April 11, 2004

CORPORATE AMERICA NOW SCARED STRAIGHT

The recent increase in U.S. companies embroiled in foreign bribery probes reflects a new climate of corporate honesty rather than a surge in shady dealings, anti-corruption campaigners and analysts said....

BILLION $$$ BABIES; LUXURY BABY GOODS MARKET SHOWS GROWTH SPURT THANKS TO CELEBS

What's a yummy mummy to do after flaunting her belly and bearing her baby? Sling her $1,200 Louis Vuitton diaper bag across her gym-toned tummy, drop the newbie in the...

BULL'S EYE

Dip-low-matic Former United Nations ambassador Richard Holbrooke is finding joy in the private sector these days. According to footnoted.org, a favorite Bull's Eye web site that trolls through public documents...

VERIZON HANG UPS; FIRM SLAMS 'OVERPAID' SEIDENBERG AS PHONE GIANT SLIPS

Verizon's chief Ivan Seidenberg may have gotten a 29 percent pay cut, but he's still being overpaid by the telephone giant, says a research report. Seidenberg's current $16.8 million compensation...

RELUCTANT PRETTY BOY; HE COULD HAVE BEEN A MODEL, BUT BEN JELEN JUST WANTS TO ROCK

Not many aspiring rock stars would turn down the chance to model for Calvin Klein - and still figure out a way to land a major record deal. But Ben...

LILY FRIGHT; THESE EASTER BLOSSOMS ARE NOT CAT-FRIENDLY

If you have cats and are planning to decorate your home with fresh flowers for Easter or Passover, conduct your holiday arranging with extreme caution. Experts warn that Easter lilies,...

WHERE TO EAT AFTER ... THE EASTER PARADE

Who could forget Fred Astaire and Judy Garland strolling down Fifth Avenue singing "Easter Parade" in Irving Berlin's musical? Grab your Easter bonnet, or just watch others show off their...

SOPRANOS ARE HOOKED ON TV ; GANGSTERS KILL TIME IN FRONT OF BOOB TUBE

NOW starring on "The Sopranos": TV itself. That's right -television is a frequent presence on "The Sopranos," turning up more often than some of the show's characters. And the nature...

BLOODY SHOWDOWN SPILLS ONTO BOARDS

A bizarre dispute last month threatened to turn an international tournament in a remote Caucasian mountain city into an international incident. The 10-player grandmaster event was organized in honor of...

WHEN DO GUYS CALL?: MY LITTLE EXPERIMENT

I reckoned that there might be less pressure with ane-mail and no kiss - so he might get in touch with me quicker. I was wrong. It's crazy, really. You...

HIGH NOTES & LOW NOTES

Also weird, but cool: The Pernice Brothers veered from their Beatles-ish dark pop into another world of Brit-pop on Thursday at the Bowery Ballroom. Led by new Brooklynite Joe Pernice...

FRESH AIR; FRENCH DUO RETURNS WITH A NEW, EQUALLY ETHEREAL ALBUM AND TOUR

There's something in the Air - the French electronic-pop duo, that is, who have lately been caught in a swirl of activity. It's been six years since Air's first album,...

STARR REPORT

Ivy league Kwame "Apprentice" finalist Kwame Jackson was surprised at his weekly "Apprentice" party by Donald Trump's litigation lawyer, David Scharf, and "Apprentice" sidekick Carolyn Kepcher. Scharf, who was introduced...

YOU'RE HIRED! THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD PICKS AN 'APPRENTICE'

AFTER the firing comes the hiring. After weeks of telling contestants, "You're fired," Donald Trump (right) finally reveals which one he has chosen to run one of his companies as...

MOVIE PIX - OUR MOVIE CRITIC MEGAN LEHMANN'S CHOICES OF THE WEEK

HIGH NOON Sunday, 6 p.m., TCM This rightly revered 1952 oater, starring taciturn Gary Cooper and gorgeous Grace Kelly, transcends the genre. THE STING Tuesday, 8 p.m., TCM Paul Newman...

