March 30, 2004

WHITE HOUSE MAY SEE GREENSPAN AS LIABILITY FOR ELECTION

WHO'S going to be the next one to hear the immortal words, "You're fired"? It just might be Alan Greenspan. Granted, I'm a bit early on this conjecture. The Federal...

WINNING THE POOH - JUDGE TOSSES OUT $700M SUIT VERSUS DISNEY

After a 13-year legal battle, a judge threw out a $700 million lawsuit against Walt Disney over the rights to the "Winnie the Pooh" profits. Disney's victory was based on...

JERRY, SUPERMAN SHILLING FOR AMEX

The Man of Shtick is joining forces with the Man of Steel. Jerry Seinfeld and Superman are starring in a new film in which the very odd couple pal around...

TIME'S ALL YOU HITS WAL-MART IN AUGUST

Time Inc. is on a crash course to get the debut September issue of its new women's service magazine, All You, onto newsstands by August. The magazine will avoid celebrity...

YM CHOPS RATE BASE BY 25%

YM, the nation's second-largest teen magazine, said it was going to chop its paid circulation base from 2 million to 1.5 million - a 25 percent drop. It's the latest...

TIME WARNER TO LEASE 23% OF ITS NEW HQ OFFICE SPACE

EVEN as it moves into its glamorous new digs at Columbus Circle, Time Warner is quietly planning to put a portion of its space in the gleaming twin-towered edifice up...

MAX CAP BOSS LOOKS TO SELL

Adam Hochfelder, the chief executive of real estate firm Max Capital Management, is in talks to sell the company to its president, Anthony Westreich. "Negotiations between Adam and Anthony are...

SEC FINALIZES $241M SPECIALIST SETTLEMENT

The New York Stock Exchange's five specialist firms finalized a settlement with the Big Board and the Securities and Exchange Commission last night, agreeing to fork over $241 million. Of...

UK PAPER CHASE - HOT TELEGRAPH BIDS LIFT HOLLINGER VALUE TO $2.4B

Newspaper giant Hollinger International's prized asset, the London Daily Telegraph, could fetch an eye-popping $1.4 billion, The Post has learned. Hollinger's Chicago assets have been valued at some $1 billion,...

BLUES-RIBBON

* AEROSMITH "Honkin' on Bobo" ½ Columbia After making more than 20 albums that touched on just about every style from hip-hop to metal, with today's release, "Honkin' on Bobo,"...

10 P.M. NEWS SNAGS EMMY

WPIX/Ch. 11 walked off with 11 local Emmys Sunday night - leading the way among all area stations at the 47th Annual New York Emmy Awards. Ch. 4 finished in...

RISING STELLASTARR*; DUES-PAYING PUNKS READY FOR CLOSE-UP

TWO years ago, the post- punk quartet Stellastarr* was doing what unsigned New York bands do - performing at small clubs like Pianos and the Luna Lounge, opening for bigger...

BREAKTHROUGH FOR BROOKLYN BANDS

STELLASTARR* isn't the only Brooklyn band on a tear. Here's the 411: * Ambulance Ltd.: This quartet sprinkles melodic pop of the '60s and soul pop of the '70s with...

PRIME-TIME SHOWDOWN ; A-ROD BRINGS RIVALRY TO TUBE

ALEX Rodriguez is paying off already. Fox will air the season's first matchup between the Yankees and archrival Boston Red Sox in prime-time, nationwide, on April 16 from Fenway Park....

TRADING GRADUATION FOR A 'DREAM JOB'

MIKE Hall, the newest "SportsCenter" anchor, is a college senior who might not graduate on time -now that he's won ESPN's "Dream Job" contest and a $95,000 contract. "Is there...

BOOBY TRAPPED - JANET'S NEW ALBUM SKIMPS ON SEX APPEAL

Janet Jackson is wimping out. She trades bold for boring so often on her new album, "Damita Jo," it seems as if she's running scared of puritanical football fans. What...

STARR REPORT

Tale of two Murphs Now's a good time to be named Mary Murphy. If you're Ch. 11's Mary Murphy, you're sharing in 'PIX's success at Sunday's local Emmys. And, across...

