Queens girl is holding a bake sale outside her home tomorrow to raise money for her next-door neighbors, devastated by a weekend arson that killed a...

CITY WINS BATTLE IN $2 BILLION BOND WAR

The city ducked a $2.5 billion bullet yesterday when an appeals court gave its qualified OK to a budget bailout approved last year by the Legislature but opposed by Gov....

FERRY-CRASH MATE TAKEN OFF DUTY

A mate who was aboard the Staten Island ferry that crashed last fall was suspended yesterday for 30 days after failing to report to his bosses a drunken-driving arrest eight...

HACKS HOLLER FOR NIGHT PAY

Taxi drivers urged the city yesterday to make sure they get more money from the upcoming fare hike by keeping the 50-cent nighttime surcharge. The New York Taxi Workers Alliance,...

TRIGGER FINGER; PAL: I SAW JAYSON FIRE FATAL SHOT AT DRIVER

SOMERVILLE, N.J. - Former NBA star Jayson Williams pulled the trigger of the shotgun that fired and killed a limo driver in his mansion's bedroom, a witness said yesterday. "Did...

APPLE'S GAY NAY - MAYOR & CLERK REFUSE CROWD OF WOULD-BE WEDDERS

Scores of gay couples seeking marriage licenses in the city were turned down yesterday, receiving only a letter explaining that same-sex marriages are illegal. The flood of homosexual and lesbian...

SUBWAY CUTS OFF MAN'S ARM

A New Jersey dad's left arm was severed yesterday after he fell to the tracks in front of a subway train at a lower Manhattan station, cops said. Joseph Pierre,...

HARLEM TIGER MAN IS CAGED

The man who allegedly kept a tiger locked up in his Harlem apartment got his own taste of captivity yesterday when a judge had him locked up. Antoine Yates, who...

JILTED MAN'S CANE MUTINY

An angry husband raised Cain at a Bronx apartment complex yesterday, when he beat the man he believed to be his wife's lover with the man's own walking stick -...

POLICE PROTEST DRAWS FLAK

The protest by 75 city sergeants against a housing police unit commander was dismissed yesterday by the captain's union as a smear campaign. John Driscoll, head of the Captains Endowment...

DEFENDANT DIVA PUTS ON HER GAME FACE

GOOD thing Martha Stewart's a betting woman. Now that her calendar for the next 20 years is in the hands of a jury, the diva of domination has managed to...

JUDGE SEES TAPE OF COP HITTING SUSPECT

A judge in the case of a cop accused of assaulting a handcuffed suspect with a walkie-talkie was told yesterday he doesn't need to take the alleged victim's word for...

BUST IN BRUTAL GRANNY CARJACK

A Queens man was arrested yesterday for stealing a credit card from a grandmother during a carjacking last month that left her with a fractured skull, authorities said. Bail for...

LET THE 'BEAST' ROT - SLAY-BRIDE MOM MAKES JUDGE WEEP

In an emotionally charged sentencing that left a veteran judge and hard-nosed prosecutor choked up, a Queens mom yesterday stared down the "beast" convicted of murdering her daughter and begged...

WTC DESIGN RULES EASED

Officials have backed off stringent guidelines that will determine the look of a rebuilt Ground Zero, producing revised standards that allow greater leeway for world-class architects to create innovative buildings....

MOM-SLAY KIN TO LEAVE TRAGIC APT.

The parents of a Bronx mom who cops say was fatally stabbed by her ex-boyfriend because she rejected his Valentine's Day proposal have vowed to never again set foot in...

TEARS FOR SLAIN B'KLYN ANGEL

Friends and relatives of a slain 14-year-old Catholic schoolgirl found in a Brooklyn Dumpster last week remembered her yesterday as a trusting churchgoer who always kept a Bible nearby. Eighth-grader...

ANTI-JEWISH CRIMES SOARING IN THE CITY

The number of anti-Semitic incidents in the city jumped during the last three months of 2003, reaching the highest point in three years. There were 57 anti-Semitic incidents, primarily consisting...

BROKEN BROKER; MARTHA-JUDGE RULING SHATTERS BACANOVIC

Martha Stewart's stockbroker had his hopes for an acquittal shaken yesterday - with the judge suggesting the jury could use evidence from the domestic diva's personal assistant to convict him...

KIDS' WRITE IS ALL WRONG - CRIME TO PROMOTE NON-READERS: MIKE

Mayor Bloomberg agreed yesterday with exasperated high-school teachers who want to end social promotion and defended his strict new policy of holding back low-performing third-graders. Even as he spoke, other...

'W. RIGHT TO USE 9/11'; RUDY, BLOOMBERG BACK BUSH ADS

WASHINGTON - Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Mayor Bloomberg yesterday came to President Bush's defense as the White House moved to contain a flap over Sept. 11 images in the...

SUMMER CLASS AN EASY PASS

Last year's summer school program was an exercise in social promotion: 77 percent of students were promoted even though most of them badly flunked their English and math exams, a...