TV'S BEST REALITY SHOW: WORLD 'APART'

YOU'VE likely never seen or even heard of. "Worlds Apart," Saturdays at 8 p.m. (and various other times) on the National Geographic Channel, but it makes for an engrossing hour...

MISSION: GET A BIKINI BOD

One week down. Seven more to go. Since starting the 8-Week Crash Diet for the Hamptons, I've had several side effects: headaches, morning hunger pains and lots of muscle aches....

BILL COLLECTOR

IT took a bit of doing, but the folks at the Brooklyn Academy of Music persuaded the reclusive Bill Murray to personally kick off its tribute to the popular comedian-actor....

SHOPAHOLIC - I DARE YOU: CAN ACTRESS KRISTIN CHENOWETH PUT TOGETHER A GREAT LOOK FOR ONLY $100?

Golden Rule: "People get caught up in brands when they should just get caught up in what looks good." Kristin Chenoweth, who plays Glinda the Good Witch in the Broadway...

THE EERIE CALM OF A 'KILLER' MOMMY

A Long Island woman awaiting retrial for killing her newborn son on Christmas Day 2001 - and linked to a previous dead baby - says that, despite being pregnant again...

YANKIN' CHAINS - BOMBERS, SOX FANS GEAR UP FOR ANOTHER SHOWDOWN

With the New York Yankees' annual springtime trip to Fenway Park just days away, Bronx Bomber fans are predicting yet another pummeling of their New England arch rivals. The winners...

'BED' STORM AT ST. JOHN'S

Furious students are battling St. John's University after being told they'll be booted from the dorms come fall - leaving them wondering where they'll live and how they'll pay for...

PROBERS TO PORE OVER 'LA QAEDA NOSTRA' FILE

The FBI last week turned over to the panel looking into pre-9/11 intelligence lapses a pile of documents detailing the efforts of terrorist Ramzi Yousef to recruit the American Mafia...

DAREDEVIL JESSIE'S WILD CAREER TURN

There she goes again: Jessica Simpson, pulling away from hubby Nick Lachey - on a scooter. The ditzy songstress, along with her squeeze, were scooting around separately on the set...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

A Pentecostal minister has been sentenced to 6½ years in the slammer for robbing five banks in New England. The Rev. Jerry Hayes, 53, of Hartford, Maine, was arrested in...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

BROOKLYN *** An investigation was under way yesterday to determine how a 5-year-old boy found unconscious in his Williamsburg home later died, police said. Xavier Morales was found in distress...

THIS ISN'T VIETNAM; IRAQ WAR IS WORKING

IT is worth addressing what is happening in Iraq and what many of the naysayers are propagating, specifically, Sen. Ted Kennedy's comment that "Iraq is George Bush's Vietnam." We need...

IRAN, HEZBOLLAH AID CRAZED CLERIC

Iran's Revolutionary Guards and the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah are secretly providing outlawed Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr with money, training and logistical support for his violent campaign against U.S. and...

FIREMAN BUSTED IN 'DEADLY DWI' ; TEEN VICTIM WAS SPEEDING: WITNESS

The firefighter who smashed his Jeep into a speeding BMW in Brooklyn - killing its teenage driver - was slapped with manslaughter and drunken-driving charges yesterday. The firefighter, Alfred Delosrios,...

CAM CLUE MAY NAIL DRAG-RACE FIENDS

A school security camera may have recorded the drag race that critically injured two high school sweethearts in Queens - boosting hopes that cops will be able to track down...

'PULL OUT - OR AMERICAN DIES' ; * IRAQIS PARADE CIVILIAN HOSTAGE ON TV * U.S. SAYS NO NEGOTIATION WITH TERRORISTS

An American civilian was under death threat last night as his Iraqi kidnappers threatened to kill and mutilate him if U.S. forces don't pull out of Fallujah. The American hostage,...