'WORD' OF THE DAY - SMART DRAMA TRANSCENDS SEX

WHEN "The L Word" first showed up on Showtime, it seemed - and I'll admit it - yet another cheap shot at wooing the gay crowd. After all, Bravo had...

JUNGLE FEVER - FROM MILE TO WILD, LISA KEYS TAKES ON THE BEST OF PUERTO RICO'S GREAT OUTDOORS

GOOD old Puerto Rico. Sun. Beaches. Rum. Ever dependable, easily doable, it's the place we go to laze away the days while sipping frothy cocktails. Outdoor adventures? You must have...

SCRAPING BY - BARBARA HOFFMAN TANGLES WITH A PUERTO RICAN CORAL REEF

IN our family, it's not vacation unless we have a near-death experience to remember it by. Puerto Rico never disappoints. The weather's great, the people friendly - and we can...

BUDGET BLISS - JOHN CRUDELE FINDS THOSE RARE HOTELS WHERE SEXY AND AFFORDABLE MEET ON HIGH-FLYING BARBADOS

JON BON JOVI and family recently stayed at the Fairmont Royal Pavilion on Barbados' west coast. There's some sort of Jersey connection, because it was also said to be Frank...

LAWYER BUSTED IN COURT SCUFFLE

Lawyer Neville Mitchell had a great excuse for being late to court yesterday - he'd been arrested. The man representing the suspect in the shooting of a St. John's football...

B'KLYN COLLEGE GIVES YOU MORE ED. FOR YOUR BREAD

City University's Brooklyn College yesterday was named one of the country's "best value" campuses for providing the best academic bang for the buck. The prestigious Princeton Review survey ranked the...

TURKISH TURNING POINT; THE PLUSES OF WORKING WITH THE KURDS

If only Ankara could see it, Turks and Kurds are natural allies. THE Turkish Embassy in Washington may be the most successful example of diplomatic architecture in our time: It...

RADIO SHACK CLERK SLAIN

A clerk at a Long Island Radio Shack was killed last night in a robbery gone bad. Three bandits walked into the store at 4583 Sunrise Highway in Oakdale at...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

For five years, Frances Jackson looked everywhere for her missing dog, Millie, who ran beneath a truck in 1999, then disappeared. Last week, the black Lab was finally returned home...

SOUTH SIDE CHICAGO'S SUCCESS STORY

CHICAGO - Beethoven Elementary School on Chicago's South Side has high standards - and it gets better results. In 1997, only 22 percent of its third-, sixth- and eighth-graders made...

BOATER'S SOS A HOAX

Coast Guard units and cops searched frantically for three missing teens in the ocean off Jones Beach yesterday before concluding that calls for help were a prank and launching another...

BOSTON COP RIPS KERRY IN BUSH AD

WASHINGTON - The Bush campaign is using one of John Kerry's own constituents against him - a Boston-area cop who says in a new radio ad that the Massachusetts senator...

THREE-FRONT ABORT BATTLE IN COURTS

Abortion-rights advocates yesterday launched a three-pronged constitutional challenge to the new law banning partial-birth abortion, with trials beginning before federal judges in New York, California and Nebraska. At the same...

HAIL OF A FARE HIKE LOOMS

The city is expected to greenlight a 26 percent taxi-fare hike today that will raise rates for the first time in eight years. The initial cost of a trip would...

PLAYING HOOK-Y; TEACHER HANGS KID, 5, IN CLOSET AS PRANK: COPS

A young music teacher was busted at a Brooklyn elementary school yesterday for allegedly pulling a practical joke on another instructor - hanging a 5-year-old boy on a closet hook...

LONE RANGER GRANNY IS STICKING TO HER GUNS

YESTERDAY was yet another example of what happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object. Six months after the beginning of the Tyco trial - which forever will be...

JAYSON'S TRIAL TEAM 'MISFIRES'

SOMERVILLE, N.J. - Jayson Williams' defense team yesterday committed a technical foul at the ex-NBA star's manslaughter trial by showing jurors evidence that a judge had barred them from seeing....

PUMPED-UP '9/11' FIRE PLAN

The FDNY yesterday released its first "Strategic Plan" - including new technologies, training programs and equipment to beef up its counterterrorism and firefighting efforts. Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said the cost...

KNIFE THUG GETS 120 YRS.