BOY-TOY SEX RAP TOSSED; PROBATION OFFICER CLEARED

What's a little hanky-panky between a criminal and the probation officer handling his case? Nothing, a judge ruled yesterday. In a shocking move, a Manhattan Supreme Court judge yesterday threw...

ARNOLD SET TO HEAD MUSCLE MUG

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is close to signing a deal with the parent company of the National Enquirer that would make him editorial director of its Muscle & Fitness magazine....

UTILITY WORKER DEAD IN CRASH

A KeySpan employee died yesterday after a motorist lost control of her SUV and smashed into him, crushing him between her car and his service van, cops said. Alfonse Ferrandino,...

HURRI-CANE HUBBY TAKES BX. LOVE RIVAL BY STORM

An angry husband raised "cane" in The Bronx yesterday, beating the man he believed to be his wife's lover with a walking stick - prompting the caned Casanova to open...

G-MAN GUNS DOWN ROBBER

A gun-wielding robber got his comeuppance from one of his victims last night - a federal agent who gunned him down during a robbery attempt on the Lower East Side,...

WED-LOCK - DA'S JAIL THREAT TO GAY-MARRIAGE MAYOR

New Paltz Mayor Jason West could face jail time because his plan to keep performing same-sex marriages is "an arrogant violation of the law," the Ulster County district attorney said...

CAPT. MADE LIFE HELL: COP

A day after 75 police sergeants angrily demanded the removal of Capt. Sheldon Howard from his Queens housing command, one ex-cop who served under Howard described the experience as miserable....

ISIAH WILLING TO WAIT FOR BAKER

KNICK NOTES While Knick president Isiah Thomas said yesterday he will wait as long as it takes to sign Vin Baker, the NBA and the Players' Association decided they should...

PIAZZA TO GO TONIGHT

JUPITER, Fla. - Expect Mike Piazza in the lineup when the Mets kick off their home exhibition season tonight. "I should be ready," Piazza said yesterday. "I feel better." Piazza...

ROBERTS OFF TO GOOD START

JUPITER, Fla. - A few days ago Grant Roberts squeezed his 6-3 frame into the back of Mike Stanton's locker, hiding himself behind the lefthander's clothes. As Stanton came in...

DEREK'S DANGEROUS WITH POINT TO PROVE

CLEARWATER - Derek Jeter has not liked his treatment this spring. He has not liked that praise of Alex Rodriguez has somehow come tinged with criticism of him. All of...

IT'S ALWAYS SPECIAL IN THE KEYS

ISLAMORADA, Fla.- Montauk in the summer and Islamorada in the winter is an angler's dream, and Capt. Brumm is living that dream. It was over 20 years ago that I...

GRANT, HEILMAN MAKING PITCHES FOR FIFTH STARTER

Mets 4 Cards 2 JUPITER, Fla. - The Mets have one hope with their fifth-starter's derby: They don't want anybody to win it by default. "I want them to make...

RUSTY HOUSTON: IT'S GOING TO TAKE TIME

After the Knicks' practice yesterday, Allan Houston and Isiah Thomas huddled on the side of the court. Thomas took off his team president hat and put on a PR lid,...

RIVALRY RENEWED - BOMBERS-BOSOX SPRING INTO ACTION

Sunday Yankees vs. Red Sox 1 p.m., YES It's only an exhibition, but can you risk missing a pitch? Sure, some of the stars won't suit up, but some will....

EARLY A-RIVAL - A-ROD TO GET FIRST TASTE OF YANKEES-RED SOX ON SUNDAY

"Anytime you see that uniform it certainly stirs up the memories ... Sunday, I don't anticipate it's going to be any different." - Joe Torre CLEARWATER, Fla. - One day...

DEBUT DAY FOR ; JETER, A-ROD ; 'IT IS GOING TO BE FUN' TO PLAY SIDE-BY-SIDE

TAMPA - The day has come. Finally, Alex Rodriguez will represent a championship franchise on a baseball diamond. Finally, he will play among major-league winners, most notably Derek Jeter. George...

MEDIA HAS 'ROID STUFF

HAVE you hugged a sportswriter today? How about a radio sports talk show host? An ESPN field producer? Face it, sports fans, MLB and the MLBPA would still be skipping...

FEDS MISSED CHANCE TO TEST MOSLEY FOR THG

Agents investigating a suspected steroid distribution ring asked the Nevada Athletic Commission for a urine sample from boxer Shane Mosley to test it for THG, only to learn the sample...

DEVS HOPE NEXT DEAL IS LOU-LOU

TAMPA -The NHL's trade frenzy, perhaps the biggest interest-builder in years, has the Devils excited, too. They're hoping Lou Lamoriello lands Miro Satan and/or Alexei Zhitnik if the Sabres throw...

BANGED-UP NETS LOOK TO REGROUP

SAN FRANCISCO - On the surface, the Nets are not exactly in their happy place. They've lost three-of-five games. They're on the road for their next two. Kenyon Martin is...