HOSP RAPE ARREST; SUSPECT WAS BACK AT BELLEVUE VISITING HIS WIFE

An eagle-eyed cop was responsible for the arrest of a trench-coated prowler accused of savagely raping a 13-year-old girl he snatched from her Bellevue Hospital room, cops said yesterday. NYPD...

LADY LIBERTY DEAL $TIRS FERRY FURY

QUESTIONS swirling around the funding of the Statue of Liberty might soon include a no-bid contract awarded to the Circle Line to ferry tourists back and forth from Liberty Island....

HUNT ON FOR 2ND W'BURG RAPE SUSPECT

With one suspect in the Williamsburg rape case already in custody, cops are looking for a second man who goes by the nickname "Snipe," a police source said. The manhunt...

THE IRAQI PASSION

HALABJA, IRAQ IN Iraq on Good Friday, I thought of the film "The Passion." I am a Christian. The film brought me close to tears. But not for quite the...

TAPIT BOUNCES BACK ; WOOD WIN EASES PAIN OF FLA. LOSS

In a remarkable turnaround engineered by a horseman they call "The Mad Genius" for his other improbable victories, trainer Michael Dickinson's 3-year-old colt Tapit rebounded from a sixth-place drubbing in...

FIREMAN BUSTED IN 'DEADLY DWI'; TEEN VICTIM WAS SPEEDING: WITNESS

The firefighter who smashed his Jeep into a speeding BMW in Brooklyn - killing its teenage driver - was slapped with manslaughter and drunken-driving charges yesterday. The firefighter, Alfred Delosrios,...

LANGER LURKING IN LEADERBOARD SHADOWS

NOTES AUGUSTA -Ryder Cup captains are normally golfers who are past their prime and certainly aren't supposed to be contending for a major championship. Don't tell that to Bernhard Langer....

'PULL OUT - OR AMERICAN DIES'; * IRAQIS PARADE CIVILIAN HOSTAGE ON TV * U.S. SAYS NO NEGOTIATION WITH TERRORISTS

An American civilian was facing death at the hands of militants last night as his Iraqi kidnappers threatened to kill and mutilate him if U.S. forces don't pull out of...

MEMO PUTS SPY AGENCY, NOT BUSH ON THE SPOT

ANALYSIS The CIA's Aug. 6, 2001 memo for President Bush should pose serious new credibility problems for the nation's spy agency, not for Bush. Democrats such as 9/11 commissioner Richard...

MAN SHOT DEAD IN BENSONHURST

A 36-year-old man was gunned down on a Brooklyn street yesterday while sitting inside an idling car, cops said. The victim, whose name was not immediately released, was shot in...

HIT-RUN VICTIM, 10, RECALLED AT QNS. MEMORIAL

Family and friends of a 10-year-old Queens boy killed in a drag-racing hit-and-run accident held a memorial service yesterday, the first anniversary of his death. Stefan Trajkovski was riding his...

JURIST PURIST: BOOT 'UNSWORN' JUDGES

Hundreds of small-town justices across the state never took their oaths of office and should be booted from the bench because of the flub, an upstate activist claims. June Maxam,...

HOW LOCAL MOB GOON UNLOCKED TERRORIST'S DARK PLOTS

The 9/11 commission has been given an FBI report detailing mobster-turned-spy Gregory Scarpa Jr.'s 1996 prison exchanges with terrorist Ramzi Yousef.The Post's Al Guart reports how a Brooklyn hood became...

THE JOYFUL REPORTER

Things Worth Fighting For: Collected Writings by Michael Kelly, Penguin Press, 448 pages, $26.95 MICHAEL Kelly chose to go to war a second time, and it killed him. This book...

PANEL TO QUIZ RUDY HERE

Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani will appear before the 9/11 commission when it comes to New York next month, to answer questions about the level of cooperation between federal and local...

'THE APPRENTICE' LOSERS FIRED UP ABOUT UNDERWEAR

WHAT can you say about the loopy losers from "The Apprentice" who appeared in their underwear in FHM magazine? If you were The Donald, you'd say, "No wonder there are...