A serial knifepoint robber who spent more than a decade in prison for attacks on Queens women - only to be paroled and go on another rampage - was slammed...

'SOPRANOS' STAR NBC-BOUND

If Drea De Matteo is going to NBC, are Adriana's days numbered? That's the question "Sopranos" fans are asking now that the sexy actress has won a starring role on...

WIRETAP A BLOW TO ARIEL

JERUSALEM - Possible new evidence emerged yesterday against Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in a corruption scandal, after wiretaps disclosed him discussing a tourism project and saying, "The island is...

SPACE 'WORK' WILL COST TOURIST $20M

It's not just a $20 million "joyride" - it's work too, millionaire and aspiring spaceman Gregory Olsen, said yesterday. The 58-year-old Brooklyn-born scientist and engineer, who made his fortune with...

VEAL YANKED IN HORMONE SCARE

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investigating the illegal use of growth hormones in veal calves and ordered the affected animals removed from the nation's food chain. An inspector discovered...

BLOOMBERG LOOKS AT CHICAGO SCHOOLS

Bloomberg administration officials yesterday said they closely examined Chicago's experiment in curbing social promotion before crafting the mayor's stricter promotion policy. "As in Chicago, the goal of our third-grade promotion...

GOT MILK? YOU NEED 'MOO'LAH

It's not just gas that's going up - the price of a gallon of milk in the city will rise by 30 cents this week. Industry officials say more hikes...

COUNCIL EYES CUTS IN TAXES AND FINES

Flush with added tax revenues, City Council leaders yesterday suggested cutting parking fines, as well as taxes on bars and restaurants, as part of a $1 billion reordering of priorities...

MAYOR: MY SMOKE BAN IS POPULAR

Mayor Bloomberg has a warning for anyone thinking about running against him in 2005: don't try to reverse the smoking ban. Several potential candidates for mayor have told The Post...

NYPD ON PASSOVER PATROL

The NYPD will beef up its counter-terrorism efforts for Passover next week, giving special attention to synagogues and other sensitive locations, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said yesterday. "This is a...

TV'S RACIAL STATIC; RATINGS GIZMO HURTS MINORITIES: POLS

Flanked by 20 mostly minority lawmakers, City Council Speaker Gifford Miller yesterday denounced plans by Nielsen Media to use a new electronic TV-ratings device that he charged undercounts minorities. Nielsen,...

SUCCESS IS COSTLY FOR METROCARD

The growing popularity of MetroCard discounts has raised the prospect that their prices will go up next year, an MTA official said yesterday. Because so many people are using the...

B'KLYN $MART CHOICE - COLLEGE RANKS 3RD

City University's Brooklyn College yesterday was named one of the "best value" campuses in the country for providing the most academic quality for the buck. The prestigious Princeton Review survey...

NEW YORK MARINE IN KUWAIT DIES

A 37-year-old Marine master sergeant from Manhattan died in Kuwait as the result of a non-combat-related incident, the Pentagon announced yesterday. Timothy Tomey died on Saturday at Camp Wolverine, where...

FAKE CIGARS GET ROLLED IN CUBA CASE

Capitalism has its advantages, comrade. A federal judge in Manhattan yesterday said American trademark law protects Cuba's premium Cohiba brand of cigars and ordered a New York company to quit...

KERREY PUTS 9/11 HEAT ON CLINTON

WASHINGTON - Former President Clinton will be on the hot seat over Osama bin Laden when he testifies before the 9/11 commission, panel member Bob Kerrey told The Post yesterday....

MAY DAY TARGET FOR KERRY VEEP

WASHINGTON - John Kerry is looking to name a running mate early - by the end of May - to help raise money, build momentum and serve as an attack...

PLAYING HOOK-Y - TEACHER HANGS KID, 5, IN CLOSET AS PRANK: COPS

A young music teacher was busted at a Brooklyn elementary school yesterday for allegedly pulling a practical joke on another instructor - hanging a 5-year-old boy on a closet hook...

BUSH SURGES PAST KERRY IN POLL

WASHINGTON - A new poll shows President Bush has gained 12 points on Democrat John Kerry in the last three weeks - a sign the Bush campaign's ads are taking...