JETS ADD WINFIELD TO PLUG HOLE AT CB

The Jets didn't waste any time in trying to revamp their depleted defense via free agency. Barring any unforeseen complications, Bills' cornerback Antoine Winfield will be announced as the newest...

JASPERS FEEL HEAT

ALBANY - For years, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament was as unpredictable as the stock market, befuddling players, coaches and seasoned observers alike with its twists and turns. But...

ST. JOHN'S TO CONDUCT OWN PROBE

While the NCAA gathers information regarding allegations made by Abe Keita that he was paid $300 a month by a senior member of the St. John's basketball program, university officials...

LINDROS RETURN HITS ROADBLOCK

Bruins 3 Rangers 1 BOSTON - As the remnants of the Rangers deal with the traumatic aftershocks of Brian Leetch's trade to Toronto, The Post has learned that Eric Lindros'...

MESS MISSES LOYAL LEETCH

BOSTON - Obviously devastated from a personal standpoint, Mark Messier nevertheless adopted a professionally realistic and diplomatic stance in discussing the trade that sent his great friend and great Ranger...

LEAFS WELCOME LEETCH

TORONTO - Brian Leetch, arguably the greatest Ranger of all time, arrived here yesterday afternoon by private jet and under a shroud of secrecy. The Maple Leafs, who played the...

ABSENCE OF TRAINER IS PAINFUL TO GIAMBI

TAMPA - Jason Giambi said yesterday he could prepare for his job without personal trainer Bob Alejo. He further conceded that Alejo served partially as a psychological comfort to him....

BATS QUIET IN OPENER

Phillies 5Yankees 1 CLEARWATER - With Jason Giambi and the Yankees' starting outfield in action but Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada sitting it out, the team opened its...

TORRE WON'T SET DEADLINE FOR NEW DEAL

YANKEE NOTES TAMPA - Joe Torre isn't putting a deadline on getting a contract extension done, but he sounded as if he wouldn't be surprised if a deal is sealed...

MARCHAND'S MATCHUP OF THE WEEK

Sid Rosenberg vs. Mike Francesa (Who sounds more out of touch?) WFAN's Sid Rosenberg said he is uninterested in all this steroids talk. If the players want to jack up...

WOLF'S NOT CRYING FOUL - WARNER'S FUTURE UNCERTAIN AT WCBS

Warner Wolf vows he will not retire, yet CBS-2 already has lined up a replacement for the longtime sportscaster. NBC's Chris Wragge is headed to WCBS to be its lead...

5 QUESTIONS FOR MAX KELLERMAN

This week, The Post's Andrew Marchand spoke with Fox Sports Net's Max Kellerman. New York-bred Kellerman, 30, recently left ESPN, where he was a boxing analyst and the host of...

MOLLOY MOVES PAST LOUGHLIN

CHSAA GIRLSMolloy 62Loughlin 53 One of the hardest jobs for a high school basketball coach is to get players to move without the ball. During yesterday's girls CHSAA semifinal, Archbishop...

BUCKING THE TREND ; REJUVENATED VAN HORN, JONES MAKE MILWAUKEE GREAT

TWO superb NBA sto ries of late implicate the Milwaukee Bucks, which is why you've read or heard precious little about them. Despite boasting an unadulterated All-Star in Michael Redd...

KELLY HEROICS POWER RICE

CHSAARice 68Molloy 67 Curtis Kelly had been waiting for something good to happen all year. He finally got it. The Rice sophomore grabbed an offensive rebound and hit a layup...

UNION EXEC COMPARES STEROIDS TO CIGARETTES

Despite mounting public, media and federal pressures, Gene Orza strongly indicated baseball's players union has no plans to relent on the sport's current drug-testing policy. In a union official's strongest...

MOSLEY WASN'T TESTED FOR THG

Agents investigating a suspected steroid distribution ring asked the Nevada Athletic Commission for a urine sample from boxer Shane Mosley to test it for THG only to learn the sample...

GIANTS GO FOR GOFF

The new starting center for the Giants could be Mike Goff of the Bengals and if not Goff, it could be Rich Braham, also of the Bengals. Goff has been...

WINFIELD BACKS OFF SIGNING WITH JETS

The Jets, about to make a big splash with a quick dive into the free-agent market yesterday, suddenly realized there was no water in the pool until it was too...

LEETCH'S 3 ASSISTS HELP STOP ISLES

Leafs 6Isles 2 TORONTO - Brian Leetch, arguably the greatest New York Ranger of all time, wasted no time endearing himself with the home fans here last night in his...

NAME THAT PLATOON - SPENCER-GARCIA COMBO RIGHT ANSWER FOR METS

JUPITER, Fla. - When Karim Garcia heads out for right-field drills, Shane Spencer is there. When Spencer rolls into the clubhouse and strolls to his locker, Garcia is there. "I...

LINDROS RETURN HITS ROADBLOCK - SHOULDER TEAR HIS NEWEST WOE

BOSTON - As the remnants of the Rangers deal with the traumatic aftershocks of Brian Leetch's trade to Toronto, The Post has learned that Eric Lindros' comeback has been delayed...