'PASSION' IN FASHION FOR EASTER

Easter has resurrected America's passion for a certain Mel Gibson flick. Heading into the holiday weekend, ticket sales for "The Passion of the Christ" nearly tripled. As of Good Friday,...

$6.8M BITE ON AMMON ESTATE

Two and a half years after financier Ted Ammon was found bludgeoned to death in his East Hampton home, his estate is being pummeled by legal fees and other costs,...

APPLE'S MEGA-GALA FOR CASH AND KERRY

WASHINGTON - Democrat John Kerry is gunning for President Bush's record in New York on Wednesday - aiming to top the $4 million-plus that Bush raked in at a Big...

SQUALOR SQUARED - RISE AND FALL AND RISE OF 'THE DEUCE'

The Devil's Playground: A Century of Pleasure and Profit in Times Square by James Traub, Random House, 336 pages, $25.95 IN this fine book, the writer James Traub convinces us...

'FLAME' OLD SONG - STARS' LYRICAL QNS. MOVIE SHOOT

John Turturro's burnin' love for his hometown led the actor-turned-director (inset) to shoot his musical comedy "Romance and Cigarettes" - featuring A-list stars lip-synching oldies classics - right here in...

9/11 PANEL TO QUIZ RUDY HERE

Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani will appear before the 9/11 commission when it comes to New York next month, to answer questions about the level of cooperation between federal and local...

W.'S QAEDA WARNING - CIA TOLD OF ATTACKS BUT NOT 9/11 STRIKE

The White House released yesterday a summer 2001 CIA memo that told President Bush that alQaeda was "determined" to strike the United States, but which did not contain a clear...

STEPH PEERS AHEAD - 'WE'LL BE EVEN BETTER NEXT SEASON'

WASHINGTON - Lenny Wilkens has no regrets about accepting Isiah Thomas' offer to leave his Seattle living room last January. He is happy he did it despite all the tumult...

KNICKS' SEEDING NOT OVER JUST YET

KNICK NOTES WASHINGTON - Even though the Knicks had already clinched, last night's game in Washington still carried playoff-position implications. A victory would have assured them of finishing no worse...

LOVE WILL FIND A WAY

AUGUSTA - On the back nine of Augusta National Thursday afternoon, it looked like another lost Masters for Davis Love III. A bogey on the 10th hole, a double-bogey on...

BURNS STAYS POSITIVE, BUT NUMBERS DON'T LIE

"It's much too early in the playoffs for anyone to be feeling pressure. We lost one game. I don't think there's any need for anyone to overreact to anything."PAT BURNS...

SHEFF RIPS UNION

"I can't express how I really feel ... I know you guys have to ask questions, but life is unfair. Hey, that's the way it is. I'm a big boy."GARY...

CBS' EYE OUT OF FOCUS

AS the Masters approaches, we annually get several truckloads from CBS and USA Network about how The Masters is steeped in tradition. No argument there. But CBS and USA have...

NOT A ROSE GARDEN ; PRESSURE MOUNTS TO WIN FIRST MAJOR

AUGUSTA - If Justin Rose's perseverance at the youthful age of 23 is any indication, he shouldn't be counted out of winning the Masters tomorrow. So what if Rose is...

MATSUI'S MATURING EYE IS KAZ FOR CELEBRATION

MET NOTES SAN JUAN - If you miss a Kaz Matsui at-bat, just take a peek at the bases. The way he's been going, chances are he'll be standing on...

MICKELSON WON'T SHORT OUT

NOTES AUGUSTA - Phil Mickelson entered this week trying to shave a half a stroke or so off each of his rounds by tightening up his short game. Looking back...

RANGERS CAN'T AFFORD TO MAKE RJ MISTAKE

PHILADELPHIA - The Rangers had better be right. They had better be right in their selection of a head coach, they had better be right in their decisions about free...