MOB SCENE OVER GOTTI GAL

This is the woman who calls Gambino boss Peter Gotti her lover and has begged a judge to go easy on him at sentencing. Marjorie Alexander, a busty, high-haired divorcee...

CITY'S 'FRONTIERS' STILL HAVE ROOM TO GROW

PREDICTING real-estate prices is a tough job - even Donald Trump put his properties into bankruptcy once. But it's not tough to figure out that prices increase when neighborhoods bloom....

PRIMA DONNA; 'DWI' JUDGE GOT SPECIAL TREATMENT: COPS

After she was busted on DWI charges, a black Manhattan judge was allowed to smoke, get fast food and have visits from her daughter, cops testified yesterday. Nevertheless, Supreme Court...

JURY'S TRYING TIMES ; TYCO JUDGE KEEPS THEM GOING

The judge in the $600 million Tyco embezzlement trial allowed jury deliberations to continue yesterday, rejecting defense claims that the proceedings had been irreparably damaged by media coverage. Manhattan Supreme...

THE FUND'S OVER: FEC RULES REV. AL INELIGIBLE FOR FED $$

WASHINGTON - The Federal Election Commission yesterday delivered a blow to former Democratic presidential candidate Rev. Al Sharpton - issuing an initial ruling that he is not eligible for federal...

PAPERS' DECISION SPARKS DEBATE

There's a hung jury among legal and media experts over The Post and Wall Street Journal's decision to name the gesticulating juror who's caused an uproar during deliberations on the...

BX. CHURCH ROBBED OF 'STATIONS'

Members of a Bronx parish were reeling yesterday after the theft of treasured artifacts depicting the last hours of Jesus Christ, the church's pastor said. Monsignor John J. Farley, pastor...

'MOLEST' FIREFIGHTER SUSPENDED

The firefighter accused of sodomizing an 11-year- old girl has been suspended without pay, and will face departmental charges, Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said yesterday. Richard Vitale, 35, of Staten...

IT'S FUND-AMENTAL; SCHOOLS NEED $5.6B MORE: PANEL

ALBANY - Gov. Pataki's education commission yesterday proposed boosting state, federal and local funding for schools by anywhere from $2.5 billion to $5.6 billion over the next five years. The...

SLAIN ATHLETE'S KIN UP REWARD

The family of slain college football player Mark Fisher is raising the heat on the killers of the Fairfield University sophomore - upping the reward to $100,000. The family also...

SHOOTING SHOCK; QUEENS ACTOR IN 'MERCY SLAY' TWIST

The actor who was shot Sunday in his family's Queens home may have tried to stop the mercy killing of his terminally ill mother by his father, authorities said yesterday....

DROWN HERO'S HORROR; COULDN'T SAVE MOM

The heroic neighbor who plucked a drowning boy from a frigid New Jersey lake wept yesterday as he recalled saving the child - while being unable to help the youngster's...

WHITE HOUSE WORKS ON DEAL TO LET RICE TESTIFY

White House officials reportedly are trying to work out a deal with the independent 9/11 commission that will permit National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice to appear before the panel in...

MAY DATE TARGET FOR DEM MATE

WASHINGTON - John Kerry is looking to name a running mate early - by the end of May - to help raise money, build momentum and serve as an attack...

BRONX VENDOR BEATEN; ICE-CREAM WAR ERUPTS

A Bronx woman was clinging to life last night after she and her husband were brutally bludgeoned in a long-simmering dispute over ice-cream truck routes, police said. Juana Marrero, her...

REV. AL LOSES MATCHING $$

WASHINGTON - The Federal Election Commission yesterday ruled that former Democratic presidential candidate Rev. Al Sharpton is not eligible for federal matching campaign funds. The decision was confirmed by an...

GOTTI & WIFE SPLIT; AFFAIR IS LAST STRAW

Mob Don Juan Peter Gotti is in the midst of a bitter divorce battle with his wife of more than 42 years, after openly flaunting his hot affair with a...

LENO NOW A $27M MAN

Late-night king Jay Leno, who is already one of the nation's wealthiest entertainers, is about to become a lot richer. Leno, the host of NBC's top-rated "Tonight Show," has signed...