ARMED & DANGEROUS ; POWER-PITCHING TRIO MAKES METS ECSTATIC

SAN JUAN - In the recent past, there wasn't anyone like this. No hard-throwing starter. No blazing set-up man. And for the latter half of 2003, no flame-throwing closer. Now?...

BIG START FOR MOOSE

YANKEE NOTES At 0-2 with an 11.00 ERA, today is an important start for Mike Mussina, according to Joe Torre. "No question," Torre said. "I don't care how long you...

JEFFERSON NAMED TO ATHENS DREAM TEAM

A potentially volatile situation was defused. And then it was completely overshadowed when Richard Jefferson was selected to replace Vince Carter on the U.S. Olympic Team and promptly accepted the...

MISTAKES HAVE MATSUI ON RUN

Hideki Matsui is as fundamentally sound, as textbook solid, as any player on the Yankees. That's why seeing him make a pair of glaring mental errors in back-to-back defeats was...

A-ROD STILL IN SLUMP

It seems almost as much a certainty in Yankee Stadium as seeing pinstripes. Every player who joins the Bombers - superstar or substitute - wants to prove his worth on...

ISLES EVEN IT UP - DIPIETRO, BLAKE THWART LIGHTNING

TAMPA - Now it is a best-of-five. The Islanders fought their way back into the Eastern quarterfinals yesterday with a Game 2 victory here that tied their first-round series with...

JERMAINE FOR MVP ; PACERS' LEADER IS TRULY DESERVING

DID you ever have to make up your mind, pick up on one and leave the other behind? It's not often easy and not often kind, did you ever have...

YANKS CAN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT ; LOUSY AGAIN AT STADIUM

White Sox 7 Yankees 3 Yankees stink! Thuuuu-uuh Yankees stink! Right now, the Yankees can't pitch nor hit. They can barely field. In another dismal performance, the Yankees lost, 7-3,...

NO ONE'S PITCHING IN

JOE TORRE re-upped for three years, then a lifetime of love with the blubbering, sentimental old fool. And for at least one more day you could feel the warm fuzzies...

TAPIT BOUNCES BACK ; WOOD VICTORY EASES STING OF FLA. DERBY LOSS

"I would have been happy with a good third or even a fourth."MICHAEL DICKINSON, Tapit's trainer In a remarkable turnaround engineered by a horseman they call "The Mad Genius" for...

'PICO' ROARS TO CARTER WIN

Just a reminder that Aqueduct will be closed today in observance of Easter. Racing will resume Wednesday at 1 p.m. with the first grass race of the year in New...

TIGER'S 'CLOSE,' YET FAR

AUGUSTA - Tiger Woods, seeking his fourth Masters title, began yesterday's third round well within winning distance and finished the day likely out of contention by the time final-round play...

ISLES EVEN IT UP ; DIPIETRO, BLAKE THWART LIGHTNING

TAMPA - Now it is a best-of-five. The Islanders announced their presence in their first-round series with the Lightning yesterday by dominating the top seed in the Eastern Conference for...

DIPIETRO MAKES STATEMENT

ISLANDER NOTES TAMPA - Even when Tampa did get a puck past Rick DiPietro yesterday in the Islanders' 3-0 win here, it did not count. An apparent goal that would...

THORNS IN ROSE'S GAME ; BUT HE'S UNFAZED BY SLIDE

AUGUSTA - Justin Rose had to know this wasn't going to be so easy. Rose, though, is well-versed in adversity. While surging to the Masters lead after each of the...

CHRIS HOPES CUP RUNNETH OVER

AUGUSTA - Chris DiMarco knows he'll be nervous today when he tees off with Phil Mickelson in the final group of the 68th Masters. But he'll lean on his experience...

LEFTY NEEDS 'W' TO RIVAL WOODS

AUGUSTA - I'll be rooting for Phil Mickelson to win the 68th Masters today, but it's purely for selfish reasons. No disrespect to Chris DiMarco, who has Long Island roots...

W.'S QAEDA WARNING; CIA TOLD OF ATTACKS, BUT NOT 9/11 STRIKE

The White House released yesterday a summer 2001 CIA memo that told President Bush that al Qaeda was "determined" to strike the United States, but which did not contain a...

MICKELSON, DIMARCO ON TOP AT AUGUSTA

AUGUSTA - It's time for Phil Mickelson. He knows it. His family knows it. His coaches know it. His peers, both friends and foes, know it. The golf fans who...

MIKE HOPING HIS 'FIRST' START IS PIAZZA CAKE

MET NOTES SAN JUAN - He's done it in spring training. But today, Mike Piazza will start at first base for the first time in regular-season play. With today's series...

THIS HOLE'S TWO DEEP ; NEVER-IN-FRONT DEVILS FALL A SECOND TIME IN PHILLY

PHILADELPHIA - They've been close losses, but only on the scoreboard. Otherwise, it's been the Flyers by a country mile, which is also their series lead over the Devils. Survival...

WILKENS BULLISH ON '04-'05

KNICK NOTES WASHINGTON - Lenny Wilkens has no regrets about accepting Isiah Thomas' offer last January, and said he will return next season for his 32nd season as head coach....

LOOKS LIKE KNICKS-NETS - OT WIN SETS UP LIKELY PLAYOFF MATCHUP

OVERTIME Knicks 102 Wizards 98 WASHINGTON - If the seventh-place Knicks wish to move up to the sixth seed to face Detroit instead of the Nets in the playoffs, Lenny...

DEVILS' ONLY CHANCE RESTS WITH BRODEUR

PHILADELPHIA - All Robert Esche has to do to fulfill his responsibility to the Flyers is not to allow horrendous goals that would initiate flashbacks to Ron Hextall and Roman...

CLUTCH CLUNKERS ; METS' OFFENSE EXPOS-ED IN DISAPPOINTING DEFEAT

Expos 1Mets 0 SAN JUAN - Twenty-one times during last night's Mets-Expos game a player came to bat with a runner on base. Twenty times, those players made outs. There...

MCGREEVEY CAN'T PREVENT JERSEY HUNT

BLACK bears are barely out of their winter dens and they're already starting to make headlines in New Jersey. It appears that a hungry bruin fresh from its winter nap...

ALFONSO'S NUMBERS MAY NOT SOAR IN TEXAS

DOWN THE LINE Common wisdom is Alfonso Soriano - hitting in the offensive friendly Ballpark in Arlington - will improve on his superb numbers. But an AL official said he...

NEW CURSE ON RED SOX ; A-ROD DEAL TO YANKEES STARTED BAD BOSTON VIBE

ALEX Rodriguez upgraded the Yankees' already superb roster, elevated the prestige of America's most prestigious team and increased ticket sales in what already was going to be a record year...

NO NEWS ISN'T GOOD NEWS - DEVILS HAVE 'NO TIMETABLE' FOR STEVENS' RETURN

PHILADELPHIA - The rest of his Devils scrapping for their Stanley Cup lives, GM Lou Lamoriello yesterday said Scott Stevens still lacks medical clearance to return to action from post-concussion...

THE INSIDERS - THE POST TAKES YOU BEHIND THE LOCKER-ROOM DOORS

A puncher's chance Gerry Cooney knows all about helping troubled boxers and the trouble boxers can get into in their wild world. "I was drinking a quart of scotch a...

FAR FROM UTOPIA - NEXT ST. JOHN'S COACH HAS MONUMENTAL TASK AHEAD OF HIM

WIN the press conference. That's the catch phrase these days when it comes to hiring a coach in college athletics: Win the press conference. Introduce a man with so much...

GIANT OF THE GAME - HIGH SCHOOL COACH SURE ELI MANNING'S PERFECT FOR NEW YORK STAGE

HE is the son of a quarterback, the kid brother of a quarterback, and he was born to play quarterback. New York missed out on Peyton Manning, son of Archie,...