FATAL GLITCH IN 911 - MAN DIED AMID OUTAGE

A heartbroken Queens man is blaming his father's death on Friday's failure of the New York City 911 emergency system. Jasper Grier, 76, died of a heart attack in his...

CLASSROOM EXTRA: MINNIE COX AND THE INDIANOLA AFFAIR

Imagine the closing of a post office in Mississippi sparking a debate in the U.S. Senate. Minnie Cox had the country talking. Minnie Geddings was born in Lexington, Miss. in...

A BURY WISE PLAN - PARK-CEMETERY PACT

Neighbors wanted Martin's Field in Flushing to remain a park, even if hundreds of blacks and Native Americans were buried below the swing sets. Descendants wanted to be able to...

THE KID AND THE CORPSE - SITTER'S HORROR TALE

A woman testified yesterday that she baby-sat her friend's son - while the dad secretly disposed of his girlfriend's corpse. Carla Jackson, 26, said her friend Marc Payne, 30, had...

SURPRISE! CROSBY'S A KEEPER

YANKEE NOTES TOKYO - Every once in a while the longshot comes in. "One hundred-to-one," outfielder Bubba Crosby said when asked what he thought his odds of making the Yankees...

SCOTT TAKES MAJOR STEP

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - If you're a golf fan and you were just introduced to Adam Scott this past weekend, you might as well become more acquainted with him....

LEITER SHARP IN TUNEUP

MET NOTES JUPITER, Fla. - It wasn't all negative with the Mets yesterday, as Al Leiter pitched his first game since being diagnosed with mild shoulder tendinitis. Leiter, who was...

A MUDDLE UP THE MIDDLE ; MATSUI JOINS REYES ON DP MIA

JUPITER, Fla. - It's simply impossible to deny how important Kaz Matsui and Jose Reyes are to the Mets' fortunes. They're the 1-2 hitters, the double-play combination and the primary...

WHY UCONN WON'T WIN THE CROWN

I'LL take my share of the heat. I'm one of the media types who did a triple-jump onto the Connecticut bandwagon last weekend, describing the Huskies as awesome and unstoppable...

DOUBY ROLLING AT RUTGERS

NIT SEMIS Quincy Douby never met a shot he didn't like when he played at Grady. And while that style allowed him to average over 30 ppg as a senior,...

HARD TO BE AMAZIN' WHEN YOU'RE HURT

JUPITER, Fla. - By the time you read this, the Yankees will have already played a real game and Alex Rodriguez will be officially on his way to starting his...

MESS MUM ON RETURN

Tomorrow night's Garden finale against the Sabres will be: A) The final game of Mark Messier's career; B) Messier's final game at the Garden; C) Messier's final game as a...

LADY HUSKIES GOING FOUR IT

HARTFORD - Don't blame Mark French. The Cal-Santa Barbara coach merely fell in line with so many sideline suits who have brought excited women's basketball teams to Connecticut and dragged...

SEETHING ON THE SIDELINE KENYON DISS-TURBED BY KNICKS

The quotes out of New York seemingly were rather benign - if the Nets are not healthy, the Knicks wouldn't mind seeing them in the playoffs. If the Nets are...

DEVS SIGN COLLEGE PHENOM PARISE

It was a day of ironies for the Devils, even as they chase the Atlantic Division lead tonight. They admitted that Scott Stevens still has not recovered from post-concussion syndrome,...

ISIAH SAYS DEKE WILL HELP 'D'

KNICK NOTES Both Isiah Thomas and Lenny Wilkens acknowledged the Knicks have missed Dikembe Mutombo's defensive presence, and the plan is to use him when he makes his return Friday...

CROSBY'S A KEEPER ON YANKS

YANKEE NOTES TOKYO - Every once in a while the longshot comes in. "One hundred-to-one," outfielder Bubba Crosby said when asked what he thought his odds of making the Yankees...

ST. JOHN'S COACH SEARCH DRAGGING ON

Within days after UTEP was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament, Texas A&M pounced on Miners' coach Billy Gillispie. UNLV wasted little time after the season replacing Charlie Spoonhour with Lon...

KIDD STILL TARGETING PLAYOFFS

NET NOTES Jason Kidd went to the doctor again yesterday. And at this point, no news is good news. Actually, there was some good news as the Nets' All-Star point...

THIS TRIO HAS TO PITCH IN

TOKYO - The caution ary tale was in the other dugout yesterday for the Yankees' final exhibition game, a pudgy-cheeked reminder not all top-of-the rotation arms translate seamlessly from one...

BAD-DREAM SEASON

THE drive still feels like some thing out of a dream, and when Stephon Marbury pulls into his parking spot at Madison Square Garden, he still sometimes expects someone to...

INJURIES FOIL ISIAH'S GAME PLAN

Isiah Thomas yesterday reiterated what any sports fan knows: Injuries are part of the game. In Thomas' mind, though, physical problems have torpedoed what the Knicks' president built and refurbished...

START SPREADIN THE 'NEW' YANKS ; SEASON OPENS WITH CHANGES, QUESTIONS

TOKYO - Never has the New in New York Yankees been as profound as it was this morning when the Yankees opened the season against the Devil Rays in the...

EXEC IS FLAGRANTLY FOUL - RIP AT MUSSELMAN UNFAIR TO COACH

WARRIOR President Robert Rowell, whoever this nameless, faceless, dubiously qualified phantom may be, was quoted last week contending his team has "underachieved." The locals identified this loco comment as Eric...

ALLAN ALL BUT DONE - HOBBLIN' HOUSTON ADMITS HE MAY BE OUT FOR YEAR

Isiah Thomas confirmed yesterday the Post's report that Allan Houston could be done until next training camp. The vibes coming from Houston that his bruised left knee won't be ready...

ST. JOHN'S COACHING SEARCH DRAGS ON

Within days after UTEP was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament, Texas A&M pounced on Miners' coach Billy Gillispie. UNLV wasted little time after the season replacing Charlie Spoonhour with Lon...

THIS TRIO MUST PITCH IN

TOKYO - The cautionary tale was in the other dugout yesterday for the Yankees' final exhibition game, a pudgy-cheeked reminder not all top-of-the rotation arms translate seamlessly from one locale...

WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH SEINFELD AND SOMERS?

On WFAN Thursday, it will be a show about nothing. Jerry Seinfeld will be guest hosting with Steve Somers from 5-to-7 p.m. Somers confirmed the news to The Post last...

ISIAH: HOU ALL BUT DONE

KNICK NOTES Isiah Thomas yesterday confirmed Allan Houston could be done until next training camp. The vibes from Houston that he may not be ready for the postseason grew yesterday,...

THE BEAT GOES ON - HURTIN' NETS MELT AT END

Celtics 84Nets 80 The quotes out of New York were seemingly benign - if the Nets are not healthy, the Knicks and everybody else wouldn't mind facing them in the...

LADY HUSKIES SOAR TO FOUR

UConn 66Penn St. 49 HARTFORD - They are not perfect this year. Even last night in the East Regional final, the Connecticut Huskies endured a 7:08 scoreless streak and watched...

THOMAS WON'T LET PAIN STOP HIS GAME

After missing the previous four games, Tim Thomas was asked yesterday morning how his strained right groin felt. Wasn't he still in pain? "It's more painful sitting and watching this,"...

STEPH'S WAITED FOR THIS

NOBODY could hear the buzzer when it finally groaned after a long, uneasy instant, which was the best part. The people were roaring, and the players were screaming, and it...

KNICKS STAY ALIVE ; BAKER BURIES BLAZERS, BOOSTS PLAYOFF HOPES

Knicks 92 - Blazers 91 The Knicks got a big boost from a gutsy Tim Thomas, a little help from the referees and Portland coach Maurice Cheeks, and a late...

MORNING GORY IN JAPAN OPENER - YANKS' START A TOKYO STINKER

Devil Rays 8 - Yankees 3 TOKYO - Like sushi rotting in the sun, the Yankees stunk this morning at the Tokyo Dome. In any language, the odor drifting across...

BUMMER FOR BOSS

TOKYO - It had not yet begun and we all knew already how it must end. The first game of the six-month schedule was still a few hours away and...

PACT DELAY DOESN'T WORRY JOE

YANKEE NOTES TOKYO - Don't read anything into Joe Torre's contract extension not getting done before Opening Day. "I never put a deadline on it," said Torre, who is expected...